Perk Up, USA: You've Still Got Your Innovation Mojo

According to a new survey on global innovation conducted by Newsweek and Intel, the United States is suffering from a serious self-esteem problem. The online questionnaire, conducted between Sept. 28 and Oct. 13 of this year, polled ...READ»

If the Delivery Guy Drops Your Package, Senseaware Updates You Online

FedEx unveils Senseaware, a drop-in sensor for packages that monitors everything from nasty falls to light exposure.READ»

Statkraft Opens World's First Osmotic Power Plant in Norway

Amidst news of massive solar and wind power plants comes word of a small but significant achievement--the world's first osmotic power plant. Statkraft's $7 million plant, located in Tofte, Norway, only produces enough energy to run ...READ»

Rise and Sprawl: How Los Angeles Came to Be

Taschen's new photography book Los Angeles: Portrait of a City is quite simply the most comprehensive visual survey of the city ever published. Editor Jim Heimann begins with the first known photo taken in Los Angeles, and weaves a 500-page narrative of celebrity and politics, real estate and riots, pop culture and palm trees.READ»

Volvo Opens Its CO2 Pedometer to Consumers

A personal CO2 calculator called Commute Greener! hit the app store day. Volvo Group, which developed the online site and smartphone app (downloadable for $3.99) had initially tested a prototype internally and showed that employees ...READ»

Latest Hunch Report Says That Mac Users Are More Individualistic Than PC People

Decision-making site Hunch shocked no one with a recent data-backed report that shows liberals are more likely to be hippie vegetarians than fried-food loving conservatives. Now the site is back with another ...READ»

Celebrity Tools: Micro Video Captures the Tweets and Tribulations of B- and C-Listers

Micro-video site Vidly (formerly TwitVid.io) has launched its new video commenting feature Vidly Express with the help of a rapper Chamillionaire. As you can see on his Web site, the feature allows users to record a video reply ...READ»

Put Your Keyboard Down, and Back Away From the Rapid Prototyping Machine

Joshua DeMonte's jewelry mimics classical architecture. Pretty? Um, you decide.READ»

Today's Vision of Tomorrow: Jeff Bezos and Virgin Galactic Flying You to Space

Forget NASA's giant rockets, forget even the Russian Space Agency's vintage but reliable Soyuz vehicles: The future of space travel for you and me (assuming we're filthy rich) is in private hands. Jeff Bezos' and Richard Branson's, ...READ»

KiBiSi: A New Danish Product-Design Supergroup

Three of Denmark's best-known designers join forces, to tackle headphones and chairs (among other other things).READ»

The Case Against Lowercase: Design Experts on Re-branded Aol. [VIDEO]

We've compiled the reactions from the blogosphere to AOL's new logo. And it ain't pretty.READ»

Letter from the Editor: Attitude Is Everything

My father-in-law uses an expression, "Attitude is everything." It's his nonconfrontational way of saying, "Stop complaining." This expression has been on my mind lately when I talk to media and advertising executives about the ...READ»

Are Investors Hedging, Or Is Your Baby Ugly?

Every time we show an investor our concept and our prototype, they absolutely love it. How can we get the investors to get over their fear and pull the trigger?READ»

• Ask Dan

Best of TreeHugger: Landmine-Detecting Bacteria, a U.S.-China Electric Car Deal, and Solar Cells that Work Underground

This week in TreeHugger: Scientists have engineered a bacteria to glow green when near landmines. Also, the US-China electric vehicle initiative, and a new, cheap solar cell prototype that's super efficient--and works underground. READ»

Solar-Powered Plane Prepping for Round-World Trip

Someday soon Bertrand Piccard is going to throw the switches on his Solar Impulse Foundation aircraft, tug back on the stick and pull it into the air. Then he'll fly it right around the world. The impressive technology demonstrator's ...READ»

Infographic of the Day: Black Friday Might Be Pretty Good (Fingers Crossed!)

Mint.com's data shows that American consumers are finally waking up from economic hibernation, just in time for the biggest shopping day of the year.READ»

Google and TiVo Make a Deal: Your Commercials Are Going to Get a Lot More Personal

TiVo, everyone's favorite DVR maker, has just signed an agreement with Google to hand over tons of data on its users habits for analysis. The upshot: Advertisements are going to be even more targeted and personal. It's how Internet TV ...READ»

Plumen Twists Your Ideas of a Low-Impact Light Bulb

How many designers does it take to change the lightbulb? A bright new concept for CFLs.READ»

• Designers Accord Case Studies

Airlines Charge Less for More Suffering

Something to keep in mind as you head home on the busiest travel day of the year: The more hellish the flight, the more it may actually be worth paying for. That's because airlines with fewer flights and packed cabins are actually ...READ»