Two Brazilian Inventions that the Rest of the World Should Copy

I went out last night with a couple of friends to a dance club in Vila Olimpia. As we were setting ourselves up with our "consumption cards", I realised that Brazil has come up with several inventions that would serve the rest of the world well:

1. Individual consumption cards for restaurants, clubs, and bars: In many establishments in Brazil, patrons will receive a credit card-sized consumption card which has an individual identity number on it. Waiters then keep track of each person's consumption by electronically registering the ID number everytime an order is placed. For places with a cover charge, the charge is also included on the card. Patrons then pay their entire bill at a front cash when they leave. Obvious advantages in my mind include not having to pull out little bits of money every time you order; being able to put your entire bill on a credit card, thus entitling you to not carry around so much cash; and being able to move freely in the club without worrying about settling up with a particular waitstaff. The main disadvantages are that you need to time your exit carefully so as to not coincide with eveyone else's exit. Otherwise, you might hit a nice queue on your way out. Unfortunately for concert-goers this often means heading out before or during the last song. It also means that wait and barstaff do not get tipped, although I am not sure they really get tipped in any case. These cons aside, this seems to be a terrific system. Just don't lose the card. The automatic charge is sometimes extraordinarily high!

2. CD Store listening posts: In most of the larger cd stores, listening posts are set up so that customers can easily preview any cd in the store (as opposed to in Canada where you can usually only sample the chosen cds of the week). Just scan the electronic barcode, and presto, the choosen cd starts playing, as copies or MP3s of the cds are stored in an electronic database. It's a great system for encouraging people to try out new stuff. Of course, stores without these electronic databases also have listening posts, just that they are manned by an employee who will change your cds one by one as requested.