Credit Card Imprinter
Marx -- Universal equivalent. Is money really a universal equivalent? Move from money form to capital. Receipts
Derrida-- Signature is absurd final compensatory gesture to signal that what I've written down is from me. To tie what you say to who you are.
If you burn money, value is gone. Credit card is return to the value not being embodied in the artifact. Return to contractual... money as promissory note. Contract-producing instrument. Credit card is return! What these receipts actually represent historically.
Carrying a credit card rather than cash prevents theft because if someone steals your money, the money and the value it represents are gone. However, if someone steals your credit card, they have only stolen the means for making a contract, and you can call the company and cancel the card.
Even after the advent of the magnetic strip, the customer's written signature remains the unique identifier. This identifies the buyer with the card. The card's number identifies the card with the credit card account.
History of physicality of card, PATENT for the first embossed card. History of embossing plastic in general, PATENT for machine that embosses. History of death of this machine, PATENT for magnetic strip.
PATENT for carbon paper, carbon paper receipts.
Lagtime between invention of magnetic strip and universal use of it. Magnetic strip is about immediate verification. Can't be used until the business has a modem. Credit card co. needs to provide incentive for merchant to have immediate verification to deter fraud. Law that says if you accept fraudulent card it's your fault?
Carbon paper wasn't accepted in court bc of forgery from late 1800s to end of 19th century (From "Exciting History of Carbon Paper") Credit card receipts are not using carbon paper. Actually using a chemical reaction bc less messy. Top sheet has to be ultra thin.
Spacing between characters embossed on credit cards. Spacing within characters to make it possible to emboss. But also tight enough that you can't switch numbers. Can't turn 3 into 8. 2 and 5 don't look alike. Security font. Designed to be impossible to tamper with.
Carrying a credit card rather than cash prevents theft because if someone steals your money, the money and the value it represents are gone. However, if someone steals your credit card, they have only stolen the means for making a contract, and you can call the company and cancel the card.
