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Q: I purchased a new HDTV, and the store I bought it from has offered to “calibrate” its picture for a few hundred dollars. Isn’t this something I can do myself?A: Out of the box, most new TV sets are tuned to catch eyes from the showroom floor, not to accurately reproduce colors and images. Properly calibrating your TV by fixing the brightness, contrast, color and sharpness settings will give you a better picture, and, as a bonus, could also save electricity and extend the life of your set....

1 THE STARTERChad’s starter is better than mine. That much I can tell at a glance—a bubbling, luscious, fawn-colored batter. A starter is a baker’s pride, grown from airborne yeast, flour, and water, carefully fed and tended over time, sometimes years. “We’re going for yogurty,” Chad Robertson, famous baker, tells me, shrugging. I smile appreciatively, not mentioning that mine, yesterday, seemed a defeated brown, smelling as sullen and sour as a teenager who has seen enough of life....

Media Platforms Design TeamA competent mechanic can relatively easily diagnose automotive maladies that are heard or felt–but smells are more difficult. Say you’re cruising along and notice a strange whiff of … something. It’s an unnaturally sweet and puzzling odor. But after you round the next corner, it’s gone. As the road straightens out again, it’s back. It’s like someone has set a towel soaked in maple syrup on fire. Within a few more miles, that whiff of sweetness has become cloyingly overwhelming....

When my broken computer had to go away to Apple’s mysterious depot twice in one month, I found myself with two options: Use a PC, or get by with an iPad. At first, I assumed the PC would be the way to go, since subbing in a computer for a computer seems like less work (even if they’re on different OSes). But I was wrong—mostly. It turns out that, at least for a week, replacing a laptop or desktop computer with a tablet isn’t so bad....

Media Platforms Design Team(Photo Credit: EnteroMedics, Inc.)A new electronic device could combat obesity by sending pulses to your stomach that curb hunger impulses. The Maestro Rechargeable System would use electrical pulses to counter signals to the abdominal vagus nerve, which controls hunger. The Federal Drug Administration approved the device, saying it showed a sustained record of weight loss in patients. It’s implanted in the abdominal region, where it can best get to the nerve....

Media Platforms Design TeamCredit: Mark Theissen / National GeographicJames Cameron is back from the depths. The filmmaker, inventor, explorer, PopMech Breakthrough Award winner, and man of many other titles dove solo to the Mariana Trench this weekend, becoming the first person to travel to the ocean’s deepest point alone. He re-emerged today from his submersible, the Deepsea Challenger.“There had to be a moment where I just stopped, and took it in, and said, ‘This is where I am; I’m at the bottom of the ocean, the deepest place on Earth....

Plans to add renewable power sources to the electric grid have a common problem: weak, expensive and small batteries that can’t guarantee there will be juice when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining. Donald Sadoway, professor of materials chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, thinks the solution lies in novel batteries that use liquid metals. The battery designed by Sadoway and his team works on the same principle as any other: Two electrodes exchange electrons through an electrolyte to complete a circuit....

Media Platforms Design TeamComic BooksSpider-man has largely resisted modernization—phone screens are simply too small to enjoy the intricate panels without constant panning and zooming, and an e-reader’s lack of color is a deal-breaker. That’s why a tablet computer seems like the perfect vehicle for digital comics, and we wouldn’t be surprised if a dedicated comics channel finds its way into the iTunes store. The tablet could also turn into a killer app for Web comics, such as the popular xkcd, which could be delivered through dedicated apps....

Media Platforms Design TeamAUSTIN, TEXAS—As our computers grow increasingly intelligent, one disturbing question is whether they will be able to replicate even leaps of inspiration from the human mind. We’ve already heard of a company that can train computers to write articles, but the language is pretty dry and the algorithm only works for statistics-based stories. Now, here at SXSW, we faced a supercomputer that tackled an as-yet untouched aspect of human brilliance: cooking....

Media Platforms Design TeamOn-Sale Date: Now Price: $4099Competitors: Honda CRF250L, Kawasaki Ninja 300, Suzuki GZ250, Powertrain: 250-cc air-cooled single-cylinder; 16 hp, five-speed manualEPA Fuel Economy (combined): 79 mpgWhat’s New: The TU is a successful small-displacement version of the Universal Japanese Motorcycle design that became popular in the ’60s. The handsome paint-and-chrome exhaust complement its black frame. A comfortable, upright riding position—along with a 30-inch seat height and 325-pound curb weight—make the TU manageable even for novice riders....

A single socket that fits both standard and metric sizes, and can handle rounded and worn bolts that are too tough for ordinary tools? Cue the heroic music. This sounds too good to be true, but Craftsman has it.The Craftsman Extreme Grip socket platform is more like the chuck on your power drill than it is your standard socket. The tool has moveable jaws that actually close around and tighten in on the fastener’s circumference, which is how it gets grip on rounded fasteners....

If you were working really hard on that selfie stick hat for the Kentucky Derby, we have some bad news. Churchill Downs says selfie sticks and drones are now banned from the venerated racetrack because of the danger they pose to patrons and horses.“The addition of selfie sticks and remote-controlled aircraft to the roster of prohibited items also grew out an increase in the popularity of drones and concern for the safety of Derby and Oaks Day patrons [nd] the horses competing in races those days,” said a stadium spokesperson in a statement obtained by USA Today....

Update, 5 p.m.: China has just released satellite images that may show the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The site is located in the Strait of Malacca. Satellites apparently captured these images on March 9, though they were just publicly released this afternoon.Five days into the search for the Malaysia Airlines 777-200 that went missing after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, airline and government authorities confirmed Wednesday that they were bringing in help from Washington to analyze air traffic control data about the aircraft’s last known whereabouts....

Russia’s largest airshow just finished up this weekend, and by far the star of the show was this Su-35S pilot, who pulled off a series of incredible stunts. His whole highlight reel is worth watching, though the incredible 360° spin seen above happens around the 3:00 mark.View full post on YoutubeThe reason the Su-35S Super Flanker is able to pull off these stomach-churning turns? The plane, a massively modified version of the Su-27 Flanker, has thrust vectoring engine nozzles, essentially allowing it to independently control both of its jet engines at any given time....

Media Platforms Design TeamLast week I enjoyed an embarrassment of automotive riches: I was double-booked with two test cars, the Porsche 911 and the Nissan GT-R.The 911 was a lightly optioned base model, 7-speed manual version that stickered at $90,190, while the GT-R was clad in Black Edition trim that rang in at a whopping $106,320 (upping the Porsche’s anté by $16,130, or roughly a Fiat 500’s worth.)The two couldn’t drive more differently....

Media Platforms Design TeamSpaceX might reach another watershed moment in its young life on Monday if it can successfully launch a satellite to geosynchronous orbit. This would be the first time the company has done it, and success would validate SpaceX as reliable launch company despite its cut-rate prices—and better position it against foreign competitors.Elon Musk’s upstart will launch a broadcast satellite for Luxembourg-based SES. The SES8 sat needs to be deployed in geostationary orbit where it can deliver direct-to-home television for a wide swatch of Asia....

Yamaha came out guns-a-blazing at the 44thannual Tokyo Motor Show. The Japanese motorcycle company revealed an autonomous motorcycle-riding robot called Motobot. Unlike some other autonomous riding machines, like the four-wheeling cyborg that the Russian military developed, Motobot can actually handle a real vehicle—Yamaha’s YZF-R1M factory racing motorcycle to be exact.Media Platforms Design TeamYamaha says that it hopes to use Motobot to develop “advanced rider safety and rider-support systems,” similar to the technologies that car companies are beginning to implement....

Media Platforms Design Team If you’re feeling the pain at the pump but just can’t see yourself in a four-wheeled eco machine, there are plenty of efficient two-wheelers to help you choose the right bike to save a few bucks scooting around town. Just about every sport bike offers both spectacular performance and decent mileage. But the most effective way to be like a hypermiler on a motorcycle is to choose a bike with a small displacement engine and a light weight—characteristics crystallized in the pint-sized Kawasaki Ninja 250R we rode recently....

Media Platforms Design Team2009 DETROIT AUTO SHOW PREVIEW:• GM: Direct-Injection Lineup Expanding• VOLVO: Volvo S60 Concept• BMW: 2009 BMW Z4 RoadsterCall it the long hello. The first iteration of Kia’s Soul concept was revealed in Detroit nearly three years ago, and since then several variants of the boxy Scion xB killer have made the auto show rounds. Though a version of the Soul is already available in Korea, Kia says the new concept offers “a perspective of the just recently unveiled and eagerly awaited 2010 Soul....

I noticed it the first time I entered her apartment: no air conditioner. How could that be? “I just open the windows to let in the breeze,” she said, as if it were obvious. As if we lived in some prehistoric time. That was grounds for dumping her right there. I needed a woman who took control of her environment, who did not gamble with comfort. But it was February, and I was being presumptuous to think we’d last until June anyway....