Shell gas stations in the US have been showing ads on the main machine for years, I’ve never seen them on the handle before. I hate it. I would expect them to break “accidentally” quite often.
Fun fact for most of these on-pump advertisements: if you see eight buttons in two columns, hitting the third row(?) second column button should mute the speaker.
Fuck these abominations, fuck the oil industry, fuck the advertising industry, and fuck the snack and beverage companies that advertise their poison on these devices.
Where I am it was the second down on the right side, but recently the button to mute stopped working around where I live. I have a friend who just sticks his keys through the the speaker grates to kill the speakers lol
I’ve always seen comments like this when this topic gets brought up, but it’s never worked for me at any pump. I usually start pressing all the buttons when the ad plays, but never any luck
Just get sharper keys!
To anybody thinking about vandalizing this thing:
DONT BREAK IT, not the screen, not the speakers and none of its electronics, you can create a shortcut, then a spark and YOU WILL KILL YOURSELF or the next person that uses the pump.
Paint and stickers are the way to go.
The likelihood that you get any kind of meaningful arc from puncturing a speaker is almost none, theyre not gonna drive those speakers with high voltage. Especially improbable since you’re likely just destroying the speaker diaphragm, so an arc may not even be feasible from the type of damage done.
When myth busters tested whether cell phones, and then arcing (like from static discharge) would blow you up at the gas station, they had to use a large continuous arc from a neon sign transformer (extremely high voltage) and a sealed box full of the ideal fuel to air ratio of gasoline vapors to get an explosion.
Puncturing a speaker isnt unlikely to ever have to have either of those things. You’re unlikely to get an arc, and there should be like a zero percent chance of a meaningful build up of fuel vapors in an open air setting where the vapors have to make out of the narrow choke of the fuel tank opening, where the nozzle and its rubber splash guard thing are blocking its route, and all the way to where the speaker is
Do you by any chance have any experience working with electricity to back up your concerns?
there should be like a zero percent chance of a meaningful build up of fuel vapors in an open air setting where the vapors have to make out of the narrow choke of the fuel tank opening, where the nozzle and its rubber splash guard thing are blocking its route, and all the way to where the speaker is
Sure buddy, handle one of those with a cigarette and see what happens. (/s fucking dont)
Do you by any chance have any experience working with electricity to back up your concerns?
I have diplomas on the subject, professional experience and training, yes. Engineering regulations are written on blood and cemeteries are full of smart asses that dont follow them, that all I have to say.
Vandalize it.
I’m usually not in favor of this sort of thing. But I think there are some instances where that may be justified. This screen serves ZERO public benefit. It’s just there to annoy you. So IMHO doing something like 3d printing a cover that you leave on the screen is a public service.
99% of advertisements serve zero public benefit. Its in society’s best interest to actively hinder them whenever possible IMO.
Advertisement is the ruling classes’ graffiti. Obliterating it is a public service.
All right well I hate to disagree but advertisements do support a lot of websites and news organizations, or at least they used to before the tech Giants took most of the advertising money.
The question is not whether they support a business model, it’s whether they are good for humanity. And they are bad for humanity from a socioeconomic perspective because it is labor power spent with negative net use value produced.
Compare it with imperialist wars: they are the business model of the entire MIC, and yet I hope you agree that wars of aggression are bad.
Yes this is an invitation to it. Destroy that shit.
a can of black spray paint might do the job well.
Gorilla tape.
If you know someone who can get you some anti petrol stickers, esp ones that promote renewables and / or maybe the new Technology Connections video, please do so.
Have you considered vandalism?
Vandalism is always an answer. May not be the right answer, considering the question.
Hey Gina, what do you think would be a good fundraiser to help cover the funding gaps our shitty government leaves us with year after year?Hey Bob, Joey’s getting out of the hospital today and is going to have staggering debt because the purposefully inefficient private healthcare system has so much power over our elected officials.Fuck it, I tried twice. Vandalism is the answer.
Can of cheap spray paint, hit all the pumps at once
Let’s call it disabling or indispose as a public service.
Vandalism ( as they will undoubtedly will frame it) has a negative connotation.
Language used to fit the view of who uses it.
Like ‘regime’ (government we don’t like) or officer involved shooting (pigs murdered someone).
We don’t have them on the nozzles, but our pumps blare out the audio at hearing damage volumes.
And they wonder why that brand of station is avoided.
Often times you can press one of the buttons to mute it, although apparently some pumps have decided you’re not allowed to decide when you want to hear your own thoughts. Just start pushing the buttons on either side of the screen, chances are one of them will shut it up.
Expanding foam spray in the speaker vents
I’ve started leaving if the thing shows me an ad, I just put the nozzle back the second the ad plays, gets me enough fuel to get to a non compromised station.
The most fucked is full serve stations with the ads. While my windows are up so Im safe, the poor staff have to listen to an entire gas station worth of pumps blaring ads all day.
oops, dropped against the curb
Advertising should be illegal.
This company went bankrupt btw 💯 I can only hope whatever chain decided to try this shit got ostracized too.
I found a patch for the problem.
Very Cyberpunky. The bad parts of Cyberpunk that is.
To anybody thinking about vandalizing this thing:
DONT BREAK IT, not the screen, not the speakers and none of its electronics, you can create a shortcut, then a spark and YOU WILL KILL YOURSELF or the next person that uses the pump.
Paint and stickers are the way to go.
So essentially these are just more dangerous pump handles then?
Love it.
which means you should 100% report this massive safety risk wherever you can
Damn, thought only the US was crazy enough to have ads at the pump. This is a whole other level.
