“We are a nation of do-it- yourselfers. We self-help. We self-medicate. We self-destruct. We light our own fireworks. We grill our own hot dogs. We brew our own beer. We prize the independent spirit. Go forth, young man, with your power tools and plywood and build yourself a patio. Go forth, young pioneer, with needle and thread and reattach the limb that was accidentally lopped off during the construction of said patio. In celebration of that kind of irrepressible self-reliance, American retailers have introduced the ultimate in independence technology: the self-checkout.”