BecauseYoureLazy

January 31, 2005 10:40 AM

M & M Sorter Because you're Lazy
posted by srboisvert (32 comments total)

This would have saved some concert promoters a few minutes wrestling with the Van Halen "no brown M&M's" clause of their rider.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 10:50 AM on January 31, 2005

I'd like a chance to test that thing by feeding it those little red cinnamon hearts.
posted by orange swan at 10:53 AM on January 31, 2005

This is damn brilliant. The design of the arm, alone, is great. A single moving part!
posted by Plutor at 11:02 AM on January 31, 2005

It all started with the question, "How much is a green M&M worth? More than red? Less than blue?" [...] Faced with the desire to answer this question as well as to tease apart the question's components, we developed the concept for a vending machine that sorts and sells M&Ms by color.
posted by paul_smatatoes at 11:16 AM on January 31, 2005

It just needs a frickin laser...
posted by docpops at 11:18 AM on January 31, 2005

This is good. I remember elementary and middle school science experiments involving M&Ms. One was a taste test. They do not have distinctive flavors, as determined by our double blind test. Another one involved sorting colors and calculating statistics on how the likelihood of certain color showing up in your bag. I could have used one of these here machines at the time. I love science and I love candy.
posted by TheGoldenOne at 11:21 AM on January 31, 2005

Couldn't I just order individual colors from M&M/Mars directly, and save the whole hassle completely? And get 21 color options, at that.
posted by benjh at 11:35 AM on January 31, 2005

That takes all the fun out of it. I like sorting my M&Ms into piles, by color. Then I eat them in pairs.

Perhaps I should seek therapy.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:35 AM on January 31, 2005

I love science and I love candy.

This is the greatest thing I have ever heard on Metafilter.
posted by rafter at 11:36 AM on January 31, 2005

"Couldn't I just order individual colors ... "

As a matter of fact, benjh, you can.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:37 AM on January 31, 2005

This will optimize my M&M sorting business. I can fire the school kids now.
posted by sled at 11:39 AM on January 31, 2005

Finally! Science yields something useful!

Now if we only had something that could separate "Mikes" from "Ikes."

How about it, science?
posted by hifiparasol at 11:41 AM on January 31, 2005

Perhaps as candy color sorting technology develops, we could finally achieve mankind's ancient goal of launching every black JuJube, gumdrop, and jellybean into the unforgiving void of space.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 11:49 AM on January 31, 2005

I'm with you, robocop is bleeding. Aniseed is not a flavour - it's an affliction of the tongue.

What I'd like to see is this machine turned to work for for the forces of good, by sorting Eminem into colours. I'd say we could get red, white, a pus-like yellow and a tissuey sort of brown out of him.
posted by Sparx at 12:06 PM on January 31, 2005

I seem to recall that the Toys 'R' Us in Times Square here in NYC sells M&M's by color, and there were a lot of colors.
posted by mkultra at 12:11 PM on January 31, 2005

I like sorting my M&Ms into piles, by color. Then I eat them in pairs.

you and me both. doesn't everyone do this?
posted by jessamyn at 12:23 PM on January 31, 2005

1. That rocks.
2. Since when is "light blue" a valid color for M&M's?
3. The color distribution looks way different from what I remember.
4. You can just send me all the aniseed/licorice flavoured stuff, thanks.
posted by Wolfdog at 12:25 PM on January 31, 2005

I seem to recall that the Toys 'R' Us in Times Square here in NYC sells M&M's by color, and there were a lot of colors

They do. I think you can get them by color other places too There are 21 possible colors to get.

And I thought this was going to be an interactive site. ; )
posted by SisterHavana at 12:43 PM on January 31, 2005

they used the same image three times.
posted by jimmy at 12:58 PM on January 31, 2005

Actually, jimmy, they didn't. They're just checking to see if you're paying attention :)

The first image has a red M&M on the sorting tray, and you can see the pushing arm making its way back (neat how the "triangly" part of the arm makes the M&Ms travel down to the holes). The second image has a blue M&M in what I guess is the "inspection" stage, cradled by the arm and ready to be pushed at the right spot. The third image, see, is the same, but with a _green_ M&M. Now whether they are really two different images, or one photoshopped image and the original, we may never know.

Why, yes, I am a member of the International League of Pedants. Why do you ask?
posted by splice at 1:27 PM on January 31, 2005

I like sorting my M&Ms into piles, by color. Then I eat them in pairs.

Funny, my son does that too. Of course, he's autistic. ;-)
posted by Lokheed at 1:58 PM on January 31, 2005

This was also posted on Engadget recently.
posted by matildaben at 2:41 PM on January 31, 2005

I like sorting my M&Ms into piles, by color.

Not me. I say let the colors mingle and learn from their differences.
posted by jonmc at 3:48 PM on January 31, 2005

Not me. I say let the colors mingle and learn from their differences.

And then you punish them for their tolerant habits by CRUSHING THEM WITH YOUR GIANT TEETH!!!!

That'll larn'em for race-mixin'.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:53 PM on January 31, 2005

That's only if you mix Peanut & Plain, ROU, cause it only takes a few nuts to spoil everything.
posted by jonmc at 3:59 PM on January 31, 2005

A friend of mine seperates each color out, and then places two on top of each other in between his pointer finger and thumb. Then he squeezes. The first one to break loses, and is eaten. The winner is set aside, moving up the ladder.

He calls it M+M wars.
posted by bigtimes at 4:22 PM on January 31, 2005

Damn you, ampersand.
posted by bigtimes at 4:23 PM on January 31, 2005

I can't believe I watched that video.
posted by NortonDC at 5:30 PM on January 31, 2005

This thread made my day.
posted by CunningLinguist at 9:10 PM on January 31, 2005

I certainly do, jessamyn. It's the only rational way to do eat them. Furthermore, when I'm down to one M&M of a given color, I break it in half. Seems necessary, somehow..
posted by ubersturm at 10:04 PM on January 31, 2005

I like sorting my M&Ms into piles, by color. Then I eat them in pairs.

Pairs of what?
posted by dg at 3:59 AM on February 1, 2005

Pairs of pants.
posted by kenko at 8:34 AM on February 1, 2005