MMeM, Vol. 10 Issue 26 – ISIS? Isis?

Well, ISIS or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been in the news this past week. Ugh. I can’t bear to write about the inhumane unspeakable evil inflicted on people by this disgusting “organization”.

However, maybe there is even more disgust to direct toward this outfit. You know how some credit cards have chips in them now that can be used to pay for things at cash registers and even vending machines? Yeah, the office I work in has several machines with these blue light blinking credit card swiping or tapping doohickeys on them. Now, when I first saw this type of thing on a vending machine, I thew up in my mouth a little bit. But, since the way to my heart has always ben through my gullet, learned to come around on these. Not for the snacks, I do have a little bit of self-control, but for my addiction to diet soda (caffeine).

But, of course, not all nifty new gadgets work as intended. In fact, the soda machines with this swipe/tap application on them hardly EVER work. Subsequently, one time I put a sign on the machine on my floor with an arrow pointing to the never-working-card machine asking, “Does this thing ever work?”

No, I did not ever get an answer. All I know is that my note disappeared. Who took it down, I cannot say for sure. No, I don’t have the vendor’s schedule to refill the machine memorized, yet. Hard headed as I am, I continue to give these useless blinking technology showcases a go. And, every once in a while, I get lucky. Thus, the never-ending evolution of my hard-headed-ness continues or flourishes actually.

Then, I noticed something the other day. The card reader has a name for its functionality or lack there of….ISIS. What? You mean I can put this on them too? Done.

In this case, I can’t tell you if ISIS stands for anything or used to stand for anything, because like a lot of acronyms these days, no one is talking about how they came to be. What I did find was that this was a group formed by ….wait for it….yeah, that’s right, mobile phone companies. Mobile phone companies are loved right? I don’t know whether to  send a note of condolence to this group on their name/acronym choice or just do what I always do, make fun.

“Can you pay me now?” Uh, no. See, given the ability for mobile phones to function in this building, I kind of doubt that I can, pay you. Moreover, I wouldn’t pay the other ISIS either as there is free transport to hell.

You have my answer. If I make fun of something, I tend to like the object. It’s a guy thing.