Public officials seem to spend lots of time -- and public money -- jetting here and there, attending this conference or that, networking with one another. What good does it do? Quite a bit, says Mayor Ted Ellis of Bluffton, Indiana. A ...READ»
Innovative production techniques for electronics -- and the microelectronics inside those electronics -- are the focus of this 40,000-person trade show, the largest global gathering of its kind. We hope that some exhibitors will be ...READ»
When pro-democracy protesters smashed through the Berlin Wall 20 years ago, they shattered Communism's grip on Central and Eastern Europe. But not all the region's residents will be celebrating this anniversary. According to a recent ...READ»
The APHA's choice of water as its theme this year -- the "21st-century challenge," the group says -- may make you think of drought in India or desertification in Africa. But it wants you to think about you: A clean water supply is ...READ»
Aliens are good for American innovation. No, we're not talking about low-wage migrants, but the little green men who keep crashing into the desert. A few brave UFO spotters at this conspiracy congress will explain how the military has ...READ»
Is it ironic or just delightfully apropos that, for four days, the tony Caribe Hilton Hotel will swarm with academics, labor leaders, and HR types studying the vein-popping levels of angst currently afflicting employees? (Some 67% of ...READ»
Cars and airplanes may get tarred with a reputation as energy hogs, but the biggest culprits are buildings. Keeping our offices and homes lit, heated, and cooled accounts for a staggering 72% of electricity consumption and 38% of all ...READ»
The U.S. expects its largest-ever soybean crop this year: 3.2 billion bushels, enough to make 77 pounds of tofu for each person on the planet. Still, that might not be adequate, given rising demand for meat -- and thus animal feed -- ...READ»
"If we solve search," Google cofounder Larry Page told a class at Stanford in 2002, "that means you can answer any question. Which means you can do basically anything." Googled tells the story of the search rocket's relentless ...READ»
On the 291st birthday of John Montagu, fourth Earl of Sandwich, we honor the classic combo named after the British aristocrat who, according to legend, ordered a piece of meat tucked between two pieces of bread. Others soon requested ...READ»
Incoming! Every year, the gypsy moth, zebra mussel, and other invaders do more than $130 billion in damage to U.S. agriculture, forests, rangelands, and fisheries. Worldwide, that figure soars past $1 trillion. "Part of the problem," ...READ»
"For 18 months, unemployment has been spreading poverty and acute suffering through industrial and agricultural areas alike. Timidity and disingenuousness have marked the course of the administration at a time when heroic courage and ...READ»
The United States accounts for just 4% of the world's population, but it produces 25% of greenhouse-gas emissions. Not smart. Deforestation (see World Forestry Congress, October 18) isn't one of our big problems, but energy use is. ...READ»
The hiring rate today is at just 3% -- meaning only 3% of jobs in any given month are new, the lowest since the government started tracking this stat in 2000 -- and unemployment is at quarter-century highs. But the HR people of ...READ»
If there's one upside to the soaring cost of health care in the U.S., it's that Americans are improving their knowledge of world geography. In 2007, 750,000 U.S. patients traveled abroad for cut-price care; by 2015, Deloitte ...READ»
Microsoft's Windows 7 OS is to Vista as: a) a lightly bruised peach is to a rotten one. b) a fresh coat of paint is to a clunker. c) a nonevent is to an epic fail. d) all of the above. -- DL
thu, october 22
Upgrade
Windows 7 ...READ»
Stemming from a May 2008 Fast Company cover story, contributor Adam Penenberg’s book Viral Loop explores the phenomenon catalyzing the explosive, feedback-driven growth characteristic of today’s social media environment. Join Adam ...READ»
Seems impossible, but it's true: Until April, the U.S. Army did not have mobile-Internet capability. This is particularly ludicrous since the Department of Defense's budget for military communications this year is $23.7 billion. (For ...READ»
Every year, the loggers and farmers of the world chop and burn an area of forest the size of New York State. That's bad news for the creatures who live in those woods, but it's also grim for the rest of us: Deforestation accounts for ...READ»
Forget the beloved storyline (a kid wakes up in monsterland); the all-star director (Spike Jonze); a famous author as screenwriter (Dave Eggers cowrote with Jonze); stunning visuals (Imax); and the kiddie-lit legend who penned the ...READ»
Whatever you do, don't confuse the BlogWorld & New Media Expo with that other techie meeting in Austin. "South by Southwest is spring break for geeks," sniffs event chief Rick Calvert. "We're more focused on educating online ...READ»
At a surgery conference, doctors were polled on two treatment options for a hypothetical patient. The vast majority voted for a newer procedure that is more complicated but yields higher payment. But when the surgeons were asked, ...READ»
This book could be nick-named "The Hangover." Journalist and social critic Barbara Ehrenreich saw America binge on the power of positive thinking, and now tries to piece together what the hell happened. In the process, she dissects ...READ»
Motel 6 says it'll leave the light on for you, but these nights, some hotels can't afford to. In the first half of 2009, average revenue per available room in the U.S. fell nearly 19% from 2008, according to Smith Travel ...READ»
Since the holiday falls on a Sunday this year, just show him some love -- it's a bear market for teddy bears. Plush-toy revenues are down 17% this year, according to market-research firm NPD Group. Build-A-Bear posted a $6.8 million ...READ»
