Working with a pal he turned a fridge in a basic vending machine which dropped chilled beers — and then added a compressed air cannon, web server and iPhone interface.

Now when he wants a beer, he uses his phone to log into the fridge, picks what sort of beer he wants and fires it over to where he is sitting.

Link

This method of beer storage might equally apply for Chicago, Boston, or New York, if the weather prognosticators are correct.  It works if you lose power, and in fact is completely carbon-neutral.

Link – via nagonthelake