[The following was originally run October, 2001, in a slightly different form. I'm reprinting it now in view of the recent news regarding South Florida shopping carts.]

I ran into a new technology at the grocery yesterday, or at least one which I'd not seen before. Near the doors to the store there are large signs warning would-be cart-thieves that their shopping carts are now equipped with electronic locks on the wheels. Outside of the parking lot the cart's wheels will seize up, rendering it useless as a ghetto home or as a garden accessory. Judging from the fresh cut-marks on the asphalt, I'm guessing it uses a similar technology to those electronic dog leashes, some sort of wire embedded under the pavement.

Of course, by the time I finished shopping and left the store I had completely forgotten about this innovation. Cart theft was not on my mind, and besides, I was parked very near the front of the store, well within the parking lot. Imagine my surprise, then, when about twenty feet from my car the cart wheels seized up. As I pitched headfirst over the basket and onto the ground my first thought was that I'd hit a pothole, but a moment's investigation showed me that indeed the damned sensors thought I had left the premises.

So picture me now, dragging a shopping cart full of foodstuffs out of the center of the lane and over to my car, swearing like a longshoreman, sparks flying off the grinding wheel locks. I'm sure it was not a pretty sight. The managers are damned lucky I was too tired to go back in and ream them out; besides, that's why we have e-mail.