(no subject)

Outsourcing the drive-through:

Pull off Interstate 55 near Cape Girardeau, Mo., and into the drive-through lane of a McDonald's next to the highway and you'll get fast, friendly service, even though the person taking your order is not in the restaurant - or even in Missouri.

The order taker is in a call center in Colorado Springs, more than 900 miles away, connected to the customer and to the workers preparing the food by high-speed data lines.

You can also place an order from your table, if you don't feel like going all the way to the counter.

(no subject)

The Republicans think they can win my home state, although they also think they can make Dick Cheney hip:

Signs held aloft by children and inscribed "Cheney Rocks" and "Too Cool" were part of an MTV-style photomontage projected on screens beside the stage inside the Minneapolis Convention Center.

This is creepy too, though:

Speaking to about 350 people, Mr. Edwards remarked that he had often spoken about "two Americas,'' including one where the poor struggle to make ends meet. Looking around at the well-heeled crowd, he said, "This is the other America, right here in this beautiful place."

That's a line that needs more context than it's given. Where did he go from there?