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Issue 124

April 2008

The Brand Called Obama

  • Barack Obama

    Win or lose, Barack Obama's rise changes business as usual for everyone. Here's why.

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Features

  • Svartsengi Power Plant Hotbed

    A trip to the steaming, bubbling badlands of Iceland proves one thing: There is hope for hydrogen.

  • Project Rehab

    As an academic renegade, Tim Gunn pushed Parsons the New School for Design to adopt a businesslike curriculum. Now the star of Project Runway is trying to revive Liz Claiborne as its chief creative officer. Can he "make it work" or is it "auf Wiedersehen" for a once-great American fashion house?

  • Dead Man Walking Dead Man Walking

    On the verge of a revival last year, AOL suddenly imploded. The inside story of a journey to nowhere.

  • You've Got Problems!
  • AOL's Greatest Hits
  • AOL's Greatest Hope
  • Slope Test Lab Burn This

    Insurance giant FM Global doesn't have a single actuary, but when it comes to setting roofs on fire and blowing things up, it has plenty of experts.

Now

  • Lounge Chairs Now: April 2008

    What's happening this month, from the world's biggest lighting show to, inevitably, Tax Day.

  • MEET: World Retail Congress

    Barcelona is the place for executives to talk shop -- from green packaging to worldwide economic worries -- April 9-11. We asked five attendees to tell us what's on their agendas, besides tapas.

  • Journal-ist: Freedom of Choice

    From the journals, studies on why we shop online, how clicks-and-mortar stores can build trust, and how negative reviews can be overcome.

Next

  • Napkin Sketch The Napkin Sketch

    How Wal-Mart, Microsoft, and others are using the power of images to digest complex ideas.

  • The Hot Zone

    A Google-backed startup called Meraki thinks it can succeed where others have failed, building citywide Wi-Fi networks. First up: San Francisco.

  • Whither Municipal Wi-Fi?
  • Ode To A Burrito

    The ingredients that make Chipotle the hottest fast-food chain on the planet.

  • Measuring Footprints

    A new program at Patagonia tells consumers about the eco-impact of its products -- and helps the company get greener.

  • Second Life

    Disgraced stock analyst turned financial writer Henry Blodget talks about index funds, socially responsible investing, and his reputation.

  • MLB's Digital Dominance

    As the world scrambles to master online video, crusty old baseball already has it figured out.

  • Show Me The Video!
  • The Red Sox Secret Lineup

    How a marketing offshoot in Boston is playing the pro-sports business differently.

  • Take Me Out to the Ballpark

    The Washington Nationals' colors may be red, white, and blue, but its new LEED-certified stadium, the first in Major League Baseball, is green. A look at a park that's friendlier to both the earth and team earnings.

Columns

Fast Talk

From the Editor

  • Letter from the Editor

    Taking risks is at the core of every successful business: To create and innovate -- and outdo the competition -- you need to delve into new, often uncomfortable situations. Yet at a time of economic uncertainty such as today, risk taking can seem particularly difficult. What better moment for a three-part examination of the topic?