Wes Skiles is one of the leading practitioners of what may be the world's most hazardous sport: underwater cave diving. There is no injury rate for mistakes made in an underwater cave -- only a mortality rate. So why does Skiles keep diving? Bill Breen
The scene is a familiar one: a sweat-drenched captain draped over a periscope scans the sea above. The scene is also obsolete: new design principles, new construction practices, and new technology make submarines faster, smarter, and better. Jill Rosenfeld
Mike Dolan is leading a long-shot crusade against the new economy's most widely shared belief: that global economic integration -- of countries, companies, currencies, and markets -- is both virtuous and inevitable. Sara Terry
Nike. Starbucks. Apple. The Brand Called You. Author-activist Naomi Klein knows all of the arguments in favor of high-powered brands. She just doesn't buy them. Curtis Sittenfeld
The early Internet economy involved startups that vowed to render corporate "dinosaurs" obsolete. Today, the most ambitious online players are those dinosaurs. The future belongs to partnerships. Wells Fargo is inventing the future with young dotcoms. George Anders
The mapping of the human genome, says Craig Venter, will change science, research, medicine, politics, health insurance, and the way biology looks at the last 3 billion years of evolution. And that's just the beginning. John Ellis
Cognitive psychologist Gary Klein has studied people who make do-or-die decisions. His advice? Forget analysis paralysis. Trust your instincts. Bill Breen
Labor organizer Jane McAlevey is forcing companies in Connecticut's ultraprosperous Fairfield County to confront a moral challenge that they would prefer to ignore -- and, in the process, she is forcing all of us to confront our personal sense of justice. Greg Donaldson
David Brooks has seen the new American establishment -- and it is us! But has he discovered the power of latte-drinking, laptop-toting "bourgeois bohemians" just as the sun is setting on their glorious reign? Daniel H. Pink
Whether you're sizing up an investment or a new hire, it's not enough to study the financials and the references. As due-diligence expert Barry Rhein will tell you, you've got to read between the lines. Cheryl Dahle
Coming up with the right name for a company or a product shouldn't be treated as a science -- but it's not monkey business either. So argue the guys at A Hundred Monkeys, in Sausalito, California. Cheryl Dahle
On his Tall Pony Ranch outside Kansas City, Missouri, headhunter guru Peter Leffkowitz teaches sales and hiring managers how to lasso the best people in a tight market. Are you ready to get your hands dirty? Todd Balf
Forget everything you thought you knew about recruiting. These days, if you can't "peel back" a URL or "flip and X-Ray" a Web site, you'll never be able to find the best people. Anna Muoio
Doug Blevins has taught some of the best kickers in the NFL how to achieve and maintain peak performance -- even though he's never kicked a football (or even walked). Sometimes those who can't really do teach. Todd Shapera
Cynthia Typaldos, president and CEO of RealCommunities, has built a site for aspiring community builders. Does your community meet her standards? Katharine Mieszkowski
Every three months, 60 executives responsible for moving their companies into the Internet economy gather to discuss challenges and frustrations. This group offers a remarkable window into what it takes to transform a big company into a Net company. Paul C. Judge
The Internet is supposed to be all about community. But visiting sites has been a solitary pursuit -- until now. New browser tools allow "tour leaders" to take groups to interesting sites and let users create "trails" to track their journey. Gina Imperato
The market for Internet stocks has crashed, but that doesn't mean that your career has to crash with it. Here's a set of lessons on how good people in dotcom companies gone bad can reboot their careers. George Anders
A team of 25 evangelists, strategists, and technologists helps British Telecom's biggest customers -- as well as BT itself -- get ready for the digital future. Fast. Ian Wylie
Tom Luedtke, who is based in Washington, DC, oversees procurement for NASA's 10 locations around the country. In an interview with Fast Company, he described his Web trajectory. Gina Imperato
The Internet economy is built on speed. So why does the Internet still feel so slow? David P. Reed, former chief scientist at Lotus Development Corp. and a self-styled "digitalist," is advancing a provocative answer to that pressing question. Paul C. Judge
Share on StumbleUpon
Share on LinkedIn