Inhabitat: Energy company Sunrgi recently announced an astounding new solar system that will break our grids free from the fossil fuel lockdown. Their Xtreme Concentrated Photovoltaics promise a low-cost, high-efficiency system with an incredible projected energy pricing of 5 cents per kilowatt. This breakthrough puts solar on par with the cost of coal, natural gas, and other non-renewable energy sources.

If solar energy is ever going to live up to it’s world-changing potential, it’s going to have to mesh with our existing energy infrastructure, competing with coal and natural gas on price point. While traditional photovoltaic arrays span great expanses and struggle to keep costs down, Sunrgi’s system proposes a novel idea, making better use of fewer expensive materials.

The XCPV system is based on a principle blinding in its simplicity: use a magnifying glass to concentrate the sun’s energy into a single high efficiency solar cell. Each unit features a lens that magnifies the sun’s rays 2,000 times, focusing it onto a solar cell that converts more than 37% sunlight to energy. The result is a system that maximizes the potential output of each solar cell while minimizing cost and space required.

The units are modular and thus easily deployable on or off-grid, and they can be easily upgraded to accommodate future advancements in solar cell technology.

SOLAR ENERGY AS CHEAP AS COAL! [Inhabitat]

It's Graeme - sorry for the long hiatus - but I'm back and have lots of interesting new ideas to share with our friends at CoolBusinessIdeas!

I recently attended DemoCamp 17 - an event in Toronto attended by software developers and other entrepreneurs (well, actually mostly software developers) looking to share their new apps with other geek-minded people and to attract VC money from some of the angel investors in the room. Yes, they truly are geeks - the typical overheard conversation usually sounded like "how long have you been on Twitter?" or "I love the new Apple SDK".

Each participant gets up in front of the assembly and gets 10 minutes to pitch their idea. It's that simple. Sometimes the demo works, and the creator presents a compelling case for his or her product. Sometimes it doesn't. But the crowd is forgiving, and it makes for a fun evening.

A few ideas pitched were:

PlanetEye.com - this contextual travel experience site is way cool, and has already attracted funding and development support from Microsoft. The demo was really interesting - the concept is to use geotags to add pictures to pretty much any location in the world. It's not just another Google maps, it has a clear tourist orientation and a unique interface. The site is live in beta - check it out.

GigPark.com - a social networking site designed by tech geeks, for tech geeks! Designed to help owners run small technology based businesses, it fosters the sharing of contact information for professional service providers (lawyers, accountants, etc.) and networking amongst its members. Cool. Up and running now.

A smart (and young) developer named Kaitlyn demoed her new app - AskItOnline.com. She conceived it, planned it, wrote the code and generally made it happen, by herself, and while holding a full time job somewhere else. It's an online survey application, similar to surveymonkey.com and questionpro.com, both of which she felt didn't have a sufficiently user-friendly interface. It a great tool - a trial account is free, give it a try.

Graeme Spicer is a Canadian trendspotter, ethnographer and observer of all things retail. As Director of Retail Strategy at DW+Partners he spends his time consulting with leading retailers; presenting at conferences across North America; lecturing at OCAD, Canada's leading design school; and reading too many blogs. Graeme can be reached at graeme.spicer@gmail.com.

Springwise: Who hasn’t checked their coat at a restaurant or other venue and worried about losing the claim ticket? London-based Idscan aims to put those worries to rest with a biometric cloakroom system that it claims is a world's first.

Cloakscan records a customer’s thumbprint via a small scanner, while a digital camera records the transaction. When customers return and touch the thumb-scanner once more, their pictures show up on a monitor, allowing the cloakroom attendant to verify their identity and quickly see where their valuables have been stored. Idscan explains that Cloakscan eases stress among customers and staff alike. Customers needn’t fear that a dropped claim ticket will be found and redeemed by someone else, while staff can use Cloakscan’s touchscreen monitor to log checked items faster and more accurately. Cloakscan even prints out reports if valuables do become lost, to aid in police or insurance investigations.

High-tech cloak check [Springwise]

The pillow uses an LED fabric substrate below the surface to wake the user using light. This substrate also functions as a display, showing the time on the pillows surface using the grid of LEDs below.

40 minutes before the pre-set alarm time the pillow begins to glow and gently brings the user out of sleep. This natural waking process helps to set the circadian rhythm or "body clock" and results in more healthy sleep/wake patterns.

More on glo Pillow design concept

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TrendInsights. A blog to inspire, stimulate creativity and trend spotting.

ZD Net Asia: Remember the days before mobile phones made their way into our pockets, when beeping pagers were the toast of the town?

During blogger Eileen Yu's Vegas trip last week, she chanced upon a food outlet that used radio paging technology in its ordering system.

Rather than make its customers stand around the store waiting aimlessly for their numbers to be called when their food is ready, the food outlet hands out pagers shaped like drink coasters to a customer after he places his order.

With the coaster pager in hand, the customer is then free to move around and browse through other outlets at the food court, or return to his table to wait comfortably whilst his order is being prepared. When it's ready for pickup, the coaster pager will light up and vibrate to alert the customer to return to the store and collect his food.

It was a really cool way to reuse an old piece of technology, and apply it in a new real-world environment to provide better customer service. We really don't get to see much of that kind of innovation anymore these days.

Teaching old tech new tricks [ZD Net Asia]

MEDIVista from Lincor Solutions is an intergrated solution for delivery of digital entertainment and communication services to the patient bedside. MEDIVista has been developed with increasing demand from healthcare providers and hospital admins worldwide for entertainment & communication solutions in enhancing patience experience, rduce staff workload and deliver operational efficiencies.

MEDIVista represents a compelling business opportunity and proposition for system integrators, outsources and equipment vendors.

Read more about MEDIVistaTM's benefits and system components.

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TrendInsights. A blog to inspire, stimulate creativity and trend spotting.

Earlier we read about Data transfer through handshake. Now, Telecom giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT) is planning a commercial launch of a system to enter rooms that frees users from the trouble of rummaging in their pockets or handbags for ID cards or keys. It uses technology to turn the surface of the human body itself into a means of data transmission .

As data travels through the user's clothing, handbag or shoes, anyone carrying a special card can unlock the door simply by touching the knob without taking the card out.

Research engineer Mitsuru Shinagawa said future applications could include a walk-through ticket gate, a cabinet that opens only to authorised people and a television control that automatically chooses favourite programmes.

Read more: Japanese firm harnesses the power of human touch

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TrendInsights. A blog to inspire, stimulate creativity and trend spotting.

Patent reform struggles on the Senate floor while presidential hopefuls debate NAFTA’s influence not just on business, but innovation. Yet even with innovation under fire, American entrepreneurs step up to a stellar challenge.

Google’s Lunar X Prize non-profit organization recently announced the 10 teams participating in its robotics competition to the moon. Out of 560+ inquiries from 53 nations, 5 out of the 10 teams hail from the US. The organizing committee dealt with an enormous number of qualified entrants. In comparison, the Ansari X Prize only received interest from 2 teams in the same time period.

The mission asks a lot of its potential champions. The first team to land a lunar rover, travel 500 meters and send images/ data back to Earth will win $20 million. The 2nd team to do the same walks away with $5 million. Though the jackpot incentivizes applicants, the overall cost of the endeavor will easily exceed the prize purse. Most note the inspiration to win is the innovation itself.

Take a page from the competitive, blindly-encouraging vision of Google, and give your team an ‘impossible’ task. One small step for your business, one giant leap for mankind.

Katie Sherman is a NY-based freelance writer. After years of multi-tasking at downtown ad agencies, she's recently returned from a European backpacking sabbatical. During the day she works as a Copywriter in Soho. In the off-hours she concentrates on analyzing social/ cultural trends, business innovation and local entertainment. Her work has been published on PSFK.com, CoolBusinessIdeas.com, EatDrinkSleepny.com, and Glamourite.com. Email her at katie_sherman@hotmail.com

Crave: For consistent 15 percent tipsters living in municipalities with a 7.5 percent dining tax, generating the perfect 15 percent tip is as simple as doubling the tax. If that's not you, Oh Arithmetic-Challenged One, you've got a bum deal. (See below for a quick computational technique.)

It's for this set, and for diners who frequently split a bill, that Ilium Software developed Tipster. The free, simple app for Palm, Windows Mobile smartphone and Pocket PC hurriedly computes your tax and total.

Tipster calculates tax in 5 percent increments up to 30 percent, and can evenly split the amount owed between up to ten diners, tip included. Working out how much four people should pay on an $86.52 bill with a 20 percent tip becomes instant and headache-free. Just don't try anything funny, like tipping 18 percent.

Tipster: Tip calculator for fast meal math [Crave]

Grand-illusions: Offer someone this teaspoon to stir their tea - as soon as they dip it into the hot liquid, the spoon bends through 90 degrees!

The liquid does not need to be boiling - the spoon will also bend if placed under the hot tap.

Part of the handle is made of Nitinol or Shape Memory Metal, which 'remembers' a shape that has been previously set into it.

To reset the spoon, just cool it under the cold tap, and straighten it again. The spoon can be used many times, as Nitinol is a very flexible metal.

The spoon is made specially for Grand Illusions, and cannot be bought anywhere else.

Magic Teaspoon [Grand-illusions]

Advertising Lab: "A Japanese company Tuesday unveiled a new device that will allow people "speak" through their ear so they can use their mobile telephones in noisy places. The device -- named "e-Mimi-kun" (good ear boy) -- doubles as an earphone and a microphone by detecting air vibrations inside the ear, developer NS-ELEX Co. said."

What a wonderful idea! This "quiet" speaking may give rise to new age military communications, or even being able to talk freely while disco-ing away in your favourite pub. It should serve well to many occupations and the elderly may be able to find themselves speaking clearly and loud again!

New Phone Allows Speaking With Ears [Advertising Lab]

Business Edge: If you've ever stood in front of your closet trying to figure out what to wear for an important meeting, a new high-tech wardrobe invention might be just the thing for you.

The "smart wardrobe" keeps track of when you wore an item, where you wore it, and can even tell you when your clothes need to be dry-cleaned. Developed by Australian researchers, the garment gizmo is being touted as a dress-for-success solution that could give busy people the edge to get ahead.

"The wardrobe can tell you that you have a meeting this morning with Joe Bloggs, that you have worn the same shirt the last three times you met him and that maybe you should wear something else or he will think you only have one shirt," says Prof. Bruce Thomas, director of the wearable computer laboratory at the University of South Australia.

If you're not sure what tie matches your suit, if your skirt is too tame for your new animal print pumps, or whether you should go business casual or dressy for a weekend dinner with the boss, researchers say the smart wardrobe can tell you that, too. "This technology can help people make the most of accessorizing and mixing their wardrobe," explains PhD student Aaron Toney, who developed an alert function that notifies smart-wardrobe users when garments need to be dry-cleaned and even tracks cleaner pickups and deliveries.

'Smart closet' can suit you up for success [Business Edge]

Mobile Weblog: The rampant growth of green or eco-friendly companies and the move of many Internet marketers to go "organic" are strong indicators that the trend now is to go natural. In what way do you think the mobile industry can go organic?

Say hello to team BioVolt, a group of MIT students who applied the concept of biomass or using animal manure to charge mobile phones. This is ideal for rural areas with scarce electricity.

However, the system is far from perfect. It would take at least 6 months to completely charge a mobile phone battery! If there's any consolation, you just need to shell out $2.

I guess the bigger problem is, who will be interested to collect cow dung, wait for 6 months, and put the phone on their ears if they know it's full of sh*t?

Nevertheless, it's a bold and intelligent step. I hope this will trigger further development to make it more functional and acceptable to the general public.

Are Your Ready for a Cow Dung-Powered Mobile Phone? [Mobile Weblog]

Gizmodiva: If you are living in Japan then consider yourself as a lucky skunk for endless reasons. But today’s reason for believing your self to be fortunate is that you won't need to buy a fresh loaf of bread every second day. All you got to do is stuff your kitchen cabinets with Canned Bread that are sold from the vending machines. It is real Bread that comes in a can and stays fresh for up to three years that too without preservatives.

Whether it’s cheap or pricey is for you to decide, as canned Pan Desuyo costs 330 yen ($3) for 100 grams of bread in two mini-loaves. Pan Desuyo (which translates to "This is bread!") is available in chocolate chip, raisin and fruit, and a blend of coffee, fruit and nuts.

Canned Bread in Japan from vending machines [Gizmodiva]

Video Email is a revolutionary new way in how we communicate with one another. In our personal lives, we send out an average of 15 emails per week. In our business lives, the company as a collective group sends out hundreds if not thousands of emails. The pre-existing emails encompass two methods to communicating: text and pictures. Studies show that the average human being only retains 10% of what we read, only 20 percent of what we see with pictures. However, the average human being retains 50% of what they see AND hear. Hence the concept of video email is the wave of the future. It is a new and unique way of contacting perspective clients, retaining existing clients, and rekindling relationships with past clients. Not only that, for personal use, there's no reason the grandparents in a different state have to miss the new baby's first steps or little Bobby's first home run anymore. Video email is a product that will bring an increasingly globalized world closer and accelerate the process.

Using video email allows businesses a unique way to communicate with their clients, which not only increases retention, but also increases intimacy. Having face to face contact allows the clients to remember who they're doing business with. It allows people to say thank you in a more meaningful way. Realtors can now send real tours where they physically go in the house room to room and comment on its amenities rather than virtual tours through email. Pastors can inform their congregation about the retreat that's taking place next Saturday. Doctors can now get their secretaries to video email their patients to remind them of their next appointment. Company executives can send out a motivational message to their employees even if they are in a different city. The possibilities are limitless.

Video Email For Everyone

CoolHunting: Taking advantage of the fact that digital cameras see a broader spectrum of light (i.e they see more colors) than human eyes Kameraflage takes digital photography to a new level. Engineering text or designs in these invisible colors into objects creates displays that are invisible to the naked eye yet can be seen when imaged with a digital camera. Potential applications include everything from clothing to billboards, and even movies.

Kameraflage [CoolHunting]

Daily Mail: It sounds like the perfect invention for all those couch potatoes who find even using a remote control just a little too much like hard work.

Scientists have come up with a box that lets television viewers change channels, switch on the DVD player or switch off an irritating presenter with the wave of a hand. The controller's built-in camera can recognise seven simple hand gestures and work with up to eight different gadgets around the home.

Not only will it be a godsend for lazy viewers, it could also save hours of fruitless scrabbling among the sofa in search of the remote control.

The all-seeing wave controller is the brainchild of Australian engineers Dr Prashan Premaratne and Quang Nguyen. They believe it could be on sale within three years, ending the frustration involved in finding and using remote controls.

Wave the TV remote control goodbye and change channel with a thumbs-up [Daily Mail]

FutureWire: The ability to direct and transmit electrical power through the air, without wires, took a further step from the theoretical to the practical in June when a group of MIT researchers demonstrated their "WiTricity" concept.

The technology works by transmitting electricity as a magnetic field oscillating at a specific frequency. Through "magnetically coupled resonance," the "receiver" can capture the electricity, making for an efficient and safe method of over-the-air transfer.

Wireless transmission of electricity has been understood in theory since the work of Nikolai Tesla in the 19th Century. Safe, efficient and cost-effective wireless electricity could hold countless beenfits, from eliminating the need to install costly copper wiring to lowered reliance on batteries for small devices. However, despite the success of WiTricity, the technology has a long way to go before it is deployed commercially... not to mention the need to better understand side effects such as interference and possible effects on health and the environment.

MIT Demonstrates "Wireless Electricity" [FutureWire]

Cool Hunting: If you don't like to rough it, can't do without the conveniences of home, or just need a base camp to recharge your camera or MP3 player after a day on the trail, the Eureka N!ergy tents have three 12-volt plugs to charge your accessories. A concealed wiring system strategically places glowing outlets throughout the tent for easy access. Hook up a fan on warm nights, a reading light, alarm clock, DVD player, perhaps a computer. The only downside is that you need the Eureka E Power Pak, a portable and rechargeable battery source, which is sold separately.

Eureka N!ergy Tent [Cool Hunting]

USATODAY: In the race for ever-thinner displays for TVs, cellphones and other gadgets, Sony may have developed one to beat them all — a razor-thin display that bends like paper while showing full-color video.

Sony released video of the new 2.5-inch display Friday. In it, a hand squeezes a display that is 0.3 millimeters, or 0.01 inch, thick. The display shows color images of a bicyclist stuntman and a picturesque lake. Although flat-panel TVs are getting slimmer, a display that's so thin it bends in a human hand marks a breakthrough.

Sony develops paper-thin video display [USATODAY]

Crave: The way the particles land on a given credit card magnetic stripe are as unique as individual snow flakes or human fingerprints. So says a Magtek, a company that has developed a product, MagnePrint, for recording the unique magnetic media signature for all credit and debit cards scanned through its readers. The first scan by a MagnePrint reader creates a template against which all subsequent scans are compared.

MagnePrint is designed to prevent "skimming." Online carders buy credit card information from a black market database then copy that information onto a blank physical card using a machine that costs around $250. The skimmed card is then used in an ATM or a retail environment as though it were the original card until the credit or debit limits are maxed.

Technology 'fingerprints' valid credit cards, flags bogus ones [Crave]

Iconoculture: They're just concept phones for now, but we're guessing the idea could be reused: ModeLabs has created a series of concept phones that run off sustainable energy sources.

One concept phone looks like a yo-yo that hangs around the user's neck and continuously harnesses both solar and kinetic energy using a pendulum and voltaic cells.

Knowledge is nothing; power is power. Consumers have lots of wants when it comes to batteries these days — a long life, a quick charge and, increasingly, a sheen of green.

ModeLabs explores phones that use sustainable energy [Iconoculture]

USATODAY: Why listen to your voice mail messages when you can read them? That's what a new crop of companies is asking — they're developing software that turns voice mail messages into transcribed e-mail or text messages.

We've all gotten those long voice mail messages from a friend, relative, business associate — or in this reporter's case a PR person pitching a story idea — that seem to drag on forever. New companies, such as Simulscribe, SpinVox and now Callwave, are emerging to provide a fix for busy people who don't want to listen to long messages anymore.

Even though cellphones are increasingly being used to do everything from sending text messages to surfing the Web to playing music, the main reason to use a phone is voice communication. New applications, such as voice-to-text, could be part of a growing trend of new services based on voice-recognition technology.

Tech turns voice mails into emails [USATODAY]

Shiny Shiny: Remember when an iPod dock was a clever idea? Since then, we've seen iBelts, Inflatable iChairs, iProjectors, iLoo Roll, you name it. What on earth is next?

Why, the Tune-In Bed, of course! This is no ordinary iPod dock! You can sleep in it! This is also no ordinary bed! It plays music from your iPod! Of course, the sound and mattress quality are totally irrelevant in view of the astounding novelty of this idea! Is there anyone left on this planet who doesn't already have sufficient iPod docking bedroom arrangements and might actually need this?

iBed [Shiny Shiny]

Gizmodo: Who knew you could use urine to power a battery? The Pee Battery uses the ions in human urine to keep 1.5 volts streaming for 90 minutes, and its makers say it can be tweaked to last even longer. They're even saying that all other bodily fluids work equally well. Sounds like an unpleasant way to get that iPod working again.

These are some batteries that would certainly pass our USB Piss Test. Rig 'em up to power gaming consoles, and we could have ourselves a Pee Wii.

Battery Passes Urine Test, Running 90 Minutes On Pee [Gizmodo]

Iconoculture: "With this bone, I thee wed." Five U.K. couples recently sealed their vows by exchanging rings made from their own bone tissue, grown in the lab from sample cells. Scientists harvested the cells from tiny slivers extracted from the couples' jawbones, then grew new tissue in bioglass scaffolds that mimic human bone structure. Artists fused the pure white bone with silver to create the unique rings. Beyond being an ultraromantic way to say "I do," the technique holds great promise as a way to grow new bone material for patients who need replacements.

Biojewelry: Wedding bands made from the happy couple's bone tissue [Iconoculture]

Vitro Laser GmbH: Our developments revolutionize the marking of different materials by laser technology. Conventional methods are limited to the marking of the materials’ surface. With our laser subsurface engraving method the surface remains untouched. The desired marking is carried out inside the material.

The laser beam will be precisely focused in order to keep the finest formations and details of the masters. Every design is represented point by point and with a clear structure. We call this method “Vitropgraphy”. Two dimensional as well as three dimensional designs from all areas can be engraved. The result will convince you with its pin sharp quality.

Laser subsurface engravings can be made in all kinds of translucent materials e.g. glass, tempered or laminated glass, acrylic glass, ceramic glass, sapphire, polycarbonate etc.

The process of subsurface engraving works precise and detailed with highest speed and offers an extremely efficient and economic production. On top of that our systems offer user-friendly interfaces which guarantee high comfort during your daily work and an easy orientation.

Vitro Laser GmbH

eMediaWire: Just days ago, millions of people around the world were gifted at least one of the "big 10" electronic devices boosting in store and online sales in 2006 including Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3 and PSP, ipod Nano, Blackberry, Treo, DELL Notebook Laptop, Motorola and Palm. In capitalizing on this trend towards personalization mytego.com has developed a technology where customers - all over the world - can personalize any one of those "big 10" electronic devices or any other portable electronic device with a TEGO skin.

A TEGO is a durable, waterproof high quality vinyl adhesive skin that goes on in seconds and comes off clean. mytego.com allows users to affordably design a personalized TEGO skin for any portable electronic device with any picture, image or text. They can also choose one of many images in the mytego.com library. Though TEGO skins have been a popular product worldwide since introduced by Mytego in 2003, Doyle Buehler, president of Mytego Inc. believes 2007 is the year everyone will be taking advantage of the opportunity for personalization.

"The trend towards personalization is becoming more and more pronounced in our society. We see it now in everyday things, and now we have given consumers the tools to be their own creative genius and design exactly what they want. We have seen it start with special ring tones and screen graphics for phones in the late 1990's. Now this personalization has moved more mainstream, into all portable electronics like ipods, game systems etc. Everybody has the inherent desire to be different and stand out -- Mytego gives them just the tools that they need to address this need. Our online design interface is the only one like it in the world, where users can see in real time what their design will look like. Our unique business system allows us to produce individual products for each customer, giving each and every individual customer the ultimate choice and freedom." predicts Buehler.

Visit www.myTego.com for more details.

Mytego Inc. Introduces New Trend for Personalization of Electronic Devices [eMediaWire]

Uber-Review: The Hug Shirt is perfect for people in love that are distant from each other, it basically offers the possibility to recreate a hug feeling and not on a virtual kind of way.

The shirt works with Bluetooth + a Hug Me java software + a cellphone and in order for the other person to receive the hug, he/she must be wearing a shirt as well. It was nominated as one of the best inventions of this year by the Times Magazine so that is probably a good thing, or not…

Hug shirts don’t have any assigned phone number, all the data goes from the sensors Bluetooth to your mobile phone and your mobile phone delivers the hug data to your friend’s phone and it is seamlessly transmitted Bluetooth to his or her shirt!

The Hug Shirt [Uber-Review]

13WHAM-TV: Photocopier paper that erases itself hours after it's been used? It's in the works.

Xerox researchers are testing it at a lab near Toronto Canada. The Xerox Research Center of Canada is one of five global centers. The Center in Canada focuses on the future of the document, inks, toners and imaging. It’s also the place where self-erasing paper was developed.

The paper looks ordinary enough, but what you can't see is what makes the technology cutting edge. Dr. Paul Smith said, "It doesn't use toner or ink....in 16 to 24 hours it turns from black to colorless again."

Erasable paper works when combined with a special printer. A certain wavelength of light reacts with the coating on the paper to create the image.Xerox researchers say erasable paper is best used for pages you don't need to keep around like emails, daily calendars, and fax cover pages.

Researchers found that two of every five pages are kept for less than a day, and then recycled. So, Xerox says, its product will reduce paper waste.

This is still a research project, which means it will be years before it will lighten the load of the recycle bin.

Hot New Product - Very Cool Paper [13WHAM-TV]

we make money not art: Scientists at the CSIRO's Textile and Fibre Technology division in Australia have woven electronic sensors into a T-shirt (the WIS - the Wearable Instrument Shirt) so that it can be played liked a real guitar.

Movements by the wearer's arms are mapped and beamed by radio to a computer which interprets them and turns them into musical notes.

"The left arm chooses a note and the right arm plays it," said Richard Helmer, at CSIRO. The arrangement can be reversed for left-handed musicians. "You can play with yours hands above your head," added Dr Helmer. "You can turn around and jump. Whatever you like."

Wearable Instrument Shirt [we make money not art]

LATimes.com: Baker came up with the kiosk idea a couple of years ago. He had just kicked off a $3-million building drive, but noticed that few people seemed to keep cash in their wallet anymore for the collection bag.

So he began studying the electronic payment business. He designed his machine with the help of a computer programmer who attends Stevens Creek, and found ATM companies willing to assemble it for him. In early 2005, he introduced the first machine at his church.

Since then, kiosk giving has gradually gained acceptance among his upper-middle-class flock. The three kiosks are expected to take in between $200,000 and $240,000 this year — about 15% of the church's total donations.

"It's truly like an ATM for Jesus," Baker said.

This summer, Baker and his wife, Patty, began selling the devices to other churches through their for-profit company, SecureGive. They are its only employees, but a handful of contractors help them custom-tailor the machines for churches.

The kiosks can let donors identify their gift as a regular tithe or offering, or direct it to building or missionary funds. The machines send information about the donation to a central church computer system, which shoots the donors an e-mail confirmation.

The Bakers charge between $2,000 and $5,000 for the kiosks, which come in a variety of configurations. They also collect a monthly subscription fee of up to $49.95 for licensing and support. And a card-processing company gets 1.9% of each transaction; a small cut of that fee goes to SecureGive.

At Church, an 'ATM for Jesus' [LATimes.com]

FutureWire: Bytes, a new cafe in the UK town of Canterbury (of Chaucer fame), is making a name for itself with its high-tech ordering system.

Aside from helping Bytes save money on wait staff and menu printing, the touchscreens allow the restaurant to build a database of customer preferences, and to change items and prices on the fly. The touchscreens also double as game consoles, keeping the kids occupied.

So far, patron response to the touchscreens is overwhelmingly positive, and the owner is already considering opening a second location. As long as customers respond just as enthusiastically to the food, Bytes appears to have a bright future.

Restaurant Touchscreen Ordering a Hit With Patrons [FutureWire]