Forgetting to bring your electronics with you on a flight sucks really, really hard. This is why the DFW airport has allowed Best Buy to put Best Buy Express vending machines inside several terminals, giving travellers a chance to pick up the lost gadgets, chargers or headphones that they would otherwise have to do without. Is it a good deal? Probably not. But think of it as the electronics equivalent of having to buy a pack of Corn Nuts and going to town because you missed lunch. [Dallas News]
Psst. Remember those face-recognition vending machines that sell cigarettes in Japan, but only if you’re old enough? Well, underage fag-fans of Japan, here’s how to get your hands on a packet of cancer sticks if you’re still young enough to remember the main working function of the breast.
Here I was, credit card in hand, ready to fly across the Pacific and purchase my very first SMART Car from a vending machine, when I’m told it’s just some advertisement. Sure, SMART Cars can’t float (they can barely survive the SUV-congested streets of the U.S.), and the Japanese steer on the opposite side of their automobiles than us Yanks, but this was the promise of a car via a vending machine. I would have figured out a way to bring it home and make it work. To paraphrase the late, great comedian Mitch Hedberg, things are just better when they fall.
Laydeez an’ gennulmen, I bring you the passive-agressive anger-release machine, an interactive sculpture by Yarisal and Kublitz. It’s pretty self-explanatory—a vending machine that smashes smashables for you, although I’m not sure it gives you the same satisfaction that you get from chucking china at the floor. I dedicate this one to those people who were hoping for a 32GB iPhone at yesterday’s WWDC, anyone who believes that Hello Kitty is the Jim Jones of the 21st century, my director, Ang Lee, producer Harvey Weinstein, and my voice coach, Bart Simpson. Oh, hang on, haven’t I forgotten someone?
Holy crap, what country is LA in? I mean, last time I was there I was surprised enough at the billboards offering medicinal marijuana cards, but this is insane. Starting on Monday, people who have medical conditions such as glaucoma, cancer, and the deadly not-stoned-enough virus can start getting their fat buds from special “AVMs.”
Listen up, Japanese teens: vending machine maker Fujitaka Co. is on to your sneaky cigarette-buying ways, and has created a machine that uses a camera and face recognition software to try and stop you. The machine takes your picture when you press the “Adult Recognition” button, and analyzes your face for wrinkles and sagging. If it thinks you aren’t saggy enough, you must insert your licence for age verification. In a test of 500 people, the machine spotted adults with 90% accuracy. Looks like the big kid with the crustache sitting at the back of your math class is about to be your new best friend; at least until you smoke enough to get wrinkled and buy cigarettes on your own. [Textually via The Raw Feed] More »
Springtime’s Bike Dispenser allows you to rent a RFID-equipped bike from one vending machine, ride it to your destination, drop it off at another vending machine, and walk away. The Dutch company won an award at the 2007 Spark Design & Architecture Awards for their idea, which is perfectly suited for an urban environment. Unfortunately, the bikes won’t do much for your cool factor. [TrendHunter] galleryPost('bikedispenser', 4, 'Bike Dispenser'); More »
After a long day at the office, nothing cools you down better than a fresh … pair of socks? I’m not sure if the feet are exceptionally sweaty in Italy, but an Italian company has come up with a vending machine that dispenses many different styles and colours of socks. Sure to excite the retifists out there. [Crave]-Jenneth Orantia More »
Thirsty? Out of cash? Don’t worry, if you’re near one of these Japanese MediCafe vending machines, it’ll give you a drink for free. Not because you’ve got a pretty face, because you don’t. No, it doles out free drinks as a reward for you watching an advertisement on its built-in video screen.
Now I hate pervasive advertising as much as, if not more than, the next guy, but this is awesome. Its rare that you actually get rewarded for watching an ad, even when it’s so very valuable to advertisers. I’ll watch all the ads you want, just give me free stuff. I’m not a complicated man. –Adam Frucci
