This vending machine prints short stories to read instead of looking at your phone

Whenever I am waiting for a friend, for the train or queuing the shop, I tend to use my phone as a distraction to pass the time.

Well, a town in France has come up with a novel solution to combat this – vending machines that dispense short stories.

A number of the machines have been installed in the city of Grenoble already and are distributing original stories to anyone who wants one for free.

Each story is printed on paper similar to a receipt and people can choose if they want a story that will take one, three or five minutes to read.

It might sound twee to some, but I think it’s a fantastic answer to get people off their phones and using their imaginations again. We spend so much time with our heads buried in technology, surely this is a refreshing way to take a break.

➤ Culture, where we least expect it: Distributor of short stories (La Culture, là où on ne l’attend pas: le Distributeur d’histoires courtes) [Short Édition via Engadget]