2006 Best Companies

Okay; the list is out and #1 is Genetech based in San Francisco; like Yahoo and Google, the upper echelon does not take themselves too seriously; if you have a propensity for high jinks and disdain for business-speak then you will fit in (for more see Fortune, Jan/2005).

Stuck On You

StarChase fires sticky projectiles at other cars from air-powered launchers mounted on police cruisers. The air-balls are wireless and equipped with GPS guidance systems that a dispatcher can track on any computer with Net access. This should curtail stolen vehicles and help in police chases. This innovative concept is the brainchild of Hugh Brydges who owns 15% of StarChase, based in Virginia Beach, Va.