Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/12/10/rat-in-a-vending-machine.html
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Its like a metaphor for modern life.
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A vending machine that sells students their supplies for biology lab? I thought public school was supposed to be free in the US!
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I see Remy has fallen on hard times.
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I’m no doctor of rodents, but I would have assumed that was a mouse.
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It is a mouse. But mice don’t sound scary and “mouse in a vending machine” lacks that “quick, call the health department! OMG the school is full of vermin! OMG your kids are going to die from plague!!!” vibe to it.
Nope, rat. Sorry.
Sigh. I keep making this mistake because I have trouble remembering just how tiny mice are.
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I’m thinking the rat came with the building an not with the vending machine.
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Mouse?
I realize that mice can fit through some impressively small gaps, so it isn’t a huge surprise that one can get in; but is there anyone here with knowledge of vending machines to say how common small gaps are in vending machine design?
My impression, as a customer not encouraged to be discovered rummaging around the back/guts of a machine in public deployment, is that actual armoring, ATM style, seems to be confined to the payment path and cash storage; presumably because it’s too expensive and heavy to be worth it for the lower-value snacks; but that the cabinets are of sturdy sheet metal construction aimed at low cost of service and time out of service in relatively heavy use; with no obvious crevices aside from power input and some vent slits(in refrigerated models).
Are there gaps at the joints because the required sheet metal bits and/or assembly steps would be much more expensive if 100% coverage at all seams were required? Are there areas of non-obvious weakness where mice could chew in? Do we suspect that the mouse made it in through the slot provided for extracting product and is indeed short on other options?
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I had this same thought, and I would bet that the mouse was introduced into the machine through the exit door by a student.
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Maybe the mouse ran in when whoever fills the machine with snacks had the machine open for that purpose and had turned their back for a moment?
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Nope. Definitely a rat. Possibly a domesticated rat given the size and coloring.
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Could you train a rat to get you the snacks from a vending machine?
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Discerning rats might find delivering Cheetos and Twizzlers to be preferable than sniffing out landmines or TB.
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But they don’t offer crunchy frog?
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Probably the most nutritious item in there.
" Charlie didn’t get much USO. He was dug in too deep or moving too fast. His idea of great R&R was cold rice and a little rat meat."
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Solution:
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Yes, it’s a rat.
1 Like
Superintendent Parrot 'et one of those…
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