Re: Left handed MetCards

[stang@iweb.net.au (Aidan Stanger)]

Peter Shute <pshute@melbpc.org.au> wrote:

> On Sat, 16 May 1998 22:19:24 +1000, "Reuben Farrelly"
> <reubie@ozemail.com.au> wrote:
> 
> >Does anyone know if MetCard was designed to be used especially by left
> >handed people or not - as a right handed person, when I take my MetCard out
> >of my wallet I have to mess about and turn it around 180 deg. as the strip
> >goes in right side first...great for people who are in a hurry or have
> >their hands otherwise full :)

Are you trying to suggest the Metcard designers took something into
consideration other than their own profit?

> >All my other cards including credit/bank cards go in naturally but MetCard -
> >well seems like it just *has* to be different.
> 
Sounds like Marion library cards - designed to stand out by being bigger
than credit cards, which means carrying them is inconvenient. Even if
they weren't unmissable orange, they wouldn't need to stand out!

> I was advised by someone on the ticket info line not o keep my card
> next to a credit card in my wallet.  The magnetic strips can destroy
> the information on each other. ie. you have to put it in your wallet
> so that the strip is not near the strip on any other card. The strip
> is at the top of the tickets, and at the bottom of credit/debit cards,
> which means it has to be "right way up" if your other cards are.

There's no way a ticket and a credit card can erase each other, but if
the ticket only has a weak magnetic strip (like the Adelaide ones do)
the credit card can erase it.

The London tickets are an example of a good design. A strong magnetic
strip (so credit cards can't erase it) is in the middle, so the gates
can accept the tickets backwards. The newer gates also have duplicate
heads so the tickets can also be inserted upside down.

--
Aidan Stanger
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