Minimum Wage Machine

The minimum wage machine allows anybody to work for minimum wage. Turning the crank will yield one penny every 3.24 seconds, for $11.10 an hour, or NY state minimum wage (2018). If the participant stops turning the crank, they stop receiving money. The machine's mechanism and electronics are powered by the hand crank, and pennies are stored in a plexiglas box. The MWM can be reprogrammed as minimum wage changes, or for wages in different locations.

So, if this is installed in a museum, do people actually get to keep whatever money they get from it? I'm pretty sure some people would stand there cranking it all day.

Bad quality video of the machine in action:

via TYWKIWDBI

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Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Alex - Thu Oct 10, 2019
Category: Art | Boredom | Money

Comments

This piece was exhibited a few years ago in Pittsburgh (Carnegie Mellon's Humanities Center) and according to a review you could use the machine. It was calibrated to the lower Pennsylvania minimum wage at the time ($7.25).

Also, thank you for this entry--this artist has a new fan (he has some great works).

Posted by Floormaster Squeeze on 10/10/19 at 09:27 AM

Another form of treadmill - a labor wasting device.

Posted by KDP on 10/11/19 at 11:34 AM

You know, this looks marginally better that the job I have now (and is only marginally less well paid)!

Posted by David B. on 10/16/19 at 12:10 PM

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