By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
App moves fast-food chains away from interpersonal customer service
3dcdca1971
The days of indecision and miscommunication in the drive-thru lane of a fast-food restaurant could be long gone. Taco Bell recently launched an app that enables customer to order and pay for it straight from a smartphone. - photo by istockphoto.com/lawcain
Joseph Peacock
Deseret News National
Updated: Nov 8, 2014, 10:00 AM
Published: Nov 6, 2014, 8:08 PM

The days of indecision and miscommunication in the drive-thru lane of a fast-food restaurant could be long gone. Taco Bell recently launched an app that enables customer to order and pay for it straight from a smartphone.

"It gives customers control. They don't want to talk to people all the time," Taco Bell chief marketing officer Chris Brandt tells Fast Company. And the app allows for more creativity in what to order.

"The app offers unlimited menu customization options," reports Eater. "Users can, for the first time, build their own unique creations using dozens of ingredients."

Using the app also allows customers to skip the line when going in to pick up food. When a customer gets within 500 feet of Taco Bell, they will get a phone notification saying, "Looks like you've arrived. Would you like us to start preparing your food?" reports CNN.

National chains aren't the only businesses moving away from interpersonal and toward digitized customer service. In fact, small business owners were some of the first to make the move to utilizing devices for customer service needs.

Carla Hesseltine, the owner of Just Cupakes in Virginia Beach, Virginia, "got the idea for using touch-screen technology … after seeing a nearby juice business do something similar," reports The Wall Street Journal. By maintaining a few tablet devices for customers to place their orders, "she could eliminate the 10 workers who currently ask customers what they would like to eat."

The University of Oxford conducted a study last year on the future of employment, in which they estimated that all U.S. "food preparation and serving workers, including fast food (workers)" have a 92 percent chance of having their jobs computerized.

"What we’re facing isn’t your grandfather’s unemployment problem. It does have something to do with modern technology, and it will be with us for some time," Tyler Cowen wrote in The New York Times. However, he goes on to write that one should shouldn't jump to the conclusion that technology will take over all jobs.

"After all, history has seen many waves of innovation and automation, and yet as recently as 2000, the rate of unemployment was a mere 4 percent. There are unlimited human wants, so there is always more work to be done."

"How can we help workers ride the wave of technological change rather than be swamped by it?" David H. Autor and David Dorn asked in The New York Times. "One common recommendation is that citizens should invest more in their education. Spurred by growing demand for workers performing abstract job tasks, the payoff for college and professional degrees has soared; despite its formidable price tag, higher education has perhaps never been a better investment."

Email: jpeacock@deseretnews.com Twitter: @thejoepeacock
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
93cbd7a5475cccd1cee701424125d3abaa9b4beaa58d3663208f656cbbbd7661
A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.