Independence Day

Happy birthday, America! A 233-year-old needs a lot of candles, and for the fireworks industry, July 4 is Christmas. Over the past decade, the sector has almost tripled to nearly $1 billion in yearly revenue. But not everyone wants ...READ»

100 Most Creative People in Business

There are no rules about creativity. Which made constructing our list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business a tricky task. We looked for dazzling new thinkers, rising stars, and boldface names who couldn't be ignored. We avoided people we've profiled in the recent past. We emphasized those whose creativity addresses a larger issue -- from the future of our energy infrastructure to the evolution of philanthropy to next-generation media. So read on. Enjoy. Quibble. Complain.READ»

Witness the Real-life (Beta) Version of Star Trek's Universal Translator

Sakhr Mobile develops an iPhone app for troops and diplomats that translates Arabic speech into English, and visa versa--and there's video of it, in action.READ»

Palm Pre vs iPhone 3.0: A Feature-by-Feature Comparison

The Palm Pre is going to be a hot item when it launches this summer--possibly hot enough to tackle the iPhone. One reason it's gaining so much traction is that the Pre's features weren't designed to compete against the current ...READ»

The 10 Commandments of Social Media

As an author of The Social Media Bible, I am often asked, "What do I need to do engage my company, my products, and myself in social media?" The answer is easy: participate. Get out there and get involved. If you ...READ»

25 Must-Have iPhone Apps

Filtering 25,000-plus apps into one list? Impossible. Instead, hot apps to suit your style and phone.READ»

• 20 Must-Have Apps -- But Not for the iPhone
• Mobile App Mania

Brad Pitt's Foundation Unveils 14 Home Designs for New Orleans

Pitt's foundation, Make it Right, eventually hopes to build 150 houses in the Ninth Ward--completely remaking the blighted neighborhood.READ»

Tiger Woods on Twitter, Facebook, and the Marketing of Pro Athletes

Tiger Woods isn't hooked on Twitter like Shaq, but he's keenly aware of how important social media is becoming to pro athletes who are creating a personal brand.READ»

The 10 Most Creative People in Architecture

Which architects have the most unusual, influential visions for the field?READ»

Sony's Jack Tretton Talks PlayStation 3 and the 10-Year Console Cycle

Fast Company sat down with the President of Sony Computer Entertainment America recently to discuss his commitment to the PS3's 10-year life-cycle despite the recession, the industry's fixation on hardware price cuts, and the future of downloadable games.READ»

Will "Active Packaging" Undermine Apple's Quest for Sustainability?

Apple has been seriously pushing its environmental credibility recently, claiming that the MacBook is "The world's greenest lineup of notebooks" and bragging about the lack of toxic materials in its products. But the company's ...READ»

Ever Wanted to Snuggle Inside a Bird's Nest? Now's Your Chance

South African designers weave a tree house for adults.READ»

The Insanely Byzantine Radio Spectrum Map [Graphic]

This week, Comcast announced it would begin the first official commercial rollout of 4G wireless broadband in the U.S. in Portland, OR, after using Baltimore and Atlanta as test markets. The company plans to bundle the WiMAX service, ...READ»

In-Hohm Advertising: Microsoft's Banking on Ad Revenue From its PowerMeter Competitor

Hohm may be Microsoft's answer to Google PowerMeter, but unlike PowerMeter, the Microsoft energy management application is a money-making venture. PowerMeter is under the philanthropic Google.org umbrella, while Hohm is part of ...READ»

Run for Your Life: The Pentagon's Robotic Hummingbird Takes Flight

Video of the latest flying contraption by DARPA, the Pentagon's hyper-strange research lab.READ»