I attended a wedding (and the ensuing reception) yesterday, and, like a fair number of other folks, spent more than a few moments near the beer taps. I was briefly talking tech with someone, and Linux came up. Suddenly, I remembered The Bar Monkey.

This handy little critter is a mixed drink dispenser powered by Linux. No need to employ (or tip!) a bartender at a cash bar with this puppy; users get nifty little swipe cards and can use it to order up to as many as 188 different drinks! Not too shabby.

Of course, the bartender at the Decatur Club yesterday might have a little something to say about it…

The project has grown quite a bit from what you see in the link above. Check out www.barmonkey.net, home of versions 2-5 of this stellar creation, including one that appears to be portable and another that is run with a touch screen.

If I ever get a house with a wetbar, I’m going to be all over this project.