This whole "connected Internet e-commerce crazy-fast buy-coffee-from-the-car" paradigm is starting to have some pretty interesting ramifications in our culture.

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The biggest point of distinction between the two works is their view of Starbucks, a fast-growing American coffee chain.

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Many budgeting software programs will break this category down into Restaurants, Fast Food, Groceries, Coffee Houses, etc.

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The attraction is simple: If there's a company with a wireless network within range of a favorite coffee joint, why not borrow its fast Internet connection and surf while you sip.

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The fact these bite-size stories can be enjoyed in a five-minute coffee break at work means they fit neatly into fast-paced lifestyles of many in the modern world.

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Apple Chief Executive SteveJobsSteve Jobs wants to patent a process that will save customers the hassle of waiting to order a cup of coffee at a local Starbucks or a fresh burger at the nearest fast food restaurant.

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As it happens, the coffee-like stains that he and his colleagues had been trying to remove with fast-drying solvents was actually the solution to his problem, since they remained in contact with each other as they dried and preserved conductivity, but left about 95 percent of the light through the holes in the center, thereby making the screen itself almost fully transparent.

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This has scared off customers, who have been defecting to fast-food chains such as Dunkin' Donuts or Panera Bread, which sell reasonable coffee for as little as a quarter of the price of a fancy Starbucks brew.

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Speaking to the National Retail Federation convention in New York on Monday, Alvarez said 2006 will bring more "freshly prepared foods, " to the fast-food king's menu, including more spicy chicken items and high-end coffee.

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