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Table of Contents | April 2006

Table of Contents | April 2006

Features

Al Jazeera's (Global) Mission
Can an English-language news network with radioactive DNA actually be good for Brand America? U.S. business better hope so.
(Al Jazeera 1.0) A Decade of Discord
Take a look at the history of the Arabic news channel.
Moto's Mojo
Motorola's new Pebl marks the triumph of design at the venerable company. But is it magical enough to become the next touchstone of telecom, or will people just… skip it?
A Tight Family
The Pebl is the latest example of Motorola's new design-driven strategy, which is built around entire families of products with shared aesthetic elements.
At One With Our Cells
A 2005 survey by BBDO of 3,000 cell-phone users, ages 15 to 35, in 15 countries revealed an almost frightening culture of dependency.
Double or Nothing?
The jury's still out on the new Pebl. Its fate hinges on the interplay among design (the Pebl), the balance sheet (paper), and finicky consumers (scissors), who can cut even the savviest strategy to ribbons.
The Mintz Dynasty
Dan Mintz landed in Beijing without a college degree, a job, or a word of Mandarin. Now he heads up the hottest advertising shop in the country. How one man cracked the Chinese market (by really, really trying).
Record Time
The information systems at any McDonald's are more advanced, and more useful, than those in your doctor's office. Cerner is changing that, and changing medicine itself.
"MD" Doesn't Mean "Mostly Digital"
How technologically backward are U.S. doctors? See the statistics.
How She Does It
Abruptly widowed, Sophie Vandebroek stayed with her demanding fast-track career--but on her terms.
Prophet Among Pinstripes
James Montier is a financial heretic. And among London's banking set, he's winning plenty of converts.
The Cable Guys
Nick Grouf and David Waxman are using the Internet to overhaul the TV ad business. Advertisers are ecstatic. Ad shops? Not so much.
A Prescription for Innovation
The Mayo Clinic's new SPARC lab is driving experimentation at the frontier of health care. How? By getting physicians to think more like designers.
The Storm After the Storm
Tulane University President Scott Cowen was at the tail end of a respected career when Katrina hit. The hurricane almost destroyed his institution--and gave him the chance to reinvent it.
Crack This Code
G. Clotaire Rapaille has guided Chrysler, Procter & Gamble, Boeing, and other enraptured clients through the "collective unconscious" of dozens of cultures. Now he's taking on India. Is he a sage--or a charlatan?
Fast Talk: Sounds of the Future
Digital music is a many-splendored thing--and it's more than just that white rectangle. Everyone from major labels to individual artists is experimenting. What's next--and why is Madonna sure to be a part of it?
Oy, Robot!
Are we doomed to some postapocalyptic nightmare in which robots rule the planet? Roboticists Henrik Hautop Lund and Rodney Brooks square off.
Full Text: Oy, Robot!

Next

Data Dump
The number of people paid to produce data keeps going up (we think). So why is it so hard to find numbers that actually mean anything?
Top Scalpel
Too many medical errors happen because of lousy communications. To help fix that, health care is looking to the skies.
What's the 411? Free.
A new service wants to be who you're gonna call.
How to Create a World
Programmers have to deal with a lot of harsh realities when creating a virtual world. Blazing petroleum rivers are the least of it.
Virtual Assistance
Two services that promise to help integrate your cell phone, landline, and email.
Hemlines, Online
What's the new black? Who's the next Mizrahi? And how to keep up with the whim-a-minute fashion world? Here are three blogs to keep you a season ahead.
John Foley: Class Act
This Jesuit priest is changing kids' lives by sending them to Chicago offices.
Next: A Nonprofit IPO?
Inspired by Wall Street bankers, social entrepreneurs tap into a new source of funding.
Eccentric Survey Finding
From a survey of 150 dog owners by Dogster.com, "a leading community site for dogs and their owners," and Simply Hired, the "top dog in job search." Forty-four million U.S. households own dogs, it says.
Outside the Square
Lucy Kellaway, author of the new novel Who Moved My BlackBerry? epistolizes on the dangers of midlevel managers and career coaches.
Datebook
Critical calendar listings for April 2006.
The Anti-Hummer
A new type of city car that owes its design to the shopping cart (and to Frank Gehry).
The Seoul of Infiniti
An intelligent, design-savvy car dealership.
Still No Flying Cars
The latest in a series of visionary tales inspired by the great corporate marketing films of the last century.

Playbook

Target: Dream Job
How to turn the Internet into your own American Idol.
Watercooler
What you'll be talking about this month when you talk about work.
Peter Lerman's Great Expectations
The young musical playwright prepares for his debut--nine years from now!--and the pressure of being the next Stephen Sondheim.
Lofty Living On the Cheap
What's the next thing in hotel rooms? High ceilings.
The Mobile Potato
Never again be at the mercy of airport TV or half-baked cable in your hotel. Which video-charged device is best for you?
Reading List: Apex Hides the Hurt
What's in a name? That's the problem Colson Whitehead plumbs in his powerful new novel, Apex Hides the Hurt.
Other Recommended Reading
Success Through Failure and Made to Break.
The Corporate Shrink
How to communicate confidence, and success, in a new company.
Dark Ages
An age-discrimination lawsuit against the Weather Channel brought by a former reporter reminds us of the importance of outracing Father Time.

More Great Stuff

Editor's Letter
When talk is better than action.
Between the Lines
The stories behind this issue's stories.
Feedback
Letters. Updates. Advice.