Vending machine has complete lack of chips and soda, instead pumps out short stories for you to read.

The squat orange-and-black vending machines, located throughout the French city of Grenoble, are an attempt to encourage citizens and visitors alike to put down their electronic devices and spend a few minutes reading. (...writes the blogger on his electronic device to the individual reading this on on their own electronic device...)

The machines are user-friendly and straight-forward to use--with three buttons of 1, 3, 5 to choose from, which signify how many minutes an individual has available to read. After selecting a button/time, everything is left to chance. Printed out on a piece of paper that resembles a receipt, the short story might be joyful, sad, introspective, fantasy, romantic, or any other category a writer might conjure up.

The company behind the idea, Short Edition, has the backing of Grenoble city officials. Eight different machines are located throughout the area, including libraries and city hall, with stories created by members of the Short Edition company and community.

Alas, you and I don't live in Grenoble, so we're going to have to keep living off our electronic devices and using vending machines for what they're made for: giving us love handles.


photo: psfk.com