I had heard about these iPod vending machines a while ago, but always thought it was a Manhattan or Los Angeles kind of thing. Then one day as we were walking into our local neighborhood grocery store here in Parker, CO I saw that we too had one. They're pretty cool actually, and I've since seen this machine used for other products now too (i.e. soda machines).

In place of sliding dollars into a slot, you swipe your card on the side of the machine. In place of pressing little alpha-numeric buttons, you interact with a 12-inch touchscreen. In place of spinning coils that lurch your product off the edge, there's a high-speed robotic arm that slides out to grab your selection. In place of plummeting to a resounding thud, the robot arm returns your merchandise swiftly and gently to a large opening located under the screen. In place of contorting your wrist to fit under the self closing gate, you slide the cover to the slot open and remove your newly purchased goodies.

You couldn't have nailed all the flaws with most existing vending machines any better.

In the case of the iPod vending machine, there's more than just the iPod available. You might choose an iPod Nano and some protective covering. You might choose an iPod Video with an extra charger. You might pick up a car adapter for power or audio. You might choose standalone speaker systems, AV cables, or even an Airport Express.

Very cool.

When in Rome, follow the meme. The random contents of my (seriously awesome, 3-year-old, indestructable) Crumpler bag. In approximate clockwise order from top right: licence/student-ID/credit cards, cash, phone, iPod, Moleskine pocket reporter plain with Cross on top, Hipster PDA with Cross and Borders 15% off voucher (always keep one handy), Listerine thingys, two erasers (doubling as laptop stand), business card holder, whiteboard marker, headphones, keys, keys, eyedrops, painkillers, band-aids, sunglasses, reading glasses, laptop (12" iBook) in STM glove, work ID pass, USB key, DVI-to-VGA adapter for laptop.

I really do carry a lot of junk, huh.

Usually, there's also a book in there too, or uni work.