They might even have your coffee order just the way you like it ready as you step up to the counter.

FORBES: Neil Patel's KISSMETRICS Brings Big Data to Small Companies to Optimize the Customer Experience

On a fine summer day she drives to Nihonmatsu, 56km (35 miles) from the ruined nuclear plant at Fukushima, and notes her Geiger counter ticking higher: another step in the DIY defence against radioactivity.

ECONOMIST: Japan risks another crisis over decontamination

Liberal Democrat Julian Huppert quoted a former president of the Prisoner Governor's Association who said a blanket ban was "out of step in a modern prison service and runs counter to resettlement work".

BBC: Government outlines prisoner vote options

China and the United States should step up communication and coordination in international affairs, work together to counter the global challenges, and make a greater contribution to world peace and development.

WHITEHOUSE: China State Visit Arrival Ceremony

The FDA had been poised to allow over-the-counter sales with no age limits when Sebelius took the unprecedented step of overruling the agency.

WSJ: Obama faces choice on morning-after pill limits

If prevention isn't enough, over-the-counter medications such as Tums, Zantac or Pepcid are the next step.

FORBES: Be Cool About Heartburn

Next you step up to a platform where you can sit on stools and dine at the counter.

WSJ: Architects' Fussiest Clients

This week, the United States took its first step to address the problems with the arrival in Baghdad of Paul Bremer, a former head of counter-terrorism in the State Department, to replace General Jay Garner as head of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq.

ECONOMIST: America's first transition team has failed