Posts

Media Platforms Design TeamSan Diego—Pundits like to predict things. They foresaw the death of the minivan—they first declared it dead when Ford dropped its Windstar. Hammers in hand, they added nails to the segment’s coffin when General Motors abandoned the minivans for crossovers. Little did the pundits know that 2011 would be the year of the minivan. In addition to significantly improved Dodge and Chrysler models, Toyota and Honda have all-new vans....

Media Platforms Design TeamCosta Smeralda, Sardinia—Look closely at the concept drawings for Audi’s new A7 Sportback and you might see traces of the Alfa Romeo GTV6, Giorgetto Giugiaro’s ’80s Italian coupe. Squint a little, and maybe there’s some of Marcello Gandini’s Lamborghini Urraco, the ’70s super coupe. Can you see what they are trying to do here? The truth is, while Audi has Mercedes-Benz firmly in its sights with this new five-door hatchback, it’s also making a style statement....

Media Platforms Design TeamWe have yet to see a factory sanctioned “M” variant of the BMW 7-series, but perhaps it’s just as well: from the diminutive 1-series to SUVs like the X5 and X6, almost no vehicular stone has gone unturned by BMW’s “M” performance division, making the in-house tuner a rather ubiquitous force in the big horsepower microcosm. Leaving the big Bimmer sedan untouched by BMW’s in-house tuners has freed the small but inventive outfit known as Alpina to work their mechanical magic on the plush flagship– and the results, as I recently experienced at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, are unexpectedly delightful....

The fifth-generation Camaro was a pretty solid effort. It brought concept-car styling, big power and, late in its run, track-monster special editions like the ZL1 and Z28. The knock on the Gen5 Camaro, always, was its weight. Even the stripped-down Z28, with its lack of trunk carpeting and one-speaker radio (there to play the click of the turn signals) weighed in around 3,800 pounds, which seems to be the threshold where performance cars start getting weight-shamed....

Mild BuildupMedia Platforms Design TeamVehicle: Newer 4WDs like the Nissan Xterra have a smooth-riding independent front suspension. They can tackle easy trails with minimal modifications and still maintain on-pavement road manners.Engine: Don’t void the warranty. Reusable air filters improve filtration and breathing. When combined with an exhaust system that installs behind the catalytic converter, these safe upgrades can yield up to 10 hp.Suspension: Maintain stock height to preserve the factory handling and stability....

Heating and CoolingGiven how much Americans spend to heat and cool their homes—in 2013, approximately $2,177 per family—it makes sense to invest in high-efficiency HVAC equipment that features a variable-speed air handler. A variable-speed air handler is essentially a “smart” fan. It runs nearly continuously at lower speeds to allow heated/cooled air to circulate evenly throughout the house. In the summer, the air handler removes humidity more efficiently because the fan runs almost nonstop at lower speeds....

Looks like the robotic uprising could be headed for the OR after all: Bots can now see through your flesh in three dimensions, pinpoint the exact location of a buried cyst and, without a licensed doctor’s space-age help, direct a mechanical arm to perform a biopsy. That’s the conclusion of a new feasibility study from Duke University, which portends to usher in a new era of unmanned surgery.In previous evaluations, researchers had used 3D ultrasonic scanners to allow doctors direct needles toward their targets....

Media Platforms Design TeamWith the opening ceremony just days away, can Beijing clean up its air in time for ? We sit down with –a professor of environmental medicine at NYU, a leading expert on airborne pollutants and a former athlete himself–to find out why every athlete may be in danger from the physiological effects of smog, and why neither USOC-supplied masks nor can stop them. Plus, explains how independent tests could finally rid pro cycling of banned substances, and the low-tech scorekeeper for the Boston Red Sox takes us behind the Green Monster at baseball’s trading deadline....

An Italian chess player named Arcangelo Ricciardi was kicked out of the recent Imperia Chess Festival after officials discovered he was wearing a camera around his neck attached to a box in his armpit. It’s believed that Ricciardi was allegedly cheating using some kind of Morse code system.A referee named Jean Coqueraut noticed that Ricciardi had been blinking in an odd fashion while holding his hand under his armpit. The theory goes that someone was watching the video feed, putting the moves to a computer, and relaying the suggested moves back....

This happened in the final months of the last year of the previous century. I was on a flight to Los Angeles, scheduled to lecture there the next day, all of which means that I was a very modern working man, flying first-class, with my portable computer next to me, ready while airborne to work for 3 or 4 hours as I moved so swiftly across the country. I was supposed to arrive in Los Angeles around 5 pm, go quickly to my hotel, and then join friends for dinner at their home, where we would watch, on a giant television screen worthy of a movie theater from my childhood, a championship professional basketball game being played some 2000 miles away....

For every extra minute a plane sits idle at the gate, the airline loses $30. With a quarter of all flights across America running at least 15 minutes behind, that really adds up.Delta Airlines is trying a new tactic to save a little dough (and no, it’s not another fee. This time.) The Atlanta-based carrier is testing a speedier boarding process in which its employees preload the passengers’ carry-on bags before the boarding process officially begins....

Media Platforms Design TeamThis is the Lexus answer to the BMW M4. But unlike the M4, and like the outgoing Lexus IS F, the RC F uses V-8 power—about 460 horsepower, to be slightly more precise.The 5.0-liter engine is based on the current Lexus V-8, but gets a substantial redesign with the help of development partner Yamaha. The heads are all new, as are the pistons, rods, and almost every other reciprocating part....

Media Platforms Design TeamSchizophrenia is one of the most infamous and mysterious mental disorders. Attempting to get to the root of the problem, scientists recently came up with an extraordinary solution: They built a schizophrenic computer. In a study published in the online version of in March, researchers altered an artificial neural network capable of learning language and stories, to the point where it started “acting” schizophrenic.Biological PsychiatryPeople who suffer from schizophrenia often have difficulty thinking logically or discerning what is real or not real in their lives....

http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/recumbent-bike.jpgRecumbent BicycleBuilt by: Michael SzmaniaCheektowaga, New York Two Schwinns and a Huffy gave their lives to create this homemade recumbent bicycle. Michael Szmania cut and brazed the donor frames to build this comfortable two-wheeler with the help of his kids.http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/euro-velomobile.jpgVelomobileBuilt by: Juergen Weichart Ottawa, Canada Inspired by European-style velomobiles (enclosed tricycles), Juergen Weichart set about constructing a homebrew version in his front yard. He built up the frame from old bike parts, metal from a home store, and a few new parts here and there....

Media Platforms Design TeamJustin Sullivan/Getty ImagesAnother internet security threat potentially affects a multitude of users, and this time the target was eBay.According to a press release, eBay, which got famous an auction site and now provides all sorts of other services with nearly 140 million active accounts, is urging users to change their passwords in response to “a cyberattack that compromised a database containing encrypted passwords and other non-financial data.” However, the company also says that no unauthorized activity has been observed, but users should change their passwords as a “better safe than sorry” measure....

There was a time—not too long ago—when the very idea of sharing a car would have seemed absurd. This was back in the days before smartphone apps made it possible to find a set of wheels within walking distance of your home and rent them for a trip to a big-box store in the suburbs. When Zipcar launched in 2000 as a membership-based car-sharing company, it had four vehicles—all parked in Cambridge, Mass....

Media Platforms Design TeamFacebook has pretty much reached saturation here in the tech-saturated west, and so its next target—the target of many other tech companies as well—are emerging markets. But it can be hard to really grasp what it’s like to live with the sort of tech that’s available in India until you do it yourself, which is why Facebook’s starting up 2G Tuesdays to foist slow internet on its employees....

Media Platforms Design Team
Although the Econoline van that’s been in production for a staggering 51 years will stick around for a few more, Ford unveiled its replacement today: the full size global Transit.The new vans are a far different animal than the outgoing models, and take their cues from the European Ford Transit that’s served overseas for decades. The Transit moves away from body-on-frame construction to a unitized body made of boron steel for durability and lighter weight....

It’s important to have quality headlights to light your path. However, those bulbs aren’t doing any good if they’re not correctly aimed at the road, and that’s something many owners forget or downright neglect when owning a car.Time or merely replacing the bulb can cause a car’s headlights to become misaligned. This could lead to reduced visibility, which is a huge problem when driving at night. When you’re traveling at 60 mph, you have only seconds to avoid a collision if something darts into the road....

AbrasiveWhat It IsWhat It’s ForAluminum Oxide A synthetic material derived from bauxite. The most widely used abrasive because of its toughness and versatility, it comes in the full range of grits from coarse pebblelike types to ultrafine sizes. Suitable for smoothing wood, drywall, metal and metal welds, as well as removing paint and rust. Often treated with zinc stearate to make it less likely to clog with debris when stripping paint....