37 Things I Saw This Month That Feel Like They're Living In 3024, Not 2024

    Me to the desk clock guy: TAKE MY MONEY!!!!

    1. This desk clock that not only tells the time, the temperature, and whether it's going to rain, but also when the soonest trains to this person's work are:

    2. This floor projection at a hotel that might be the coolest thing I've ever seen:

    3. This smartphone cleaner in a Japanese McDonald's bathroom:

    there's a phone sized insert in the table

    4. This QR code that only shows up under UV light that feels super futuristic:

    5. This ATM with a palm vein scanner that also feels super futuristic:

    6. This staircase that can turn into a wheelchair lift:

    7. This bathroom with a little seat to put your child in while you use the toilet:

    a high chair added to the wall

    8. These bikes at a middle school library to encourage kids to stay active as they read, or help kids who need to move around a lot:

    stationary bikes with a tabletop

    9. These store windows that use tinted plastic to show the same jacket in different colors:

    10. This badminton store with a court inside so you can test out equipment before buying it:

    11. This game-finder at a book shop that helps people find new games based on a ton of different parameters:

    large graphic to decide which game to get next

    12. This edible coffee cup:

    13. And this edible honey container at a hotel breakfast:

    14. This hotel phone with a designated pizza button:

    15. This vacuum outlet, where you can just plug in a hose and get to vacuuming:

    16. This heated public sidewalk:

    there's no snow on part of the sidewalk

    17. This underwear with a pocket:

    you can fit your phone inside

    18. This toilet with a metal tube that catches feminine hygiene products and wipes that are flushed when they shouldn't be, so the pipes don't get clogged:

    19. This elevator that actually gives you exact instructions in case you get stuck that has me wondering why all elevators don't have this:

    the plaque includes exactly what you should say

    20. This hotel with exit signs on the ground, which is WAY more useful for if there's actually a fire:

    21. This airport with a meditation room:

    22. This remote that can take different batteries:

    it will tak a sinlge 12 volt battery or two AAA

    23. This restaurant that has hard hats for falling acorns and free books to borrow while you eat:

    a shelf equipped with the materials

    24. This public sunscreen dispenser in Maui that only dispenses reef-safe sunscreen:

    25. This Wal-Mart where you can get a mammogram:

    26. This library where staff can nominate their least favorite books, providing a way to vent and also a fun way to get people reading to see if they agree with the staff's takes:

    staff anti-picks

    27. This pizza place that advertises each of their staff members' fave pizzas as specials:

    28. This desk pillow for sleeping during study breaks that I honestly need for the next time I go on an airplane:

    29. This repurposed Nintendo 3DS that would probably be sitting in a landfill otherwise, but is instead used to help people tour the Louvre:

    30. This ice maker with a "Sabbath" mode for religious people:

    the different button options on the display

    31. This cell phone tower that looks like a palm tree, making it fit into LA much better:

    32. This parking lot that was converted into a solar energy farm, both generating energy and providing shade and cover for the cars:

    33. This taxi sticker that says the driver is open to flirting, which could be a bad idea but I think is fine as long as the driver is respectful:

    the label in the cab has various options in a different language

    34. This airplane with USB-C charging ports, which would just make my life SO much easier:

    35. This drawer with a hidden drawer inside that I just think is very cool:

    a drawer comes out perpendicular to the other

    36. This foil, which has a reminder to get more when it's close to being fully used up:

    this roll is almost out

    37. And finally, this label and the way they showed the word "energy" in different languages that I just think is super clever and space-saving: