The Well-Calibrated Camera Phone and the Customer of the Week

[jmowreader]

You need a bolt. You have to go to the store to get one.

First thing you need to know: How big is it?

Some would measure the hole with a ruler.

Some would take another bolt out of the item, carry it to the store and ask for one "just like this."

Most people, however, do NOT take a photo of the hole with a camera phone, walk into the store, stick the phone in an associate's face and say "I need a bolt to fit in this hole."

Which is what happened to me today.

To get the "correct" bolt, I was standing there holding two fingers apart..."Is it this big?" (No, bigger) (change spacing between fingers) "How about this?" (No, smaller) (change spacing between fingers) "And now?" (Yes! That's it!) (measure between fingers and sell bolt)

The store manager saw this. "Jim, what the hell were you doing back there with your fingers?" 'Trying to figure out how big the bolt hole the customer took a picture of was.' He laughed very loudly. It's good to be a comedian.