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Office workers in search of snacks will be counting calories along with their change under new labeling regulations for vending machines.

Requiring calorie information to be displayed on roughly 5 million vending machines nationwide will help consumers make healthier choices, says the Food and Drug Administration, which is expected to release final rules early next year. It estimates the cost to the vending machine industry at $25.8 million initially and $24 million per year after that, but says if just .02 percent of obese adults ate 100 fewer calories a week, the savings to the health care system would be at least that great.

While the proposed rules would give companies a year to comply, the industry group has suggested a two-year deadline and is urging the government to allow as much flexibility as possible in implementing the rules. Some companies may use electronic displays to post calorie counts while others may opt for signs stuck to the machines.

Even without the calorie counts, consumers already have ways to make healthier choices from vending machines. The vending machine industry group launched its “Fit Pick” system, which includes stickers placed in front of products that meet healthy guidelines for fat and sugar content. The program is used by nearly 14,000 businesses, schools and government agencies, as well as all branches of the military.

Other Vending Machine Applications

Amazon, the company that defined the world of online commerce, is venturing further into the world of physical retail — experimenting with standalone, automated ‘Kindle Kiosk’ vending machine in selected airports and shopping malls.

The machines sell everything from the $379 Kindle Fire HDX to a $20 Kindle PowerFast adapter, in addition to Kindle e-readers and covers.

Amazon’s stealthy experiment started rolling out in November, according to an Amazon customer service representative.

‘We’re very happy with the customer response so far, and are excited to give customers another easy way to purchase accessories and also Kindle products” the spokesperson said.

The experiment signals the company’s desire to expand beyond online sales and third-party retail stores, directly selling its hardware and accessories in physical locations.

Tech companies such as Apple and Microsoft have ventured into physical retail with splashy stores, but it’s no surprise that Amazon — with its low margins and love for automation — would instead try a vending machine. It’s not clear how many people will feel comfortable purchasing something as expensive as a $379 tablet from a vending machine. But at $69, the standard Kindle e-reader could be an impulse buy for someone preparing for a long flight.

Other Vending Machine Applications

Not tech-obsessed San Francisco or New York has claimed the title of first city to install an operational Bitcoin vending machine in the U.S.

The machine is up and running, as of Tuesday, at a cigar shop called Imbibe near the University of New Mexico, according to an announcement by Lamassu, the machine’s manufacturer. The vending machine allows people to insert cash and gives a digital stash of the increasingly popular cryptocurrency.

This is my current contribution to advancing Bitcoin into the mainstream,” Eric Stromberg, owner of the Albuquerque Bitcoin vending machine said.

Though the machines have been hailed as Bitcoin “ATMs” Lamassu eschewed the term in favor of “vending machine” since the device does not function like a true ATM in that it doesn’t dispense cash.

A true Bitcoin ATM might not be far behind, though.

Robocoin, a Las Vegas-based company that installed its first Bitcoin ATM in Vancouver last year, has said it intends to install the first U.S. Bitcoin ATMs later this month.

The Robocoin machines allow for both cash-to-Bitcoin and Bitcoin-to-cash transactions.  Prospective Bitcoin vending machine operators have been trying to bring the devices to other cities, such as New York and San Francisco, but they’ve faced regulatory hurdles.

Albon, a San Francisco resident, has been in possession of a Lamassu vending machine for about a month, but he has not been able to deploy it thus far. He said California requires a $250,000 bond to operate the machine, in addition to a prohibitively strict anti-money laundering program.

Interesting facts about Bitcoin

• Bitcoin is designed to have limited supplies at 21 million. As of June 2021, over 18 million bitcoins are in circulation, which is 89% of the total supply. The last bitcoin is estimated to be mined in 2140 or over a hundred years from now .
• On May 22, 2010, an American man named Laszlo Hanyecz was having a hard time. All he had left was Bitcoin that no one had heard of at the time. 1 BTC was only equal to $0.0025. Due to desperation and hunger, Laszlo Hanyecz created a post on the Bitcoin community Webboard to exchange 10,000 BTC with two pizzas. 18-year-old Jeremy Sturdivant thought that was a good idea, so he ordered 2 Papa John’s Pizzas to Laszlo Hanyecz’s house and received $25 or 10,000 BTC for them. 

Source

• Zipmex.com

Other Vending Machine Applications

Raw milk vending machine is drawing plenty of European customers and increasing amount of envy from raw milk advocates in the United States.

Europe’s embrace of raw milk vending machines isn’t new. Such daring dispensers of unpasteurized dairy can be found in France, Croatia, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and all over the place in Italy.

In Solvenia, local dairy farmer Marko Bitenc refills his machine with fresh milk once a day. Because he owns and operates the machine, there is no middle man between farmer and consumers — just a few buttons and a spout.

If the milk rises above a certain temperature set by the Slovenian Administration for Food and Safety, sales stop and Bitenc’s phone buzzes with a text message alert. A UV light sterilizes the milk spout between purchases.

Seven states in America and all of Canada ban the sale of raw milk due its potential to carry a range of harmful diseases such as listeria. In other states, selling raw dairy products requires dairy farmers and sellers to navigate a tricky set of regulations. A misstep can lead to dramatic SWAT-style raids, court cases and even jail time.

But raw milk advocates don’t see Europe’s vending machines as a way to eliminate the risks. Rather, they would like the chance to assume those risks and enjoy the taste of raw milk at the press of a button.

Fun Facts about Milk

• Milk is white because of its fat content.
• In Uganda, the title for “king” is “Omukama” which means “superior milkman”.
• Milk will stay fresher if you add salt.
• The world’s rarest cheese is made from donkey milk.
• Milk is the only food that you can survive wholly on.
• India is the world’s largest producer of milk.
• Countries that drink milk win more Nobel prizes.

Source

• 15 facts.com

Other Vending Machine Applications

A Nottinghamshire dairy farm has installed a fresh milk vending machine at the end of its drive to bring customers fresher produce.

New Holbeck Farm, near Southwell, decided to invest in the technology after falling UK milk prices left some farms saying they were being paid less per litre than it costs them to produce the liquid.

The farm is behind the Real Milk Company and is on the way to obtaining organic farm status.

Milk from the machine costs £1 a litre and comes straight from the farms cows. It is pasteurised before sale and the machine can also steam cleans itself after every use.

Farmer Tom Sharman said: “We decided that after being fed up with being paid such low prices for milk, we needed to do something about it.

We researched into milk vending machine which is very popular in Europe and we found a distributor – another dairy farmer from Norfolk – who had one to sell his raw milk and so I spoke to him and arranged one for our own.”

Interesting Fact about Nottingham

• Nottingham’s history is incomplete without the mention of Robin Hood.
• If you have already seen Big Ben, it’s time to see Little John
• The first boots shop was opened in Nottingham. John Boot, an agricultural worker, opened Boots store to cater to the poor people in the city.
• ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ features Wollaton Hall.
• Nottingham’s goose fair used to be a trade event.
• Nottingham gave the world traffic lights. After continually reading about road accidents, John Peake installed the first traffic light at Bridge Street in Westminster, London.
• Visit Creswell Crags to witness Ice Age Art.
• Nottingham was once called Snotingham.

Other Vending Machine Applications

Buying a beer could be as easy as pressing a button of alcohol vending machines after this legislative session.

Rep. Richard Raymond (D-Laredo) is working to legalize the sale of alcohol in vending machines at certain establishments licensed for the on-premise consumption of alcohol. Vice chair Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio) laid out the bill at a hearing for the bill Monday.

Customers would present their IDs to the establishment’s staff and receive a wristband to verify that the consumer is over 21 years old, Gutierrez said.

‘The customer must present an employee of the establishment with a valid ID, which is scanned into a database and tied to a customer’s credit card,” Gutierrez said. “The customer is then given a uniquely encoded wristband to access the machine.’

The bands would track the amount of alcohol consumed by a bar patron and limit alcohol intake. Vending machine users would be cut off after 30 ounces of beer, 10 ounces of wine or three ounces of liquor, Gutierrez said.

The standard drink is 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine and about one-and-a-half ounces of liquor.

‘The automated dispensing machine system benefits businesses by reducing overhead and staff costs, allowing for easier management of inventory, strictly controlling customers’ consumption and guarding against underage drinking,’ Gutierrez said.

According to advertising junior Kara Endahl, vending machines could be more convenient at a crowded bar.

‘I think it would save a lot of time because the lines at bars get so long, especially if there’s a big game going on,’ Endahl said. ‘I know last time we were waiting for, like, 30 minutes for a beer.’

Interesting facts about alcohol

• Alcohol affects men and women differently. This is because younger women produce less of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which breaks down alcohol in the stomach.
• Alcohol can lower blood sugar levels.
• Moderate alcohol consumption could help protect against heart disease as moderate alcohol consumption increases good HDL cholesterol and reduces plaque buildup in the arteries.
• Drinking does not actually warm you up as alcohol causes blood vessels to dilate.

Sources

• St. Luke’s Health

Other Vending Machine Applications

State Aids Control Society is gearing up to install safe sex vending machine in all public toilets selling condom in the city. While the idea is not new to the city, the machines installed in Sulabh toilets and the ones in the RTC bus stations were not finding many takers as they are not well maintained.  

Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad’s plan to construct nearly 100 modern toilet complexes in the city has come as a shot in the arm for the APSACS.

Of the 100 planned modern toilets, over 50 has already been finished in different parts of the city.

According to Kallol Mukherjee of the Technical Resource Unit, APSACS already maintains 200 condom vending machines, with 80 being inside toilets.

APSACS also has condom vending machines in toilets of various cinema theatres.

“We realised that the public are not very comfortable with using condom vending machines in open places,” Mukherjee said.

APSACS figures also substantiate the apprehension. The vending machines installed in public toilets saw a 70 per cent increase in the daily movement of condoms.

In a recently undertaken pilot project, the Delhi State Aids Control Society installed condom vending machines in toilets of the secretariat.  Much to their surprise, nearly 4,000 condoms were picked up by the secretariat officials and employees in just two days.

According to Mukherjee, the idea is to take the total number of such safe sex vending machine to 500 before the end of this financial year.

Interesting Facts about Condoms

• According to a 2017 Sex Survey, 68% of Millennials say that they have the most sex on Valentine’s Day.
• Condoms have expiry date with an average shelf life of four years, and that’s if you store them in a cool and dry place.

Other Vending Machine Applications

Readers craving for books in the middle of the night can get a quick fix at one of the French capital’s five newly installed book vending machines.

‘We have customers who know exactly what they want and come at all hours to get it,’ said Xavier Chambon, president of Maxi-Livres, a low-cost publisher and book store chain that debuted the vending machines in June.

It’s as if our stores were open 24 hours a day.

Stocked with 25 best-selling titles, the machines cover the gamut of literary genres and tastes. Regardless of whether they fall into the category of high culture or low, all books cost a modest $2.45.

Books are but the latest offering in France’s ever-expanding vending machine market, which is responding to off-hour demand for everything from toilet paper to carnations.

Other Vending Machine Applications

Just as any automatic vending machine, the user can choose on the emotion vending machine a list of products. If, for example, the user selects “scared”, “ecstatic”, and “terrified”, he obtains a musical cocktail.

As for the drinks, the user can plug USB stick or MP3 reader onto the machine, and get back the piece of remixed emotions. He can listen to the result beforehand thanks to the loudspeakers of the emotion vending machine.

Exhibitons: Smile Machines curated by Anne-Marie Duguet for Transmediale, Berlin 2006.

Interesting Facts on Emotion

• Forcing a Smile Can Make You Happy. If you want to make yourself happy, all you have to do is force your face into a smile for around 30 seconds and you will instantly feel happier
• Emotions are electrochemical signals that flow through us in an unending cycle.
• There are 8 basic emotions: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, Surprise, Anticipation, Anger and Trust.
• Emotions are neutral.
• Emotions function to guide us to survive and thrive.
• Emotions are contagious.
• Emotions are different than feelings – and moods.
• Emotions are absorbed in the body in about size seconds.
• You have 43 facial muscles expressing the whole spectrum of emotions.
• EQ > IQ. 85% of your financial success is due to your personality and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. Shockingly, only 15% is due to your IQ.
• 10% of population don’t know how they feel. It’s a severe dysfunction called alexithymia — an inability to describe one’s emotions in words, thus distinguishing emotions and understanding emotional states of others. 
• Botox people still experience emotions. Although Botox, the wrinkle killer, does paralyze some facial muscles, it doesn’t ban the patient from experiencing emotions.
• Just 1% of the population can hide their emotions successfully.
• Self-awareness is the key. The earlier you recognize an emotion, the more choice you have in dealing with it.

Source

• 6 seconds.org
• Kate Pljaskovova (Medium)
• Happify.com

Other Vending Machine Applications

When is a vending machine not a vending machine? When it’s an entire shop! UNIQLO‘s new store in Tokyo’s Harajuku district becomes the world biggest vending machine by playing on the Japanese vending machine obsession with wall to wall T-shirt dispensers. That’s it, just T-shirts.

In the UK, UNIQLO is where you might go to buy elastic waisted jeans, but the Tokyo branch is about as cool as they come, with its plasma screens and LED intensive displays.

Other Vending Machine Applications