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The Vending Machines of the Future
JoshuaInNippon writes "Not sure what you're thirsty for? New vending machines in Shinagawa Station in Tokyo will tell you based on your age and gender. The machines, controlled by a centralized server, come equipped with sensors that recognize basic costumer information, and then provide recommendations alongside the list of available drinks. A massive 47-inch touch panel display is used in place of the typical button system, allowing for an automatic digital advertising mode when no people are directly in front of the machine." A Massachusetts-based vending machine company has even come up with a line of biometric snack machines that tie your thumbprint to a credit card.
...would like to know how they knew who my costumer was!
how long before kids fake it and buy bear or smokes?
They sell bears in vending machines these days? I feel old.
A massive 47-inch touch panel display is used in place of the typical button system,
I wonder how many of these machines are going to get stolen?
Zero. There's the cultural difference of the japanese people in which they don't even think about stealing or vandalizing it. Then there's the fact they have "police boxes" sprinkled about the place. Also consider the fact that people just don't have any room to put it in their apartments. It also a high probably that it will transform into a robot to defend itself.
That's what almost no one gets!
The original James Bond film, Casino Royale, was a much sillier spoof on the 'international superspy' film genre than the less tongue-in-cheek films which came after it - and Bond's odd drink preference was contrived to make him sound a bit poncy. And yet now he and his drink are the broadly accepted standard of suave manliness.
What the hell.
DRM: Terminator crops for your mind!
A bit like the "data plan recommendation" webapp my cell provider has, which asks you a bunch of questions about your usage then recommends their highest price data plan every time.
The last time I saw one of those, this happened.