Atlanta airport kiosk prints free pre-flight short stories

Thomas here! Before a recent flight to visit my mom, I dropped by Concourse T to check out Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport's newest toy: a short story dispenser.

Why it matters: The Atlanta airport is one of the South's most interesting places, and it's filled with surprises and oddities (those TSA 3D gun holograms, for one).

• Here's another.

Zoom in: The unassuming kiosk at T17 prints out the option of a free children's, general audience or Spanish-language story at the push of a button.

Zoom out: French company Short Édition has installed more than 500 of its patented kiosks at locations on five continents, including several U.S. airports.

• The company says it's amassed a collection of thousands of stories by writers from across the world.

The vibes: I pressed all three buttons and was treated to several short stories before binging bad movies on the back of someone's headrest.

The bottom line: If you have the wiggle room to visit the end of the T gates (or the Emory University Goizueta Business School, where another kiosk is located), go have a little adventure.