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Healthy Vending Machines and the Vending Business

have been a part of the landscape for decades and they haven't changed much in appearance. The average junk food vending machine is a brown-colored behemoth full of chocolate, chips, soda, and not much in the way of nutritional value. Thankfully, there are rogue vendors who have a new frame of thought for the vending business: Why not offer a vending machine that provides good, nutritional food to the masses instead of slowly trying to kill them? These companies are poised to revolutionize the vending business.

1. Cutting Fat, Not Contributing to It

The history of vending machines might be a varied one, but one thing that has been consistent is the health value of the product offered. Generally, a vending machine is full of high-calorie, low-nutrition foods and sodas. While renowned for their ability to provide a quick snack, vending machines are partially responsible for the growing obesity epidemic in America, especially due to the unhealthy nature of the vending machines that are placed in schools.

While the thought of our children getting pumped up with fat, sugar and calories while they're away at school is a terrifying thought, there's reason to breathe a sigh of relief. There are vending machine providers that care about the health of our children and are intent on providing healthy snacks and beverages with the same convenience the public has grown accustomed to. Not only do these machines provide food that end your hunger, they will give you energy, taste great and make you feel amazing-and not at the expense of your pant size, not to mention your heart. These healthy vending machines will aid in trimming off fat, and not contribute it.

2. Providing Value

My Dad has never been afraid to pay a little extra for something he perceived valuable in the long run. He said it was a better investment to pay more in the beginning for something that will last longer, and be more beneficial, even if there is a cheaper alternative. His reasoning is simple, having to buy several inexpensive items will inevitably be more costly than paying a bit more for something that will last longer and ultimately provide more satisfaction. This same attitude can be applied to the new era of healthy vending machines.

Americans love a bargain, there's no doubt about that. But Americans also love a well-made, enduring product, and will pay more for it, especially when it combines a great product and great service. Healthy vending machines are offering these things to the public right now. They offer nutritional drinks and snacks that are satisfying immediately and healthy in the long run. Coupled with the right-here, right-now attitude of a vending machine, and it's easy to see how these machines will revolutionize the industry. Sure, their products might cost a quarter more, but isn't your health and well-being worth more than a couple of quarters?

3. Getting Organic

The organic foods market is one of the fastest growing sectors in agriculture, so it seems only natural that vending machines would find a way to distribute them. Sadly, there are only a few vending companies that are interested in providing customers access to this billion dollar industry. For the most part, vendors have turned a blind eye to health foods and organic foods in their vending machines. Instead they continue to fill them with junk foods that are quickly becoming known as health hazards to our youth and the population at large.

Organic food is beginning to catch on in America, especially with reports detailing the potentially-harmful side effects pesticides, preservatives and growth hormones provide. Still, most vendors ignore this, in likely an attempt to keep their profit margins up, and this is a shame-and short-sighted-because a higher-priced product doesn't necessarily mean less profitability. For the vending machines that do provide these healthy, organic options, the future looks bright as many Americans begin to search for convenient, nutritional snacks to tide them over between meals.

4. Not Just Selling-Educating

In order for people to make educated decisions on what they consume, the information they need has to be easily accessible. A few companies market themselves as "healthy vendors," and while it is true that they are selling a healthier product than traditional machines, they still are providing them the same old way-right next to the junk foods in a big, brown behemoth. Not only do these products not stand out as a healthy alternative, they provide no nutritional education as to why a person should choose this healthy item over their beloved candy bar. They seem to be after the healthy profit, instead of the healthy consumer.

A few companies with a healthy outlook exist, and these companies want to educate you, as well as satisfy your hunger. If they provide you with the reason why you should buy a clif bar instead of the candy bar, you are more likely to do it repeatedly. If they can prove to you that there are more outcomes than 4000 just a sugar rush to your decision, they can still make a profit and feel good about what they deliver to the general public. Forward-thinking companies supply their vending machines with LCD screens that educate their consumers with short videos and nutritional facts about what their products contain. You won't see that on the traditional vending machine --- Why? Because if you knew what was in their products you wouldn't buy them! These LCD screens are educational, entertaining and a great way to teach the youth about health.

5. Going Green

Green is all the rage these days. From automotive manufacturers to dog walkers, everyone is trying to be more environmentally conscious. Everyone except traditional vending machine operators that is. Traditional vending machines not only distribute unhealthy snacks and beverages, they are also incredible energy hogs

While the DOE is intent on imposing new regulations on the energy consumption of vending machines, it seems that only the biggest names in the industry, such as Coke and Pepsi, are taking it seriously, even though the proposed bill would save $250 million over 30 years for vending machine operators. Perhaps it's a bit too much to say that traditional vendors don't care about your health or the environment, but with the means to aid both, it seems truer now than ever before.

6. A Soft Touch

We've all be there: we are thirsty, find a traditional vending machine, order our favorite soda, watch it free-fall three feet to the dispenser door, and open it only to have it explode all over our shirt. Annoying and wasteful. This is the traditional vending machine experience, but the good news is that certain vending machine companies are taking notice.

The old brown vending machine is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Now some vending companies are bringing high technology to their machines. They are employing soft-drop and conveyor technology that allows them to vend such things as fruit and glass bottles, therefore being more health and environmentally conscious. But not all healthy vending companies employ this technology-some are still using the same outdated machines that our parents bought from-and this could actually do the healthy-vending business a disservice as they continue to offer a damaged or inferior product.

7. A Feel Good Business

The days of the purely for-profit vending business are a thing of the past. With the arrival of healthy vending machines finally here, vending operators can take pride knowing that they are in a business that is growing and making a difference in how people perceive and enjoy vending machines. The vending business has been in decline for years, but is starting to see resurgence, and this is due in part to the introduction of healthier options.

Profitability is an important aspect of any successful business for obvious reasons. Sadly, this used to be the only driving point for a vending machine, and it was at the expense of the customer's long-term health. Now vending machines are operated with the consumer and the environment in mind, and the owners of these machines can reap the benefits of a successful enterprise and not feel ashamed about what they are contributing to society.

8. Aiding in the Fight Against Fat

The vending machine business has been a faceless one for quite a long time. Healthy vending machines are bringing the owners out of the shadows and into the center of the ring in the fight against obesity by donating a portion of their profits to fight this and other health-related issues.

This is another reason for a healthy vending operator to feel good about himself and his business. Finally, good, nutritional food can be provided to the public, and on top of that, money is funneled to charity to aid in the fight against obesity and diabetes which are two of the greatest health scares affecting ourselves and our children. Not every vending company does this, but you can be assured the ones that do are providing an honest investment in their community's health.

9. Investing in the Future

Healthy vending machines are set to change the way the general public looks at food. By having their products available for healthy, inexpensive sampling, they are in effect creating a domino effect. Parents will find these machines, purchase something and enjoy it. They will then purchase a larger amount of it at the local grocery store and encourage their children to eat it. The children will have their lives affected in a way that will change their perception of foods forever.

While this is a small step, it can positively influence people in a large way. Children will know that there are tasty, healthy alternatives to junk food that will not only keep them fit, but keep them full and happy, and that is something that they will pass on to their kids. Changing the mentality of food is the first step in truly making a difference in how it is consumed, and healthy vending machines could very well be an important part of a good foundation. Ushering in a healthy era of educated children is important, and healthy vending could be a cornerstone of this.

The new era of healthy vending is here, and it is poised to make a positive impact on generations to come. These healthy machines will revolutionize the vending business as a whole, and in effect, change the way we see snacking. No longer will our hunger be dominated by sweets and sodas, but will be squashed by products that are nutritional and beneficial. Not only will we look and feel better, we will take comfort in knowing we are doing the best for ourselves, and the generations to follow.

Google looking to join the legions of SEO companies

It's been reported that Google is considering starting their own SEO company. This, if true, would be potentially massive news for the SEO industry.

Serena Shapero over at Newswire has stated that Google intend to get their SEO business off the ground by early May. Allegedly, Google's SEO team would consist of about 100 employees, clients could be charged up to $25,000 a month and Google will have a team of SEO robots* to deal with poor rankings.

Allegedly, Google will promise only ethical practices but how many giant corporations play nice? If Google does jump into the SEO pool they will have a monopoly of the SEO industry and it will be nowhere near as fun as the game.

Small SEO businesses will surely be put out of business and probably some medium sized ones too. Will the SEO companies just take their business to Yahoo and Bing? Unlikely, seeing as how popular Google is with the general public.

You can't handle the truth!

Okay, so enough of the scare mongering, is it likely to happen? SEO has been around for a while; if Google was going to do it surely it would have by now. Also, Google offers a lot of information to users so they can produce sites with high quality SEO, surely they wouldn't bother if they had ever considered becoming an .

Some highly regarded colleagues of mine (and one I'm indifferent to) offered their take on the report. "Where's the proof?" was retorted to the Newswire article. I've had a quick look on Google's blog and if they were going to start a business in early May wouldn't there be (at least) a bit of advertising? Another colleague said "this would just be like buying space in Adwords only you pay $25,000 for it instead of a few pounds per click".

So, will Google be starting an SEO company? Don't hold your breath (that's just good advice for most situations).

By the way, if you're interested, the state of Oregon is incorporating Google Apps into the education system.

*Quite probably not true.

Are you looking for someone to join you for dinner and a movie once in a while? Do you want a long-term, serious relationship-maybe even marriage-or would you prefer a more casual arrangement? Maybe you mostly want a physical connection.3. Picture the type of person you want to date. The person you find may not be anything like your image so you need to be flexible in your expectations, but it's still helpful to approach dating with an idea of who you are looking for. Do you want a quiet person or an extrovert? Is your ideal date someone who likes to dance, or someone who likes watching football? What values are important to you? How do you feel about children? What age person is right for you? Do you care about education, profession, or finances?4.

When you sign up for an online dating service, you will need to prepare a statement about yourself and what you are looking for. Both what you say and how you say it give an impression of who you are. Make sure your statement gives an honest and accurate picture.

3. A "New Editable Region" dialog window should pop up. Type a name (for example "Content1") into the "name" text box, then click OK.Now the template has an editable region. Save it.Create a Page Based on the TemplateThis is where you get a return on the work you did creating your template.

The following steps describe how to create a page based on a template.1. Click the File menu, then click New. 2. A "New Document" dialog box will pop up.

Select the "Templates" tab at the top of the dialog box. 3. Now there should be two columns at the top of the "Templates" tab in the dialog box. The first column is labeled "Templates for:" and the second column is labeled "Site [site name]".

In the first column, select your site; then in the second column, select your template. 4. Select "Update page when template changes" in the lower right corner of the tab. 5.

Now click Create in the lower right corner of the tab. 6. A new untitled page should now have been created. Save the page, giving it the name you want.Now you can make changes in any of the editable regions of the new page.At this point, making changes is very simple, because Dreamweaver will only allow you to edit regions of the page that were defined as editable in the original template.

If you try to edit anywhere else, the editing cursor will turn into a little circle with a slash through it and you cannot edit or delete anything.When you are done customizing the page, save it. If you make any changes to the template in the future, they will be automatically added to the page you just created.ConclusionIf you would like to know more of the under-the-hood mechanics of how Dreamweaver implements templates, see my article "How Dreamweaver Templates Work".

What are Ramen Noodles

Ramen noodles are a Japanese noodle dish that originated from Chinese . The Chinese dish is la mien or hand pulled noodles. Ramen is inexpensive to purchase but doesn't always tastes as good as it could. Home made ramen noodles are easy to make with a little effort and taste just as good as their Chinese counterparts.

The Ramen Noodle

The ramen noodle is a cut noodle rather than a pulled noodle. This makes it very easy to make either at home or in a dorm room. When made with soup ramen can be very tasty and nutritious.

The Ingredients - 3/4 cups of flour - 1 egg - 1 tablespoon of water - sharp knife

Making the Dough

First mix the water and egg in a cup with a fork. Make a volcano out of the dough and add the egg and water to the middle. Mix and then kneed the dough together until it forms a ball and no dough sticks to your hand. This will take about 5 to 10 minutes.

When the dough ball is complete, looking and feeling like a single ball of dough, dampen a kitchen towel and wrap the dough ball in it putting it in a dark cool place for 30 minutes. This is called resting and makes the dough more pliable later.

Making The Noodles

First roll out the dough ball on a clean surface until it is 1/8th of an inch thick. Remember to liberally flour your surface and dough to keep it from sticking. You may have to dust the dough several times while rolling it out. Once it is the desired thickness, give the dough a good dusting of flour and fold it in half. Give the next surface a good dusting and fold that in half as well. Do this 2 or 3 times until you have several layers.

Once you have your layers of dough, use a sharp knife and cut the opposite direction of the folded end. This should give you a very long noodle. Be sure to cut as thin as you can.

Toss the noodles in some flour to keep them from sticking. From here you can place them into boiling water for 5-7 minutes to cook your noodles.

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