“I daresay most of us expect cash to disappear.”
Many years ago we saw this coming when banks aggressively pushed the use of ATM’s instead of going into a bank to interact with a human to get or deposit money.
Of course it allowed banks to use fewer employees and thus save overhead costs.
Many people saw that as the main reason but that was just a side effect of the cards that did not require cash to be used.
Cards for purchases, and the chips, of course are an excellent way to keep watch over us as the gov has access to all spots we use cards.
It’s all about control...
My first “official” I/T job there were 3 interesting developments in my first 6 months to one year there:
1) I wrote a CICS program and accompanying JCL / COBOL to take over data entry - shift it from 2 people doing it on card-punch machines (which were quickly fading) to give the users direct access to key their own data (internal customers).
2) Another person in my department, we started the same day and car-pooled once in awhile, was working on the new MICR-ecoding check machines. There was a test machine set up in the department. She would often be working with it until we left (sometimes after hours).
3) There was a functioning ATM, on a pallet, outside my cubicle. It was a talking ATM (speaking instructions) to the ATM customer. I used to hear it all day long - about 2-1/2 feet from my right ear. It was tested for about 6 months but they were never implemented AFAIK (as least not in my area).
This is the mid-1980’s.
[Of course it allowed banks to use fewer employees and thus save overhead costs.]
BofA just down the road from me got rid of ALL of their drive-up tellers at least 3 years ago.
ALL the tube machines, tubing - GONE. Blinds have been over the big windows ever since. Employees park in the lanes where customers use to drive-thru (5 lanes I believe maybe 4 - I’ll take another look when I go by and see if I can count them).
The BofA out south still had a drive-up teller (2 lanes). Those were eventually shut down and employees terminated or sent elsewhere.
The ATM in the building was ripped out and the hole covered, BION, with plywood. The whole building as a BofA was completely shut-down around a year ago. It’s a ghost town now.
There was ONE (1) ATM there. Since I had to close my accounts (no money so I was gonna get hit with fees) I hadn’t been there in awhile. AFAIK, the last remaining ATM is no longer there. When I’m out south, I’ll take another look.
And then there’s the Global Tracking Device, I mean “the cellphone”.
Many people think changing their number helps. It doesn’t. Except from maybe old marketing data.
The ID of your cellphone is wrapped up in two numbers (IIRC). These are located on the original box, on a label. Maybe three numbers(?) - Dunno. (One of my boxes has 3 numbers but as I recall - two sets of numbers show up in the phone - something like “MEIN” for one of them).
ANYWAYS, these are the true “calling cards” of your phone - these days located on the chip (maybe always).
I reactivated an old Tracfone (now out of service). I called them - they sent me a new chip for FREE - just had to give them a mailing address so they could send out a new chip - which, BTW, they sent for FREE via quick service (like FedEx but another carrier).
Of course, the new numbers are on that chip and they show up when you access your phone’s digital identity.
Your phone number, even if it’s changed 10 times, is always tied to those numbers (as long as your phone doesn’t go too far out of service).
Oh I checked, the BofA down south is not only GONE
but the last drive up ATM is now GONE too.
Looks like a brass plate over the “wall ATM” hole. (I didn’t get out of the car).
May have been gone for even longer since the real estate sign is up. Full BofA building, too. 3 lanes (plus a passing lane). Parking front, rear and side.
It probably has been shut down for 6 months to a year now.
At least.