Was a Nuclear Renaissance Possible Before the Japan Disaster?

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It's highly unlikely that you're going to see any new nuclear power plants built any time in the future, given the now worsening situation at Fukushima. But knee-jerk reactions to the accident are not what's really to blame for the inevitable decline in nuclear production

Pixar’s Motto: Going From Suck to Nonsuck

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In a world that is obsessed with preventing errors and perfection, perhaps it's ironic that despite 11 straight blockbuster movies, Pixar cofounder and President Ed Catmull describes Pixar's creative process as "going from suck to nonsuck." That's because Catmull and Pixar's directors think it's better to fix problems than to prevent errors. "My strategy has always been: be wrong as fast as we can," says Andrew Stanton, Director of Finding Nemo and WALL-E, "Which basically means, we're gonna screw up, let's just admit that. Let's not be afraid of that." We can all work this way more often

All-girl robotics team inspired by heavy metal

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They missed the heavy metal explosion of the 1980s, but this all-girl robotics team from Bronx High School of Science take their name from 80s rockers Iron Maiden. They show off their mechanical talents at a robotics competition in New York

A Teen Eye for Design

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Photographs by Malcolm Brown Imagine what creativity might erupt, says Linda Tischler, if design were taught in middle school. YEARS AGO, we had a running joke at Fast Company: What if we tallied up all the game-changing ideas CEOs claimed had come from their 13-year-old kids

The New York Times Playing Whac-a-Loophole Over Paywall? Let Us Count the Ways

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Following its paywall (payfence?) announcement, Gray Lady readers across the web have discovered a number of loopholes. Now the Times has moved in to close them.

Polaroid and Apple: Innovation Through Mental Invention

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In an excerpt from his new book Ten Steps Ahead, author Erik Calonius tells us about Edwin Land, inventor of the Polaroid Camera, unsung hero of consumer products, and personal hero of Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs admits to few idols

Profit From Your "Groupon Remorse" With DealsGoRound App

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Buy others' unused, unwanted Groupons with a new iPhone app.

A Patent Dispute Reaches the Supreme Court

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Earlier this week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Leland Stanford Junior Universotu v. Roche, a case that will clarify a 1980 law that governs the ownership of patents held by universities that rely on federal research funds. The case refers back to 1988, when Mark Holodniy, then a Stanford-employed researcher, developed technology that would ultimately lead to one of the first AIDS tests