From: friedman@gnu.ai.mit.edu (Noah Friedman)
Subject: Downloading pizza (was Re: You know you've been in hack mode too long when...)
Followup-To: alt.folklore.computers
Organization: Free Software Foundation, 675 Mass Ave. Cambridge, MA 02139
	<1992Apr12.022417.406@ee.rochester.edu>
	<JSC.92Apr12215121@golem.mit.edu>
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 11:27:53 GMT

In article <JSC.92Apr12215121@golem.mit.edu> jsc@athena.mit.edu (Jin S. Choi) writes:
>On the MIT Media Lab computers (I think; it's one of the Labs around
>here), there's a program called xpizza. I've never actually seen it, but
>supposedly it prompts you for what kind of pizza you'd like to have and
>other various info, and then sends a fax to a 24 hour delivery pizza
>place with the order, along with information on how to get to your
>office and what door to come in depending on what time of day it is.

   It's the AI lab, and it does indeed exist.  (of course, it or the fax
machine are frequently broken, but that's a different matter).  Right now I
think it only knows about Hi Fi Pizza, which is open until 2 or 3 AM but
they stop delivering at midnight.  A pity, because it's usually or 2 or 3
AM when I start to feel hungry.  Also, the pizza people will only ring you
from the lobby, and you have to go down and get your food.  It means I
actually have to exert myself and leave the office once in awhile.  :-)

   This is about as close to "downloading a pizza" as I've ever seen. 

   Here's the man page.  Supposedly this program can be extended to handle
other restaraunts, but we don't know of any others that have fax machines
yet.  Enjoy. 

NAME
     pizza - "Hi-Fi Pizza" food-by-fax delivery orderer  for  the
     MIT AI Lab

SYNOPSIS
     pizza [-d(ebug)] [-h(elp)] [-m(ail)] [-s(leep)] [-t(est)]

     xpizza [-d(ebug)] [-h(elp)] [-m(ail)] [-n(osleep)] [-t(est)]

DESCRIPTION
     Pizza is a program that allows denizens of the MIT AI Lab to
     order  food  for delivery from "Hi-Fi Pizza" (496 Mass Ave.)
     quickly and easily.  Pizza saves time by automatically  gen-
     erating  and  faxing an order that includes the user's phone
     and office number, and contains delivery  instructions  that
     vary  depending on whether the inner lab doors are currently
     open or not.  Pizza also checks  to  see  whether  Hi-Fi  is
     currently open for business, and warns the user if it's not.

     Pizza is currently a terminal-based program, but it  can  be
     run  in its own xterm(1) window by using the command xpizza.
     At any point while Pizza is running you may exit with ^C (^C
     Return if at a prompt).

...

BUGS
     The delivery instructions may no longer be valid by the time
     the  food  arrives  (e.g., if Pizza is run just before 5pm).
     Also, Pizza doesn't know about holidays.

     The global Locations file should contain the physical  loca-
     tion of every machine in the lab, plus locations for lounges
     and conference rooms.

     It would be nice if Pizza had a variety  of  restaurants  to
     choose from.

     Some of the employees at Hi-Fi don't know how  to  work  the
     fax.

     If the food arrives after hours, you have to  be  near  your
     phone  when  the driver calls up, and you have to physically
     get up and go to the elevator lobby to get the food.   Also,
     you have to have money to pay for the food.  What a pain!

...

NON-COPYRIGHT
     Created 1991 by  Michael  Frank  and  Mark  Torrance.   This
     software is public domain.