Anne C. Lee

Boulder: Smart Energy [Fast Cities 2010]

Cisco, Microsoft, IBM, Google — it seems everyone is in the smart-grid fray, trying to transform our electromechanical power grid into a digital network that saves energy, taps alternative sources, lowers costs, and boosts reliability. But Boulder is the first U.S. city to pilot a large-scale smart-grid system, allowing residents to monitor use and control appliances remotely. Xcel Energy has installed 21,000 meters since the $100 million program started in 2008. Early adopters cut energy use by as much as 45%.

Austin: Car Sharing [Fast Cities 2010]

Encouraging people to use public transportation by giving them free access to cars may seem counterintuitive, but Austin is doing just that. Last fall, the city partnered with Daimler to launch Car2go, the nation’s largest car-sharing initiative. The program lets city workers tap a free network of 200 smart cars and designated parking spaces for work errands — and pay by the minute to check a car out for personal use. In the first four months, demand was triple original estimates, and more than 1,000 employees climbed into the (shared) driver’s seat.

Luxury Goes Digital: Fashion House Richemont Embraces E-Commerce

Eco-Friendly Fashions Let You Wear and Care

Luxury Goes Digital: Fashion House Richemont Embraces E-Commerce

Eco-Friendly Fashions Let You Wear and Care

Sustainable fashion has come a long way from the hemp sack. We check out what’s on offer from eco-minded, worker-friendly designers and outfitters.

Most Innovative Companies – China

From Alibaba to Baidu, our picks for the top companies in China.

10th Anniversary of the Nasdaq Peaking at 5,048.62

As we try to put the remains of one burst bubble behind us, it can be easy to forget the beginning of the end of another just 10 years ago. Here’s a look at how things have changed — or not — in the decade since tech stocks rose to all-time highs.

The Stock Market in Your Pocket

An inexpensive new app puts rich financial data on your smart-phone. Who wants it?

Eat-onomics With Melanie Cheng, Founder of FarmsReach

Most Innovative Companies – Design

Most Innovative Companies – Design

From Ideo to Rockwell Group, our picks for the top companies in design.

Six Cutting-Edge Totes We’d Be Proud to Carry to Work

Don’t shoot the messenger! That look may be a tad passé, but here are six new bags we’d be proud to carry to work.

Junkitecture

Junkitecture

Freeze: The Antarctic Treaty Turns 50

On the first of December 1959, 12 nations signed a pact freezing territorial claims and banning military activity in Antarctica. It isn’t human-free (29 nations have research stations there, and 11 people have been born on the continent), but it remains remarkably untouched. Here’s a tour.

Vitamin Water and 50 Cent Launch iPhone App

Four months after Soulja Boy got his iPhone app–which let users remix his songs–50 Cent gets his, dubbed “50’s Sound Lab.”

Ad Industry Fights Back at Bill That Expands FTC’s Power

Ad Industry Fights Back at Bill That Expands FTC’s Power