The machines even have a brand new one-minute story by Anthony Horowitz in their library.
Vending machines dispensing short stories for commuters to read as they travel across London have appeared in the capital.
The machines, in three locations in Canary Wharf, print out one, three or five-minute reads for Londoners for free at the touch of a button.
The library of fiction contains a variety of texts, including excerpts from classic literature as well as an exclusive new story from Alex Rider author Anthony Horowitz.
Lucie Moore, head of arts and events for Canary Wharf Group, said: “We’re all so busy that it can be hard to find the time to finish a book, so we hope these short stories provide the perfect ‘bite sized’ content – even if for just a few minutes.”
The stories are dispensed at random, so commuters could find themselves reading anything from science fiction to romance to crime, a genre which includes Horrowitz’s new story Mrs Robinson.
Horowitz said: “Here’s a whodunnit, complete with suspects and clues, that can be started and finished in just a minute. I hope it will entertain Tube travellers who will know, at least, that they won’t have the frustration of having to get off before the end.”
The machines, the brainchild of French company Short Edition, began dispensing stories on Thursday at Jubilee Place, Churchill Place and Crossrail Place Roof Garden.
According to Canary Wharf Group, the stories are printed on “eco-friendly papyrus paper and do not require ink or cartridges”.
Similar schemes have been run in locations around the world including Paris, Hong Kong and San Francisco.
The Premier League will use AI-based player tracking technology to make offside calls from next season in a move that should reduce the time it takes officials to reach their decisions.
England’s top-division clubs announced Thursday they reached a unanimous decision on the introduction of semi-automated offside technology, saying the new system is set to be launched during the first half of the season.
“The technology will provide quicker and consistent placement of the virtual offside line, based on optical player tracking,” the league said, “and will produce high-quality broadcast graphics to ensure an enhanced in-stadium and broadcast experience for supporters.”
Semi-automated offside technology was used at a World Cup for the first time in Qatar in 2022. For that tournament, there was a sensor in the ball to track its acceleration but that won’t be the case in the Premier League, which looks set to be more aligned with the system used by UEFA in the Champions League.
The Premier League is due to announce more details on the exact nature of the offside technology that will be used once contracts are signed. Extensive testing and analysis has been conducted this season.
Semi-automated offside technology is already in use in Italy's Serie A.
Multiple cameras will track player movements and record data points on parts of the body that are relevant for an offside decision. Data is processed with artificial intelligence to create a 3D offside line that is alerted to the team of VAR officials.
It is expected to take an average of around 30 seconds off the length of time it currently takes VAR officials to come to a decision manually, and improve confidence in decision-making after some high-profile mistakes.
The manual system will be available as a backup in the event of a failure of the semi-automated technology.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Liverpool's Luis Diaz, centre, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Liverpool at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
