Sunday, February 28, 2016

Penny Press #11 - Caldwell Zoo

 

 

I don't ask a lot from zoos.  A good view of a couple of exotic animals, maybe a creepy reptile house and, of course, a penny smasher.  I got all of those from a recent trip to the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, TX.   I'll talk about the animals elsewhere but of the two penny smashers (two!!! awesome!!!) available, I went to the "Big Wheel" version:

 
As usual we have four options.  This time we get: elephant, rhino, cheetah and giraffe.  I let my daughter pick and she chose the cheetah.  (If it was up to me it would have been the rhino...maybe next time.)


And here we have the output:


Friday, February 26, 2016

Vending to the Stars: Terminator 2 Coffe Machine

Every so often fame's spotlight shines on a vending machine and it becomes something more than an automated delivery system of goods.  It becomes a star.  Sure, they never get top billing but their screen presence is second to none.  When something like this happens it can only mean one thing...it's time for a "Vending to the Stars" entry.  Remember this beauty:


The year was 1991 and the movie was Terminator 2: Judgement Day.  In the film's pivotal scene a young vending machine gets caught up in the action.  This particular type of machine vends coffee into a poker themed cup.  Coffee has become so prevalent at gas stations and other places that you don't often see them these days.

You don't get a good look at it but in this shot you can see the generic "Guy With Coffee" picture on the front (in the background):


The cup's poker theme includes a game that seems to be played by completing the hand you're dealt on the side of the cup with the card symbol on the bottom.  In the scene, the coffee loving cop seems to think he has won.


Why aren't machines like this on every corner in every city?  I would constantly pump quarters into it.  Besides, what could possibly go wrong?