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Media Platforms Design TeamBest Sound EditingMedia Platforms Design TeamTHE EXPERT /// Coll AndersonTHE BACKGROUND /// The Good Shephard, Match Point, Broken FlowersOVERALL /// Doing something that minimalist is so much more difficult than doing something huge, because every single sound gets heard.FAVORITE SCENES /// It’s the attention to detail, like when the bad guy crumples up the pistachio bag–how he puts it on the counter in the gas station, and that little bag unfolds a little bit....

Finding extra storage space in garage workshops and basements is always a challenge. If you’ve got exposed wall studs, make the most of them by building this adjustable shelving system.Building a shelving system between studs gives you a limited width, as most are 16 or 24 inches apart on center. However, you can add to the shelving depth by using 1 x 6 boards for the sides, which will extend out a couple inches past the 2 x 4 studs....

IndyCar engines must weigh at least 248 pounds, and the car at least 1,570. So that’s exactly what teams aim for and not an ounce more. We spoke with two of the men most responsible for the 2.2-liter twin-turbocharged Chevy V-6 that 2014 IndyCar Series champion Will Power will drive in the Indy 500 on May 24: Chris Berube (IndyCar Series Chevrolet program manager) and Ron -Ruzewski (technical director for Team Penske)....

Traveling salesmen. They may have been annoying back in their heyday, stopping by unannounced to sell vacuum cleaners and miracle cures, but at least they inspired some interesting mathematics. I speak, of course, of the Traveling Salesman Problem, which goes as follows: Given a series of points that you must visit, what is the shortest possible path to visit each one and then end up back where you started?In this version, our poor salesman is driving a Tesla....

Never mind the fact that the Google Lunar X Prize teams won’t launch their crafts until 2015. Those teams are already meeting extremely high demand for their still-hypothetical moon missions as different organizations lobby for space onboard.“Our first mission payload is oversubscribed and our second is fully subscribed,” said Alan Stern, director of the Florida Space Institute and chief scientist for the Google Moon Express team. “There are a number of market segments for commercial lunar travel....

Home maintenance isn’t restricted to repairs. In fact, certain tasks– when performed regularly–may actually prevent things from breaking in the first place. But when things do go wrong (and it’s inevitable that they do), we have some backup plans that you can try before you grab the phone to call for pro. Appliances and plumbing are the most frequent offenders, but they also often can be the simplest to care for....

A high-tech, high-octane season of movies has arrived, but has the increasing influence of comic books diluted science fiction on the silver screen? Annalee Newitz, editor of the awesome new sci-fi blog io9, makes the case for a modern revival. Plus, in an exclusive interview, Lost gurus Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse preview the science inside the rest of Season 4- and the inventor of Iron Man’s digital suit tells us where Tony Stark’s new weaponry really came from....

Thrifty caffeine addicts, rejoice: After customer outcry, Keurig is brining back its refillable pods, Mashable reports. The news is a victory for environmentalists, who have rallied against Keurig for not making recyclable cups, and for coffee snobs who are too impatient to use a French press. When Keurig introduced its “2.0” line of single-cup coffee makers, they ditched the old model’s support for refillable coffee pods. That meant that you had to fork over an arm and a leg for disposable K-Cups instead of buying cheaper and/or better quality grounds in bulk....

View full post on YoutubeHave you ever seen an archer grab an enemy’s arrow and shoot it back? How about an archer who can shoot a blade so that the arrow splits in half?If you’ve ever taken an archery class then you know the bow and arrow are not to be taken lightly. They are a serious weapon that only masters who prove worthy should wield. Masters, of course, like Lars Andersen....

Media Platforms Design TeamMSR Flex 4 System Cookset: $160THE PROMISEThis campsite cooking set nests like a Russian doll, allowing it to pack two pots and enough plates and insulated mugs for a hungry group of four into a backpack-friendly bundle.IN PRACTICEDisassemble this neatly bundled camp cookset and you’ll start to marvel at the utility of the space-saving Flex 4 System from MSR. Weighing in at just 55.5 oz, the set is comprised of twelve pieces: a 5....

Media Platforms Design TeamNASA scientists have traveled anew record distance in a strange frontier: quantum teleportation. They used this weird phenomenon to transmit information 15.5 miles via fiber optic cables and with a dash of quantum entanglement.In quantum teleportation, two particles—in this case photons—are put in the same state, and if one changes, so does the other. This is called quantum entanglement, and it can theoretically happen across vast distances. But current technology has an upper limit that restricts those distances....

Media Platforms Design Team(Photo Credit: Fox/EW)If you didn’t get enough animated crossover action during the recent Family Guy/Simpsons smashup, then good news, everyone: We’ve got new details about the forthcoming crossover episode of The Simpsons in which the Futurama crew comes to Springfield.Fox just released a teaser clip for the upcoming episode, which Entertainment Weekly reports will feature Bender traveling back in time to kill Bart before some action by the boy causes some kind of wide-ranging disaster....

Scientists have long been able to levitate small objects, like drops of water or plastic pellets, using only the power of sound. By sandwiching an object between two sets of speakers—or a speaker and a reflector—you can send precise, energetic blasts of ultrasonic noise to trap objects midair. But today, a fascinating new breakthrough can now accomplish this odd feat of levitation with a single array of speakers on just one side....

A recently published study confirms what we’ve all long known to be true: people walk like a dingus while texting. The study, which started life as an undergraduate research project by authors Sammy Licence and Robynne Smith at the University of Bath in England, aimed to examine the ways in which texting and “cognitively distracting tasks” affected the gait of subjects by having them walk a winding obstacle course with various odds and ends in the way....

Media Platforms Design TeamWarfare in the 21st century will bring a new set of unpredictable threats—rogue nations, insurgent groups, terrorists and other unconventional enemies. Defense tech is responding with a transformation of the U.S. military, launching a new era in the science of combat. Our four-hour, two-disc DVD set deploys battle footage, CG animation and live-action weapons testing to examine how we’ll fight wars in the future.Organized into five parts—ground, sea, air, counter-terrorist and super futuristic ops—thus documentary is a fascinating, in-depth look at the cutting edge of military technology, from robot warriors to smart munitions and unmanned aerial vehicles....

Media Platforms Design TeamVelvet Underground co-founder John Cale is launching into his own brand of metal machine music with a new set of collaborators: a fleet of drones. Together with architect Liam Jones, Cale constructed a stageshow that includes drones adorned in jewels and fine clothes zipping around, some adding their own hum to the orchestra of Cale’s music. The collaboration, called LOOP»60Hz: Transmissions from the Drone Orchestra, is aimed at “humanizing” drones, which are typically associated with warfare....

View full post on YoutubeA plane flying into Leeds Bradford Airport in the United Kingdom today nearly didn’t make it, as incredibly strong winds blew the aircraft nearly sideways.The aircraft survived 60 mph gusts by approaching the runway from a side angle, its skilled pilots managing to narrowly make it onto the runway. Because of such windy conditions, the Leeds Bradford is regarded as one of the more difficult airports at which to land, according to the Irish Mirror....

View full post on YoutubeAn SR-71’s exterior is all smooth, swooping surfaces. The Blackbird’s interior, however, is a cramped assemblage of dials and switches need to keep the supersonic spy plane aloft.Don’t be intimidated, would-be pilots. In this video, longtime SR-71 pilot Richard Graham walks you through the bevy of controls and explains what each one tells you.For something cool and also kind of terrifying, skip to about 14:18, at which point you can see Graham showing off the back of the plane where the navigator sat....

When I was 17 my high school guidance counselor tried to talk me into going on to earn a four-year degree. I had nothing against college, but the universities that Mr. Dunbar recommended were expensive, and I had no idea what I wanted to study. I thought a community college made more sense, but Mr. Dunbar said a two-year school was “beneath my potential.” He pointed to a poster hanging behind his desk: On one side of the poster was a beaten-down, depressed-looking blue-collar worker; on the other side was an optimistic college graduate with his eyes on the horizon....

How To Signal for Help"If you have a whistle, use a one-two-three, pause, one-two-three pattern. This is more recognizable to the human ear. Mirrors are also important. Nothing in nature can be mistaken for a signal mirror. Same goes for brightly colored construction tape." — Thomas Coyne, found and chief instructor, Survival Training School of CaliforniaHow To Orient a MapPeter OumanskiAlign north on your compass with the map’s vertical grid lines....