A regional government in India has decided to send out alerts via SMS to families in need when their 35kg monthly rice ration is ready to pickup. The system is set to cover as many as 3.4 million families -- or 60 percent of the region's population -- though the gents running the show were unsure how many families in need actuality had cell phones to receive the notice or the means to sign up. We really have to wonder why nobody stopped to consider that the poor in need of food to survive might not have cell phones to get these messages in the first place. Perhaps a cheapo prepaid could be part of this high tech recipe in the future?

If you thought ordering pizza online was the best thing since Deep Dish, you'll be delighted to know that the next logical step in getting pizza to your mouth with minimal effort is here... if you reside in the UK, that is. Reportedly, Dominos is now allowing customers surrounding its 470 UK-based locations to place their orders via SMS, and this move comes after "successful trials" that began in July. To utilize the service, you must first enter in your details online, but after that initial registration, pizza is simply a text away. Impulse eaters, rejoice.

[Via TechDigest]

It's no big secret that some clever inmates find a way to get a mobile phone whilst imprisoned, but rather than phoning for a getaway van, drugs, or a spare battery, the individuals at Hewell Grange apparently enjoy the finer things in life. According to a report from an ex-inmate, he witnessed a number of citizens placing "massive" orders for food, and thanks to equally cunning takeaway drivers, the prison claims to have "no record" of any disallowed exchanges taking place. Granted, the prison is one that affords certain freedoms to the well behaved inmates just before they are released back into the community, but to be frank, it sounds like some of the residents may be better off just hanging around.

[Via Textually]

Mom might have had your middle school lunches well under control, but thanks to a new development by the student union of Dresden Technical University and Haase & Martin GbR, you can enjoy the upper hand in college. Fed up with not having the skinny on cafeteria offerings, the "Studentenwerk Dresden" has implemented a prototype system on campus that beams a fortnight's worth of upcoming food choices to your Bluetooth-enabled mobile. A hotspot system dubbed BlueBot disseminates the Mensa Mobil (that's "mobile menu," folks) software to any Bluetooth-enabled cellphone within "40 meters" of its tower. Should you choose to install it, you're granted updated access to the foods, pricing, and specific ingredients offered throughout the day at 15 different eateries around town. While the program is currently free, it's apparently becoming quite a hit around campus, and both developers are planning to expand the restaurant choices as well as add additional BlueBot download points should the locals get hungry for more.

[Via Textually]

Dieting just got a little easier (or a little harder to cheat at, depending on how you look at it) for Sprint customers with cameraphones, thanks to the company's exclusive rollout of that MyFoodPhone service we first spotted nearly a year ago. Although the cost is much lower this time around -- only $10 per month compared to the pricey $150/month it once was -- the service works essentially the same as before, by providing customers with video feedback based on photos they snap and upload of each and every meal or snack they consume. Besides the bi-weekly vids from nutritional advisers, subscribers also have access to an online food journal, where they can log the all-important dieter's stats of weight lost, exercise performed, and calories burned. Sprint is positioning MyFoodPhone as only one part of an overall health and fitness regimen where your Vision-enabled phone can be of assistance, joining other services such as BIMActive exercise tracking, skynetMD medical info, and Hitech Trainer guided workouts.

[Via picturephoning]