GeekSugar

Would You Order Food Via RFID?

GeekSugar — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:00:41 PDT

We've all agreed that the idea of organizing your wine rack with RFID technology, an automatic identification method that relies on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders, is completely geek chic. We've also agreed that the prospect of H&M allowing shoppers to purchase items via a Semacode bar that is read by a cell phone may revolutionize shopping, but is the notion of ordering food via RFID as intriguing?

This week The Korea Times reported that McDonald's and SK Telecom have unveiled a new ordering system that will allow customers to use mobile phones and infra-red sensors to make orders from their table. The system will send customers a phone message when their meal is ready. Apparently, the "Touch Order" menu is the first in the world to utilize the radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology in a self-ordering system at a restaurant. Do you think you would use this service?

Source: Korea Times

Taste-Off! Burger King vs. McDonald's Chicken Nuggets

Susannah Chen — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 06:40:28 PDT

"Crispy. Tender. New," the Burger King website declares of its latest menu item, BK Chicken Tenders. Funny: they might've been new on the BK lineup, but we could've sworn we'd seen them somewhere. Oh, right, on the menu at every McDonald's worldwide for the last three decades as Chicken McNuggets.

Much like the BK Breakfast Muffin was to the McDonald's Sausage McMuffin, the BK Chicken Tenders are near-carbon copies of their Golden Arched counterparts. (When asked to comment, Burger King remarked, "We don't provide details on our secret recipe.")

McDonald's sells its nuggets in packages of four, six, and 10; Burger King's are available in boxes of four, eight, and 20. In our taste test, we learned that just about everything, right down to the packaging, is identical - except, we discovered, with regards to taste. To see how fast food's top two stacked up against each other in a chicken nugget faceoff, read more.

What to Expect When You're Expecting Set Visit: Elizabeth Banks on Her Fake Bump and Personal Baby Joy

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:05:11 PST

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood will share the big screen in the upcoming comedy What to Expect When You're Expecting, which follows different mothers-to-be as they prepare for the arrivals of their bundles of joy. Cameron Diaz, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, and Elizabeth Banks are among the famous ladies who strapped on fake baby bumps to portray different kinds of pregnant women, and Banks's character, Wendy, doesn't exactly have an easy time of it.

I visited the Atlanta set of the film last year, where Banks was shooting a climactic scene in which her character addresses all the woes of pregnancy - in an auditorium with a rather large audience. The hilarious meltdown, which you can see in the opening of the trailer for What to Expect When You're Expecting, includes harsh truths like "I'm calling it: pregnancy sucks." It was great fun to see Banks film the passionate speech again and again, especially since the funny lady mixed up her one-liners from one take to another. What was even more interesting was seeing all of the extras who played the audience members, since the group of women was a mix of actual pregnant women and women rocking fake baby bumps.

I chatted with Banks about her own experience filming the movie, and she revealed that she actually felt like she was in her own little movie, since she doesn't have much screen time with her costars. Banks was refreshingly honest about not having any parenting tips and also admitted that though welcoming her son, Felix, has brought her a great deal of joy, it hasn't changed her stance on how she feels about kids in general. Here's more of what Banks had to say about pregnancy and motherhood:

What inspired you to take this role?
Elizabeth Banks: I cried when I read the script. It has a really great ending: at the end of the movie, everybody has a baby! It really is just a very relatable story for everyone: anybody who is a parent, has considered being a parent, has a baby, whatever. It's just very universal, what happens in the film. We really explore so many great storylines and different paths to getting a child. I had a unique path to getting my son, so I understand how everybody's path to their child is different.

How does it feel to wear the bump?
EB: It's sweaty! [Laughs] I think it's probably a decent approximation; it weighs a good 10 lbs. The boobs weigh about 6 lbs. They are really unbelievable. It's fun. It definitely makes you sit and walk in a totally different way. As an actor, it's a great prop.

How did you change when you became a mom?
EB: I get drunk much faster and easier, and it's a big problem, so I can't go out very much. I find that I underestimated the amount of joy. I'm really learning about my capacity for joy through my son.

To see what Banks had to say about baby fever and her parenting tips, just keep reading.

Mary McDonald Shares Her Favorite Inspiring Spaces!

Julia Walsh — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:25:00 PDT

We've kicked off a special series with the designers on Bravo's new show Million Dollar Decorators (Tuesdays 10 p.m., EDT), which follows LA's most sought-after interior designers through their work and personal lives. Each of the designers of Million Dollar Decorators, including Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, Jeffrey Alan Marks, Kathryn Ireland, Mary McDonald, and Nathan Turner, are sharing the rooms or vignettes that have most inspired them, be it from their own portfolios or elsewhere, exclusively with us. Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, Jeffrey Alan Marks, and Kathryn Ireland have already shared their curated lists of inspirations, and today Mary McDonald lets us in on a few favorite rooms that inspire her. Come take a look!

Would You Rather Eat McDonald's or Wendy's Fries?

Susannah Chen — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 03:08:30 PDT

Burger King isn't the only fast food chain hoping to run away with a chunk of McDonald's sales; so is Wendy's. After overhauling its fry recipe for the first time in 41 years, Wendy's is claiming its newly reformulated natural-cut fries with sea salt have beat out McDonald's in a nationwide taste test. According to a statement from Wendy's, 56 percent of consumers taking the test chose Wendy's, compared to 39 percent who selected McDonald's. Are you inclined to believe the results of this survey?

Source and Source

Taste Test: McDonald's Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

Susannah Chen — Thu, 26 May 2011 13:33:21 PDT

Who's ready for summertime? McDonald's is. Just ahead of Memorial Day, it's added a new Frozen Strawberry Lemonade to its McCafé lineup. "It's a little bit of brrrrrrrrrr mixed with a whole lot of mmmmm," the fast food chain called out. Of course, on the warmest of Spring days, we couldn't resist giving this new product a whirl.

Here's how the frosty beverage comes together: McDonald's starts with a lemonade base (made with, among other things, lemon juice, orange juice, and lemon oil), then pulverizes it to order with ice and strawberry syrup (consisting of ingredients such as strawberry purée and artificial flavor and color).

At $1.59 plus tax and 210 calories for a 16-ounce cup, it doesn't do too much damage to your calorie bank - or your real one. But what about your taste buds? Find out right this way.

Nikki Reed Shares a Sweet Birthday Weekend in Vegas With Paul McDonald

Katie Henry — Mon, 16 May 2011 12:22:00 PDT

Twilight's Nikki Reed and her main man, Paul McDonald, headed to Las Vegas for the weekend to get a jump start on her 23rd birthday. The pair kicked off Friday night with a trip to the Sugar Factory, where Nikki stocked up on candy, and later hit the Gallery Nightclub at Planet Hollywood. Nikki indulged in additional dessert there with her pink and white cake, and Paul added more sweetness with hugs and kisses. Sin City is the latest stop for Nikki Reed and Paul McDonald, who got cozy while watching American Idol last week and also took in a Prince concert together. Nikki's actual birthday is tomorrow, just a few days after her Breaking Dawn costar Robert Pattinson's milestone 25th.

Link Time: Ever Wondered What the Obamas Eat on Super Bowl Sunday?

Camilla Salem — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:05:52 PST

What the Obamas ate on Super Bowl Sunday - Food Republic
West Coast vs. East Coast brand names - HuffPost Kitchen Daily
The real deal with boxed wines - The Daily Meal
How McDonald's Chicken McBites pissed off pit bull owners - Grub Street Boston
The United States of Chocolate is a place we're proud to live in - FN Dish
Green tea soup? Yep, it's a thing - My Recipes
Your microwave could be the most useful appliance in your kitchen - Real Simple
Rethinking the five-second rule - HuffPost Food

Nikki and Paul Get Symbolic Tattoos and Spend Another Day Cozied Up in Love

Katie Henry — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 02:25:00 PDT

Nikki Reed and Paul McDonald couldn't keep their hands off each other running errands in West Hollywood Saturday. It's been a Twilight-filled week for Nikki, who caught up with her Breaking Dawn costars at the MTV Movie Awards, where Nikki and Paul also announced their engagement, and joined Twilight's director Catherine Hardwicke at Friday's Step Up Women's Network Inspiration Awards luncheon. Paul and Nikki are squeezing in their last weeks of constant togetherness before he hits the road with American Idol's Summer tour. Nikki, meanwhile, will be busy searching for their new home while Paul's traveling around the country. The loved up pair have been all about PDA and it turns out they also made another symbolic gesture by having each other's names tattooed on the inside of their right ring fingers.

Nikki Reed and Paul McDonald Take Their Engagement Glow to the Gym

Lauren Turner — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:33:26 PDT

Nikki Reed and her fiancé, Paul McDonald, were spotted on their way out of Crunch in LA yesterday. The duo followed up their workout with a few errands before Nikki took care of some business on her own at an office building. Nikki and Paul announced their engagement at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, when Nikki walked the red carpet wearing her brand-new diamond eternity ring. It's been a whirlwind romance for the couple, who met in March and are already living together. They apparently have plans to move to a larger home so that Paul can continue working on his music, while Nikki wants do theater and go back to school. First, though, Paul will hit the road for the American Idol tour, which he's already started rehearsing for. Nikki, meanwhile, will have Breaking Dawn promotion on her plate ahead of the film's November release, and it seems she's looking forward to reuniting with the cast. Nikki said about the end of Twilight filming: "We know we're going to see each other, so it wasn't super dramatic."