Devices Slinging Slices: Fresh 90-Second Pizza Vending Machines Firing Up Soon

In today's immediate-gratification culture, it often seems like a race to obtain everything we "need" as quickly as possible.  Things that used to be worth a wait might now sometimes be sidelined for instantaneous happiness, no matter how fleeting that exchanged-for sensation may ultimately be.  However, some innovations have been made that allow for speedy and significant satiation.  One device that may achieve this is the Pizzabox.

According to cnet.com, the Pizzabox is a new type of vending machine that serves up a fresh 10" pie in only 90 seconds.  Their proprietary 800-degree oven (NOT a microwave) bakes the pies from non-frozen scratch, yielding crispy crusts and stretchably melty cheese.  Optional pepperoni, as well as seasonings like red pepper and oregano, plus utensils and wet-naps are included.  Full pies cost a cool $5.  According to businessinsider.com, a sausage-and-egg "breakfast pizza" is an option to start your day (or conclude your night of partying.)  No word yet on whether you can live dangerously and add pineapple, anchovies, or other roommate-repelling toppings.

Should the electronic chef get something wrong with your order, you can video-chat live with customer service operatives directly through an onboard screen in the Pizzabox machine.  Like many device and services that modern technology tries to tout, the pizza machine of the future wants you to be happy.

Not having to deal with any weird humans makes the pizza-procuring experience even better.
(Image courtesy cellartours.com.)

The Pizzabox was created by parent company The Box Brands, whose brainchild Burritobox is a similar device specializing in Mexican fare.  While already making the rounds of various conferences for demonstrations, Pizzabox is likely to be released for the masses in 2015.  Prospective initial locations include airports, and colleges like the University of Southern California (machine-made munchies, dude!)  The Box Brands' founder Denis Koci said, "We are initially launching it as the first-ever drive-through pizza experience."

Will it outdo the elderly Italian dudes down your street? Probably not. Will it provide a satisfying snack on the go? Likely way better than soggy fries and tragic fast-food burgers. For fast-paced food-fuel that almost seems like a real meal, the Pizzabox could be a slice of instant gratification that will have you sending your regards to the robot chef.

The only thing it doesn't do is dope dough-tossing tricks.
(Image courtesy hozpitality.com.)

Sick Tech: New "EbolApp" Tracks The Outbreak Via Your Smartphone

Even during a season when scary stories are the norm, the ever-expanding evil of the Ebola virus seems superlatively spooky.  With new cases escalating both in Africa and various places in the Western world, it seems that the contagion could soon be worthy of worry.  Worst of all, it might even be poised to affect chocolate prices worldwide (THE HORROR!)  So what can you do to make sure you steer clear of this vicious virus?

Thanks to suitapps.com, there is now an Ebola-tracking app that can keep you aware of any outbreaks around you.  The EbolApp features an interactive map indicating the known Ebola cases around the world, as well as realtime updates and notifications when a new case is confirmed.  Various news updates concerning the virus are also offered.

We're not saying to freak out.  Just be careful if you're living or working in an area that might harbor contaminants.  No one wants to become a REAL plague victim for Halloween.

Let's not have this become the hot new winter fashion trend.  Use EbolApp to stay away from the sickness.
(Image courtesy wunc.org.)

Bring The Undead (And Your Halloween Party) To Life With These App-Animated Creepy-Cool Costumes

Do you need a Halloween costume that's crazy-creepy, but you can't spend a lot of money?  Do you need an outfit to set you apart amidst the hoards of zombies, ghouls, and sexy this-and-thats?  Or do you just need a last-minute costume that doesn't require too much makeup, but also isn't simply a sheet thrown over your head?  This Halloween, Digital Dudz may be able to help you out.

As reported by gizmodo.com, the premise is simple: download an app onto your smartphone and insert the phone into one of Digital Dudz's masks.  Instantly, you're outfitted as a cyclops with an eerie giant eyeball that stares around, a clown whose mouth bursts with maggots, a cyborg assassin scoping targets out with a laser eyeball, a diver drowning in his own deep-sea suit, or a variety of other options.  The vivid imagery imparted by the apps make the masks seem startlingly realistic and solidly unsettling.

The e-eyeball scares with a stare.  It twitches, too.
(Image courtesy morphsuits.com.)

For those who are more of the casual type, Digital Dudz also makes t-shirts that turn your phone into part of the fun.  You could sport an exposed beating heart, power up your chest's arc reactor as Ironman, or set the aforementioned eerie eyeball to twitch in the sockets of a devilish doll or Frankenstein's face.

Digital Dudz's masks are priced from $45-$60 and include their free imagery apps.  Both the masks and t-shirts are capable of carrying a wide array of digital devices, which can be easily extracted in case you need to quickly call the police after causing a few heart attacks with your awesome costume.  Check out all their creepy coolness (as well as some truly hilarious morphsuits) in their seasonal video below.  Then get out there and treat folks to some terrific tricks!

PS - Don't forget to check back during Christmas, for Digital Dudz's flaming yule log or snowglobe-enabled shirts!

'Bots And Bottles: Robo-Bartender "Monsieur" Could Be Worth A Shot

You step into your favorite local watering hole, nodding at the regulars.  You sit down on your usual stool and are greeted by a nondescript black box with a screen interface and a small compartment on the bottom that holds a cup.  The screen depicts a cozy candle-lit pub in rural Ireland.  You're actually in New York, but that doesn't matter.  You swipe the screen and suddenly you're in Costa Rica at a beach bar.  Another swipe, you're in Finland in an ice cave, where vodka bottles are frozen into the bar.  Another swipe and you're in a Kentucky honky-tonk.

You tap the screen, selecting from scrolling menus with options of shots, cocktails, martinis, drinks neat or on the rocks.  Various flavor profiles like "bitter", "sour", "tropical" and "refreshing" are also there to choose from.  Touching the button for "bourbon" then another for "highball", the machine starts to buzz and fizz, and in an instant, your beverage sits before you.  You take a sip, smiling as the day's worries slough off like a file deleted and a recycling bin emptied.  You raise your glass in toast to the robot bartender, offering thanks.  You haven't had to talk to anyone until this point, when you chose to.

"Excellent as always, Monsieur."

If this seems weird to you, congratulations, you're another citizen who isn't ready for robots to take over commonplace human jobs.  However, the mixological option has now been made manifest by Monsieur, a new startup robotic project that replaces your friendly neighborhood shot-slinger with an impartial and boringly accurate robot.

According to techcrunch.com, Monsieur is the boozy brainchild of two Georgia scientist/engineers who were fed up with long waits for drinks at popular bars, and decided that manufacturing a saucy service wench (or, if you prefer, seasoned sommelier) was a viable alternative.  The Monsieur is capable of serving a variety of mixed or straight drinks, tracking your intake, cutting you off, and basically doing everything short of throwing you out of the bar when you've started slapping it trying to break into its Jagermeister stash.  

Another feature of the Monsieur is remote ordering (via your phone), so you can have that next round of Kamikaze shots ready and waiting for you at the bar while you divebomb your way across the dancefloor.  Or if you're sitting pretty someplace super fancy, your own private Monsieur could be your bottle service valet for the evening.  Perhaps if you find yourself overseas in a foreign land, you can scroll through the hotel bar's Monsieur in your desired language and be sure you haven't ordered the local camel-milk White Russian-Province.

"We swear it's not made with too much antifreeze, comrade...drink up!"
(Image courtesy gct.com.)

With 1,000 units on track to ship, Monsieur is no longer a garage project (even though it literally was created in co-inventor Barry Givens' parents' garage.)  You could be spotting these 'bots in all sorts of locations soon (pro tip: there is a setting that adjusts the pour on your drink from regular to "boss.")   No word on whether they have a "wildly inappropriate dirty jokes" or "wingman to help me meet that hottie down the bar" feature available yet.  

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name...and of course Monsieur will.  It's in his programming.  He'll listen to everything you have to cry about, although he won't really have any wise life advice to offer you in return.  But for those who just want booze at the touch of a button, Monsieur will be honored to serve you.

Remember, you cannot hit on it, literally or figuratively, to try to score a heavier pour.
(Image courtesy kickstarter.com.)

A Museum In Your Monitor: Immerse Yourself In Art In New Virtual-Reality Gallery

Do you like museums, but live in the middle of nowhere?  Do you long to gaze upon the world's artistic treasures, but are daunted at the thought of walking through miles of gallery halls just to spot one specialty?  Now, thanks to virtual reality, some of the finest art and artifacts are available for your perusal, in 3D, from the privacy of your own computer screen.

According to factor-tech.com, the University of Sheffield in England has created the "Computer Love 2.0" program to make art enthusiasm available everywhere.  Navigated with an Oculus Rift system or simply a mouse and keyboard, the Computer Love 2.0 program takes the viewer through virtual versions of Sheffield's National Fairground Archive, the Turner Museum of Glass, and the Alfred Denny Museum.

If you don't trust yourself around the artifacts (pictured) in the real-life Turner Museum of Glass, perhaps visiting the virtual version is smarter.
(Image courtesy bbc.co.uk.) 

The galleries are not limited exclusively to artwork.  Many of the installments in these particular institutions involve animal elements, such as an eagle skull or guillemot eggs.  Dr. Steve Maddock, a member of the university's Computer Science department and one of the program's creators, explained, “Hopefully our art gallery – which explores the relationship between science and art by ‘displaying’ things like our half-specimens as artworks – will pique the interest of visitors and encourage them to make the trip to see the full collections in real life."  

With virtual reality poised to make a major impact on how we see and interpret new things to learn, this could be an important first step in sharing culture worldwide. Could the Met or the Louvre soon follow suit? Will Banksy start writing grafitti electronically? And what happens when someone creates a piece of art that REQUIRES the digital 3D format?  Someday soon, we'll see...in elegantly rendered 3D.

Now you can take a field trip anytime!
(Image courtesy sheffield.ac.uk.)

I Like Big Huts And I Cannot Lie: New 3D Printer Constructs Locally-Sourced Mud Homes

With all of the ultra-modern, high-tech uses for 3D printing, it may come as a surprise that someone thought to repurpose it for one of the oldest and dirtiest tasks known to mankind.  Yet that's just what has happened thanks to WASP, a 3D printing company whose latest invention specializes in constructed houses made of mud.

While 3D printing has been used to experiment with architecture already, WASP's plan does not simply throw up a suspiciously-indefensible concrete castle for your backyard.  Crafting a triangular honeycomb wall design that can properly bear weight and outside impediments, the new WASP machine slowly layers on a solid structure that, if mixed with strong enough natural binding components, could prove to be as durable as anything our ancestors could have dug up once their cave neighborhood wasn't fashionable anymore.

Ugh, cave-hipsters ruin everything.
(Image courtesy fanpop.com.)

According to makezine.com, WASP uses a 20-foot tall, three-armed 3D printer that is portable (to aid in construction in remote areas) and can be assembled in two hours.  It can use a variety of locally-available materials to construct its mud layers, including materials like wool (which is set to be tested when WASP prints a 3D hut in Sardinia.)

The WASP company rose to prominence as the second-largest 3D printing company in Italy by manufacturing various smaller 3D printers of exceptional quality.  Their previous models have the ability to carve out creations, create food or adhesive products, or even design ceramic pieces that can then be glazed and fired.  That's right, the next generation of fine Italian art might not come from the hands of a sculptor or painter, but rather from the design program entered into a 3D printer.

Is it worth it to use our new technological bounty in places where rudimentary handiwork has long sufficed?  Will lives really be improved when one of the most time-honored types of local labor is outsourced to a large robot?  Only time will tell.  In the meantime, this extremely "green" type of housing may appeal to hut-home enthusiasts the world over.  Clubs and pelts optional.

WASP's CEO Massimo Moretti examines a scale-model hut.  Could mud be the material of a masterpiece?
(Image courtesy thehomesteadingboards.com.)

No Funds, My Babe, No Funds: Money Management Apps To Streamline Your Spending (And Stop Your Stress)

Keeping track of your finances takes analysis and effort.  With all of the various things to buy and ways to buy them these days, it can be difficult to properly budget for all of your wants and needs (while still managing to save enough to keep the lights on.)  Now, a money management app may be just what you need to keep from tanking all of your banking.

Designed to make you acutely aware of your expenditures as well as the effectiveness of your savings, a money management app is kind of like a calorie/exercise tracker for your financial fitness.  Through an app's smartphone interface, the user enters all of their transactions, providing them with an accurate (sometimes frighteningly so) account of what's going in and out of your bank account.  This can enable better budgeting, bank account balancing, and more.

In the modern culture of "buy now, pay later", we can sometimes forget how quickly expenses add up.  Loans, mortgages, bills, and incidentals shouldn't be juggled so much as they should be justly dealt with.  According to dailyworth.com, there are a number of good apps tailored to a variety of spending situations.

Expensify is one app that allows for the photographing and easy categorization of receipts, perfect for creating a professional expense report with little hassle.  For freelancers, a "Track Distance" and "Track Time" option clocks how much you've traveled and can bill additionally for your boutique pug grooming business or artisanal hedge sculpting or whatever.  Tags for "billable" or "reimbursable" goods and services factor into your financial statements.

Check is an app that deals exclusively with your bills, consolidating them onto one manageable place and using your credit or debit card to deal with each as needed (so no more forgetting to call the cable company until your internet zaps out.)  A pie chart and alerts show you your current bank balance, impending bills, and even a warning if you spend enough to endanger your credit (that tenth round of top-shelf tequila at the fancy bar is no excuse anymore...you'll know what's up when your funds are down.)

For those little expenditures that add up surprisingly quickly, there is the Daily Cost app, to help you factor exactly how many times a week you can afford that fancy coffee before it means taking cash out of your kid's college fund (it's really rather fast, especially during Pumpkin Spice season.)  The "simple, elegant, and intuitive" interface uses spool-style counter keeps track of items, days, and cost, and it is available in a host of international currencies.

Another popular option for cash control is the Mint personal finance app, which combines many of the above apps' features (such as alerts, budgets, and visible cash flow indicators) as well as the ability to join multiple accounts (say, for a married couple, or a very protective trust fund benefactor.)  Checking, savings, credit, and investments can all be handled here.  They offer "bank-level security" and show how it might be possible to save your way solvent.

Keeping your cash-flow woes in check is now easily handled by apps.  You'll understand your own budget better, and maybe surprise yourself with what could be eliminated from your supposed "needs."  Fill your wallet and chill your worries with some simple smartphone software.

Money management apps make it easy to decide whether you get Manolos or meals this month.
(Image courtesy fromcouture.com.)