Lifestyle briefs

Jul 28, 2011, 3:06 GMT

London restaurant goes high-tech to speed up orders

London (dpa) - In the Asian restaurant Inamo in London guests are speeding up their food orders by using an electronic system at the table that sends their orders directly to the kitchen.

The system also allows guests to page through the menu and view every entree on a virtual plate. Projectors over the table show the images and guests can also use the system to pay their bill and order a taxi. Waiters are there only to greet guests and bring the food to the table.

Orders arrive an average of 15 minutes faster than in a normal restaurant. The idea came to Noel Hunwick, owner of Inamo, while waiting for the waiter at a pizzeria.

Old household items used to make purses, lamps

Bremen (dpa) - Most people think the place for worn out items such as computer keyboards, colanders and old clothing is the trash.

But for six designers and artists in Bremen, Germany these old items provide the raw material needed to make trendy new bags, lamps and jewelry. They have created the label with the slogan Design, Ecology and Social Responsibility. They say their products are better for the environment because they reduce waste and they are socially responsible because they are made exclusively by single mothers who were unemployed for a long time before being hired.

Among the items they produce are a shoulder bag made out of truck tarpaulins with a seatbelt for a strap, bookends made of old computer circuit boards and rings made of the esc (escape) and del (delete) keys from a computer keyboard.

Live music at Jazzamba sets the scene at Addis Ababa club

Addis Ababa (dpa) - Addis Ababa, a city with an entertaining nightlife, has a new hotspot that is attracting streams of music fans from near and far.

The Jazzamba in the oldest hotel in the city already has hosted a range of musicians from R&B to Ethiopian pop and rock in the few weeks it has been open. Live music is played at Jazzamba seven days a week. On Thursdays, for example, an Austrian guitar player accompanies an Ethiopian singer, while on Fridays patrons can hear nearly forgotten traditional Ethiopian music.

Guests listen from comfortable sofas and chairs after ordering a cocktail at the historic wooden bar.

Courteney Cox gives beauty tips online

New York (dpa) - Actress Courteney Cox has a lot of beauty and home decorating tips to share and she has started making them available regularly through a blog at a lifestyle website.

In her first column on xoJane.com the Friends star recommends a 9 dollar (6.45 euro) hair dye from the drug store saying, 'for dark-haired girls who don't like red hues coming through, I use Clairol Natural Instincts Brass Free for Brunettes. It lasts about 28 days.'

She also describes a makeover she got from a saleswoman at the high-end department store Neiman Marcus. 'I bought everything she put on me,' the star wrote. That included 30-dollar eye shadow and 60-dollar facial cream. Her spokesman confirmed to People magazine that Cox, 46, will join the likes of other actresses, such as Gwyneth Paltrow, 38, who provides her fans with lifestyle tips, fitness schedules and recipes at goop.com.

Frozen yogurt returns as a cool summer treat

Berlin (dpa) - Covered with strawberries, granola or sprinkles, frozen yogurt is becoming a hit in parts of Berlin where the search for a store that serves the treat as an alternative to ice cream doesn't take long.

One local magazine said frozen yogurt seems to be taking Berlin by storm. With the tourist season in full swing, the city is overrun by visitors, which has created demand for the latest sweet snack to spill over from the US as brownies, cupcakes, smoothies and exotic coffee flavours have in the past.