January
Up one levelOur New Friend: The English Language
Facebook's constant chatter is building a generation of surprisingly thoughtful writers.
Pharma in Europe: Going from Heartburn to Heart Attack?
Europe’s pharmaceutical research and development is vanishing. The United States, which takes its “healthy” pharmaceutical R&D for granted, should take note.
Endless Summer in Kazakhstan
The central Asian oil state is using its cascade of wealth to build a seaside resort—in the middle of its sprawling grassland.
Code War
India and China are fighting each other for a bigger slice of the $300 billion software market.
An Economic Policy Quagmire—And How It Can Be Avoided
Increasing the minimum wage would be bad policy and bad politics. Why is the White House ready to acquiesce?
AT&T-BellSouth Merger: Regulation Through the Backdoor
By imposing net neutrality conditions on a new merger, the FCC circumvented the policy process.
Rebuilding Brand America
Finding it hard to believe that a man in a cave has been able to out-communicate the country that invented Hollywood and Madison Avenue, many think tanks have recommended that the government tap the expertise of U.S. businesses to explain itself abroad. This week they’ll get their wish when the State Department co-sponsors a “Private Sector Summit” with representatives of corporate America and their communications consultants. With luck, the focus will not be on marketing, sales, or publicity.
Back to the Future in Venezuela
Hugo Chavez's decision to nationalize the telecommunications and electrical industries points Venezuela down a backward path.
Cyberinfrastructure
We are entering a second revolution in information technology, one that may well usher in a new technological age that dwarfs, in sheer transformational scope and power, anything we have yet experienced.
Not Your Father’s Vietnam
Believe it or not, the land of Ho Chi Minh and the Hanoi Hilton has become one of the most pro-American countries in Southeast Asia, if not the world. Today, it is the newest member of the World Trade Organization. How did that happen?
Forsaking the Casual Fan
Major League Baseball and the National Football League are suffocating the cultures of their sports. Short-term revenue maximization could drive large parts of their audiences away.
When Christian Socialists Attack
Michael Gerson helped create “compassionate” conservatism. Now he’s attacking the small-government ideal—and inadvertently highlighting America’s need to learn from Europe.
The Curse of the Better Mousetrap
According to the conventional wisdom, the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray formats are like VHS and Betamax—two competing standards squaring off in a winner-take-all market. But in today’s marketplace, other options might moot the format war.
Energy Conservation Comes of Age on the Battlefield
Fuel-efficient technologies could save lives by lightening the loads military supply lines have to carry.
Going Further: The Attention Economy
Many writers have weighed in on the ways attention shapes our world. Some are better than others—here’s an overview.