Fatalities Caused by Vending Machines: Take Heed

Who has not heard of the urban myth that vending machines cause more fatalities each year than sharks? While reading up on the facts, I discovered that (a) these discoveries are caused by shaking the vending machine in an attempt to get money or free food and that (b) vending machine companies across the United States have voluntarily initiated a campaign to place warning signs on their machines, indicating that shaking a 400kg+ box which tips at an angle of only 20° could in fact be bad for your well being. I think this could potentially be done in a better manner than sticking yet another sticker on a surface already impeded by advertising. If, every time a vending machine caused a death, all vending machines across the word glowed red, perhaps people would take note. Rare events have a greater, longer-lasting impact than stickers.

My recipe images the blink is the light inside the vending machine:

It takes the news feed from the International Herald Tribune, and every time a vending machine causes a death the blink should flash blue twice, then flash red. Red, of course, being the international symbol for “hazard”. Blue indicates “good”, or “calm” (etc.) indicating that the death happens quickly and is barely controllable.

Image of vending machine