Recycled Electrons - Blog of Keith Horowitz

How many of you have gone to a hotel, and then suddenly, your card-key no longer works? I am about to share a secret about these card-keys. You know the keys - the size and shape of a credit-card, along with that magnetic strip. After years of having these keys go bad on me, I wondered why I seemed to have bad luck with them. Yet, I didn't have bad luck every time - just occasionally - and I wasn't sure why. Is there anything worse than finally getting back to your hotel room, late in evening - figure you have enough time to get to the room to go to the bathroom. Your hands are full of the stuff you don't want to leave in the car. You manage to re-balance your stuff to get out your card key. Slide - red light. Slide again a little faster - red light. Or maybe your card-key doesn't show any lights at all. You have to trudge back downstairs to the front desk. Wait in line for a clerk to help. Or maybe you had to ring the bell to get the lone clerk to come out...