"EXCUSE ME SIR...YOUR METER IS ABOUT TO EXPIRE"

Parking meters - especially in L.A. - are a pain in the arse. No one ever really knows how much time they have and just when you think that you've got away, a ticket almost always happens to magically appear on your windshield. But with this new technology you just might be in luck.

These new meters, which are currently in Vancouver and Niagara Falls, will alert you via mobile phone that your meter is about to expire. From there you can either choose to run down to the meter and drop in some coins or pay with a credit card from the comforts of your office chair via electronic payment.

But what happens if, for instance, your maxed-out MasterCard can't take even another 50 cents? These super helpful, solar-powered devices from Photo Violation Technologies Corp. will even allow parking violators to pay their fine right there at the meter.