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Media Platforms Design TeamThe year was 1965, and the United States Navy had a problem. After the U.S. and U.S.S.R. had started producing an alarming number of mushroom clouds and attendant fallout as they both tested their nuclear arsenal, the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963 had put the kibosh on atmospheric nuclear weapons testing. But the Navy still wanted to test effects of a nuclear blast on naval vessels. Left with no option to use atomic options, they turned to old-fashioned trinitrotoluene, better known as TNT, for an experiment known as Operation Sailor Hat....

Media Platforms Design TeamLAS VEGAS — Many new Chrysler vehicles (including our Jeep Wrangler long-term tester) come with YES Essentials fabric on the seats. The fabric repels liquids, odors and inhibits static. We’ve spilled coffee on our Wrangler’s seat at least once (that we noticed), and it’s wiped right off without leaving any sticky residue.The newest version of YES Essentials fabric has an innovative technology that basically rids odors and volatile chemicals from the interior....

In size, glitz and—especially—the amount of money at stake, the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market doesn’t approach buy-and-sell fests such as CES or the Detroit auto show. But this event, now going on in Salt Lake City, more than makes up for it with a good vibe. And PM is here to check out the goods.This is the world of new tents, backcountry skis, sports watches, hiking shoes, climbing gear and everything else outdoorsy....

Media Platforms Design TeamNot only is the new LX570 luxury SUV one of the most technically sophisticated SUVs ever built, it’s also one of the most powerful, quiet and well-appointed to come from any automaker.This new luxury cruiser has the same 5.7-liter 4-cam, 4-valve V-8 engine as Toyota’s Land Cruiser SUV and Tundra pickup truck, a full liter larger in displacement than the previous engine in the LX470, and, at 383 hp, an amazing 115-hp stronger than the old engine, with about the same fuel economy....

Media Platforms Design TeamBy now you’ve seen the photos of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class online and are hankering for the details. You’re in luck, because Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the car in Hamburg, Germany.The on-paper specifications of the new S-Class are impressive, as we would expect from such an expensive flagship car, but this car is even more of a revelation in person. It’s as if someone at Mercedes-Benz was given free rein to dream what a luxury car should be, and the execs signed off without a second thought....

Use the right fastenerDon’t hang a bookshelf with any old screws you have laying around. Using drywall screws, for instance, is a bad idea. Instead, get a good quality wood screw, such as those by GRK and Spax. The screw should be deep enough to go through the back or hanging rail (see below), the drywall or plaster, and about 1 inch into the wood stud. Longer isn’t necessarily better, though: The longer the screw you use, the more likely you can penetrate into a pipe or a wire....

Media Platforms Design TeamCredit: flickr / The Year of the MudThis weekend (May 25–27), Popular Mechanics is heading to the Blip Festival, one of the biggest chiptune shows in the United States. If you’re scratching your head wondering what the heck a chiptune is, imagine the sounds of 1980s video-game systems such as Atari or Nintendo. At the Blip Festival, artists use those bleeps and bloops to make music. Here’s what to know about this geek-fest....

CHICAGO — BMW brings high performance to the super-luxury market with the introduction of the Alpina B7, a souped-up version of the 7-series luxury model specially modified by Alpina. The limited-edition vehicle features a supercharged V8 engine that develops 500 hp and world-class 0-60 mph times in the 4.8-second range (based on factory times). Visual differences from the standard 7 series are minimal but include a functional rear spoiler and oversize 21-in....

Media Platforms Design TeamModern laptops are exercises in restraint. The trend toward super-lightweight, razor-thin ultrabooks has forced computer makers to jettison extravagances such as optical drives, large-capacity hard drives, extra ports, big screens, and multi-memory-card readers. Most of that stuff just weighed us down when we took our laptops on the road. But the thing is, when you sit at your desk, you sort of want it all back. Optical discs may be a thing of the past, but we’ve got plenty of such things of the past sitting in our offices....

In the 11 years the Cassini probe has explored the Saturn system, it’s visited seemingly sleepy Dione four times. With the mission winding down, the probe has one last chance to explore a world that could be more fascinating than its surface would suggest before slamming into Saturn.While Titan and Enceladus have (rightly) captured the imagination of planetary scientists and space fans, Dione is no slouch. Jutting ridges seems to hint at a subsurface ocean, and Cassini found hints at cryovolcanism (basically ice volcanos) which means the moon may be expelling portions of this ocean into space, much like Enceladus....

BAGHDAD, July 5 — There’s commotion just outside the ER. An entire unit rushes in close to the doors in Humvees, and what it’s got is definitely bad. One of their guys appears, almost immediately, to be the leader of the pack, and he’s yelling and swearing, rage and adrenaline shaking his voice. Everyone tightens up: Techs rush to recheck already-replenished supplies, off-duty doctors and staff start to converge. The rest of the CSH medics run out of the ER, then race back in laden with two terribly wounded soldiers....

Media Platforms Design TeamFitbit Charge, Charge HR, and SurgeFitbit today confirmed three new models of its fitness tracking gadgets: The Charge, Charge HR, and Surge. An expansion to Fitbit’s line of fitness trackers, the Charge and Charge HD add new data-tracking features plus a small display on the device to show running data and notifications. Meanwhile the GPS-equipped Surge marks Fitbit’s attempt to play in the quickly growing smartwatch space.The Fitbit Charge integrates caller ID into its Bluetooth connectivity, letting users know when they have an incoming call....

Media Platforms Design TeamIf you have a Ford, General Motors or BMW vehicle with a GPS system, printed directions might be a thing of the past. Earlier this month, Ford and GM announced that by the end of June, the companies’ respective GPS navigation systems would work in conjunction with Google Maps to allow drivers to preprogram those onboard systems with destinations. Soon, OnStar’s eNav feature will enable drivers to log on to Google via the Internet or a mobile phone application and send destinations to their car, which they can later access via eNav’s “Turn-by-Turn” directions....

The outermost shell of the Earth is constantly in motion. Over eons, our planet’s tectonic plates have dragged the continents apart and slammed them into one another, forming ocean trenches, mountains, and volcanoes.Plate tectonics explains continental drift, seafloor spreading, and why California has so many earthquakes. The Earth’s shifting plates also created an ideal environment for life itself to evolve and thrive. But exactly how our planet’s seven or eight major plates started shifting remains a mystery....

What You’ll Need • Can of gas duster • Can of beer • Pliers• Nail or screw • Cigarette lighter • Plastic container with lid • Duct tape• Kitchen glovesDirectionsSTEP 1Scrounge a spare nail or screw from your toolbox; make sure it’s long enough that you can grip it with pliers. Heat it up with a lighter, and while the screw is still piping hot, melt a tiny hole through the plastic container just wide enough for the straw on your can of gas duster to fit snugly through the gap....

The custom chopper is changing. The motorcycle enthusiast’s interest in bikes with wildly stretched frames and tough-to-ride rear tires looks to be waning a bit. Sure, they still look cool. But ever tried to ride one? Without proper cornering clearance, suspension travel or stable rake and trail dimensions, these bikes are best left for straight roads or the show circuit. Today, more and more folks are looking for custom cruisers with practicality–including Jay Leno....

Media Platforms Design TeamClearly, the purpose of science is quite simple: to provide humanity with jetpacks. Yet so far it has failed to deliver. Sure, there have been rocket belts, like the one seen in the 1965 James Bond film . But the expensive, difficult-to-use hydrogen peroxide propellant is only good for about 30 seconds of thrust, relegating the technology to the status of curiosity.ThunderballFinally, things are changing. Starting next month, a Florida-based company, JetLev, will begin delivering the first commercially available jetpacks....

Media Platforms Design TeamYou don’t hear a lot about it, but NASA makes a trove of its data public on open.nasa.gov. With about the same effort it takes to search on Google, you can find raw images of Mars, or a complete database of the 900-plus impact craters documented on the surface of Venus.The most popular use of the site is looking at the photos taken by astronauts. And last month, rocket scientist and data wiz Nathan Bergey used those pictures to make a data visualization in the form of a map of all the photographs ever taken by ISS astronauts....

Media Platforms Design TeamA FedEx McDonnell Douglas freighter, landing through gusty winds at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport on March 23, 2009, bounces during touchdown. As the airplane impacts the runway a second time, it banks sharply, snapping the port wing on the ground and rupturing a fuel tank. In flames, the MD-11 rolls over onto its back, then slides out of view of the airport surveillance camera filming the tragedy. Both pilots are killed....

Hydrogen GeneratorsMedia Platforms Design TeamThere have been hundreds of places selling these so-called hydrogen generators, but the rush seems to have died down now that gas prices have stabilized. Prices range from a few dollars for a book of plans to make one from common household materials like a mason jar and aluminum flashing to a device that costs nearly $2000 and guarantees 100 mpg. The theory is that the free electricity can be used to electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen, which is in turn pumped into the engine, saving gas....