[quote]Today’s news that Best Buy is to put vending machines into airports got me thinking about these automated, mechanical stores. Vending machines can be incredibly useful if they are put in the right place, and sell the right things. They are available 24 hours and can empower even the shyest of shoppers to buy normally embarrassing items (toilet paper, anyone?)
Best Buy has it right, loading up on the kind of things every traveler needs – cellphone chargers and travel adapters, for example. But for every beverage machine in the gym there is a surreal counterpart, sometimes handy, and sometimes just plain nutty. And as you expect, most of the machines on this list come from the spiritual home of the vending machine: Japan.[/quote]
blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/08/t … -weir.html
I saw one in Hokkaido that would thaw and microwave french fries. That was cool, as it was 15 below C outside.