To chip or not to chip?

I was pleased when US companies started putting chips in their credit cards.  I go to Canada once a year, a lovely weekend in Stratford, Ontario, to see the plays, and merchants there have been wanting cards with chips since before I knew what they were.  Now about half of my credit cards have chips while the older ones don't. I embarrassed myself the other day (in front of a critical grandchild of course) by slipping a chipless card into the chip slot and then wondering why it wasn't working. What I've found most interesting lately though is the number of stores with chip readers that are out of order. It's something I wonder about. Is someone going around breaking chip machines? How would you do that? Then I've heard that chip readers can be hacked and people can get your credit card information.  I'm thinking cash is easier.  Or maybe I'll stand in the checkout lane slowly writing a check while the line builds up behind me. But that's a pet peeve for another blog.