The machine stood beside a deli counter, towering over cardboard boxes piled near the entrance to the Iconic Magazines store in NoLIta. It had the stature of a standing washer-dryer, with black buttons, rows of blinking lights and gauges labeled with celestial bodies — “sun,” “moon,” and the eight planets — on the front of its white facade. “It could be something from NASA,” said Tim Wiedmann, a 27-year-old student from Germany who visited the store on a Wednesday night in June. While Mr. Wiedmann stood in front of the machine, its front screen directed him to “ask the stars.” Using a knob, he cycled through some 100 questions. Among them: How do I get better at my job?

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Persons: ”, Tim Wiedmann, Wiedmann, “ Organizations: NASA Locations: NoLIta, Germany, New York