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Media Platforms Design TeamMedia Platforms Design TeamThe evolutionary path of the computer is curiously cyclical. In the 1970s, companies relied upon mainframes, with multiple users sharing a single central computer through “terminals.” But by the early 80s, the ascendancy of the personal computer had pushed this setup to obscurity, essentially re-orienting the relationship to keep most of a PC’s processing and productivity tasks between the machine and its individual user. The rise of dial-up and then broadband Internet in the following decade changed our conception of PCs from isolated islands of processing power to connected communication devices, not unlike phones or televisions....

Media Platforms Design TeamOn page three of a Google search for the term “apple,” there it is: the first mention of apple, the fruit. It’s a Wikipedia entry reminding visitors that “the apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree.” The Wiki listing for the delicious fruit is sandwiched between apple-history.com, a site that offers “a brief history of the company that changed the computing world forever,” and Google Finance’s own description of the technology company that is arguably its greatest competitor....

Media Platforms Design TeamIn what could signal the first step of a radically evolving auto industry, startup firm Fisker Automotive announced today that it will build its next-generation hybrid sedan in a now-closed GM factory in Wilmington, Del. The facility originally opened in 1947 and most recently produced the Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice. GM closed the plant last summer as part of its on going reorganization effort.Vice President Joe Biden, who was a Delaware senator for 36 years, made a fiery speech during the event....

Media Platforms Design TeamRemember the original Palm Treo, released in 2002? Its flashy screen pushed the limits of resolution with 160 x 160 pixels. Then came liquid-crystal technology. The first iPhones all boasted 320 x 480, which has been more than adequate for the iPhone’s estimated 21 million users. But not for long—the new iPhone 4G is out to best itself, with 960 x 640–pixel resolution for a 3.5-inch diagonal screen....

In Knowing, Nicholas Cage plays John Kessler, an MIT astrophysicist who believes that the universe’s course is caused by random events and circumstances with no grand plan–until a mysterious numerical code, unearthed from a time capsule buried for half a century, correctly predicts every major disaster of the last 50 years. The catch? It also predicts the upcoming end of the world. Knowing’s plot is part real astrophysics and part mysticism; PM’s Digital Hollywood gets to the bottom of what is fact–and what’s science fiction....

Click here to post this video on your blog or website.Click here to post a photo of this winner on your blog or website.Helicopter performance depends on the length of the rotor blades. For heavy lifting, a large rotor works best, but short blades reduce drag and ultimately allow for higher maximum speeds. Farhan Gandhi, a Penn State University professor of aerospace engineering, has devised an elegant, simple way to achieve both configurations in the same aircraft, using the same rotor....

When I walked into GE’s water treatment plant in Hudson Falls, N.Y., past enormous 10,000 gallon tanks labeled “sludge conditioning,” “backwater holding” and “effluent,” I was still groggy from four hours of sleep and a three-hour bus ride. But as I took my seat under a big green sign printed in friendly cursive letters “Safety First,” I wasn’t too tired to appreciate the irony. It was the first day of the Society for Environmental Journalists (SEJ) conference in Burlington, Vermont, and we were here to see firsthand what the company is doing to remove the PCBs that, for 30 years, it had discharged into the Hudson River....

NEW YORK – The Airbus A380 – the world’s largest passenger plane – made a U.S. debut today that was as outsize as its girth. At New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, the 560-ton behemoth touched down about ten minutes after noon – 20 minutes ahead of schedule – to a crowd of hundreds of reporters and bystanders. On board were about 500 employees of Airbus and Lufthansa German Airlines, which hosted the flight and provided the crew....

Media Platforms Design TeamNavy engineers had a banner day on Thursday, with two weapons tests breaking world records–loudly. Demonstrating the power of an extreme machine that PM got an exclusive first look at last year, engineers fired a seven-pound slug from an electromagnetic railgun at a record power level of 10 megajoules (check out video below). That kind of muzzle energy should be enough to pulverize land and sea targets at long ranges....

Media Platforms Design TeamIn the beginning, there was the V12. Designed by Giotto Bizzarrini for ambitious tractor magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini, Bizzarini’s V12 was fitted to the first Lamborghini, the handsome 1963 350GT. Was that first Lamborghini engine based on Bizzarrini’s 1.5-liter Grand Prix screamer, or Honda’s similar unit, as suggested by L.J.K. Setright in 1973? Does it matter? And, besides, who would dare ask? “I know Giotto,” said Maurizio Reggiani, Lamborghini’s R&D chief....

More than a few New Yorkers reacted with amusement when, on the morning of July 22, the city awoke to discover that pranksters had planted two large white flags atop the towers of Brooklyn Bridge. One local publicist took to Twitter to ask if the flags meant that the hipsters of Brooklyn were signaling their surrender to the mainstream, while a friend tweeted back, “I think it’s a plea for Lena Dunham to stop appearing naked in ‘Girls....

The JF-17 “Thunder” multi-role fighter, the first fighter plane manufactured in Pakistan, finally has a buyer. According to China Daily, representatives of Aviation Industry Corporation of China and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex signed a contract for delivery of an unknown number of planes—to an unknown buyer. The deal was signed this month at the Dubai Air Show.The JF-17—also known as the FC-1 Xianlong—is a joint development of Pakistan and China. First flown in 2003, the single seat plane was designed by the Chengdu Aviation Industry Group and incorporates Chinese weapons, avionics, and a Chinese engine....

View full post on YoutubeOur country’s National Parks have a message for you: Your drones are not wanted.On Friday, officials wrote on the Yosemite National Park Facebook page that they have “seen an increase in visitors using drones within park boundaries over the last few years.” With the soaring vistas available in the park, perhaps it was inevitable. We’ve chronicled rogue drones pilots buzzing around iconic locations like the Golden Gate Bridge to capture breathtaking footage....

Media Platforms Design TeamRussia is set to finally deliver a batch of S-300 surface to air missiles to Iran. Ordered in 2007, the deal has been held up by UN sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program. According to TASS News Service, a new agreement to supply the missiles will be signed early next year. According to TASS, delivery should be within 18 months of the contract being signed. TASS speculates that the advanced S-300VM version may be built for Iran....

At 8:33 p.m. EST tonight, SpaceX will send a Falcon 9 up from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, then attempt something the Falcon 9’s never done before: attempt a ground-based landing.Though it’s made successful soft landings at sea and narrowly missed landing a rocket twice on its high-tech barge. But tonight, it will test out returning the first stage of the rocket to Earth and having it perform a vertical landing intact....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe heat of summer is just kicking into full gear, and so should you. Here’s how to make sure that, before August rolls around, your lawn’s green, your home’s clean and everything’s up to date in between. —Roy BerendsohnOUTDOORS1. Apply no more than 1 in. of water per week to yourlawn, in two applications. Water in the morning, if possible, to ensure that the water soaks in. Higher evaporation rates in the afternoon reduce the amount of water that reaches the grass roots....

Media Platforms Design TeamSunrise, the best iOS and Android calendar app, is now available for Macintosh. Unfortunately, after using this service, I found that its top-dog status doesn’t translate to the Mac, where the native Calendar app still reigns supreme.Like the mobile version and web app (which launched, along with an Android app, in late May), the desktop Sunrise excels at social network integration. Users connect to their accounts on Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Foursquare, Producteev, Evernote, Github, Songkick, Asana, and TripIt (and, soon, Exchange)....

Weight: 3,400 to 3,600 poundsEngines: (horsepower not finalized): 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder, 270 hp; 3.6-liter V-6, 330 hp; 6.2-liter V-8, 440 hpTransmissions: Six-speed manual or eight-speed automaticThe Camaro has a big red button mounted to the top of the dash, an ominous mushroom that looks like it could start World War III. In fact, its purpose is to stop an out-of-control prototype. This is a 2016 Camaro, the all-new sixth generation, and it’s not quite done yet—it’s still in the oven, to the point that it needs a kill switch just in case the throttle software goes glitchy and sends you on an involuntary top-speed run....

Until the taxi drones take over, Michelin will be in the business of selling tires, but it’s idea of what they might look like in a few decades is utterly alien. The “Vision” is an organic, airless, rechargeable, 3D-printed tire, in theory. The far-out concept was floated at Michelin’s Movin’On conference in Montreal. The tire would be made from bio-sourced and biodegradable materials, including natural rubber, paper, tin cans, wood electronic and plastic waste as well as a handful of other recyclable items to minimize its environmental impact....

Next Monday is the keynote at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, and we’ll be there, reporting live. As usual, there are rumors aplenty about the various devices that could be announced at the keynote–for better or worse, following Apple rumors has become a sub-genre of tech journalism. For a while, Apple enthusiasts were generating fresh buzz about a long-anticipated tablet computer (as in: Apple has placed orders for large multitouch screens to a manufacturer in Asia....