Media Platforms Design TeamThe Scene: Ditching a Corvette Diehard fans who first saw the scene of a young Captain Kirk riding a Corvette off a cliff—teased in the trailer (see below)—were probably squirming at the decidedly Earth-bound stunt. We were just thrilled to see such awesome automotive acrobatics in a sci-fi movie. What science lessons can be learned from such stunts? A little bit about inertia, and some more about stunt driving....
Media Platforms Design TeamThe typical cop car isn’t born–it’s slapped together. Traditionally, this involved taking a production vehicle, bolting on a reinforced bumper and adding some lights and a divider between the front and back seats. But as law enforcement agencies update their fleets, the police car is evolving. The Ford Crown Victorias of the past half-century are losing ground to more powerful models, like the Dodge Charger. (Dodge was in financial limbo at press time, but we’re not giving up on the Charger just yet....
MORE NEW FUEL-ECONOMY ADVICE* MPG GEEK: 10 Quick Fuel Efficiency Tips to Save GasFor nearly 20 years, I’ve been giving all sorts of advice in my Saturday Mechanic column on how to improve fuel economy. Much of it has been fairly routine, like checking your tire pressure or tuning up your engine. And some has been plain-old common sense, like not flooring the gas pedal. Most folks forget about that last one....
The Navy has a seaborne deathlaser on patrol in the Gulf Coast, futuristic railguns in testing, and wants better versions of both in the next five years. Meanwhile, the Air Force isn’t slacking; it’s projecting flying jet-mounted lasers by 2020. “I believe we’ll have a directed energy pod we can put on a fighter plane very soon,” Air Force General Hawk Carlisle said at this week’s Air Force Association Air & Space conference, as reported by Ars Technica....
I’ve heard the same line for years, from both consumers and automakers alike: European and Asian micro-size cars will never succeed here in the United States. Why? Well, first Americans are too large–we just won’t fit comfortably inside these vehicles. Plus, they say, we wouldn’t feel safe driving rides so tiny they make a Honda Civic look like a Lincoln Town Car. Americans want big cars–period. Right? For decades, that was the accepted ideology on microcars, and few argued....
Media Platforms Design TeamYour books subtitle is “The Science of Predicting Earths Deadliest Natural Disaster.” Yet in the book you refute various ways people have proposed to predict or prevent earthquakes. So what do you mean?Yes, that subtitle uses “prediction” in a very loose way. One of the main themes of the book is, what are earthquakes and how do we study them? The other is, earthquakes are a problem, and so what can we do about them?...
Media Platforms Design TeamSolution: All-in-one wireless systems that combine atmospheric monitoring with tracking and communication. Wireless antennas in the mine gather data from methane and CO sensors, along with readings from air-pressure and airflow monitors. Radio-frequency identification chips transmit the location of workers and equipment in real time, sending warnings above and below ground when miners enter contaminated air or move too close to machinery.Solution: Ventstop, which resembles a heavy-duty balloon and inflates to create airtight seals in mine openings....
When you have money to burn, robots are the best kind of first responders: the disposable kind. Bomb-squad bots are already a common tool for local law enforcement agencies and the military, but remote-controlled firefighters are just now making it into the field. A team of robots built by London-based Qinetiq has recently started responding to a very specific threat: fires involving Acetylene gas. When (human) firefighters detect or even suspect the presence of these explosive cylinders in a blaze, they generally cordon off the area for up to 24 hours–then wait for the fireworks....
Media Platforms Design TeamAdjusting a water-pressure regulator valve is easy. Loosen the locknut and turn the adjusting screw counter-clockwise to reduce pressure.Pressure RegulatorIs the pressure regulator on an incoming water line adjustable? The pipes bang when I flush a toilet or abruptly let off pressure on a garden hose nozzle.Media Platforms Design TeamCheck water pressure with a gauge ($8 to $12) installed on an exterior faucet.Yes, the regulator is adjustable and you should try adjusting it before resorting to more expensive remedies, such as installing cushioning devices called water hammer arresters....
Media Platforms Design TeamWe lost our way with American cars, and I’m not sure where. I do know that the U.S. led the world in automotive technology for many decades. People rave about the French 1937 Citroën Traction Avant. But it was a four-cylinder that could barely do 70 mph. My 1937 Cord 812, with its supercharged V8, cruises at 75. Its preselector gearbox has a fourth-gear overdrive. I drive my 812 just like I drive any modern car....
After four seasons following the harrowing exploits of the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 on and off their island, last night’s episode of Lost, “316,” dropped a huge piece of the jigsaw puzzle into the laps of the show’s devotees.Dharma Initiative scientists learned that unique pockets of electromagnetic energy exist at various points around the world, forming a network of tunnels through space-time. The Los Angeles-based station in which Mrs. Hawking and the castaways are standing, the Lamp Post, is itself constructed over one of these pockets....
Media Platforms Design TeamAn MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter lands on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson during search and rescue operations for the pilot of one of two F/A-18 Hornets. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class John Philip Wagner, Jr.This afternoon the U.S. Navy says it is still looking for the pilot of one of the two F/A-18s fighters that crashed over the Pacific Ocean earlier today....
The National Basketball Association announced today a new global partnership with Lenovo, making the world’s third-largest PC manufacturer the “Official PC Partner of the NBA” and creating a new player statistic that will take the league one step closer to a sabermetric existence. Lenovo, which acquired IBM’s PC division last year, will supply computers to courtside statisticians, referees and coaches. The computer maker will also assist NBA Cares, the league’s global community outreach initiative, in helping make computer technology “accessible to underserved communities,” according to the league’s press release....
The world’s only remaining North American XB-70 Valkyrie supersonic bomber recently moved into the newly built fourth hangar at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. During the trip The rare, wild-looking prototype soaked up some sunshine for the first time in decades, and posed for a few photos during its rare outdoor excursion across the airport.The XB-70 Valkyrie is the prototype of the B-70 nuclear-armed, deep-penetration strategic bomber for the U....
Media Platforms Design Team(Photograph by Felix Clouzot/Getty Images)BREAKING NEWS AND ANALYSIS• PLUS: U.S., Russian Satellites Crash 400 Miles over Siberia• ANALYSIS: Can Obama Successfully Ban Space Weapons?• EARLIER: Lessons Learned from China’s Satellite Kill Tuesday’s collision marked the first time two intact satellites smashed together hundreds of miles overhead. It probably won’t be the last we hear of high-altitude mismatches, but it will most likely remain a very rare accident. Though NASA predicts that we need to take care not to crowd our orbit, there is a lot of space out there....
For two decades, Steve Cariddi and the Planetary Society have collaborated on a Year In Space calendar, a monthly calendar that outlines the events in the year ahead in all things cosmic, as well as serves as a thorough reminder of the past of space exploration and discovery. It started out as a personal project for Cariddi, and on a lark, he sent his 1993 edition to Carl Sagan. That proved to be a fortuitous decision....
A big piece of hardware like the Large Hadron Collider needs a big screen to show off its glory, and screens don’t come much bigger than an IMAX. K2 Communications wants to bring the story of the world’s largest particle collider to the big screen, but it needs some help. The documentary Secrets of the Universe is currently seeking around $100,000 in funding on IndieGoGo. The project is currently just over $30,000....
Getting robots to work together can be a tough challenge, but figuring out how to make three of them deliver beer effectively is a challenge worth tackling.A team of researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artifical Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL for short) recently presented a system composed of three robots that work together to figure out whether someone wants a beer, loads one up, and delivers it. Which is actually more difficult than it might sound....
You can’t put a MOTI on your wrist, but its creators hope the cutesy desktop robot can fulfill some of the same functions as a wearable device—specifically, praising you if you succeed at keeping up good habits.The bot looks like something out of a Hayao Miyazaki movie and works like this: Every time you successfully complete a task, you press the MOTI, which gives you a cartoonish little cheer. Finished your taxes?...
Media Platforms Design Team(All Photos by Helmut Smits)In some of the world’s impoverished nations, Coca-Cola is widely available but potable water is hard to find. Which gave Helmut Smits has an idea: He has built a device that can extract drinkable water from a bottle of Coke. The Real Thing was recently demonstrated at the Sense Nonsense at the Van Abbemuseum in the Netherlands. Smits made what is essentially a beautiful still....
