Looking for a new way to increase employee satisfaction and loyalty? It may not be as hard as you think. A new survey by Kenexa Research Institute, a recruitment and retention consulting firm, discovered that telecommuters report the highest level of job satisfaction. According to the survey, which took place in June, about 73 percent of remote and home-based workers said they're satisfied with the company they work for, as opposed to 64 percent of office workers. Jack Wiley, executive director of the Kenexa Research Institute, said allowing employees to work remotely is a matter of respect. "I respect you and I have confidence in your commitment to the work, to do this under the conditions and at the time you feel will be most productive for you," said Wiley.

But telecommuting isn't catching on at all workplaces. Some businesses worry about how to administer a work-at-home policy in a fair way for all employees. And some employers still have what Wiley called a "command-and-control mentality," meaning if they can't actually watch employees, they don't know how productive they're being.

Hate it or love it--the rash of automated restaurants popping up all over Europe and Asia in recent years has not gone unnoticed by American fast food moguls looking to streamline costs between order in and order out. While some automated restaurants are looking toward the future with gravity-operated food delivery rails and Technicolor décor, McDonald's is testing the waters for its own automation age by satisfying burger cravings one cell phone user at a time.

To reduce long lines and customer ire, McDonald's and SK Telecom have introduced an automated Touch Order system in one bustling Seoul, South Korea location. Customers are greeted with RFID readers at each table and menus with embedded RFID chips. Plug the reader into your phone and get set for the ultimate foodie fantasy. Point your phone at the items you want and wait for a text message confirming your order is ready for pick up, while the bill is charged through your phone. McDonald's remains guarded about the early-stage technology, but may expand to other locations if the system proves popular.--Joanne Yao

Visitors to the Wired NextFest at the Los Angeles Convention Center September 13-16 saw the future of transportation in jet packs and hover crafts, the future of entertainment in interactive video games and robots, and the future of green in architecture and pond scum.

But what does it all say about the future of entrepreneurs? The 161 exhibitors, some entrepreneurs themselves, provided a glimpse at the possibilities of technology in small business. Sim Ops Studios from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, came with their Code3D Virtual Training Technologies, interactive software for high-risk occupations where live drills are typically expensive and dangerous. Hitachi, which was the presenting sponsor of the event, exhibited its advanced biometric technology, Finger Vein ID, taking security in the workplace to the next level. Although some mobile entrepreneurs might be familiar with solar-powered gadgets or chargers, Japan's Kyosemi offered a twist on photovoltaic technology: Sphelar is a flexible solar cell that absorbs sunlight from any angle. And computer tech saw big innovations, from Sicortex's supercomputer--648 processor cores and 8 terabytes of memory using less than 1.6 kW of power--to OQO's mini-PC, a full-powered Windows XP/Vista computer with complete access to e-mail, Microsoft Office and other business applications, weighing just 1 pound.

While some of the technologies introduced are not yet available, the event gave entrepreneurs a small taste of the endless possibilities to come in business technology. Find out more about these companies and others at WiredNextFest.com.--Lindsay Holloway