News of an obesity epidemic does not seem to have reached America’s chain restaurants. The good news is that more chains are publishing nutrition information online, prompted in part by threat of government legislation. It might be a shot that Ruby Tuesday’s Colossal Burger has more than a day’s worth of calories and fat, weighing in at a whopping 2014 calories and 141 grams of fat.

To limit the damage without curbing your enjoyment during your next restaurant visit follow the following tips:

Customize Your Meal

Many entrees will fit into a heart-healthy diet if prepared with low-fat ingredients and less salt. Restaurant chains will usually allow you to skip mayo, substitute skim milk for whole, ask for no salt and limit dressings and sauces or serve them on the side. There are more menu items for vegetarians, diners cutting carbs or fat, and offer gluten-free meals. Even Cracker Barrel, not known to be the healthiest of restaurants, offers Egg Beaters and sugar free syrup. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers lets you customize your burger down to the amount of meat and calculate its nutritional profile. Regardless of where you go, ask that steak be trimmed of excess fat and that skin be removed from poultry. Drink iced tea instead of soda and substitute fries for vegetables.

Don’t Over do it

The easiest way to accomplish this while still having a delicious meal is to split an entree with a dinner partner. If eating alone, make a point to leave some for a doggie bag or order a soup or appetizer for your meal. There are even some chains that offer smaller portions at lower prices and others offer a line of food with lower calories.

Know the Menu Jargon

When you see the words au gratin, battered, creamy, crispy, crusted, fired, mashed, sauteed or stuffed, it usually means high calorie and fattening. Better to go for words like baked, blackened, broiled, poached, roasted or steamed. Avoid fatty sauces/oil/butter and ask for it dry, au jus or topped with citrus, salsa or vegetables.

Avoid Temptation

Pre-meal breads and bread sticks can be upwards of 150 calories a piece and who can stop at just one? If your chosen chain offers these pre-meal freebies, ask for smaller portions, better yet, keep them off the table. If you have a sweet tooth, order fruits or sherbet. If you still have to have your favorite desert, spit it!

These few common sense tips should help you reduce the fat yet allow you to still have an enjoyable time during your next restaurant visit.

Nanobees are one of the latest examples of how nanotechnology may change the way mankind treats disease. In one of the latest examples, nanoparticles known as Nanobees are being tested in the fight against cancer. These nanobees contain a synthesized version of a toxin called melittin that is found in bees. The toxin, which would otherwise destroy red blood cells and other healthy tissues, is being used to target and destroy cancer cells by delivering it directly to a tumor. These nanoparticles are engineered to travel directly to tumor cells without harming otherwise healthy tissue. The particles are covered with special compounds to prevent them from being attacked by white blood cells. The result is a laser guided missile of sorts that goes directly to the affected region.

So far nanobees have been tested only on mice, with promising results. Researchers anticipate that this therapy could become widely available for humans in about five years. Two treatments making use of nanoparticles have already been approved for cancer treatments. An ovarian cancer drug Doxil, approved in 1995, and breast cancer drug Abraxane, approved in 2005.

Budget PCs

OK, not really because Apple still leads all makers by a country mile. That being said,  budget PC makers have made the biggest gains in the new 2009 computer rankings. It seems that this economy will make anyone think twice before plunking down a nice chunk of change for a high end PC.  Both Gateway/Acer and Compaq made a 2.8% and 5.7% respectively in the new ratings. These were the biggest gains made by any PC maker this year.

So does this mean that that these makers have made great strides in quality? Not really, these gains are more than likely due to price since both these makers are typically priced lower than the competition. It’s interesting to note that all other makers, including Apple, remained relatively flat in the ratings which are conducted by the National Quality Research Center at the University of Michigan.  What’s interesting is that both these matched HP and were a hair shy of catching Dell.  So if you are in the market for a new PC or laptop in this economy, check out Acer/Gateway and Compaq before you look into anything else. Below is a summary of the ratings and the makers’ scores:

Apple - 84/100
Dell-75/100
HP-74/100
Gateway/Acer - 74/100
Compaq - 74/100

Netbooks

Netbooks are one of the hottest sellers in the computer market for 2009. For good reason, they offer lightweight, portability and on the go access to the web. Unlike smart phones, they offer real keyboards for touch typing and their displays are much easier to read.

Battery life is also surprisingly good for such a small device. Most offer battery life times from 3-9 hours which are comparable to larger laptops models.

Internet connectivity is provided by built in 3G on some models and standard WiFi on others.  In addition, they offer surprisingly computing power for such a small package with hard drives ranging up to 1.6 GHz processor, 160 Gb hard drives and 1Gb of memory. In short, Netbooks offer flexible and powerful computing power on the go.

The Winner for those on the Go: The Acer Aspire One is the best choice for those wanting a constant 3G internet connection anywhere on the AT&T 3G network. It was also rated one of Consumer Reports best buys for 2009.  It has plenty of power to run just about any Windows application and unlike other netbooks at this price, it comes with a FULL version of Windows XP.  At $199.00,  you won’t find another Netbook this cheap, though it does require that you sign up to qualifying data plans. Acer Aspire One 10.1″- Best Price $199.99

The Winner if you Require Ergonomics and Extended Battery Life: The Asus PC1005h was another Consumer Reports best buys for 2009. It has extreme battery life at 8.5 hrs continuous use , laptop like ergonomics with its larger than average keyboard and excellent pointing device.  So if either of these features are important to you, the Asus is the machine to get. Note that the Asus does not have built in 3G or PCMCIA slot so if 3G is in your future, you will need a USB to PCMCIA adaptor. Asus PC1005H 10.1″ - Best price $299.00

The Winner if you prefer a Recognized Nameplate: The Samsung NC10 was the #1 Consumer reports Netbook for 2009 by 1 point over the Acer, though it is also the more expensive.  Specs are on par with the other two machines. The weight is right in between the other two and battery life was excellent at 7 hours.  Other than that, there was no other outstanding feature or quality on the NC10.  That being said, if you prefer to invest your money on a recognized name plate, then the Samsung is for you. Samsung NC10 10.1″ - Best price $329.00

Consumer Reports Netbook Ratings sorted by Price

Acer Aspire One 10.1″- Best Price $199.99

Acer Aspire ONE Shop At Price $199.00 $294.99 $299.99

The 10.1″ Acer Aspire One by AT&T is perfect for those looking for true on the go computing. It has built in 3G for internet access throught the AT&T 3G network (same as IPhone). Unlike other netbooks, this machine will give you internet connectivity virtually anywhere since it uses the 3G network, NO need to find the closest Wireless hot spot to get on the internet. This netbook also comes with Windows XP so you get a full Operating System. For such a small device, you get plenty of computing power as it has an Intel Atom 1.6Ghz processor, 160gb hard drive and 1gb of memory. AT&T is offering this device at a subsidized price when you sign up to a data plan contract. This one is highly recommended for those always on the go that require an always available internet connection. Click Here to View this Netbook at AT&T

Aspire One Features:

• Full Windows XP OS, capable of running productivity software like MS Office, Outlook, etc
• Up to 3 hours uninterupted battery life when in use
• Lightweight at 2.2 pounds
• 10.1″ lcd screen
• 1.6 Ghz Intel Atom Processor
• 160 Gb hard drive
• 1 Gb memory
• Built in 3G

Asus PC1005H 10.1″ - Best price $299.00

Asus PC1005 Shop At Price $299.00 $314.95 $329.99

The 10.1″ Asus Eee PC 1005h was selected as a Consumer Reports best buy for 2009 with its extended 8.5 hours of battery life. The PC 1005

focuses on ergonomics with a larger than average keyboard, an actual touchpad and extended 6.5hr battery life. Weighing in at a mere 3.2 pounds, the Asus offers extreme portability yet comes loaded with features found on larger more expensive laptops like USB Ports, memory card readers and built in web cam. The Asus also comes loaded with traditional XP Home and has plenty plenty of computing power with it’s 1.6GHz, 1GB memory and 160 GB hard drive.

Unlike the AT&T Aspire One though, the Asus has onboard

Wireless-B+G+N and NO on board 3G, so you will need to find wireless hot spots in order to connect. If you have an existing 3G card or plan on getting one, you would have to use a USB to PCMCIA adaptor since the ASUS does not have onboard PCMCIA slot.

Features:

• Full Windows XP OS, capable of running productivity software like MS Office, Outlook, etc
• Up to 8.5 hours uninterupted battery life when in use
• Lightweight at 3.2 pounds
• 10.1″ lcd screen
• 1.6 Ghz Intel Atom Processor
• 160 Gb hard drive
• 1 Gb memory
• Built in B,G,N Wireless
• 3 USB ports

Samsung NC10 Shop At Price $329.00 $335.95 $369.99

Samsung NC10 10.1″ - Best price $329.00

The Samsung NC10 was selected as another Consumer Reports best buy for 2009. Specs are the same as the other Best Buy rated machines but the Samsung is also the more expensive Unit, probably due to the Samsung name plate. The NC10 is slightly lighter than the Asus but heavier than the Acer. Battery life is excellent on par with the Asus at 7 hours. As with the Asus, if you have an existing 3G card or plan on getting one, you would have to use a USB to PCMCIA adapter since the ASUS does not have onboard PCMCIA slot. Though the Samsung was rated a Best Buy by CR, we see no compelling reason why this machine would be a better choice over the other 2 CR best buys being that there is a slight price premium. If you are more comfortable with a recognized name brand, then this is the machine for you.

Features:

• Full Windows XP OS, capable of running productivity software like MS Office, Outlook, etc
• Up to 7 hours uninterupted battery life when in use
• Lightweight at 2.7 pounds
• 10.1″ lcd screen
• 1.6 Ghz Intel Atom Processor
• 160 Gb hard drive
• 1 Gb memory
• Built in B,G Wireless
• 3 USB ports

I recently came across Spun.com while looking for some old DVD movies to buy. I must say they had awesome prices and selection but I was a bit hesitant to buy from their used DVD choices because I did not know whether or not their movies came in original cases. Their site does indicate that they only accept original DVD trade ins so no worries about getting any crappy bootlegs there. After a bit of debating, I decided to give it a shot and placed a relatively small order. So I picked out some older movies I’ve been wanting and paid about $20 bucks with shipping included, an excellent deal no doubt but I was still left wondering about the cases since their site does not say anything about it.

Well, I am delighted to say that their movies do indeed come in their “original” cases. Much to my surprise they also included any and all movie inserts! Even more amazing is the fact that the DVDs I received were free of scratches and for the most part looked brand spanking new. Did I mention they are even shrink wrapped just like new movies? I am now officially sold on Spun.com and I highly recommend them if you are looking for a great selection of inexpensive high quality movies! A great find indeed if you hate going through Ebay wondering what you will end up with and if you (like myself) are missing the old Netflix prewatched movie store.