Word: atme
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...simple but ingenious, easily accessible -- and it gives people what they want without fuss or argument. It is, in short, one of the great conveniences of modern technology: the ATM, or automated-teller machine...
Only a few years ago, getting your hands on real money meant waiting in line at your (and only your) bank, or knowing the corner shopkeeper well enough to cash a personal check. The ATM changed all that, using a fusion of computer chips, telepad, phone line and dispensing mechanism to transform the way people access their money. Armed with only a plastic card and a functioning index finger, a customer can now obtain cash as easily in Tierra del Fuego as in downtown Tulsa...
...ATM's great convenience and relatively humble working should not obscure the fact that it is in the vanguard of the information age, no less than the Internet, interactive TV or video teleconferencing. By applying technology to people's everyday needs, it epitomizes what Yale University computer scientist David Gelertner calls ``the true potential of the information superhighway: making everyday life for most people somewhat easier and less irritating...
...only if necessary and relax while professional drivers took them to their desired destination -- say, that quaint little farmers' market on the far side of town, where the vegetables are always fresh but they don't take credit cards. In that case, you'd better hope there's an ATM around...
There is something to be said for the feel of crisp bills or clinking change in the palm of your hand, but credit cards and automatic teller machines (ATMs) are taking over the market for money. The machines have popped up on every street corner, and you can pay with plastic just about everywhere-even supermarkets happily accept ATM cards these days. Limits on credit availability and allowable amounts for purchases have also begun to varnish...