Comments on: Comments on 7275

Post number 7275

dfowler — Thu, 26 Apr 2001 20:36:35 -0800

Postal Savings is great. Nothing beats having a cash machine on every corner. Except maybe having a cashless Coke machine on every corner.

By: benbrown

benbrown — Thu, 26 Apr 2001 21:05:24 -0800

I believe a similar system is going to be tested in New Zealand, though instead of using your phone, it will be through a smartcard type thing. But you'll be able to buy stuff from vending machines and accumulate discount points and eventually get free sodas. I dunno about you, but I love free sodas.

By: rodii

rodii — Thu, 26 Apr 2001 21:36:09 -0800

TANSTAAFS.

By: Ms Snit

Ms Snit — Thu, 26 Apr 2001 23:51:11 -0800

A while back, (a couple of years ago) I saw some internal "mission statement" type documents from the coca-cola company. I can't remember where. Basically, they outlined their plan, literally, for world domination. The whole gist of these documents was that the company was looking towards creating an international society in which a soda could be obtained more easily than water. There were even illustrations of individuals roaming the desert only to find large coke machines screaming with their neon lights, "let me quench your thirst." ** Anyways, to drift back onto topic, this post reminded me of those images. I'm all for getting chocolate bars at any hour of the day or night, (a girl's gotta have her sugar fix) but I don't know about these machines. I suppose it all boils down to what one feels is an *essential* product for everyday life -- and a product that should be accessible for purchase 24 hours a day. Will I some day be forced to own a cell phone so that I can participate in the simple things of life, like buying milk or porn at my local vending machine? **post-comment-note** I hope my memory isn't failing me too horribly and I'm not misremembering some parody-type thing :)

By: gyc

gyc — Fri, 27 Apr 2001 00:17:49 -0800

Wow where can you get porn in vending machines? I think it's a great idea to replace the wallet and replace it with a cellphone. For one, you'll save tons of money from not having to pay ATM fees to withdraw money.

By: kindall

kindall — Fri, 27 Apr 2001 00:31:41 -0800

I suppose it's great, unless you don't have a cell phone.

By: Dick Paris

Dick Paris — Fri, 27 Apr 2001 01:04:18 -0800

Ms Snit: read Fast Food Nation to learn more about the thinking that goes behind Coca-cola, McDonalds et al. You will be satisfied that senility is not approaching anytime soon.

By: chiheisen

chiheisen — Fri, 27 Apr 2001 01:13:08 -0800

It`s not having a cell phone that`s a problem (they`re friggin` everywhere in Tokyo...), it`s having an NTT cell phone. Granted, they have over 50% of he market (I don`t have a link handy). Luckily, the only value in this sort of vending machine right now is (aside from possible security issues) pretty much gadget value. There are convenience store all over the place open 24 hours to sell you a drink. As to the porn in vending machines: in Japan. Look for vending machines that have window tinting on them so you can`t see inside when it`s light out. This is to protect children, sort of like the beer vending machines that turn off at 11, which is when school kids are finally at home.... See. Someone really is thinking about the kids. Just not very hard. As an aside, I think the idea that coke could become even more prevalent is terrifying. The stuff just doesn`t quesch thirst, regardless of the taste. Am I alone in thinking this?

By: kindall

kindall — Fri, 27 Apr 2001 01:22:18 -0800

Coke works fine as a thirst quencher for me, though I'm on record as preferring Pepsi. Sprite, on the other hand, sneakily has salt as one of its ingredients. Or at least it used to, if it doesn't still. (Don't have a bottle to check.) Salt makes you thirstier, generally.

By: tiaka

tiaka — Fri, 27 Apr 2001 05:12:47 -0800

Feh! Pepsi and Coke have all their bases belong by the awesome powers of NARZAN. (Son of Narzan sold separatly) SEXUAL ORGANS. ► (Contraction of the penis, phimosis, in the water), [2]. ► Pain in the spermatic cord, [2]. Mountain Dew only has rumors floating around about these things, here, it's a proven scientific fact.

By: mecran01

mecran01 — Fri, 27 Apr 2001 05:14:16 -0800

Sugar makes my wife thirstier. She has gestational diabetes. I want battery vending machines. On campus. At a good price.

By: Mo Nickels

Mo Nickels — Fri, 27 Apr 2001 06:51:28 -0800

Most soft drinks may quench the feeling of thirst (usually because of the cooling effect, the volume and presence of the fluid, and the sentiment "I-have-swallowed-fluid-thus-I-need-no-more-water"), but they don't resolve the corresponding fluid deficit. This is largely because most soft drinks contain caffeine which has a diuretic effect, promoting urination and fluid loss, but also because the quantity of sugar in normal soft drinks is high enough to require more liquid than provided by the drink itself for the body to process the sugar. Although the Top Ten Reasons Not to Consume Soft Drinks is accurate and interesting, it leaves out my number one reason: name-brand soft drinks often cost more per gallon than gasoline, even in parts of the country where gas is nearing (or surpassing) $2 a gallon. That's an expenditure that's difficult for me to justify. There's 3.78 liters in a gallon, more or less, so next time you're in Wal-Mart paying 99 cents for a two-liter bottle of Coke, do the math. In my mind, the two should not even be close.

By: rodii

rodii — Fri, 27 Apr 2001 07:58:31 -0800

So you're saying we should drink gasoline instead?

By: Skot

Skot — Fri, 27 Apr 2001 08:17:33 -0800

Gasoline certainly tastes better.

By: tiaka

tiaka — Fri, 27 Apr 2001 08:49:00 -0800

wah-wah-wah! I kinda like diesel myself actually.

By: Mo Nickels

Mo Nickels — Sat, 28 Apr 2001 04:58:15 -0800

No, I'm saying gasoline should be taxed as a *luxury*, with corresponding tax deductions for people who have to drive due to location, situation or job. And people should drink water, wine, juices, beer, milk or bongwater instead of soda, pop, soft drinks, cokes, etc.

By: rodii

rodii — Sat, 28 Apr 2001 08:26:56 -0800

Mmmm. . . . bongwater. . . . What's this thread about again?

By: Ms Snit

Ms Snit — Sat, 12 May 2001 16:22:39 -0800

You will be satisfied that senility is not approaching anytime soon. One never knows, Dick... but thanks for the support. The book you mentioned sounds familiar, though I don't think it's the source of the images I am thinking of. It was probably pushed on us poor mass comm. students when I was in first year. When I checked up on Fast Food Nation at amazon, I found this jem of a quote about the book and had to share it: "[Fast Food Nation] is a fine piece of muckraking, alarming without being alarmist." This quote amuses me so...