I was freezing my nads off last night, so I decided to hop in a cab for the $6 ride home.

But I got a slightly different cab than I am used to.

This one had a credit card swipe looking machine that took “Taxi Pass” cards as payment. I’ll have to find out what those things are later.

In and of themselves, the machines are pretty unobtrusive. They just sit there looking hi-tech.

Then about two minutes into the ride, the thing starts blaring. A full-blown television commercial started playing on the thing !

I was on the phone and neither myself or the other party could hear anything other than this damn machine.

We’ve all gotten used to the commercials on the little video screen at the grocery store checkout line, but when they are 12 inches in front of your face, and the volume is turned up, it’s really fucking annoying.

These things exist in cabs in other cities, but I was really hoping it wouldn’t happen here.

I know it wasn’t the driver’s fault, but I tipped him about 30 cents instead of the $3-$4 I normally would have. I was that turned off by the thing interrupting me on my own time.

When I spring for a taxi, I pay to sit back, relax, and be chauffeured home.

If I have to watch damn commercials, I am not going to pay as much for the ride. Period.

So this is great … advertisers have found a new way to get a captive audience.

Good grief, exactly how much more is Vegas going to go out of its way to annoy the living shit out of visitors for a few bucks on the bottom line?

Apparently this thing is just in the “testing” phase and is only in a minority of cabs at the moment, but that may soon change.

My initial opinion?

It sucks.

My prediction?

They will eventually be in every cab in the city, and much like 6/5 Blackjack … we’re all just going to have to get used to it.