Why?

Some might say that Kinko's is a necessary evil for art and design students. When all other businesses are closed, there is always Kinko's. However, make no mistake...Kinko's is evil.

As a sophomore in the mid-nineties, I would go to Kinko's to make printouts. One thing you would notice is that the first five minutes of computer rentals were free. This would trick you into thinking that it was possible to get things done quickly without spending much money. Wrong. Clicking "print" would mean that you were forced to wait 15 minutes for your image file to finally reach the printer. By the time I finished printing just a handful of images, I would have already accumulated $40 in rental dues.

My teacher at the time called them to ask why it was costing her students so much money to get so little done. Evidently, Kinko's didn't have a server. Furthermore, they didn't care if it cost students an arm and a leg to get things done. They were perfectly happy with their current arrangement.

Recently, I discovered that things haven't improved much. I went there last year to burn a CD. As I worked, I wondered why this brand new G5 seemed slower than the G3 I have at home. The cost of burning a single disk cost me $20. I hate Kinko's

I think it is time to find out what it is like to take advantage of their facilities without spending any money at all. So, I would use their courtesy phone, I would loiter, and I would try to use their computer for free. Teach them a lesson!