Giving the palm the finger

Maybe they were kidding.

I see that Amazon is disconnecting those devices at Whole Foods checkout stations where you can pay by placing your palm on a screen. It's been a flop. Give Bezos your palm print? Ha! Ha! Very few people have any interest in doing that.

It's bad enough what tech vultures like Amazon, Google, Facebook and the rest are already doing to our privacy. Not to mention what the government, particularly the federal government, is up to in the data department. Don't forget, Elon Musk has your Social Security file. People are sick of it, and they're not too keen on giving up even more privacy, especially when the alternative is simply to tap their phone or their watch, or to take a card out of their pocket. (Of course, no one is paying cash. I get that.)

Although no tears should be shed for the death of palm-pay, I hope the concept of paying money by rubbing a body part up against something isn't completely dead. If done properly, it could add a whole new dimension to the beleaguered bricks-and-mortar retail industry.