1 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:11,959 Speaker 1: Hey, welcome to Invention. My name is Robert Lamb and 2 00:00:12,039 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: I'm Joe McCormick, and you might know us from our 3 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: other podcast, Stuff to Blow your mind. But today you 4 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:23,279 Speaker 1: have apparently wandered into our Hall of cursed inventions. Oh wait, 5 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:25,760 Speaker 1: it's not all cursed inventions. Cursed, you know? I mean 6 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: is how some things are perfectly fine inventions. So some 7 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 1: of them make our lives better, but or they taunt 8 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:36,839 Speaker 1: you with goods that you could almost reach. Robert, did 9 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:39,160 Speaker 1: you when you were a kid, did you ever play 10 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: that game? I suppose it was a game, but I 11 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: took it very seriously where you really thought you could 12 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:46,879 Speaker 1: reach up through the bottom of the vending machine and 13 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: get that food item from the bottom row. I do 14 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 1: not remember trying too hard at it, because it ultimately 15 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:56,480 Speaker 1: seemed like there were there were too many risks, both 16 00:00:56,600 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: both physical and social, because either you are going to 17 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 1: get your arm caught in there or jammed or pinched. Uh, 18 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:06,839 Speaker 1: There're just's gonna be some sort of trap or fail safe, 19 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: or you're just gonna be seen doing it and you're 20 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:11,760 Speaker 1: gonna get in trouble for trying to steal from a 21 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: candy machine. It always seemed like a kind of humiliating. 22 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: Homer simpson escalway to die would be you die accidentally 23 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: pulling the vending machine over on top of you while 24 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: you're trying to reach up and grab some andy cap 25 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: hot fries from the bottom row. Exactly. And you know, 26 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:29,479 Speaker 1: these are two key points though, that we're gonna we're 27 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 1: gonna come back to again and again in this episode. 28 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 1: In this episode, we are talking about the vending machine 29 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: aka the robot cashier. That's right, So time was back 30 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: in the olden days when you had to either buy 31 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: goods directly from a human salesperson that sounds horrible, or 32 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: you simply had to leave payment after you took off 33 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: with it. And as as far as that payment goes 34 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: prior to the invention of money, which would be have 35 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: to be another episode for us. You'd have to leave 36 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 1: goods there, and you know, in exchange some sort of 37 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: a barter system. Well, that sounds difficult if you can't 38 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: work out what the exchange rate for what you're bringing is. 39 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: Sor right. In either case though there's a human interaction 40 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:12,519 Speaker 1: or there's some there's some human judgment on what is fair, 41 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: or there's just some sort of an honor system in place, 42 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:18,799 Speaker 1: or or a human there just to prevent you from stealing. Right, 43 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 1: But then what about a machine that sells goods for you, 44 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,920 Speaker 1: something that has become so ubiquitous Now it's fascinated to 45 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 1: think back on on where the shift occurs we get 46 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: into this vending machine territory. Just where does such a 47 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,799 Speaker 1: machine come from? At what point do we cross over 48 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: from machines that are ultimately a little more than honor boxes, 49 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: you know, honor system situations where you're just trusted to 50 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 1: leave your money and take exactly what you paid for. 51 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: And then where do we get into true mechanical sellers. Right. 52 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: The honor box system is what you would often find 53 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:57,679 Speaker 1: in say a church where they'll be selling prayer candles 54 00:02:57,800 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 1: or something like that, and there's a little offering box 55 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: and it's like, you know, please put a dollar in 56 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 1: and don't just take all the candles, and and and Yeah, 57 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: the honor system is enforced by the sacred nature of 58 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:12,800 Speaker 1: the space and your obligations there. There's a supernatural security 59 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: guard in that case. Yeah, you don't have to worry 60 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: about you know, somebody trying to reach their hand in there. 61 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: Just make off with all the candles for the most part. 62 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: But you really do have to worry about that if 63 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: say you want to sell minor food items snack items, 64 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: and say you're running a concession stand at the pool 65 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 1: side or something like that, and you need to run 66 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: off to put some money in the parking meter. I 67 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: don't know whatever whatever the people maaming those concessions stands 68 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: had to do when they put up the sign that 69 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 1: said be right back. So, so kids are coming, they 70 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: want to buy an ice cream bar or a Snickers 71 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: or something like that, and the goods are just right there. 72 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 1: Do you trust the children to leave money on the 73 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: counter as they should and take things and take only 74 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,040 Speaker 1: what they've actually paid for. Wouldn't it be better if 75 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: you had a machine that enforced the exchange of currency 76 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: for for payout of items and didn't allow kids to 77 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: sneak an extra hot fries here and there. Now, of course, 78 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 1: that as we're talking about on our boxes here, one 79 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: of the important things to note is that, uh, you 80 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,680 Speaker 1: still find plenty of honor boxes out on the street 81 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 1: in the form of newspaper on our boxes, oh, the 82 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: newspaper vending machines you put your money in and if 83 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: you wanted yes, you could take all the newspapers. That 84 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 1: would be cumbersome. How often does somebody want more than 85 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 1: one newspaper though, unless they're like, there's an article about 86 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,039 Speaker 1: them in it, right. But but obviously you could not 87 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:41,679 Speaker 1: do the same with say a you know, a cola 88 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,159 Speaker 1: machine or chocolate machine. Now, I wonder something that we 89 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: can maybe come back to in a bit, because I 90 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 1: wonder how the psychology of transaction and the psychology of 91 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:55,280 Speaker 1: consumer behavior changes when you're dealing with a machine versus 92 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:58,200 Speaker 1: with a person, Because I think back to my childhood self, 93 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: who you know, I would reach my arm up in 94 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 1: the machine and see if I could grab whatever, a 95 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:07,119 Speaker 1: brisk tea out of the drink machine, or grab something 96 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 1: out of the snack machine. I don't think I was 97 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 1: ever able to do anything like that, but I would try, 98 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,719 Speaker 1: and I would never do that at even even if 99 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:20,120 Speaker 1: the concession stand attendant was away and I could have 100 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 1: just reached out and stolen whatever I wanted. I would 101 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,359 Speaker 1: never have done that at a real concession stand that 102 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:30,119 Speaker 1: was not controlled by machine operated mechanisms. It's a different 103 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: scenario entirely. And then at the same time, it's it's 104 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 1: ultimately not it's still somebody's property that is for sale. 105 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:40,800 Speaker 1: There's still individuals involved in this scenario, and you are 106 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,479 Speaker 1: defrauding them. Well, it felt completely legitimate to try to 107 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:47,000 Speaker 1: reach into the machine and steal from it in a 108 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: way that it wouldn't from a place that had a 109 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: human even if they weren't there right now, right, because 110 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: you would have been exploiting a design flaw. Right, Yeah, 111 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: I guess so that maybe that makes it okay, it 112 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 1: doesn't to be clear. But but let's go back in 113 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 1: time a bit. Let's let's look for the roots of 114 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 1: the vending machine. So I was reading through an excellent 115 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:10,719 Speaker 1: book on the social history the vending machine titled Vending 116 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: Machines on American Social History by Carrie C. Grave and 117 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:17,559 Speaker 1: uh it points out that the you know, the first 118 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:20,599 Speaker 1: American vending machines popped up in the eighteen eighties, but 119 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: the earliest mention of what we can reasonably describe as 120 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: a vending machine is attributed to the Greek inventor Hero 121 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 1: or Heron, the Alexandrian engineer of the first century. See Okay, now, 122 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 1: Hero has tons of inventions attributed to him, right, And 123 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,320 Speaker 1: then the book that the stems from is loaded with 124 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 1: descriptions of strange devices. So, uh, this the sixty two 125 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:52,920 Speaker 1: c E book Newmatica has descriptions and illustrations of various curios, fountains, 126 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:57,000 Speaker 1: temple gadgets, you know, doors that open due to the 127 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:01,279 Speaker 1: you know, some sort of movement of steam or fire water. Uh, 128 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:05,480 Speaker 1: with entries like a drinking horn in which a peculiarly 129 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:09,159 Speaker 1: formed siphon is fixed and uh, water driven from the 130 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:11,120 Speaker 1: mouth of a wine skin in the hands of a 131 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: satyr by means of compressed air. So a lot of 132 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 1: curios and marvels toys essentially, So it sounds like he 133 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:23,200 Speaker 1: designed one of those early on like peeing fountains right exactly, 134 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:25,680 Speaker 1: you know, which would would would have been technological wonders 135 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 1: then and are still kind of technological wonders today. But 136 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 1: where does the vending machine come in. Well, he describes 137 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 1: and illustrates a coin operated device for for selling sacred 138 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:40,240 Speaker 1: water in Egyptian temples. Okay, so the idea is it's 139 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 1: maybe you don't believe in the honor box system like 140 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 1: we discussed for buying candles in a church or something. 141 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:47,760 Speaker 1: Maybe you think, well, people are just going to be 142 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 1: stealing sacred water if we don't make them pay for it, 143 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 1: so you need a machine to enforce that transaction. Well, 144 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,040 Speaker 1: I don't know how much of it was because I 145 00:07:57,080 --> 00:07:58,680 Speaker 1: think there is still an honor so I mean, it's 146 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 1: a temple, right, but maybe there's a sense of let's 147 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 1: make it a little wondrous, you know, because the number 148 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:06,680 Speaker 1: of these devices are kind of like that, like the 149 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 1: doors open, uh, you know, as if by sacred magic. 150 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: But of course it's supposedly caused by you know, some 151 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:15,119 Speaker 1: sort of heat apparatus. But but here's how this device 152 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: would work. You'd insert a five DROPMA coin and the 153 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 1: coin would tip a balance inside which would lift a 154 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,640 Speaker 1: plug and allow a small amount of water to escape 155 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 1: and then pour into your chalice or cup or what 156 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 1: have you. And then once the coin makes its way 157 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 1: into the collection chamber, the balancer turns and the plug 158 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:37,760 Speaker 1: goes back into place. Okay, so it sounds like a 159 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: very simple design. You've got like a lever, and when 160 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 1: the weight of the coin hits one side of the 161 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:45,040 Speaker 1: lever like a see saw, it lifts the plug up 162 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: and it's kind of like a toilet. Actually, it is 163 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:51,160 Speaker 1: very much like a modern toilet, especially when you when 164 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:54,000 Speaker 1: you see the illustration, it basically functions like a coin 165 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:58,000 Speaker 1: operated flush. Uh. And I should also point out that 166 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 1: say Chakrain also discus us as this in his American 167 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,880 Speaker 1: Scientist article water Fountains with Special Effects from two thousand five. 168 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:08,679 Speaker 1: But it's still certainly benefited from an honor system of sorts. 169 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:10,800 Speaker 1: So you know, the gods are watching, so you're not 170 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 1: going to try and cheat the machine with, you know, 171 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:16,160 Speaker 1: some sort of a coin on a string or some 172 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:18,680 Speaker 1: some smooth stones that are just happened to be shaped 173 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 1: like a five drop mccoin, right, because this was not 174 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 1: a refined system of judging what had been put into 175 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:27,959 Speaker 1: the slot. It was basically anything that could push the 176 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:32,680 Speaker 1: lever down. Right. Now, in terms of like who actually 177 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: invented this and whether it was actually Bill, this is 178 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 1: a little more difficult to to really figure out. It's 179 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:42,120 Speaker 1: certainly possible that Hero himself was indeed the inventor of 180 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:44,520 Speaker 1: the device, but we don't know for sure. It might 181 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:48,120 Speaker 1: have been to Cebious, a reputed inventor of water clocks 182 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: from to seventy b c. Who also would have resided 183 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:55,040 Speaker 1: in Alexandria. To cbs is water clocks are worth looking 184 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,320 Speaker 1: up by the way, I was looking at some videos 185 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:00,120 Speaker 1: of how these things worked, and there was some ingenious 186 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:04,760 Speaker 1: design because it's difficult to design a consistent water clock 187 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:08,520 Speaker 1: that just keeps working the same over time because you 188 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:12,080 Speaker 1: know your your reservoir tank strained down. So he created 189 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:15,640 Speaker 1: that these really smart designs with like extra reservoir tanks 190 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 1: that would pour into your main reservoir tank and then 191 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:21,640 Speaker 1: a siphon to manage how high the water level was 192 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:24,400 Speaker 1: is really clever. Now, we also don't know if what 193 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:27,880 Speaker 1: Hero describes here was ever actually built or if it's just, 194 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:30,840 Speaker 1: you know, a novel design. And this is the case 195 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:33,080 Speaker 1: with a lot of old technological gadgets that you see 196 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:36,040 Speaker 1: described in books. And then on top of this, some 197 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:39,840 Speaker 1: mentions of this vending machine include embellishments that are difficult 198 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:42,760 Speaker 1: to nail down or simply don't fit the timeline. But 199 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 1: it does give us an idea of of what some 200 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 1: of the earliest, if not the an actual vending machine 201 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:51,920 Speaker 1: consisted of, then at least the earliest ideas of what 202 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 1: a vending machine could be. Right, the general principle of 203 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:59,960 Speaker 1: automating a transaction without just relying on the honor system. 204 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:02,400 Speaker 1: Him on the buyer's part, right, and it's it's kind 205 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:06,000 Speaker 1: of a gradual evolution to get to that point. Uh. However, 206 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: as a Seagraft points out, it's gonna be a long 207 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:13,520 Speaker 1: time after after this, uh, this temple device describe a 208 00:11:13,679 --> 00:11:17,679 Speaker 1: hero before we actually get any real advancements in vending 209 00:11:17,679 --> 00:11:21,680 Speaker 1: machine technology. He does point out there there's some For instance, 210 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:24,840 Speaker 1: there's an uncredited nineteen sixty New York Times article that claims, 211 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:27,720 Speaker 1: among other things, that there was a coin operated pencil 212 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:31,240 Speaker 1: selling machine in ten seventies six China. You know, I 213 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: was really holding out for that medieval European vending machine 214 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:36,840 Speaker 1: that you put in a coin and dispenses a piece 215 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:39,240 Speaker 1: of the true cross. Well, I mean there were certainly 216 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:43,360 Speaker 1: automatons throughout European history, I guess with the vending machine, 217 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:45,839 Speaker 1: especially the early days of the vending machine, you're looking 218 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:49,800 Speaker 1: very for a very particular type of automaton that does something, 219 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 1: or rather not just does something, uh you know, but 220 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:57,960 Speaker 1: actually gives some sort of good in exchange, either you know, 221 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:00,880 Speaker 1: leaks out some sort of valuable lique it or gives 222 00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 1: you a candy bar in exchange for a coin. Because 223 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:07,320 Speaker 1: we have all matter of amazing automatons of showing up 224 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: in European history and everything from pooping ducks to praying monks. 225 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:14,280 Speaker 1: But to what extent you have things that are actually 226 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:18,679 Speaker 1: facilitating an exchange of money for goods. All right, we'll 227 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:20,280 Speaker 1: take a quick break and then when we come back 228 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:25,640 Speaker 1: we will discuss more of the history of the vending machine. 229 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,720 Speaker 1: All right, we're back. So according to Segrave quote, nothing 230 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:38,079 Speaker 1: happened in the vending industry until the seventeenth century, UM, 231 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:41,480 Speaker 1: and that's when you had snuff and tobacco boxes pop 232 00:12:41,559 --> 00:12:45,280 Speaker 1: up in England around sixteen fifteen. And these were definitely 233 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 1: on our system devices, not unlike newspaper boxes and they've 234 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:53,040 Speaker 1: been They were just filled with various tobacco products instead. 235 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:55,480 Speaker 1: So it would be kind of like you pay for 236 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 1: access to them, but you could take as much as 237 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:00,720 Speaker 1: you wanted, right, Yeah, like you you you pay your money, 238 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:02,360 Speaker 1: you fill your pipe and you move on. You don't 239 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:05,320 Speaker 1: fill your pockets, you can just fill your pipe and 240 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:09,439 Speaker 1: then you had you had other instances of early advancements 241 00:13:09,679 --> 00:13:13,040 Speaker 1: in the use of vending machine technology. A couple of 242 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: centuries later, eighty two, English bookseller Richard Carlisle tried a 243 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,680 Speaker 1: vending machine for books in order to avoid arrest for 244 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:27,439 Speaker 1: selling certain blasphemous publications. And uh wait a minute, Okay, 245 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:29,800 Speaker 1: so he's saying like, I didn't sell it, Yeah, a 246 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:34,640 Speaker 1: machine sold it. Nice. However, he was still held responsible 247 00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 1: and one of his employees was convicted for selling blasphemous 248 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:41,320 Speaker 1: literature via the machine. Uh. Now, it's unknown if the 249 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:44,720 Speaker 1: thing was truly automatic or this was basically another honor 250 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:47,559 Speaker 1: box system, but it is kind of one of these 251 00:13:47,559 --> 00:13:50,800 Speaker 1: early examples of who is to blame when a machine 252 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: sells something that is illicit. This is something that has 253 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:57,120 Speaker 1: fascinated me for a while. I can think of examples, 254 00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:59,640 Speaker 1: not necessarily with selling, but uh, I think about the 255 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,880 Speaker 1: Ariman from several years back, the random Darknet shopper, which 256 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: was this program that people came up with where you 257 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:09,720 Speaker 1: could load it with some some budget, give it some money, 258 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: and then say go a little thing, just go out 259 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:16,240 Speaker 1: onto the dark web and buy randomly. So you know, 260 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:18,840 Speaker 1: then they got in trouble because obviously it bought drugs, 261 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:23,160 Speaker 1: bought whatever kinds of illicit materials. But then they could say, well, 262 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: we didn't tell it to buy drugs. We just gave 263 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:28,640 Speaker 1: it money and released it into the wild, So how 264 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:33,080 Speaker 1: can you say we did something illegal? Now, more strides 265 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 1: were made in the tobacco honor box arena. But the 266 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:40,760 Speaker 1: next area of exploration and patent in England happened to 267 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:44,440 Speaker 1: be stamps. Eighteen fifty seven, Simi and Denham applied for 268 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:47,440 Speaker 1: a patent for a quote self acting machine for the 269 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:50,200 Speaker 1: delivery of postage and receipt stamps. But it would be 270 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:52,880 Speaker 1: another thirty years before any real headway was made in 271 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:55,520 Speaker 1: this area. Now, the first U s patent for a 272 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 1: vending machine was a liquid distribution machine that actually sounds 273 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:03,360 Speaker 1: a lot like like euros fabulous temple water distributor what 274 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 1: kind of liquid though? Um, Well, it's interesting when we 275 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:10,440 Speaker 1: start looking at the like the early distribution of liquids 276 00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 1: in these machines, Like they're essentially fountains that are going 277 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 1: to uh distribute drinking water such as cold drinking water, 278 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:21,320 Speaker 1: or later it's going to be things like beer. That 279 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:25,040 Speaker 1: makes sense. Now, by the early twentieth century, gum and 280 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:27,800 Speaker 1: candy machines began taking off. Now, one of the machines 281 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:31,560 Speaker 1: featured in Sagret's book is an amazingly creepy clown head. 282 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: This thing is from hell, it is this very round 283 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:41,080 Speaker 1: Oh my god, it's face. It looks kind of like 284 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 1: an on e the Japanese only that kind of demon, 285 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 1: but much worse, uh, much more kind of It's got 286 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:54,080 Speaker 1: these creepy, sleepy eyes that are like, when I wake up, 287 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 1: I will come kill you. Well, it doesn't help that 288 00:15:56,360 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: the coin slot is kind of protruding from one side 289 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:01,680 Speaker 1: of the four as if it's a devil with only 290 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:06,040 Speaker 1: one horn, right, yes, yeah, and asymmetric devil. And it's 291 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: got this white ring around its mouth. Is just an 292 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:12,880 Speaker 1: absolute terror. Yeah, and then you pull the gum from 293 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:19,080 Speaker 1: its teeth of course, uh, like I was chewing that um. 294 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:23,160 Speaker 1: Welcome to your house tonight now. Already at this point 295 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:26,600 Speaker 1: there were designer concerns with the use of slugs and 296 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: hairpins to cheat the machines. So the idea of a 297 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:32,080 Speaker 1: slug is what we mentioned earlier. It's like a weighted 298 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:34,960 Speaker 1: device that you put on a string or something and 299 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:38,560 Speaker 1: put it into the machine and activate the coin detection 300 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 1: without actually paying. Yeah, I mean you get into this 301 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:43,000 Speaker 1: whole thing like it it's not like the machine is 302 00:16:43,040 --> 00:16:45,720 Speaker 1: reading the coin. It's reading a coin shaped piece of metal. 303 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 1: So if you have a coin shaped piece of metal 304 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 1: that has no intrinsic value, then whammo, you got yourself 305 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:54,040 Speaker 1: a piece of gum, right right, you know, because it 306 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:56,880 Speaker 1: comes down to be basically, whatever kind of honor system 307 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:02,000 Speaker 1: works with a proper English pie, tobacco box or the whole, 308 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:04,719 Speaker 1: you know, the holy water for sale in the temple. 309 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 1: A clown head that spits gum at the local train 310 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:11,480 Speaker 1: station is not going to benefit from the same holy reverence. 311 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:14,480 Speaker 1: You know, though, I do wonder if they're onto something 312 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:19,120 Speaker 1: here with the clown head, because this is personified, it's 313 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:22,359 Speaker 1: looking right at you, it's anthropomorphic, and I think that 314 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:26,479 Speaker 1: could play an important role in the relationship between the 315 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:29,240 Speaker 1: buyer and the vendor. When the vendor is just like 316 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:31,720 Speaker 1: a rectangular machine that you need to put a coin 317 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:34,640 Speaker 1: in it, would you be more less likely to try 318 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:38,240 Speaker 1: to defraud that machine then you would a machine that 319 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:41,640 Speaker 1: looks like a creepy, demonic entity that could follow you home. 320 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:45,440 Speaker 1: It's true, you know. You had another twist on this, though, 321 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 1: is that you also saw charitable vending machines pop up 322 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:52,280 Speaker 1: in late nineteenth century France, which, when this seems like 323 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 1: a decent way to invoke the honor system for machines 324 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:57,920 Speaker 1: that can't really defend themselves. You know, it's like, yes, 325 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:00,920 Speaker 1: you're buying gum or what have you from a crappy 326 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:04,240 Speaker 1: machine that you could probably defraud, but the money is 327 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:06,320 Speaker 1: going to charity. So how much of a monster are 328 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:12,399 Speaker 1: you really? You might be surprised. Now, speaking of defrauding machines, 329 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:16,199 Speaker 1: the earliest record of a vandalized machine, according to Segrave, 330 00:18:16,359 --> 00:18:20,840 Speaker 1: comes from seven in England, three young men were convicted 331 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:24,240 Speaker 1: for using brass discs to buy cigarettes. And then there's 332 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:27,480 Speaker 1: also a St. Louis account where a man had a 333 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:29,159 Speaker 1: coin on a string and he was using it to 334 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:31,879 Speaker 1: score cigars out of a machine and it was creating 335 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:33,920 Speaker 1: quite a stir. People were coming around to watch him 336 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 1: do it, like he was performing some sort of magic trick. 337 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,120 Speaker 1: And the judge in this case he wasn't even sure 338 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:42,240 Speaker 1: if this was larceny and ended up just finding the 339 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:45,560 Speaker 1: man for disorderly conduct instead. Again coming back to that 340 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 1: same conundrum, how do I How do I punish a 341 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:53,440 Speaker 1: man for stealing from an inhuman entity? Yeah, stealing from 342 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:56,639 Speaker 1: a machine? Really stealing? Now, another concern, of course with 343 00:18:56,680 --> 00:18:59,400 Speaker 1: all this is that today we have problems with vending 344 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:02,560 Speaker 1: machines not working properly. You know, you go to you 345 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:04,960 Speaker 1: put in your money, you expect to get a candy bar, 346 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:08,080 Speaker 1: and it like sticks to the side. Right. So obviously 347 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:10,440 Speaker 1: you had similar issues back in the day with these 348 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:13,840 Speaker 1: clumsier machines. I'd imagine even more often, right, Like you 349 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:15,840 Speaker 1: try to get the gum out of the clown's mouth, 350 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 1: but instead it just kind of makes a grinding noise. Yes, 351 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:23,400 Speaker 1: and uh, I think one of the more I mean 352 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:26,200 Speaker 1: when when you look at the history of vending machines, 353 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:29,720 Speaker 1: on one hand, you see like the definite areas where 354 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:32,080 Speaker 1: people realize, yes, we're gonna use these to sell candy, 355 00:19:32,119 --> 00:19:36,000 Speaker 1: we're gonna sell cigarettes. These are the obvious uses. But 356 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:39,159 Speaker 1: what I really loved about researching this was seeing the 357 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 1: various areas where they were just throwing it ato everything 358 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 1: to see what would stick. There was a real flash 359 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:49,119 Speaker 1: in the pan since too many of these applications stuff, 360 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:52,040 Speaker 1: some of the stuff generated attention but then didn't find 361 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:55,719 Speaker 1: a place in society. And yet you still see early 362 00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:59,560 Speaker 1: versions of vending devices that we now take for granted 363 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:04,560 Speaker 1: gasoline pumps, water pumps, well maybe not beer spigots, but 364 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:07,080 Speaker 1: you also had these beer spigot feed put money into 365 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:09,679 Speaker 1: and then you fill up your your glass. I don't know, 366 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:12,360 Speaker 1: there's some pretty strange vending machines out there today, and 367 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,880 Speaker 1: it's it's still a developing field. Yeah, Like I'm sure 368 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:19,800 Speaker 1: you've read about like live animal vending machines, like they're 369 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:23,639 Speaker 1: live lobster vending machines and live crab vending machines. I 370 00:20:24,119 --> 00:20:27,320 Speaker 1: did enjoy when I was in China several years back. 371 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:29,480 Speaker 1: I got to see a wine vending machine when you 372 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:31,760 Speaker 1: put your money, and it was very high tech too, 373 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:34,200 Speaker 1: you know, I had the computer interface, but ultimately you 374 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:36,239 Speaker 1: would get an entire bottle of wine out of it. 375 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:38,920 Speaker 1: Oh bottle. It wasn't like a spigot of no, not 376 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:41,120 Speaker 1: a bigot like. It was just it was distributing full 377 00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:45,560 Speaker 1: bottles of wine. U Now. The eighteen nineties also saw 378 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:48,440 Speaker 1: the birth of the slot machine. Now not the gambling 379 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 1: engine that would evolve from it and keep its name, 380 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:55,840 Speaker 1: but basic coin operated machines that sold various odds and 381 00:20:56,000 --> 00:21:01,320 Speaker 1: end so cigarettes, stationary, et cetera. So early on there 382 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:04,600 Speaker 1: was a link between vending machines and gambling machines, and 383 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:07,560 Speaker 1: sometimes the blurring of that line would help you get 384 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:11,280 Speaker 1: around gambling restrictions. Yeah, I mean it reminds me of 385 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:14,080 Speaker 1: a whole episode. Maybe it was more than one episode 386 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:15,560 Speaker 1: that we did for stuff to able in your mind 387 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:20,359 Speaker 1: about the slot machine, about gambling and gambling psychology and 388 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:24,640 Speaker 1: gambling devices and an automated gambling. Yeah. And if there's 389 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:26,520 Speaker 1: a I mean, there's a clear history here. That's that's 390 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,880 Speaker 1: part of the legacy of vending machines, is the gambling machine. 391 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:32,680 Speaker 1: You would not have the gambling machine without these early 392 00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:37,880 Speaker 1: vending machines. You know, we often see new technologies take 393 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:41,800 Speaker 1: on a kind of chic appeal, and I do wonder 394 00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:46,360 Speaker 1: sometimes if you would have seen that in early vending machines, 395 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:49,639 Speaker 1: like when a vending machine became the new way you 396 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:52,080 Speaker 1: could buy an item in a place, Like what it 397 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:54,680 Speaker 1: would people come to think that an item bought from 398 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:58,120 Speaker 1: a vending machine as opposed to bought from a human. Uh, 399 00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:01,320 Speaker 1: selling point would be cooler, would be better? Yeah, I mean, 400 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:04,600 Speaker 1: it's the basic novelty attraction, right, Like, here's this new technology, 401 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:06,399 Speaker 1: this new way of doing this thing I was going 402 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:08,879 Speaker 1: to do anyway. I think one of the best examples 403 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:12,160 Speaker 1: of this, uh is the is the rise and ultimately 404 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:16,600 Speaker 1: the fall of automats. So I always think about that 405 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:19,360 Speaker 1: scene in Dark City with the Yes, there's a wonderful 406 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:21,320 Speaker 1: scene with an automat and Dark City. If you don't 407 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:23,640 Speaker 1: know what we're talking about, and or you haven't seen 408 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:27,520 Speaker 1: Dark City, we're talking about a restaurant in which the 409 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:30,680 Speaker 1: walls are lined with all of these these little doors 410 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: with little windows, and behind each window you see a 411 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:36,800 Speaker 1: plate or dish, you know, some sort of food that's prepared, 412 00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:38,879 Speaker 1: and you put your coin in and then you open 413 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:41,639 Speaker 1: that little door and then you take the plate. So 414 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:46,200 Speaker 1: it's like apple green jello sandwich. And these were real. 415 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:48,560 Speaker 1: This was this was something from Dark City that you 416 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:50,679 Speaker 1: can you can take to the bank. The first of 417 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:54,879 Speaker 1: these opened in Berlin in and uh, and you know 418 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:57,320 Speaker 1: it was it was true novelty because you'd be you'd 419 00:22:57,359 --> 00:23:00,080 Speaker 1: be hard pressed to find a true automat today. A 420 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:05,400 Speaker 1: but the basic concept lives on and probably my one 421 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:10,680 Speaker 1: of my favorite restaurant innovations, uh, the conveyor Belt Sushi restaurant. 422 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:12,320 Speaker 1: If you've been to one of these jokes, no I haven't, 423 00:23:12,359 --> 00:23:14,760 Speaker 1: I've heard you talk about it. Oh, it's it's marvelous. 424 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:17,400 Speaker 1: I highly recommend everyone go to one. Afterwards, you will 425 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:20,879 Speaker 1: feel cheated if a human brings you your food at 426 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:23,720 Speaker 1: a restaurant as opposed to a conveyor belt that has 427 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:27,240 Speaker 1: tiny little plates with the with like bubble canopies over them. 428 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:30,399 Speaker 1: So at the on the conveyor belt, how do they 429 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:32,800 Speaker 1: keep track of what food you have taken? Oh? Well, 430 00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:34,639 Speaker 1: they have a fabulous system. At least. The place that 431 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:38,280 Speaker 1: that I frequent because my my child loves it and 432 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:40,639 Speaker 1: I love it too, is that after you're done, you 433 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:43,719 Speaker 1: have to stick the plate into a receptacle and it 434 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:46,719 Speaker 1: counts the plates, so you're charged by the plate, and 435 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:50,399 Speaker 1: you're also encourage there's gamification here as well. You're encouraged 436 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:52,480 Speaker 1: to insert more plates because if you hit I want 437 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 1: to say it's like fifteen plates, you get a little prize. 438 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:57,679 Speaker 1: It comes out lay up ending machine. So it's this 439 00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:02,200 Speaker 1: wonderful collision of these different vending machine concepts into one 440 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:05,520 Speaker 1: food delivery system. Now, it's also worth pointing out that 441 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:07,879 Speaker 1: even though the automat went away in many ways, it 442 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:12,040 Speaker 1: lives on in just modern cafeterias. Yeah, And ultimately, I 443 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:13,879 Speaker 1: guess it comes down to the fact that you really 444 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:16,560 Speaker 1: didn't have to have the food behind all those little 445 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:18,959 Speaker 1: locked doors. You just had to have it in a wrapper. 446 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 1: You just need to have it in some steamer trays, 447 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 1: put up some sneeze guards, and have what one two 448 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:26,720 Speaker 1: humans around just to make sure you didn't do anything stupid. 449 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:29,560 Speaker 1: You can never really make sure, though, Robert, you never can. 450 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:33,639 Speaker 1: I've worked in the grocery store. I know what people 451 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:36,919 Speaker 1: do with food items. I guess it comes down to 452 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:41,520 Speaker 1: what do the vast majority of the of of the 453 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:44,240 Speaker 1: customers do with the food items? Right? The vast majority 454 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:46,720 Speaker 1: of people are very nice and very well behaved. It's 455 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:50,520 Speaker 1: not everybody sticking their arm up the cola machine or 456 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 1: or trying to, you know, to to cheat it with 457 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:56,480 Speaker 1: little you know, disks of lead or something, or poking 458 00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:01,080 Speaker 1: popsicle sticks down in there. That's when I tried, What 459 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:04,120 Speaker 1: was wrong with me? Why was I so into defrauding machine? 460 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:06,480 Speaker 1: You just wanted to It was just your rage against 461 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:10,360 Speaker 1: the machine, Joe, Fully, what was going on? It's kind 462 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:13,080 Speaker 1: of a little boy scout in other ways, like I 463 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:15,760 Speaker 1: never would have done that to you were a natural, 464 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:18,520 Speaker 1: buttal arian is where you were. I guess. All right, Well, 465 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:20,200 Speaker 1: on that note, we're going to take one more break 466 00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 1: and we come back. We're gonna talk a little bit 467 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:31,120 Speaker 1: about just the legacy of vending machine technology. Alright, we're back. 468 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:33,800 Speaker 1: So of course vending machines still exist, right, you know, 469 00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:36,560 Speaker 1: they're all over the place, and they're now fully adapted 470 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:39,840 Speaker 1: to the modern economy, many accepting credit cards and so forth, 471 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:43,639 Speaker 1: and a lot of them have less cute mechanical tricks 472 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:46,720 Speaker 1: behind them. Now they're just sort of electronic, and you 473 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:48,879 Speaker 1: know that's that's fine. Yeah, I mean I like it 474 00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:50,639 Speaker 1: when there's an arm, when there is some sort of 475 00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:54,880 Speaker 1: robotic component, um like there's a uh. You can still 476 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:58,440 Speaker 1: find ice cream machines that do this where a little 477 00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:00,840 Speaker 1: lid and a cooler will open hind glass and an 478 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:03,280 Speaker 1: arm will go down and and grab one of the 479 00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:06,360 Speaker 1: uh the the ice cream pops and bring it out. 480 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:08,159 Speaker 1: And I love that because there's a sense of drama 481 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:10,480 Speaker 1: to it. Yes, will the claw be able to do it? 482 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:13,280 Speaker 1: Or will I be or I or will I have 483 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:14,920 Speaker 1: to call this eight hundred number on the side of 484 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:18,840 Speaker 1: the machine and inevitably talk to another automaton. Well that 485 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:22,800 Speaker 1: is one uh that that is one appeal of the machine, right, 486 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: that there is an inherent delight in watching how some 487 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:28,440 Speaker 1: machines work. Most vending machines aren't really like this. They're 488 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:30,880 Speaker 1: they're not all that exciting. But these are these other ones. 489 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:34,080 Speaker 1: Things with arms like these are coming back to the 490 00:26:34,119 --> 00:26:37,320 Speaker 1: automatons of heroes day and then medieval well, you know, 491 00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:40,840 Speaker 1: wonder devices, the philosophical toys they were sometimes called. They 492 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:42,480 Speaker 1: put on a show. Yeah, they put on a show, 493 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:45,000 Speaker 1: and they made you think about what was happening. And 494 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:47,280 Speaker 1: it wasn't just a matter of yeah, I want an 495 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:49,879 Speaker 1: ice cream and I'll pay a dollar for it. But 496 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:51,840 Speaker 1: in terms of legacy, I do want to think about 497 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:55,760 Speaker 1: how the vending machine, even the early rudimentary vending machines, 498 00:26:56,680 --> 00:27:00,480 Speaker 1: did kind of portend something even more significant thing about 499 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:04,879 Speaker 1: the the automation of the service economy in general, because 500 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:07,400 Speaker 1: you can, of course point to plenty of vending machines 501 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:10,359 Speaker 1: that still existing seven airports all the time and selling 502 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:13,520 Speaker 1: headphones and stuff like that. But in a way, you 503 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:17,320 Speaker 1: can also look at, for example, online commerce as an 504 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:20,639 Speaker 1: extension of the principle of the vending machine across time 505 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:25,639 Speaker 1: and space. It's shopping without the interaction with a human vendor. 506 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:29,120 Speaker 1: You make your selection from an automated display, you pay 507 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:32,359 Speaker 1: an automated cashier, and then you receive your item without 508 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,640 Speaker 1: having to meet anybody. Yeah, what is say, Amazon dot 509 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:39,640 Speaker 1: Com but the biggest vending machine of all time? Right, 510 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:43,200 Speaker 1: you can buy everything from it, But even in in 511 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:47,520 Speaker 1: person purchasing, there is there has been a push, at 512 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:51,400 Speaker 1: least in many cases, to try to automate aspects of 513 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:54,080 Speaker 1: the of the service relationship. Right Yeah, I think of 514 00:27:54,119 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 1: grocery stores, gas pumps. I mean, basically, the sort of 515 00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:00,800 Speaker 1: world that was predicted in early vending machine ventures is 516 00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:03,160 Speaker 1: what we're living in today. We just managed to keep 517 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:06,159 Speaker 1: a few human action interactions around, uh, you know, for 518 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:09,520 Speaker 1: flavor and and or to enforce the honor system, and 519 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:13,680 Speaker 1: to provide flexibility that machines don't have. The human can 520 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:17,119 Speaker 1: be there for when something goes wrong or when someone 521 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:21,120 Speaker 1: has an unusual need or request, and to service the machines. 522 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:23,560 Speaker 1: Of course. However, I have to say I'm a little 523 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:27,560 Speaker 1: amazed that one particular vending machine designed didn't take off. 524 00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:29,800 Speaker 1: This one is also mentioned in C. Gray's book Comes 525 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:33,879 Speaker 1: From And it's the back of the movie theater seat 526 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:38,280 Speaker 1: candy machine that is pretty brilliant. Yeah, like every seat 527 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:40,320 Speaker 1: in the theater and then you have a candy machine 528 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:42,360 Speaker 1: right on the back of your seat. Just imagine how 529 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:46,760 Speaker 1: how perfect and perfectly annoying that would be. I mean, 530 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:48,760 Speaker 1: I would hate that because I never buy candy at 531 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:51,240 Speaker 1: the movies. I would I would despise it Ben for 532 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:54,440 Speaker 1: that very reason. I'm surprised that it's not happening right now. 533 00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:57,720 Speaker 1: I suspect that maybe the reason that didn't take off 534 00:28:57,800 --> 00:29:00,080 Speaker 1: is that you want to get people out of the 535 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:03,160 Speaker 1: theater into the lobby so that they buy more. There's 536 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:05,360 Speaker 1: only so much you can sell through a back of 537 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:08,600 Speaker 1: the seat vending machine, right You could, by increasing the 538 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:13,200 Speaker 1: convenience of selling one popular item actually decrease overall sales 539 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:15,880 Speaker 1: if you just like make it too easy to get 540 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:18,720 Speaker 1: that one popular thing without people having to be tempted 541 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:21,560 Speaker 1: by all these other less popular things. But on the 542 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:23,840 Speaker 1: other hand, some people are not going to want. I 543 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:25,280 Speaker 1: don't want to get up in the middle of the 544 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:27,920 Speaker 1: movie to go stand in line, or even not stand 545 00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:31,440 Speaker 1: in line to buy food, but they're always telling you to. 546 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:34,680 Speaker 1: I know, but what if I could just buy, you know, 547 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,960 Speaker 1: a glass of wine and some twizzlers right there in 548 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:41,480 Speaker 1: my seat without involving any human interaction, which I clearly 549 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:43,440 Speaker 1: did not come to the movie theater for. What if 550 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:45,360 Speaker 1: you could just swipe your credit card and the ceiling 551 00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:49,800 Speaker 1: would rain popcorn on? Well, that would work too hot, buttered, 552 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:52,360 Speaker 1: of course, you know, Robert picking up from this, I 553 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:55,280 Speaker 1: wonder In fact, I was about to ask you, but 554 00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:57,120 Speaker 1: I don't have to ask you because I've been to 555 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:01,080 Speaker 1: one with you, these new school restaurant that have you 556 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:04,760 Speaker 1: order through an automated touchscreen menu rather than talking to 557 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:08,600 Speaker 1: your servers. Oh, yes, we encountered this at an airport Lardia. Yeah, 558 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:11,000 Speaker 1: we were at a restaurant. Every restaurant I've been to 559 00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:15,040 Speaker 1: a LaGuardia in New York works like this. And what 560 00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:19,479 Speaker 1: I wondered at that restaurant was do consumers behave in 561 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:23,840 Speaker 1: a measurably different way when they're ordering or buying through 562 00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:28,040 Speaker 1: a machine than when they're ordering or buying through a person. 563 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:31,960 Speaker 1: And the data says in many cases, absolutely yes, people 564 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:35,680 Speaker 1: do behave different when they shop through machines versus when 565 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:39,320 Speaker 1: they shop through human gatekeepers. I wanted to call attention 566 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:42,680 Speaker 1: to a interview piece I read by A. Gretchen Gavitt 567 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:46,400 Speaker 1: and the Harvard Business Review with Harvard business professor Ryan Buell, 568 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:49,560 Speaker 1: who talks about this change in human behavior with with 569 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:54,920 Speaker 1: automated selling versus human selling, and so one very common 570 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:58,280 Speaker 1: trend is in food sales. Think about like the restaurant 571 00:30:58,320 --> 00:31:01,760 Speaker 1: that's got the automated ordering path or online ordering apps. 572 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:05,560 Speaker 1: What what research has found is that people who order 573 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:10,480 Speaker 1: food through machines rather than people, tend to order more 574 00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:15,800 Speaker 1: food and more customized food. So for example, there's no 575 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:19,560 Speaker 1: social barrier being a pain in the butt exactly. That's 576 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:22,120 Speaker 1: I think that's exactly. It's a Taco Bell. They had 577 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:24,240 Speaker 1: a digital app you could order through, so you didn't 578 00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:26,040 Speaker 1: have to talk to a person, you just order in 579 00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:27,960 Speaker 1: the app and then pick it up. And what they 580 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:32,000 Speaker 1: found was that orders were more expensive when ordered through 581 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,280 Speaker 1: the app than when people talk had to talk to 582 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:38,080 Speaker 1: somebody to order, mostly because people picked more add on 583 00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:41,240 Speaker 1: ingredients in the app, so it's like, yeah, I want 584 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:44,040 Speaker 1: to add sour cream, I want to add whatever. Also, 585 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:48,400 Speaker 1: Chili's apparently reported that more people started ordering desserts when 586 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:51,480 Speaker 1: they could order through self service computers that were stationed 587 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:54,680 Speaker 1: at their tables, and movie theaters have reported that self 588 00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:58,840 Speaker 1: service kiosks mean people keep ordering more and more stuff. Well, 589 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:01,360 Speaker 1: you know, I think another aspect of this might be 590 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:06,680 Speaker 1: situations where you are relying on memory while you're ordering, 591 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:09,240 Speaker 1: you know, in kind of at times, at least for 592 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 1: you know, people like me, a high pressure social situation. 593 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:14,120 Speaker 1: You're at the front of the poke bowl line. You're 594 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:17,040 Speaker 1: trying to order your poke bowl and you're having to 595 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:19,240 Speaker 1: and people were looking at you, people were waiting on you, 596 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:21,240 Speaker 1: and you have to also remember all the things you 597 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:24,280 Speaker 1: just said and are saying, and also keeping in mind 598 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:26,720 Speaker 1: what you're about to order for your child or your 599 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:28,960 Speaker 1: or your you know, or somebody else who's you know, 600 00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:31,680 Speaker 1: fetching drinks or what have you. There're a lot of 601 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:35,800 Speaker 1: moving pieces, and if you can externalize that process or 602 00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:38,840 Speaker 1: part of that process onto a screen, then it's it 603 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:41,280 Speaker 1: is a calmer situation for all involved. That's why we 604 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:44,040 Speaker 1: write are we checked things off on a sushi menu 605 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:48,400 Speaker 1: as opposed to telling the server? Yeah, I think you're 606 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:51,840 Speaker 1: exactly right. There's there's less pressure, there's less of a rush. 607 00:32:51,960 --> 00:32:55,680 Speaker 1: But I think it's also very important that there's less 608 00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:59,960 Speaker 1: fear of less self consciousness. Because I want to talk 609 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:03,080 Speaker 1: about a couple of other studies. One was study that 610 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:05,600 Speaker 1: looked at liquor stores and they found if a liquor 611 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:09,400 Speaker 1: store switches over to self service, the market share of 612 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:13,959 Speaker 1: quote difficult to pronounce items increases more than eight percent. 613 00:33:14,640 --> 00:33:18,640 Speaker 1: So people buy more hard to pronounce liquor products if 614 00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:21,040 Speaker 1: they don't have to interact with a human when they 615 00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:24,760 Speaker 1: buy them. So I won't be self conscious about trying 616 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:31,520 Speaker 1: to order Chartous chartroussa tros chartreuse. I think it's Chartrus. 617 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:33,640 Speaker 1: Sounds good to me, but I would be a little hesitant. 618 00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:36,479 Speaker 1: I would say that that bottle that the one at 619 00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:38,920 Speaker 1: the horse on it, Robert. Have you ever done the 620 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:43,080 Speaker 1: online pizza app ordering? No? I haven't, but I have 621 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:46,800 Speaker 1: the thing they do. Yeah, so, like I know Domino's 622 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:48,840 Speaker 1: does that. I think they all do, all the big chains, 623 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:50,320 Speaker 1: or maybe not all of them. Most of the big 624 00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:53,080 Speaker 1: chains to do that now, and pizza chains that introduce 625 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:57,600 Speaker 1: automated online ordering find that people order higher calorie meals 626 00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:00,440 Speaker 1: when they order through the app, and they also order 627 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:03,720 Speaker 1: with way more special instructions. You know, So if you're 628 00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:06,719 Speaker 1: somebody who's like, I want the gluten free dough, but 629 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:08,759 Speaker 1: not as a crust. I want it chopped up and 630 00:34:08,800 --> 00:34:12,600 Speaker 1: sprinkled as a topping that people are more likely to 631 00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:15,400 Speaker 1: do that on the app than they are talking to 632 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:17,440 Speaker 1: somebody on the phone, because, yeah, you don't feel like 633 00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:22,560 Speaker 1: you're inconveniencing anyone, right, you're ridiculously detailed order exactly. So 634 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:24,920 Speaker 1: it seems like a recurring feature is that people just 635 00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:29,000 Speaker 1: might feel less self conscious when they order through a 636 00:34:29,040 --> 00:34:32,320 Speaker 1: machine than when they order through a human And uh, 637 00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:35,120 Speaker 1: the machine isn't going to judge what you eat, or 638 00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:38,880 Speaker 1: how unhealthy what you're ordering is, or how complicated your 639 00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:42,680 Speaker 1: special instructions are, or how you pronounce things. The machine 640 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:47,359 Speaker 1: doesn't judge, there's no fear. It just takes the order mechanically. Now, 641 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:50,160 Speaker 1: of course, this isn't without downsides. In this article, Buell 642 00:34:50,239 --> 00:34:52,720 Speaker 1: points out that a lot of companies also lose business 643 00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:56,200 Speaker 1: from attempting to institute self service kiosks and stuff like that, 644 00:34:56,800 --> 00:34:59,480 Speaker 1: because it might make customers feel like they're getting less 645 00:34:59,560 --> 00:35:01,960 Speaker 1: value from the business, they're having to do too much 646 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:04,879 Speaker 1: work where they don't have the flexibility they would when 647 00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:07,280 Speaker 1: interacting with a human agent. A lot of it probably 648 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:09,719 Speaker 1: has to do with how easy these things are to 649 00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:13,240 Speaker 1: interact with, But I wonder how how much that whole 650 00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:16,319 Speaker 1: thing can be extrapolated not just to I mean most 651 00:35:16,320 --> 00:35:19,319 Speaker 1: of this is focused on food, but can be extrapolated 652 00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:21,480 Speaker 1: to commerce as a whole. When you go to a 653 00:35:21,600 --> 00:35:24,959 Speaker 1: vending machine, when you order something online, when you order 654 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:28,600 Speaker 1: through a little iPad or something at your table instead 655 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:30,759 Speaker 1: of talking to a human or having to look a 656 00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:32,520 Speaker 1: human in the eye. When you do any of this 657 00:35:32,719 --> 00:35:36,520 Speaker 1: buying purchasing behavior, how does that change how you spend 658 00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:39,200 Speaker 1: your money and what choices you make with your life. 659 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:43,040 Speaker 1: And indeed, these are changes that certainly too many individuals like, 660 00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:45,520 Speaker 1: we're not we're not even fully of aware aware of 661 00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:49,680 Speaker 1: what's happening. While meanwhile, the companies that are rolling this 662 00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:52,760 Speaker 1: out are often going to be hyper aware of what's happening. 663 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:55,440 Speaker 1: They're going to you know, it's like McDonald's. They know 664 00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:58,040 Speaker 1: you're going to spend a dollar more, and therefore they're 665 00:35:58,040 --> 00:36:00,000 Speaker 1: going to do the math that and and figure out 666 00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:02,880 Speaker 1: that this is the way of the future, that you 667 00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:05,200 Speaker 1: need to be ordering through the machine so you'll spend more. 668 00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:09,719 Speaker 1: I absolutely understand this working, like at the level I 669 00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:14,319 Speaker 1: have personally experienced feeling the freedom to order things I 670 00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:17,720 Speaker 1: would be embarrassed to order out loud with my voice 671 00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:21,080 Speaker 1: if I ordered them on an app, like ordering some 672 00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:25,960 Speaker 1: kind of complicated request or request for extra stuff. And 673 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:27,879 Speaker 1: yet at the same time, like one thing that comes 674 00:36:27,920 --> 00:36:32,080 Speaker 1: to mind is is really the domain of films? You know, 675 00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:35,719 Speaker 1: obviously one can obtain any film you want pretty much, 676 00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:39,400 Speaker 1: especially good films you can get through you know, digital means, 677 00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:41,880 Speaker 1: and you can order a copy of it rented, etcetera. 678 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:45,960 Speaker 1: When you go into the right kind of video store. Think, 679 00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:48,400 Speaker 1: I guess some people might be embarrassed to ask for 680 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:51,319 Speaker 1: certain titles, but there's also a pride in asking for 681 00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:54,520 Speaker 1: certain titles. Like you want you want to be recognized 682 00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:58,520 Speaker 1: for being the person that that wants to watch leviathans, 683 00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:00,680 Speaker 1: you know, like you want to you do want kind 684 00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:04,520 Speaker 1: of a social connection and you want approval for participating 685 00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:07,359 Speaker 1: in this transaction. And you're not gonna get that from 686 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:09,480 Speaker 1: the machine. You're not gonna be judged, but you're also 687 00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:12,600 Speaker 1: not going to be celebrated. Well, it just highlights how 688 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:15,720 Speaker 1: the social aspects of commerce or a double edged sword. 689 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:20,520 Speaker 1: Sometimes having a person there to react to you socially 690 00:37:20,560 --> 00:37:22,600 Speaker 1: and engage with you socially is going to be a 691 00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:24,920 Speaker 1: limiting factor in what you would do and how much 692 00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:28,120 Speaker 1: you would indulge in all that because you're afraid of judgment. 693 00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:31,000 Speaker 1: And other times it will be an empowering factor, or 694 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:32,680 Speaker 1: I don't know if the word is empowering, if it 695 00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:35,719 Speaker 1: would be an encouraging factor, encouraging you to participate in 696 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:39,200 Speaker 1: this act of commerce because there's some kind of positive 697 00:37:39,200 --> 00:37:41,640 Speaker 1: social benefit to it. And if nothing else, I just 698 00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:43,520 Speaker 1: want there to be a conveyor belt, you know, right 699 00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:46,480 Speaker 1: at least there needs to be a sense of wonder. 700 00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:49,880 Speaker 1: There needs to be uh, some sort of spectacle going on, 701 00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:51,960 Speaker 1: even if it's just a small one. You know. One 702 00:37:52,040 --> 00:37:54,759 Speaker 1: last thing I was thinking about is I've never tried 703 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:57,480 Speaker 1: to cheat or defraud Amazon or anything like that. But 704 00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:02,719 Speaker 1: I wonder, like if if my feeling from childhood is generalizable, 705 00:38:03,200 --> 00:38:05,720 Speaker 1: that people, for some reason, while they would never try 706 00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:09,520 Speaker 1: to steal from a human or physical brick and mortar store, 707 00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:12,400 Speaker 1: would try to reach their arm up into the vending machine, 708 00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:16,040 Speaker 1: does the same thing apply to these more modern worldwide 709 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:21,080 Speaker 1: vending machines like online commerce retailers or just normal stores 710 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:25,840 Speaker 1: that that delegate all of the selling functions to machines 711 00:38:25,960 --> 00:38:28,200 Speaker 1: and apps and stuff like that. I wonder to what 712 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:32,759 Speaker 1: extent we attribute Amazon with a little more agency than 713 00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:35,040 Speaker 1: we than that we would then we would give say, 714 00:38:35,200 --> 00:38:38,120 Speaker 1: you know, Coca cola machine. Yeah, all right, So there 715 00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:41,080 Speaker 1: you have it. Uh. That is the episode of Invention 716 00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:43,680 Speaker 1: for this week. We do hope that you will check 717 00:38:43,719 --> 00:38:47,280 Speaker 1: out invention pod dot com. That is where you'll find 718 00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:51,239 Speaker 1: uh the existing episodes of the Invention Podcast. You'll also 719 00:38:51,280 --> 00:38:55,000 Speaker 1: find links out to our social media accounts, and if 720 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:57,960 Speaker 1: you want to talk about this episode inside of a 721 00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:00,759 Speaker 1: Facebook group, you should go to the Stuff to Blow 722 00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:04,040 Speaker 1: your Mind discussion module because that is where we are 723 00:39:04,160 --> 00:39:06,239 Speaker 1: known to hang out and discuss episodes of Stuff to 724 00:39:06,239 --> 00:39:08,160 Speaker 1: Blow Your Mind. But we're also happy to talk about 725 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:13,000 Speaker 1: episodes of Invention. Huge thanks as always to Scott Benjamin 726 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:16,280 Speaker 1: for research assistants on this show, and to our excellent 727 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:19,400 Speaker 1: audio producer, Torri Harrison. If you would like to get 728 00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:21,520 Speaker 1: in touch with us with feedback on this episode or 729 00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:23,880 Speaker 1: any other, to suggest a topic for the future, or 730 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:26,839 Speaker 1: just to say hi, you can email us at contact 731 00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:45,440 Speaker 1: at invention pod dot com.