RSS

Table of Contents | July/August 2009

Table of Contents | July/August 2009

Features

The Evolution of Amazon
By introducing the Kindle, Jeff Bezos is emulating Steve Jobs -- and taking him on. By Adam L. Penenberg
Big Bangs
How our diverse species of consumer electronics -- books, music, computers, and phones -- have evolved. Will a single device ever unite them all? By Dan Macsai
The Scarlet Woman of Bentonville
Nearly three years after being fired by Wal-Mart, marketer Julie Roehm faces her toughest rebranding campaign ever. By Danielle Sacks
Beyond the Grid
Why small-scale, local power -- the microgrid -- could be the answer to our energy crisis. And why the big utilities are fighting it with all they've got. By Anya Kamenetz
Infographic: The Microgrid Dream House Popup-Icon
Today's green technology can turn your home into a mini-power plant: Use what you can, sell the rest to the grid -- and take power from the grid when you need it.
Gavin Newsom Wants a Job
The controversial mayor of San Francisco wants to upgrade to the governor's mansion. Would you hire this pretty face to run the world's eighth-largest economy? By Ellen McGirt
Hollywood's Creature Teacher
Visual-effects guru Alex Alvarez builds the film industry's hottest new talents, one geek at a time. By Diane Mehta
Why America is Addicted to Olive Garden
Technology, savvy brand management, and a little bit of soul have made $6.7 billion Darden Restaurants the world's biggest casual-dining operation -- and it's still growing, even in tough times. By Chuck Salter
The Darden Menu
By Fast Company Staff

FastTalk: The Networked Body

Biomedicine and wireless technology are converging to create a booming remote-health-monitoring market -- expected to more than double to $7.7 billion a year by 2012 -- to combat obesity, heart disease, and other illnesses.
Fast Talk: Making It Personal
By Kate Rockwood
Fast Talk: Designing a Lifestyle App
By Kate Rockwood
Fast Talk: Empowering the Patients
By Kate Rockwood
Fast Talk: Gaming the System
By Kate Rockwood
Fast Talk: Reinventing the Consumer
By Kate Rockwood
Fast Talk: Building the Plumbing
By Kate Rockwood

Now

Now July/August 2009
By Fast Company Staff
Watch: Harry Potter 6
Accio ticket sales! The Hogwarts crew returns with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on July 15. So far, the films' grosses have been stunningly consistent. Here's how other major franchises compare. By Zachary Wilson
Drill: The U.S. Oil Industry Turns 150
Before 1859, America had no oil business. August 28 marks the 150th anniversary of its first commercial well. Today, the U.S. is the world's third-biggest oil producer and largest consumer. Join us for a tour of this gas-guzzling nation. By Kate Rockwood
Infographic: Drill: The U.S. Oil Industry  Popup-Icon
Numerology: Hawaii Five-O
The last territory to be granted U.S. statehood joined the union on August 21, 1959, but America's paradise certainly isn't last in our hearts. Pop in Elvis's "Blue Hawaii," pour yourself a fruity rum drink, and check out the state of the 50th state. By David Lidsky
Infographic: Numerology: Hawaii Five-O Popup-Icon

Next

Create Your Own Economy
Why one lesson of this economic crisis may be that we have to change how we measure growth, production, and success. By Tyler Cowen
Not a Mickey Mouse Operation
Walgreens, the $59 billion drugstore giant, is building its own universal health-care system, with more than 700 retail and corporate clinics. By Zachary Wilson
Boomtown
Virtual goods, such as avatars and Facebook gifts, are attracting major brands, celebrities, and venture capital. The money is real. By Michael Fitzgerald
"No Such Thing as Sustainability"
Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard may be pessimistic about the earth's future, but he's determined to keep fighting. An exclusive interview. By Tom Foster
It's Alive!
A tour of America's first zero-impact, supergreen "living building." By Anne C. Lee
Selling Soap. Literally
With major advertisers cutting costs, creative shops are increasingly commercializing their own product ideas. By Danielle Sacks
The Futurist: Making Waves
Personalized Airspace
Humanscale's desktop air purifier By Tim McKeough
What Trains Need to Stay on the Rails: Robots
Union Pacific's wheel-defect detection system By Tim McKeough

Columns

Tech Edge: Box Tops
Why Redbox is the biggest movie-rental company you've never heard of. Its secret: the power of in-between technology By Farhad Manjoo
Made To Stick: In Defense of Feelings
Why your gut is more ethical than your brain By Dan Heath & Chip Heath
Here Comes the Bribe
When "rational" prices raise ethical questions By Fast Company Staff
Green Business: Carbon Copy
How Xerox tapped the power of reuse. Plus: Nature's rules for survival By Adam Werbach
Nature's 10 Simple Rules for Survival
By Adam Werbach
Do Something: Good vs. Evil
Overhead is seen as the devil of the not-for-profit world. Here's why that conventional wisdom is wrong. By Nancy Lublin
Not So Fast: Summer Movies We're Afraid to See
It's official: You can make anything into a movie. In this season of Transformers and G.I. Joe, and with Hollywood prepping big-budget versions of Monopoly, Bazooka Joe, and Stretch Armstrong, what's next? By RooftopComedy

More Great Stuff

Letter from the Editor: Endless Energy
By Robert Safian
Feedback
By Fast Company Staff
Update
By Dan Macsai and Kate Rockwood