In Ann Arbor a buyout doesn't always mean a sellout. Even though innovative startups like Fry, Healthmedia, and T/J Technologies have been snapped up by larger out-of-state companies, they have decided to stay in the city that birthed them.

No soup for you! There's something strangely satisfying about the the culinary war wounds you earn from restaurants that specialize in great food and bad service. Metro Detroit has more than its share of inglorious joints, places where even Seinfeld's Soup Nazi might feel right at home.

Curbside recycling is not a new fangled idea. Communities across the nation have commited themselves to the practice. So, why is most of Metro Detroit lagging behind? Metromode looks at where we are, where we're going and who's on board.

Over a billion downloads can't be wrong! iPhone apps are the new gold rush of software development, turning backroom start-ups into overnight successes. And Metro Detroit is getting in on the action.

You don't have to go to New York City or Chicago to get top-of-the-world views. Urban professionals are rethinking the traditional big house, big yard template of living, and moving into downtown high rises. From Royal Oak to Birmingham to Ann Arbor, Metromode gives you a sense of what it means to be "movin' on up" in Metro Detroit.

Making good and making a buck are not necessarily contradictory ideas. Metromode introduces you to a quartet of green collar companies who are trying to do right by both Michigan's economy and the environment.

Largely citified Metro Detroit has been lauded for its soul food, and lately, for its slow food. Rooted in locally grown, sustainable, healthy foodstuffs, the national leader in urban gardening is fertile grounds for the slow food supporters cropping up around the region.

From households to businesses to city government, everyone is in belt-tightening mode. But if there's one thing Metromode believes, it's that necessity is the mother of invention. A few Metro Detroit communities have come up with innovative and inexpensive ways to revitalize their downtowns. Time to take notes!