As humanity evolves and we face an increasing amount of problems, we've got to solve these issues with the ingeniousness and innovation that makes being human kick ass. Through that ingenuity, I foresee
KIOSKS EVERYWHERE!
KIOSKS EVERYWHERE!
We've had kiosks for a long time now, and none of them provide anything that I'm willing to pay for. The local ATM wants to charge me two dollars for withdrawing ten. That's unforgivable. The gambling kiosks wish to pick my lucky numbers for me. I doubt it has ever won someone over a thousand dollars within three days with $3, so I'll ride along my own luck-train, thanks. What types of kiosks are out there?
ATMs- The "Automated Teller Machine" was the worlds first kiosk. Starting in 1960, the ATM was there to help pay bills and give receipts without teller assistance. It took seven years to get one that dispensed cash.
Vending- Some wouldn't qualify vending machines in the category of kiosks. I say that if you've got a digital display and products that cost more than seven bucks, then you're most likely a kiosk, not a vending machine. Instead of snacky-cakes and demon-swill, machines now dispense language software and wine to the masses through these stand-alone technological wonders.
Campsites- Yes! Now I can just punch a few codes in to get my personal transformed sleeping quarters! Not really. Reservations and power management are the primary uses of the current models. Most of these allow use only after registering on their system online. Then you have to set up the reservation and pay. Once at the kiosk at the campsite, input your information and it prints your receipt. At that point it turns on the facilities for you. If you were me, you'd go wild camping, which costs nothing. There are no facilities or kiosks in the wild, but that's for another blog.
Computing- It hasn't caught on in the U.S. yet as it has in Europe. Kiosks in Italy and elsewhere in the E.U. seem like glorified laptop cases to some. Others are free of the need to carry around their own equipment. Portable programs and files are all they need on their usb or sd memory devices.
Gold- Having already listed vending, I thought this was in a class of its own. There was a kiosk in the U.E.A. that had pure gold coins in it, and now they've come to the Unites States with bars in them. With the declining dollar, investment opportunists seized whatever they could in a mad scramble that could rival one moment of the original gold rush.
Shelter- Japanese capsule hotels have been selling the tickets to tiny 'capsules', or "lit coffins", as I like to call them, through vending machines for years. The capsules are separate from the machine, so technically this doesn't qualify for a shelter kiosk. Having a real transformer expand from the box to take shape into a corresponding shelter would be nothing short of perfect It could do anything from pup-tents to double-wide mobile home. I can just smell the hyphens from here. But, I digress. We shall continue on.
Work- Kiosks at employment centers can assist people with creating resumes, finding local jobs, and take various tests. These are like the ones they have at local stores for applying there, but better. Here you can try for jobs that you actually want. I can't wait to see the day that work kiosks pop up. These would actually employ the citizen that used them.
In conclusion I say that I have a hate/love relationship with these things. I hate to have to use them, but love when they provide me with what I need. Once people figure out that helping each other equals more than dollar signs, we'll see some great kiosks on the corner. Everywhere!
