Brilliant things

Oyster card. The new swipe-able tube card is a treat. But I recently lost it after buying a month pass. The customer service journey was a bit of a circle (register online to send an email that links to an FAQ online that gives a phone number to call). Their solution is brilliant: they mail a replacement card, move the expiration date forward, and give you a refund for any travel costs incurred while it's being sent.

Sainsbury's coin counting machine.
The curse of living in England is that one tends to have a lot of coins at any given time. It had been piling up at home in a plastic bag. Sunday, I carried it all to Sainsbury's where there's an automated coin counting machine that gives either a voucher for groceries or a charitable donation. I knew I had a lot of coin, but even I was stunned to have had £67.09 in 10s, 5s, and penny coins.