This Week in Pods

Nap pods, pods on top of planes, and cold medicine pods.

Photo credit: Keith McDuffee, CC BY 2.0.

The majority of recent pod stories have been about even more Minnesotan cities refusing to allow people to put temporary “granny pods” on their property.

Granny pods? Not here, not yet

As a reminder: “granny pods” are small, mobile homes designed for people with specific healthcare needs, so that they can live close to family (like, literally in the backyard). A friend sent me a video of one of these pods in action:

But let’s put that debate aside for a minute and focus on what’s new in Pod News:

1. Nap pods in college libraries.

Can we really get nap pods in Club Weldon?

Students slide onto an interior vinyl mat, shut the door behind them, and snooze. Afterwards, they’re expected to wipe the pod down.

“Expected.” Right. I would not want to climb into one of those, but I’m also no longer a college student. Also, like the granny pods, the students in these nap pods are “under video surveillance”—which I’m hoping means “the general video surveillance that we’re all under, all the time,” not “there’s a camera inside the pod.”

2. Bubble pods on the tops of planes.

These Airplane Bubble Pods Make Futuristic Fantasies Come True | The Creators Project

Designed to sit atop airplanes and private jets, the Skydeck is a Jetsons-style viewing bubble that offers 360-degree views 35,000 feet in the air. When Windspeed Technologies, a Washington state-based aerospace engineering company, filed a patent for the Skydeck late last year, the Internet freaked out. Now in partnership with a major Boeing supplier, Windspeed Technologies’ is currently offering the Skydeck to high-end aircraft owners and airlines.

Someday you’ll be able to pay extra to sit in a UV-protected bubble that pokes out of the top of a plane. You’ll also probably have to wear something to protect your ears because it’ll be really noisy up there. Maybe sunglasses, too? All I know is that the first people to do this will pay a lot of money and look really cool.

3. Cold medicine pods for your Keurig.

Cold Medicine Pods Are The Most Convenient Thing You Never Asked For

The new medicine pods are similar to other products like Theraflu, but instead of having to wait around while you boil a pot of water, these single serving pods give you cold relief at the push of a button.

My electric kettle works at the push of a button. So does a microwave. I mean, even boiling water on the stove is just a twist of a knob. But okay, the Keurig might be just a little bit faster, if you are in that much need of cold relief.

Also, at $9.99 a box, these are the only pods on this list we’ll be able to afford.

Previously:

Let’s Pod Grandma!


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