Hot product 2008: Pump Top TV

Now everyone can agree that pumping gas can be a pretty boring thing to do. Especially when it's cold. What do you get to do? You can't talk on a cell phone at many stations. So you stand around and look at the other cars, maybe even talk to someone. Now you can watch TV from the comfort of your gas pump.

From Westinghouse Digital comes Pump Top TV. An all weather flat screen TV that sits atop the gas pump. The technology is already in use in some states and brings data such as news, weather and traffic to motorists as they fill up. There is one drawback to the TVs though. Poor visibility in heavy sunlight. This is a very cool idea. But hopefully it won't cause for any long waits at the pumps cause the Joe in front of you wants to catch the latest episode of The View.


Source: Engadget via Autoblog.

Gas station error sells gas at $.33 cents a gallon. Mass hysteria ensues

Kinda takes you back to oh, 1961 with these prices. Don't you yearn for the good old days? We sure do. One man's mistake is another man's profit.

MINOCQUA, Wis. - Dozens of drivers made a mad rush for cheap gas after a station employee accidentally changed the price to 33 cents a gallon. An employee closing Trig's Minocqua Shell for the night meant to drop the price of gas by 1 cent.

But he mistakenly dropped a nine from the $3.299 a gallon in the computer, making the price of gas .329 cents Monday night.

He left about 10 p.m., but drivers could still use their credit cards to buy gas.

Those that did got a bargain, and word spread fast.

Forty-two people bought 586 gallons of gas in an hour and 45 minutes.

Local police saw the hoard at the station and called store manager Andrea Reuland.
She went to the station and pushed the emergency stop.

"There were cars two deep at each of my pumps," said Reuland, who knew many of the drivers.
One person had pumped 27 gallons and two purchased 18 gallons.

Manager upset at 'dishonest' people
Reuland told people they were being dishonest — the main store sign had the correct price.

"I was very upset that there's that many dishonest people," she said. "They knew there was a problem, and they took advantage of an employee's mistake and I think that's terrible."
For that many people to be at a rural, northern Wisconsin gas station after 10 p.m. is highly unusual, she said.

The employee, who has been there for about six months, had changed the gas prices 25 times in the past six months.

"It was an honest mistake," Reuland said. "I could have done it."

Area residents were still talking about it Friday morning.

"Was it you guys?" a woman in the station asked Reuland. "Why do I always miss the good stuff?"

Source: MSN

Pains at the pump. Gas prices set to rise yet again

The US Energy Information Administration is warning the US public to prepare to see yet another increase at the pumps. We should expect to see an increase of 20 cents per gallon starting in the next couple of weeks.

The immeiate hit will be felt during Thanksgiving travels and should continue through the holiday season. OPEC will meet after the new year, and hopefully an increase in production is on the slate to be discussed.

Source: Reuters