More than three weeks after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the Malaysian government has backtracked on some information it released early on in the investigation: the last words from the flight deck, and the identity of who spoke them. A forensic examination is reportedly still ongoing, trying to identify the voices heard on the tape, who was speaking, and whether there were any signs of something amiss aboard the 777....
The Nemesis Machine is a strange mini-city sitting in a museum in Bruges. It’s strange because British artist Stanza mapped out the machine to look like a real live city, but the buildings are towers of electronics and wires, as if the Borg took over an urban core, replacing the skyline with silicon and dread. And it’s strange because it’s oddly connected to what’s happening many miles away in London. Each building is connected to a sensor placed around London, measuring environmental data such as temperature....
Media Platforms Design TeamCredit: Javier Rodriguez-Rodriguez / Carlos III University of Madrid, SPAIN Almudena Casado-Chacon / Carlos III University of Madrid, SPAIN Daniel Fuster / CNRS (UMR 7190), Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Institut Jean le Rond d’Alembert, FRANCEIf your college friends were inebriated pranksters, you’ve probably had it happen to you: Someone taps the top of your open beer bottle with the bottom on theirs, and suddenly a cascade of hoppy foam overflows onto your hand....
POPULAR MECHANICS: What would you say to people who think they’re not getting a real IMAX experience because they’re not watching their movie on a huge, traditional IMAX screen?BRIAN BONNICK: I think it all has to do with expectations. In the past, people have made reference to the big screen because it was a simple piece of terminology you can use. But what they were really speaking to was the fact that it was an immersive experience....
Media Platforms Design TeamThere are three major events for a press person covering a shuttle launch. The first is the rollback, when media can get close to the launch pad () and watch as the Revolving Support Structure is eased away from the shuttle. The third is the launch, still on schedule for just before noon Eastern time this morning.we did it yesterday in the rainThe middle event is the crew walkout....
Marvel Comics is such a steamroller these days that even obscure characters from deep in its archives can anchor a blockbuster film (see this summer’s smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy). Disney Animation Studios clearly took note. Its new release Big Hero 6, out today, is its first Marvel adaptation since the media conglomerate acquired the comic book publisher in 2009.Big Hero 6 tells the story of orphaned Hiro Hamada, the 14-year-old robotics genius constantly grappling with the choice between doing what’s easy and doing what’s right....
With only two months left until the release of the much-anticipated Avengers: Age of Ultron, Marvel released its third—and most exciting—trailer today, which offers a glimpse into what should be a wild ride for lifelong Marvel fans.Ultron, the former peacekeeping AI awoken by Tony Stark, appears more hellbent than ever on destroying the Avengers in this preview. Romance is in the air, wit is plentiful, and tensions seem high as Iron Man and the Hulk slam each other into buildings....
Media Platforms Design TeamOne thing that nearly all spaceship-based sci-fi movies have in common is their portrayal of an artificial gravity system. People walk around the deck of the USS Enterprise or the Battlestar Galactica like they would on Earth; they aren’t floating about the cabin like astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Artificial gravity makes science fiction more relatable, and easier to shoot—the in , for example, were filmed 23 seconds at a time in the infamous “”)....
Media Platforms Design TeamA tremor happens every five minutes in Japan. The country rests along one of the most active fault lines in the world, the so-called “Ring of Fire,” and every year the Japanese feel 2,000 earthquakes. So why was the March 11 quake so unexpected? It all boils down to the inexact science of earthquake prediction. “Earthquakes are never unexpected in Japan,” Roland Burgmann, geophysicist at University of California, Berkeley, says....
Lego HeartMedia Platforms Design TeamGet nostalgic with your Valentine and woo them with Legos. You can add a chain to the top for them to sport it as a necklace, keychain or bracelet. Handpicking the colors can add a personal touch and shows you actually listen when they talk to you. Heart Shaped CrackersMedia Platforms Design TeamHow many times have you heard “the way to the heart is through the stomach?...
Media Platforms Design TeamIf the regular 500-hp Ford Mustang GT 500 isn’t enticing enough for you, then maybe this very limited edition KR model will. The KR, you might remember, was the top-dog 1968 Mustang and a car that commands nearly $200,000 in pristine condition today.Launching next spring, just 1000 units of the 2008 KR will be available. Its supercharged, 5.4-liter V8 gets a “Ford Racing Power Upgrade Pack,” which boosts horsepower to 540 for the KR....
Media Platforms Design TeamSmooth-riding luxury crossover SUVs seem to debut by the dozen at every auto show we attend. But some buyers still require their luxury sport-utes to have real towing capacity and genuine off road capability, too. Today, Lexus unveiled its most powerful and most capable SUV yet—the all-new LX 570.The LX 570 may look a bit like the old LX 470, but Lexus says it’s brand-new from the frame rails-up....
Media Platforms Design TeamOn-Sale Date: NowBase Price: $13,990 to $18,490 Competitors: Honda Fit, Chevrolet Spark, Hyundai Accent, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta, Kia Rio5Powertrains: 1.6-liter 4-cylinder, 109 hp, 107 lb-ft; 5-speed manual, CVT automatic, FWDEPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 27/36 5-speed manual, 31/40 CVT automaticWhat’s New: The 2014 Nissan Versa Note is the all-new second-generation version of the outgoing Versa hatchback. The 109-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine is more in line with the Versa sedan than the 122-horsepower 1....
Media Platforms Design TeamThis fall, the Air Force will launch another flight of its mysterious X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle. This will be the second launch of the first test vehicle, which had its maiden flight in 2010. A second X-37B vehicle is currently orbiting Earth, having already exceeded its 270-day mission. According to the Air Force, it has no firm return date.Officially, the X-37B is being launched later this year merely “to gather more test data” Air Force Maj....
More than one generation of former youths have fond memories of Oregon Trail, the dubiously educational computer game that supposedly taught us about the harsh realities of frontier life, but really just gave us an excuse to go squirrel and bear hunting. Next week, the beloved game is finally coming to the iPhone. But not every classic game works well for the small touchscreen platform. The phone’s lack of real buttons makes anything requiring precision a lost cause....
Media Platforms Design TeamEverything about parking signs suggests they’re meant to aggravate you, not only with their restrictions but also with their poorly designed presentation of those restrictions. You know the drill: Park in the spot, get out, walk to the nearest sign, and gaze longingly at it wishing it were faster to read and made sense and didn’t require getting out of the car to see, especially when it delivers the bad news that no, you cannot park there....
Media Platforms Design TeamNo matter how efficient electric vehicles get, they still rely on bulky batteries that require extended charging times. Gasoline, which allows drivers to refuel in a matter of minutes and be on their way, has maintained its advantage.One solution that’s often floated is the wireless power transfer. A recent study at Stanford University proposed an electrified highway that would allow a vehicle to recharge on the run , a nice idea in theory but one that would require an enormous infrastructure upgrade that may not be feasible yet....
Media Platforms Design TeamIn 2009, Popular Mechanics gave a Breakthrough Award to Sikorsky’s X2 Technology Demonstrator, a dual-rotor, coaxial helicopter that could fly nearly twice as fast as other vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles. Now the same research department has announced it is developing software and hardware called Matrix intended to “improve significantly the capability, reliability, and safety” of autonomous VTOL aircraft.Autonomous fixed-wing aircraft are advancing rapidly. Just last month, the Navy’s fighter jet-sized drone, the X-47B, successfully landed on an aircraft carrier without the help of a human pilot—a notable achievement considering aircraft carrier landings are arguably a pilot’s most difficult task....
The U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon has been making headlines for its role in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The long-range aircraft’s main mission is hunting and killing submarines, but it’s not just a tool for dropping torpedoes and killing enemy ships. The sensors and hardware on board can make this 130-foot airplane an essential part for the MH370 search.The $220 million P-8A is a reconnaissance and surveillance platform. It carries the APY-10 radar, which may not be new, but is proven....
Of all the planets in our solar system, none go farther out than Neptune at 2.795 billion miles, not counting the few hundred dwarf planets just beyond it. But in the HD 106906 system, something very, very strange is going on. The star’s planet, HD 106906b, is more than 60 billion miles from its host star, and kicked up a massive stream of comets to get there. The distance from the Earth to the Sun is 1 astronomical unit, or 93 million miles....
