Rising ad star Alex Bogusky of Crispin Porter + Bogusky is the subject of the cover feature in the latest issue of Fast Company. The story focuses on Microsoft's $300 million deal with the agency to, in Fast Company's words, "crush Apple." Bogusky will be fighting an uphill battle on two fronts — one against Microsoft's perpetually clueless marketing drones, and the other against the fact that Apple's products are, you know, better. Microsoft has even had trouble convincing the public largely trapped in the Windows operating system monopoly to buy Vista, and the company's branding is a complete mess. But hey, check out Bogusky's wavy locks, chiseled features, stylish boots and designer jeans!

Fast Company videoblatherer Robert Scoble doesn't mind if you talk trash about him. But is it too much to ask that mainstream media outlets get his name right? Slate, owned by the Washington Post, calls him "Peter Scoble." Agence France Presse renamed him "Andrew." Why is "Robert" so hard to type? I don't know — I managed to screw up Scoble's first name once while blogging for Business 2.0. But it is telling on one point: Scoble may be a household name in the office parks of Silicon Valley, but everywhere else, he's a Joe Everyman whose name isn't even worth getting right. Let's just start calling him "Scooby," as his Fast Company colleagues do.

Schmoobiquitous videoblogger Robert Scoble, now filming interminably long clips about nothing for Fast Company, can take absolutely no credit for the jump in print advertising that landed the magazine on AdWeek's Hot List. But "Scooby," as his new colleagues call him, was at Prana in SoMa anyway, acting like the party the magazine's ad staff threw was for him and him alone. Can you suggest a better caption? Do so in the comments. Yesterday's winner: "You know how to whistle, don't you?" by Peteski. (Photo by Brian Solis, Bub.blicio.us)

How intimate are Robert Scoble and Shel Israel? The pair wrote Naked Conversations together and now they'll both be videoblogging for Fast Company. Also, they appear to have been nude, hairy and within close proximity of each other in at least one instance. Here's hoping it was memorable. And that they'll videoblog clothed.

Robert Scoble is putting advertisements on his blog starting on or after March 3, when his new online-video channel with Fast Company launches. We spoke to Scoble, who's currently attending the Davos Forum in Switzerland.

Fast Company ran an article praising personal finance site Mint in its December issue, and shafted TechCrunch editor Michael Arrington in the process. Nice!

It's official: Robert Scoble will move his videoblog to Fast Company. On his blog, Scoble writes that he thought about taking a "real job" or starting his own company, but decided to keep on with "media production" instead. Media production without writing and editing, that is.

We'd already heard that the October issue of Business 2.0 would be the last one published by Time Inc.; now, the New York Times reports on the Bits blog that it will be the last one, period. Talks with Mansueto Ventures, publisher of Fast Company and Inc., apparently failed; as we predicted, Time Inc. did not want to strengthen a competitor. A few staffers will join Fortune and Fortune Small Business. The rest will fall victim to what Bits colorfully calls "kill teams." This being Time Inc., don't expect black-suited corporate operatives. Or anything the least bit colorful. Instead, the teams will likely kill with kindness — and boredom. Time Inc.'s HR presentations — some of which, I should disclose, I sat through as a Business 2.0 employee — are legendary as cures for insomnia.

Keith Kelly repeats yesterday's Valleywag report that Mansueto Ventures, publisher of rival tech-business title Fast Company, is negotiating to buy Time Inc.'s Business 2.0, which is in the midst of publishing its last issue under the current staff. CNET, rumored to have also bid, has apparently dropped out of the sale process. [New York Post]

The writing is on the whiteboard for Business 2.0, the tech-focused monthly magazine published by Time Inc. (and, I should note, my former employer). The October issue is definitely the last one to be published by the current staff, some of whom have already secured new jobs. But could Business 2.0 live on in some fashion? Time Inc. is ostensibly still entertaining offers to buy the magazine, if only for form's sake. But even if the sale process is a charade, some serious bidders have nevertheless emerged. Who are they?

Remember Fast Company? The print-magazine relic of the last boom is, surprisingly, still around, and still spilling ink monthly on the unlikeliest of subjects. Take, for example, its profile of Jason Calacanis, the serial entrepreneur and blog blowhard, and Mahalo, his bravado-powered search engine. The writer, Adam Penenberg, is relatively evenhanded in his coverage of the man, lauding his "transparency" while noting his "predatory" tendencies. But he falls short in his analysis of Calacanis's new company, which is trying to hand-build pages of search results for popular subjects. Even with help from Calacanis, Penenberg failed to ask any tough questions about Mahalo.

• Ravelston, the company through which Conrad Black controlled Hollinger International, plead out to fraud. [Guardian]
  

• "This painting addresses the celebrity worship cycle." [Kate's Studio via Boing Boing]
  

We were going to be vaguely insulted to be included on Fast Company's list of jobs that won't exist in 10 years. And we were considering challenging the mag's assertion. But then we realized we'd have no leg to stand on: If anyone would know what jobs won't exist down the road, it's the people toiling at an erstwhile "New Economy" title.

• Why is it that one of the most powerful women in the world is still doing interviews about her weight, diet, and workout regime? Because her triceps are fucking awesome, that's why. [Wonkette]
• For their 10th anniversary issue, Fast Company loses their mind and lets photographer Phil Toledo disturb the hell out of everyone. Babies may be cute, but baby-suits are not. [Young Manhattanite]
• Our globe-trotting brother at Gridskipper is looking for some sacrificial virgins for internships. Go forth and impress the hell out of him. [Gridskipper]
• NBC White House correspondent David Gregory never calls Don Imus without first enjoying a nice glass of Alize. [Drudge]
• Coinciding with the release of the film version of The Da Vinci Code is its corresponding porn video, The Da Vinci Load. Considering both star Tom Hanks, it'll be tough to choose which to see first. [Book Standard]
• Live MSNBC facing death? [TMZ]
• Deconstructing the HuffPo scholarship. [Snarksmith]
• Smokey Fontaine takes over the helm at Giant; Robert Goulet to assume managing duties. And then there's a rumored merger with Complex, which would be cool just for the sake of having a magazine called Giant Complex. It'd be a must read for everyone in media. [Mediaweek]

We received a press release an hour ago announcing that John Byrne, editor of Fast Company for the last two years, has left the magazine to join BusinessWeek. "This is the one job I could not turn down," Byrne said of his new gig in the FastCo-issued statement. "I have every confidence in Fast Company's editorial team and every confidence in the magazine's new owner to get the magazine to a new level of success."