News machine
A news machine was a device in use on Earth during the 20th century. This machine distributed newspapers. A person would drop change into the machine, which enabled them to open the door and retrieve the newspaper.

In 1986, after seeing this process in operation, James T. Kirk came to the realization that people in that year were still using money and that he had to find a way to get it for his crew. ()

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Communications technology
Economics