While many have lamented the lost fine art of reading in our social mass medium - driven world , few have actually tried to do anything about it . Short Éditionis the exception . In 2011 , the Grenoble , France - based startup get down installing short story - dispense hawking automobile in some of the country ’s most democratic public quad , beginning with Paris ’s Charles de Gaulle Airport . And now they ’ve made their way to America .
The screen - less gismo , known as Short Story Dispensers , are the brainchild ofChristophe Sibieude(the co - founder and heading of Short Édition ) and Grenoble ’s mayor , Éric Piolle , a noted environmentalist whoagreed to fundthe company ’s first eight prototypes . The pair hoped that commuter and bystanders would make use of these story to boom and enrich their mind while waitress around , rather than tap and nobble their way aimlessly through Facebook or Twitter .
“ The idea come to us in front of a vending machine containing cocoa measure and drink , " SibieudetoldAgence - France Presse in 2015 . " We said to ourselves that we could do the same thing with good lineament popular literature to occupy these piffling unproductive moment . ”
tale are deal according to how much time you ’ve get to spend reading ( one- , three- , and five - minute options are all useable ) , and the stories are print out on foresighted , receipt - like paper that is both eco - friendly and BPA - free . Accordingto the company , " Thanks to advanced printing process on demand , there is no waste , no ink , and no pickup . " But there is a rabid stake in what Short Édition is doing .
According toThe Verge , the machines offer more than 13 million oeuvre by 6800 authors , and include classics from the likes of Shakespeare and Virginia Woolf .
Since that first machine made its airport entry , more than 150 others have popped up , mainly in France , but the U.S. has started to see on . Francis Ford Coppola was an former fan of the construct ; in addition to becoming an investor , the first U.S. machine was instal in his Café Zoetrope in San Francisco .
All told , there are currently about 20 machines spread across America — though something tells us that number will presently be on the ascending . Short Édition is showing off its Short Story Dispenser at this year’sCES , one of the earth ’s biggest vitrine for emerging consumer technologies , where it will undoubtedly attract young rooter .
