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Egg Vending Machine
Producers who rely on honesty boxes for farm gate sales are all too often left out of pocket when would-be customers walk off with their eggs or other produce without paying. It just doesn’t work.
The machine offered farmers some security against opportunist thieves who took advantage of honesty boxes. It can be tailored to suit any size of operation and it can vend anything from eggs to vegetables and potatoes.
In the US, Glaum Egg Ranch in Santa Cruz County, California was one of the earliest adopters, dispensing eggs with a side of entertainment. When customers purchase eggs, they’re also treated to an animatronic show complete with singing and dancing chickens.
New York decided to implement a vending machine program that was somewhere between practical and publicity stunt.
Machines at rest stops are now selling items ranging from Red Jacket Orchard juices from Geneva, New York to Finger Lakes Fresh apple slices from Groton and Sweet Sam’s cookies from the Bronx.
New York has installed 10 machines throughout the state and hopes to install more if they prove popular. This marks the first time local-fare vending machines have been sponsored by the public sector.
Vending machines have a number of advantages over brick-and-mortar stores or even farmers markets. There’s no need to pay an employee to run the register and, unlike a weekly market, the machines can run 24/7 in many locations at once.
The vending machines also boost farm income and offer a bit of brand recognition. Visitors who see a farm’s name in a vending machine might be moved to take part in a farm tour or seek out their products elsewhere.
Interesting facts about Eggs
- Harriet, a hen from the United Kingdom, laid the world’s largest egg in 2010. Her astonishing egg measured 9.1 inches in diameter.
- It takes a hen between 24 and 26 hours to develop an egg. Once she lays an egg, the development of a new egg normally starts within 30 minutes.
- Chickens don’t produce one egg at a time. Instead, producing hens normally have several eggs in various stages of development.
- There are several reasons why commonly we eat chicken eggs instead of duck or turkey eggs. Chickens lay more eggs, they need less nesting space, and they don’t have the strong mothering instincts of turkeys and ducks, which makes egg collection easier.
- White eggs are more popular among commercial producers because chickens that lay white eggs tend to be smaller than their brown egg-laying cousins, therefore needing less food to produce the same number of eggs.
Source
- Farmer Almanac
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Vending Machine Experience
ZICO set up an interesting vending machine in New York, not just selling Coconut Water, but providing a fine vending machine experience.
Vending Machine Experience from ZICO Other Vending Machine Applications
Luxury Goods Vending Machine
The Mondrian South Beach hotel has a unique luxury goods vending machine that sells everything from toothbrushes to a Bentley Arnage. The fancy retail machine stocks a list of over the top items including golden handcuffs, land and condos.
For anything that can’t fit inside, customers trade in a voucher at the front desk to receive their goods. Though the ultra high-end nature of this machine is a bit questionable and gimmicky, the concept behind it is interesting.
Luxury goods vending machines represent an innovative and intriguing intersection of high-end retail and automated convenience. These machines offer premium products that one might not expect to find in a typical vending setup, ranging from electronics and jewelry to cosmetics and designer accessories. Here are some interesting points about luxury good vending machines:
- Boutique Experience: Brands use these machines to create a unique shopping experience that combines the exclusivity of luxury with the convenience of vending. They are often found in high-traffic areas like airports, upscale malls, and hotels, targeting travelers or individuals looking for quick access to premium items.
- Cutting-Edge Technology: These vending machines incorporate advanced technologies such as touch screens, secure payment methods including credit cards and mobile payments, and sometimes even facial recognition for personalized experiences. Some machines feature transparent OLED displays that showcase products attractively while providing interactive information.
- Product Range: The range of products available can be quite diverse. Examples include Apple products (iPhones, iPads), luxury watches from brands like Rolex, high-end cosmetics from companies such as Chanel or Dior, and even fine jewelry. This variety caters to impulse buyers and those seeking immediate access to luxury items without visiting a traditional store.
- Marketing and Branding: Luxury good vending machines serve as a form of experiential marketing. They attract attention through their novelty and provide brands with a platform to showcase their products in a highly visible way. It’s a strategy that appeals particularly to younger, affluent consumers who appreciate both luxury and convenience.
- Security Features: Given the valuable nature of the goods sold, these machines come equipped with robust security measures. This includes reinforced glass, anti-theft mechanisms, and surveillance systems to prevent theft and ensure safe transactions.
One notable example is the Bulgari vending machine, which offers a selection of its iconic products, allowing customers to purchase luxury items anytime. Another is Best Buy’s vending machines, which sell electronics in convenient locations like airports.
Luxury good vending machines challenge conventional retail models by making premium products more accessible and offering a novel shopping experience that merges technology with top-tier merchandise.
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Screaming Vending Machine
I scream, you scream. Scream a little louder and you might even get a better brew from a vending machine.
Farnham Ale & Lager came up with an excellently bizarre way to showcase its beers with a beer vending machine operated by screaming at it. Just put your face up to the machine and shout. The louder you shout, the more bitter beer you will get.
The vending machine has a scream sensor on top, measuring how loud the scream is. It will then automatically correlate the loudness to the bitterness of the beer. This marketing ploy highlights the concept that every single person has an unequal tolerance for bitter beer. Hence, people should drink the beers that they’re more inclined to like.
Put on some headphones before you watch:
Research on Screaming
Normally, your brain takes a sound you hear and delivers it to a section of your brain dedicated to making sense of these sounds: What is the gender of the speaker? Their age? Their tone?
Screams, however, don’t seem to follow that route. Instead, the team from New York University discovered that screams are sent from the ear to the amygdala, the brain’s fear processing warehouse.
“In brain imaging parts of the experiment, screams activate the fear circuitry of the brain,” David Poeppel, a professor of psychology and neural science at New York University says. “The amygdala is a nucleus in the brain especially sensitive to information about fear.” That means screams are inherently considered not just sound but a trigger for heightened awareness.
From these screams, Poeppel and his team mapped “roughness,” an acoustic description for how fast a sound changes in loudness. While normal speech modulates between 4 and 5 Hz in sound variation, screams spike between 30 and 150 Hz. The higher the sound variation, the more terrifying the scream is perceived.
Poeppel and his team had volunteers listen to different alarm sounds and found people responded to alarms with similar variations: The more the alarms varied at higher rates, the more terrifying they were judged to be.
That huge variation in scream roughness is a clue to how our brains process danger sounds, Poeppel says. Screaming serves not only to convey danger but also to induce fear in the listener and heighten awareness for both screamer and listener to respond to their environment.
Source
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Caviar Vending Machine
The business, Beverly Hills Caviar, is owned by husband and wife team Kelly Stern and Brian Scheiner, who both come from long lines of Eastern European “caviar families.”
The idea of selling caviar from a vending machine may seem offbeat, but Stern says it’s a business model that works. While the machines definitely attract a curious audience, there are also caviar aficionados, including chefs, who come with their credit cards in hand.
“We actually patented the technology because it was so time-intensive and we needed so many engineers just to get it done right,” says Stern.
The machine has security measures with three cameras as the daily inventory adds up to around $50,000. Caviar emerges from the vending machine in a specially designed insulated box, which provides a window of about three hours to get it back in a fridge or onto your plate.
By the time you get home it’s usually just perfect and you can eat it, and it will be the tastiest thing you ever had.
SternFun Facts about Caviar
- Caviar is made from fish eggs, in some cases called ‘roe’, and the finest, made from Sturgeon eggs comes in 4 main ranges: Beluga, Ossetra, Sterlet and Sevruga.
- Eggs from the Beluga Sturgeon are the largest and have a creamy flavor and vary in color from light to dark gray.
- The majority of Sturgeon eggs come from the seas around Russia and Iran, although recently the United States and China have actually begun farming their own Sturgeon fish to produce their own caviars.
- Professionals state the very best caviar originates from wild Sturgeon, both tasting and looking much better than roe from farmed fish. That stated, nevertheless, farmed caviar is ending up being more popular with consumers and chefs alike and generally costs less than the wild variety.
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Pasta Vending Machine
Interesting facts about Pasta
- Before machinery, pasta was kneaded by foot.
- The traditional Italian way of cooking pasta is known as ‘al dente’.
- Al dente pasta not only tastes better, it keeps you full longer.
- If pasta is cooked properly, it should stick to a wall when it is thrown.
- There are approximately 350 shapes of pasta.
- The average Italian eats 60 pounds of pasta per year.
- And a typical portion is only 100 grams.
- October 25 is World Pasta Day.
- Most dried pastas are made with only two ingredients, Semolina flour and water.
- Flour + water = paste = pasta.
- The first reference to pasta, in a book, was in 1154.
- The three most popular pastas’ are: penne, spaghetti and macaroni.
- The three most popular pasta dishes are: macaroni cheese, spaghetti bolognaise and lasagne.
- Uncooked dry pasta can be kept for up to a year.
- Cooked pasta can be frozen and re-eaten within three months.
- It was traditionally eaten by hand.
- One cup of cooked pasta is the size of your fist.
- Pasta has many health benefits, as it is low in calorific value and contains various nutrients and minerals.
- Pasta can also be given to dogs and cats. It’s believed in helps them in their growth development and to help their coats glossy and healthy.
- People were once fooled into thinking spaghetti grew on trees. April 1 in 1957, the BBC made everyone believe that spaghetti grows on trees. At the time, spaghetti was considered by many as an exotic delicacy. The spoof programme explained how severe frost can impair the flavour of the spaghetti and how each strand of spaghetti always grows to the same length. This is believed to be one of the first times television was used to stage an April Fools Day hoax.
Source
- BuzzFeed by Jesse Szewczyk
- The Fact Site
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Insurance Vending Machine
Flying in 1955 was much riskier and less commonplace. So vending machines for flight insurance were a fine way to capitalize on that.
Automatic airline insurance vending machine in waiting room of United Airlines. (Getty/Carl Iwasaki) Interesting facts about Insurance
- The Padres have signed the same player for 23 years so he doesn’t lose his health insurance.
- No insurance company will underwrite Jackie Chan’s productions. That’s why Jackie Chan makes sure to personally train and pay for all the stuntmen who complete his fantastic feats on camera.
- It’s thought that traders in China used to insure their boats in case of theft or loss at sea, and this is dating back as far as 3,000 BC!
- America Ferrera had her smile insured for $10,000,000.
- An insurance policy exists for death by excessive laughter at a movie theater. During the early 19th century, movie-goers were so scared of dying due to excessive laughter that they bought insurance through Lloyd’s of London.
- The very first insurance contract was signed in 1347.
- An insurance company offered a cash reward to anyone who could capture the Loch Ness monster. The insurance company agreed, under one condition: that it would get to keep Nessie.
- Gene Simmons once insured his tongue for $1,000,000.
- The phenomenon of insuring body parts started in 1920.
- Alien abduction insurance has been available in the U.S. since 1987. UFO Abduction Insurance Company in Altamont Springs, Florida, sells a $10,000,000 alien abduction policy. Interestingly, the company has actually paid claims and has sold more than 100,000 policies.
- The word ‘insurance’ originally meant an ‘engagement to marry’.
- ‘Hole-in-one’ insurance allows golfers to offer huge prizes to anyone who gets a hole-in-one.
- The Great Fire of London spurred insurance forward.
- It’s thought that Sony actually makes more money from its insurance division than it does from actively selling products!
Some recent Insurance Development
The concept of “Black Box Insurance” or telematics insurance, has gained popularity in recent years. This type of insurance uses a small device installed in your vehicle or a smartphone app to track driving habits such as speed, braking patterns, and the time of day when you drive. The data collected is then used to assess the risk profile of the driver more accurately.
What makes this particularly intriguing is that it can lead to fairer premiums based on actual driving behavior rather than traditional factors like age, gender, or location alone. Safe drivers, especially younger ones who might otherwise be categorized in higher-risk groups, can benefit from reduced premiums. This approach not only encourages safer driving but also allows insurers to manage their risk more effectively, potentially lowering costs for conscientious customers.
Moreover, the adoption of telematics represents a significant shift towards personalized insurance policies, reflecting broader trends in technology and data analytics that are transforming many industries. It’s a clear example of how advancements in technology are making insurance more dynamic and tailored to individual behaviors and circumstances.
Source
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Salad Vending Machine
Farmer’s Fridge sells restaurant-quality salads and snacks and donates all of the unsold food at the end of each day to a local food pantry.
The trend to eat clean is growing in popularity by the day, which is why Luke Saunders of Chicago was inspired to found an innovative type of vending machine that serves only healthy fare and treats.
Saunders founded Farmer’s Fridge, which is a healthy vending machine that sells exclusively organic, restaurant-quality salads and snacks. This first of many kiosks was placed in a dreary food court and was an almost immediate hit.
The rustic-looking yet modern vending machine is made from reclaimed wood and is surrounded by real plants with a carpet of artificial grass. Every morning at 10 a.m., the kiosk is stocked with an array of fresh salads and snacks (mostly organic) prepared shortly before at a nearby kitchen.
Excitingly, whatever is left at the end of the day gets donated to a local food pantry.
Saunders envisioned the idea when he was traveling for his former corporate job and was burdened by not being able to obtain healthy, organic produce from popular fast food chains. He decided he needed to “be the change,” therefore, followed through with the plan to found Farmer’s Fridge.
My realization was that I could make fresh food and put it in a vending machine without adding any preservatives or other junk and it would taste good. We want everything to be in the running for ‘the best salad I ever had’. If it’s not that good, we’re not going to put it in there.”
SaundersFarmer’s Fridge protects the quality and integrity of the food by staying away from items that don’t lend themselves to staying fresh and tasty in a refrigerated vending machine. That means there are no sandwiches, but plenty of salads and sides packed into recyclable plastic jars.
The ingredients in each product are stacked in an order specifically intended to keep the salad fresh: greens on top, cheeses and water-retaining fruits on the bottom, nuts in the middle.
The result is a diverse menu that ranges from “The Cheater,” a modified classic Cobb salad, to “The Junk Food Eraser,” a detox salad stuffed full of kale, quinoa, sprouts, fennel, blueberries and pineapple with a cider vinegar-lemons dressing on the side.
Other items, such as lemon-pepper chicken tuna and tofu are also available.
Benefit of eating Salad
Eating salad offers numerous health benefits due to its typically high content of vegetables, fruits, and other nutritious ingredients. Here are some key advantages:
- Rich in Nutrients: Salads can be a fantastic source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Ingredients like leafy greens (e.g., spinach, kale), tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers provide essential nutrients that support various bodily functions.
- High in Fiber: Many salad ingredients are rich in dietary fiber, which is beneficial for digestive health. Fiber aids in maintaining bowel regularity and can help prevent constipation. It also contributes to a feeling of fullness, which can assist with weight management.
- Supports Weight Loss: Salads, especially those without heavy dressings or high-calorie additions, tend to be low in calories but high in volume thanks to their water and fiber content. This combination helps you feel full while consuming fewer calories compared to higher-calorie meals.
- Heart Health: Leafy greens and other vegetables contain compounds that can contribute to heart health by helping reduce blood pressure, lowering cholesterol levels, and improving arterial function. Additionally, using healthy fats like avocado or olive oil in salads can further benefit heart health.
- Boosts Hydration: Due to the high water content in many vegetables, salads can contribute to your daily fluid intake, supporting hydration, which is important for overall health and well-being.
- Improves Skin Health: The vitamins and antioxidants found in fresh produce can promote healthier skin. For example, vitamin C plays a crucial role in collagen production, while beta-carotene (found in carrots and sweet potatoes) can improve skin health and protect against sun damage.
- Increases Vegetable Intake: Incorporating salads into your diet is an easy way to increase your vegetable consumption, helping meet recommended daily intakes. Eating a variety of vegetables ensures a diverse nutrient profile.
While salads offer these benefits, it’s important to be mindful of what goes into them. Opting for lighter dressings, avoiding excessive amounts of high-fat toppings, and including a wide range of colorful vegetables will maximize the health benefits of your salad.
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Banana Vending Machine
Bananas are nature’s perfect snack for long-lasting energy and a great brain food. They are filling and have zero fat making them both tasty and guilt free. Tens of thousands of lunch boxes go to school with a banana because we want the best for our younger ones. But considering the vast numbers that work in our major cities, buying fresh bananas is much harder than hundreds of other snacks.
That’s why there is an introduction of the first Banana Vending Machine in Tokyo. It costs 130 yen for a Banana and 390 yen for a bunch of them.
Interesting facts about Banana
- The healthy breakfast fruit, banana, is called such because it derives from the word, “banan” which is an Arabic word meaning “finger.”
- Bananas float in water because they are less dense in comparison.
- The banana is actually classified as a berry.
- Bananas may be considered a mood enhancer because it contains the amino acid, tryptophan and Vitamin B6 that helps the body produce serotonin.
- The bananas we eat today, the Cavendish, are different from pre-1960s’ bananas, the Gros Michael, as those have been wiped out by “the panama disease.”
- Bananas can help lower blood pressure and protect heart health due to high potassium and low salt content.
- The inside of a banana peel can help relieve itching and inflammation, such as from bug bit or poison ivy.
- Bananas are great pre-workout snacks because they are loaded with potassium that aids in maintaining nerve and muscle function during work outs.
- The genetic similarity between a human and a banana is 60%.
- Declared the “Banana Republic of Africa,” Uganda consumes more bananas per capita (600 pounds) per year than any other country.
- While all bananas have seeds, commercially produced bananas have been selectively bred to produce tiny, edible seeds. In fact, they are so small that they are almost unnoticeable.
- In 2012, a man from Illinois, USA, peeled and gobbled down eight bananas in 60 seconds. He broke the world record for peeling and eating the most number of bananas in one minutes.
Source
- That’s it fruit
- Storyteller.Travel
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