Blogs

The 75th Birthday of Nylon

Fast Company Calendar — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:11:27 -0500

On February 28, 1935, DuPont chemist Wallace Carothers created nylon, one of the most versatile and profitable materials ever invented. At first, the new polymer was plagued by bad press (the Washington News reported erroneously that nylon was made from dead bodies). But when DuPont's nylon stockings hit stores in 1940, they were an instant success, with sales totaling $9 million (about $135 mil-lion in 2009 dollars) in their first year. During World War II, DuPont switched production from hosiery to parachutes.

Sewing and Stitchery Expo

Fast Company Calendar — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:10:47 -0500

You might not know it from surfing this Puyallup, Washington, expo's Web site, which proudly touts such cutting-edge features as a blog and an e-newsletter, but the sewing industry is rapidly turning tech savvy. Last year, Brother released the Quattro 6000D -- the iPhone 3GS of sewing machines -- which touts a Sharp HD display, embedded runway lighting, built-in digital tutorials, three USB ports, and an "InnovEye" camera that gives sewing fiends a close-up view of the needle.

Mom 2.0 Summit

Fast Company Calendar — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:11:37 -0500

Mommy bloggers are traditionally seen as the Web's most honest citizens. But their collective rep has been tarnished by a few of them who have gotten -- and not disclosed -- payments and freebies from companies seeking favorable reviews. That's a problem -- 43% of women regularly visit blogs for honest recommendations, not ads. So the Federal Trade Commission ruled that all bloggers must be transparent about payments. That decision will be much discussed at this Houston gathering of marketers and mom bloggers. "Most women agree with it 100%.

DICE Summit 2010

Fast Company Calendar — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:11:21 -0500

"In the early days, a game lived and died on two minutes of entertainment," says Joseph Olin, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, which puts on the annual DICE (Design Innovate Communicate Entertain) Summit in Las Vegas for video-game developers. Then games evolved from shooting asteroids to long, immersive experiences like Final Fantasy. But now that every device with a screen is a casual gaming platform, the pick-up-and-play market has reopened for developers.

Outsourcing World Summit

Fast Company Calendar — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:11:19 -0500

Outsourcing means jobs go overseas, right? Not always. At this Orlando summit, Monty Hamilton, CEO of Atlanta-based Rural Sourcing, will explain how U.S. firms can save by moving work to the South. Rural Sourcing has centers in Arkansas and North Carolina handling IT for firms such as GlaxoSmithKline and Reynolds. It charges $50 an hour for programming work -- only $15 more than a typical outfit in India. "There are no language barriers," Hamilton says, "and we're not 11 time zones away, so we can collaborate with a client in normal business hours." -- TB

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Carnaval

Fast Company Calendar — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:11:18 -0500

There may be some concern about whether Rio de Janeiro can get it together to host the 2016 Olympics, but at least we know it can throw a fine party. Carnaval is the world's biggest pre-Lenten bash -- four days of debauchery, 700,000-plus tourists, and more than $500 million in spending. While the clothing may be skimpy, the preparations certainly aren't: Top samba schools typically shell out $1.4 million each for props and costumes. Which is just great for the feathered-bikini industry. -- LC

sat, february 13
JUST DANCE
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Eat-onomics with Mike Yohay, CEO of Cityscape Farms

Stephanie Schomer — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:13:39 -0500

San Francisco startup Cityscape Farms turns vacant urban lots and rooftops into hydroponic greenhouses, producing fresh food for local buyers that tastes better, and is better for them. Mike Yohay, Cityscape Farms CEO, hopes the system, which produces better-tasting produce and helps make cities cleaner, will spread the word about the value of sustainable food.

Fast Company: What’s your definition of sustainable food?
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Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Fast Company Calendar — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:11:13 -0500

After 17 years, Bryant Park hosts its last New York Fashion Week. Come September, all those models will parade down runways at Lincoln Center, that bastion of high culture. If you think this is an attempt by the fashion biz to be seen less as a craft and more as an art, well, you'd be right.
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Eat-onomics with Roger Doiron, Founder of Kitchen Gardeners International

Stephanie Schomer — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:27:26 -0500

Roger Doiron is the founder of Kitchen Gardeners International, a nonprofit that works to relocalize our food supply. Most notably, Doiron and Kitchen Gardeners organized Eat the View, the successful campaign that brought gardening to the lawn of the White House. Now that they’ve made our first family a little healthier, the organization will continue advocating for healthier, more localized foods.
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Closets & Home Organization Conference

Fast Company Calendar — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:11:15 -0500

Closet wars! Companies like California Closets have long fed America's appetite for ever more elaborate storage spaces. Enter cabinet makers. "When the housing market was overheated, the cabinet market was too," says Rich Christianson, director of this Long Beach, California, conference. Now, cabinet companies "are developing national programs for closets" to seek new revenue. He isn't too worried: "It's a very protectionist market." In other words, door's closed. -- ZACHARY WILSON

wed, february 10
DECLUTTER
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FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference

Fast Company Calendar — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:11:13 -0500

NASA reported last fall that the inadequately funded U.S. space-flight program was on an "unsustainable trajectory." Perhaps commercial space travel will pick up the slack. Many regulatory issues remain unresolved -- passenger safety and traffic control are on the agenda at this Arlington, Virginia, meeting -- but Richard Branson and Elon Musk have invested in the sector, and civilians may soon be able to jet away for the weekend: Galactic Suite claims its Earth-orbiting "hotel" is on schedule to open in 2012. Price: $4.4 million for three nights. -- EW
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Eat-onomics With Dave Corsi, VP of Produce at Wegmans

Stephanie Schomer — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0500

Founded in 1916 as a small family grocer, Wegmans has grown into a $4.8 billion company with 75 stores spread across the mid-Atlantic. Wegmans has long worked with local growers to provide fresh, locally grown produce to its shoppers. And in 2007, the company started an organic research farm, experimenting and learning about organic produce, and sharing their findings with their network of farmers.
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Google Unveils Buzz, a Social Media App for Gmail (Facebook Status: Concerned)

Kit Eaton — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:08:45 -0500

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Skyonic Wants to Turn Factory Spew Into Baking Soda

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:47:46 -0500

Once carbon dioxide emissions are removed from power and industrial plants, where should they go? Some people think they should be stuffed underground, others think they can turn them into plastic, and now a startup called Skyonic wants to turn the greenhouse gases into baking soda. CO2-based deodorant, here we come.
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The Ford Transit Connect: NYC Taxi Cab of the Future?

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:19:52 -0500

The auto industry is fixated on Toyota's recall woes, but Ford snuck in this week with some interesting news of its own: the release of the compressed natural gas-powered Transit Connect. It might just be the NYC taxi cab of the future.
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