[CES 2008] Now here’s another method that makes it easier for you to spend money - the Blinger. This handheld wireless device offers a real-time, constant connection between you and your back account - all you need to do is slip your (BlingNation-enabled) credit card or ATM card behind the Blinger and you’re good to go. Not only does it connect to your bank account, it offers you the option to perform various transactions such as wiring money over to your friend as well as various account information that is readily available at the tip of your fingertips. Should you meet a friend who has another Blinger, you can always set an amount and send it to him/her by touching both your Blingers together. Blinger uses a PIN number authentication system as well as a proprietary encryption mechanism in order to keep you protected.

It will be made available to banks from this March onwards at approximately $100, whereby customers will then be charged accordingly by their respective banks. Be forewarned that there is a monthly subscription fee if you want to take advantage of the Blinger service. I’m not too sure if this idea will take off - most places these days already have a WiFi connection or you can easily log on to your online bank account to make a mobile transaction, while your credit card can be used should you require instant cash. Which niche do you think the Blinger will fit into?

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Filed under: Snacks, Baking, Spirit of Christmas

Do you like to bake cookies with your kids? Are you interested in going to New York City or winning a $10, 000 savings bond? Well then you may be interested in entering the Second Annual WearEver Extreme Cookie Challenge.

The contest is for a parent/child team, though the child must be between the ages of 5 and 15. WearEver is looking for your “tastiest and most extreme cookie recipes”. Five finalist teams will be flown to New York City to compete in the “Cookie-off” In April 2008.

The grand prize is a $10,000 savings bond. The four runners up will each receive a savings bond for $1,000. All finalists get an assortment of WearEver products for lots of baking fun.

You can check out the website for official rules and entry information. The entry deadline has been extended through January 31, 2008. The final deadline is fast approaching, so if this sounds like fun to you then now is your chance!

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Filed under: Parties, Trends, Real Kitchens

In 2002, the state legislature of Pennsylvania passed a resolution, declaring that the second Saturday in January was to be known as “Invite your neighbor to dinner day.” That just happens to be this upcoming Saturday. And no, I am not kidding. Their intention was to foster goodwill among people who live within close proximity of one another and to encourage people to reach out to the neighbors that they might not know well. They chose the second Saturday in January because they couldn’t find any major holidays that would conflict with it and thought that it might also be a way for people to beat the post-holiday blues.

As a big proponent of communal eating, I love this idea and so thought I’d pass the word around. It’s a great idea, even if you don’t happen to live in the Keystone State (as I do). There’s also a website that offers tips on ways to make dinner with a neighbor doable for you as well as a little history about how this movement got started. Even if you can’t do it this Saturday, why not make a plan to get together with some neighbors for a meal. Keep it easy on yourself and make it potluck (this pasta bake makes a great potluck dish, if you need a little inspiration). Just have a meal with a neighbor and make your community a little closer.

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Filed under: South Asia, Food Quest

I have always had a fascination with Asian cooking. When I was younger, I would beg my parents for meals from our local Vietnamese and Thai restaurants and as I got older, any time I had the opportunity to eat out, my preference would be sushi or Pho. Several years ago, I started playing around with learning to cook food that tasted mildly similar to my restaurant favorites (I had particular success with baby bok choy).

If you have a similar culinary obsession to mine, there’s a contest going on now that you might want to check it out. It’s something of a long shot, but what an amazing trip it will be for the lucky person who wins. Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia are giving away a seven-day trip for two to the winner’s choice of one of the following locations: Beijing, China; Shanghai, China; or Bangkok, Thailand. The trip includes air travel, hotel accommodations for six nights, transfers to and from airport and hotel, and even some spending money cash. Sounds like a dream vacation to me.

Even for those who aren’t interested in the contest, it’s worth checking out the website, as they offer lots of recipes as well as how-to instructional videos with Chef Katie Chin. One of their recipes, for Spicy Pork Noodle Soup, is after the jump.

Continue reading Thai Kitchen/Simply Asia are giving away a very cool trip

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Filed under: Food Oddities, On the Blogs

I’ve always had something of a fascination with imitation food. When I was a kid, I had a plastic fried egg that I served to my parents, my cousins and my sister over and over again, until the rubbery white turned a sickly grey and bits started to flake off the yellow yoke. I loved presenting my relatives with the fake sushi at my grandmother’s house. And I would stare, completely transfixed, at the model dishes at our local Chinese restaurant.

It’s no wonder then that I feel compelled to share fun examples of fake food with you whenever I come across them. The image you see above is from an artist who posts images of her work on Flickr. In addition to the TV dinner you see here, she has made anthropomorphic cannoli, sandwiches, a half-open tin of sardines and a carton of milk (to name only a few. It is definitely worth taking a trip over to her page to check out all the cute crocheted food items that she has made.

[via Metafilter]

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Black Eyed Peas star Fergie, who ditched her signature catchphrase ‘Fergalicious’, revealed that she loves being sexually expressive.

The singer goes on to add that she is a sexual “freak” who loves to express herself in bed.

“I am a very sexual person behind closed doors,” the Sun quoted the 32-year-old singer, as saying.

“That’s the part of my personality I’m playing with when I sing,” she added.

However, Fergie has made it very clear, when she told a US mag, that she is “not promiscuous” and that she is madly in love with her fiancé, actor Josh Duhamel.

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Britney Spears ex-husband Kevin Federline is reportedly taking legal steps to stop his ex dating British photographer, Adnan Ghalib

K-Fed is said to be concerned at the apparent hold that Ghalib has over his former wife, after the pair holed up together for two days following Brit’s release from hospital.

Insiders say that the wannabe rapper has started investigating Ghalib’s immigration status in a bid to end the relationship

A source tells The Sun: “Kevin and his legal team want to get Britney away from him. They are concerned she has completely lost all sense of reality.

“Dating a photographer who has tailed her for months is like sleeping with the enemy. Kevin’s team want him sent home if he hasn’t got his papers in order.”

Brit reportedly described Ghalib as her “only friend” after she was admitted to L.A.’s Cedars-Sinai medical centre following a stand-off with police at her Beverly Hills home last week.

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Columbian singer, songwriter, actress Shakira turned down a role in a movie because it involved nudity.

The new movie, Love In The Time Of Cholera, has a nude scene, which would require Shakira to strip naked.

The 30-year-old singer, who has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her soundtrack for the Mike Newell film, revealed that Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who wrote the original book, wanted her to do the main part.

However Shakira has turned the offer down, as she was scared doing a nude scene might anger her parents.

“There was nudity involved, so I said no. My parents wouldn’t like it at all. So I said thank you, but no thank you,” Contactmusic quoted her as saying.

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Filed under: News

According to EGM editor-in-chief Dan Hsu, Sony’s sports game division along with Midway and Ubisoft have banned the magazine from further coverage of their products. Why? They apparently haven’t agreed with the way their titles have been treated by the magazine. We can’t forget about all that Gamespot hubbub over Kane & Lynch and can’t help but draw some kind of parallel between the issues. If Sony’s sports division is so afraid of a bad or mediocre review, they ought to focus on the problem — the games — and not on refusing to let game journalists try them and review them. Just a thought.

[via Digg]

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Filed under: PlayStation Network

If you were in the video game news business many years ago, you may remember a game called Vib Ribbon. It was a sort of musical game, a rhythm game if we may, sort of like PaRappa the Rapper. This game was different on the original PlayStation though, as it allowed you to slide in any audio CD you wanted to use as your rhythm tracks.

Unique levels and clever programming were everywhere and now the title is coming to the PSN. Will it be a remake? Will it be a port of the original? It’s a natural fit for allowing the use of any music you want. We’ll keep you posted as more information becomes available, but this is a classic game that should not be overlooked.

[Via NeoGAF]

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