Cover Story

The New American Idol
Politics as usual? Hasta la vista, baby. The radical center has flexed its muscle in California, short-circuiting the parties and going direct to the people. Now it could sweep the nation.
By Jill Stewart

Features

Weapons of Mass Mobilization
A quiet couple in Berkeley got sick of being ignored by the system. So they built a new one. How MoveOn changed the face of fundraising, brought P2P to political advertising, and reinvented grassroots activism.
By Gary Wolf

The Dean Machine Marches On
The Doctor is out, but his tactics are driving campaigns from Florida to Alaska.
By Samantha M. Shapiro

Kingpin
Rob Glaser and his geek pals from Microsoft wanted to pull pro bowling out of the gutter. So they bought the whole damn league.
By Tom McNichol

Scientific Method Man
Gordon Rugg cracked the 400-year-old mystery of the Voynich manuscript. Next up: everything from Alzheimer's to the origins of the universe. [ Coming September 1 ]
By Joseph D'Agnese

The Giants of Anime are Coming
The three titans of Japanese animation are all about to unleash monster new films. Watch your back, Shrek.
By Charles C. Mann

The War Room
Inside the fully immersive proving ground where tomorrow's soldiers are being trained by coalition forces of the Pentagon, Hollywood, and Silicon Valley.
By Steve Silberman

Mr. Craigslist, Master of the Nerdiverse
Craig Newmark could become a dot-org millionaire. He'd rather help you find a cheap sublet, a cool job, and maybe even a date.
By Josh McHugh

Let a Thousand Reactors Bloom
Explosive growth has made the People's Republic of China the most power-hungry nation on earth. Get ready for the mass-produced, meltdown-proof future of nuclear energy. [ Coming September 2 ]
By Spencer Reiss