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How Google and goofy barcodes will save you money

Josh Smith Dec 8th 2009 @ 3:00PM EST Filed Under: Shopping, Technology

Not content with revolutionizing how you search for information online, Google is planning to change how you interact with local shops and restaurants. As part of the company's bid to become more relevant in local search and provide searchers with more means of finding what they want, when they want it -- no matter where they are, Google has sent barcodes to 100,000 stores in 9,000 towns in all 50 states to make searching on the go as simple as taking a picture.

Google is calling the new feature "Favorite Places on Google" and marking a business as a favorite is just one of the many things you can do after scanning the QR barcode on a local shop window.

On the Official Google Blog, they envision shoppers being able to scan the QR code (a weird looking barcode pictured below) and instantly see important information about a business, including reviews and coupons to save money and make smarter decisions.

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20% of nation's drinking water systems violated Safe Water Act

Tom Barlow Dec 8th 2009 @ 2:30PM EST Filed Under: Health

The New York Times today ran a troubling story about the nation's drinking water supply, reporting that as many as 19 million Americans get sick from drinking tap water from regulated water systems each year.

It reports that more than 20% of the 54,700 U.S. water treatment systems have reported illegal levels of chemicals, radioactive substances or bacteria in the past five years, yet of these only 6% were ever punished.

An EPA representative is being questioned by the Senate Environment and Public Works committee today about the agency's enforcement of the Safe Drinking Water Act, first passed in 1974 and most recently amended in 1996.

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Two babies die in infant hammocks, product recalled

Mitch Lipka Dec 8th 2009 @ 2:15PM EST Filed Under: Consumer Ally

Following the suffocation deaths of two babies this summer, Amby Baby Motion Beds are being recalled, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

Amby Baby told the CPSC that a 4-month-old girl in Lawrenceville, Ga., died in one of the hammocks in June and a 5-month-old boy from Gresham, Ore., died in August.

Babies are put at risk of suffocating from the side-to-side shifting or tilting of the hammock, the CPSC said in its announcement. The the infant can roll and get trapped against the hammock's fabric or mattress pad and suffocate.

About 24,000 of the Chinese-made infant hammocks were sold online for about $250 between January 2003 and October 2009.

Those who have the hammocks are urged to stop using them immediately until a repair kit is obtained from Amby Baby and the product is fixed.

To contact Amby Baby, call 866-544-9721 weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time or go to the company's Web site.

Are vitamins worth the money?

Lita Epstein Dec 8th 2009 @ 2:00PM EST Filed Under: Food, Health

Do you pop vitamin pills daily to keep yourself healthy? If you do you're likely in the majority, because half of adults take vitamins daily. But are you taking the right ones and in the right amount?

If you don't know, you could be spending too much and possibly even causing your body harm. Vitamin sales have been growing at the pace of 4% annually and as more people lose health insurance, those numbers are expected to increase more rapidly. The Nutrition Business Journal expects sales to grow by 8% to a total of $9.2 billion annually as people turn to vitamins hoping they will stay healthy and avoid the doctor.

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Stuff stockings on the cheap with help from Old Navy

Megan Angelo Dec 8th 2009 @ 1:30PM EST Filed Under: Shopping

Chances are you're doing your best to penny pinch this holiday season, and why not? With the economy still fragile at best, Scrooge is the new savvy.

So it can be a little bit of a bummer when, as you smugly eye the pile of presents you've amassed by sale-stomping and bargain-chasing, you remember: those darn things hung by the chimney with care still have to be filled.

Stocking stuffing is meant to be a simple tradition, but in the past few years, the idea has ballooned beyond trinkets and tokens.

Just witness this news report from a Fox affiliate in St. Louis, which recommends iPod Nanos, video games and a $600 camera as appropriate stocking stuffers. (If you get a Nikon in your stocking, what's under the tree -- a Ferrari?)

Helping to scale back the stuffing is a sale Old Navy kicked off today: 60 items under $6. There are plenty of scarves, undies, tees and tanks for everyone on your mantle.

And if you want to get even more back-to-basics? Start a new tradition by going retro -- back in the day, stockings usually stuck to candy, nuts and oranges.

Win $100,000 in 140 seconds sharing your day with Nikon

Josh Smith Dec 8th 2009 @ 1:00PM EST Filed Under: Extracurriculars, Technology

http://www.nikonfestival.com/files/2009/09/judgesrainn.jpg

It's obvious that you like people to know about your day. You post status updates every five minutes to Twitter, upload pictures to Facebook like it's going out of style and are video-blogging your every move on YouTube. So why not turn that compulsion for sharing into a payday by entering the Nikon Festival for a chance at $100,000?

Nikon wants to know what it's like to be you and is sponsoring a video contest to find out well, what it's like to be you. You have until Dec. 15th to record and upload your day -- cut down to just 140 seconds-- for a chance at one of two prizes. The first prize is the $100,000 Judges Award, which is chosen by Rainn Wilson, aka Dwight Schrute from "The Office;" video blogger and internet personality Justine "iJustine" Ezarik; and commercial photographer Chase Jarvis. That also comes with a Nikon D5000 D-SLR kit to keep you going.

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Know when to buy: The latest on holiday shipping deadlines

Josh Smith Dec 8th 2009 @ 12:30PM EST Filed Under: Shopping, Economizer

Holiday shipping deadlines are approaching faster than you'd expect with many cutoffs coming in less than two weeks. If you like to procrastinate or are just waiting for a new deal before ordering your presents online, Dealnews and other sites are compiling lists of shipping cutoff dates to make sure your package arrives by Christmas Eve.

For those who want to pay less using standard shipping, the clock is ticking. Many online retailers' shipping guidelines require you to place an order by between December 14 and December 20. However, on December 17, more than 500 retailers are expected to participate in the second annual Free Shipping Day. That gives a lot of wiggle room for those falling behind on their shopping and looking to save on shipping costs. True procrastinators willing to pay up for expedited shipping, can order as late as December 23 on some sites.

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'Botax:' Nips and tucks could cost more than ever before

Gina Roberts-Grey Dec 8th 2009 @ 12:00PM EST Filed Under: Tax, Health

Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the most taxed of them all? If some in Washington have their way, it will be Americans seeking to lift a little "here" and tuck just a bit "there" as these people could pay 5% more than they expected.

The tax, included in the health care bill being debated in the Senate would be forked over by consumers looking to ditch love handles, excess baby weight, drooping eyelids, and have any elective cosmetic surgery not deemed necessary to "address deformities arising from congenital abnormalities, personal injuries resulting from an accident or trauma, or disfiguring diseases."

If Botox plumps up wrinkles, it seems only fair that the proposal be nicknamed Bo-Tax, since it will plump up bills handed out for these procedures.

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Forbes smacks down Florida, land of the overpriced home

Joshua Dorkin Dec 8th 2009 @ 11:00AM EST Filed Under: Real Estate

If the retirees and sun lovers living in Florida were looking for some positive news this winter, the good people at Forbes aren't going to help. The magazine just came out with its list of places with the most overpriced homes in the U.S. and, as you can imagine, Florida tops the list.

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