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Media Platforms Design TeamThere are two kinds of men in the world: Those who lather up and carefully lacerate their faces with a razor, and those who mow their faces like a lawn, with the muscular whirring of spinning, motor-driven blades. Okay, maybe there are other kinds of men, like bearded recluses who don’t shave so much as chew their moustaches, but the point is that shaving is a face-destroying pastime—far from painless despite centuries of progress....

Media Platforms Design TeamLast December, an Atlas V rocket rose from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, carrying a secret observation satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office. The engine in the rocket’s booster was an RD-180s, made by Russia’s Energomash corporation. This is only one of many examples that demonstrate the world space industry’s reliance on Russia for flight-ready hardware. It’s true for the European Union, Japan, and the United States....

The template for the American family car is changing — again. Folks have grown weary of thirsty, stiff-riding trucks. And minivans, as functional as they may be, just aren’t hip. But families need to haul the troops, and manufacturers still want to sell them cars. Hence, the crossover, a vehicle that tries to offer the best of three seemingly contradictory worlds: the attitude of an SUV, the practicality of a minivan and the sophistication of a sedan....

In the same breath that they promoted an “open Internet” with no paid prioritization, an agreement between the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the EU Council manages to undo those same goals. While banning throttling, Europe also created a loophole for “specialized services” to pay internet service providers for prioritized Internet speeds, aka internet fast lanes. The agreement, set to enter into force is April 2016, “enable(s) the provision of specialised or innovative services on condition that they do not harm the open Internet access....

Stingrays, the FBI’s favorite cell phone surveillance tool, also harms the cell service of anyone nearby, Wired has discovered. The technique works by creating a fake cell phone tower that connects to the surveillance target’s phone and allows the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to track their movements. Stingrays allow 911 calls to pass through, but most other calls are affected, including non-911 calls to others in emergency situations. Civil liberties groups and others have complained that stingrays might affect users other than the intended surveillance target....

When it comes to fringe science–that occasionally dubious study of mind control, teleportation,invisibility and reanimation–the only true expert might be Dr. Frankenstein. That is, until J.J. Abrams moved beyond the sci-fi-bending universe of Lost–the Large Hadron Collider, time travel and all–and set out to create Fringe, the new X-Files-esque show that debuted last night on Fox. Now, he’s trying to convince the disbelievers that science and technology have advanced to the point where anything is possible....

There is a magic time in the evolution of a consumer electronics product when it descends from the realm of fantasy into reality because of a new combination of price, availability and choice. For high-definition TV, that time is now. Great HDTVs can now be found for under $1000–and even many big, 42-in. sets are under $2000. There is finally plenty of content available to watch–popular prime time TV shows and many sporting events are broadcast in HD....

Media Platforms Design Team Americans keep on buying more and more efficient cars, at least taken on average. According to transportation expert Michael Sivak at the University of Michigan, all the cars, SUVs, vans, and truck sold in the U.S. last month averaged a fuel economy of 25.2 miles per gallon. That’s the highest number he has recorded, beating the 25.1 mpg for January. For comparison, the number was 20.1 mpg as recently as October 2007....

The tension brimmed outside Room 254, the home base of George Westinghouse High School’s FIRST robotics team, the Pirates. Six weeks of late-night work sessions, capped by a sleepless holiday weekend of final tweaks and modifications, had put the Brooklyn students at wits’ end. It was less than 24 hours before the construction deadline, when Fed-Ex would arrive to ship the robot to the scene of New York City’s regional competition–and an overweight robot threatened to send them over the edge....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe space shuttle fleet, for all its sophisticated engineering, is basically an orbital delivery truck. It’s also nearing a well-earned retirement, and this week the world gets a close look at its replacement: a pilotless, fully automated spaceship.The Jules Verne is the first of seven probable Automated Transfer Vehicles, built by the European Space Agency to deliver cargo and supplies to the International Space Station. On Thursday at 9:40 am EST the 20....

Media Platforms Design Team1. Measure It A slew of laser radar sensors measures the dimensions of the asteroid. A spacecraft then deploys its high-strength capture bag to the appropriate size. Inflatable arms and cinching cables unfurl to enclose the asteroid. 2. Bag It The spacecraft bags the rock. The finish on the bag’s exterior ensures that the asteroid doesn’t heat up and lose water.3. Bring it Home The craft makes the long trip back to lunar orbit....

Media Platforms Design TeamStep One: MarkThe water line (the highest point that floodwaters reached) will be evident on the drywall. Mark a cut line six to 12 inches above that using either a laser level or marking around the room at a uniform height above the floor. Then snap a chalk line. This might seem unnecessarily fussy at this point when all you’re trying to do is remove soggy drywall to ventilate the wall....

Last year, PM stood on the sidelines at the RoboCup U.S. Open, as teams from across the country kicked it out robot-to-robot:Elizabeth Sklar has driven 15 hours from New York to Atlanta with her soccer team in the back seat. She has spent months trying to instill the essentials of the “beautiful game” in her players-cooperation, anticipation and the fluid choreography of a team working together. But as game-time approaches, she’s worried about more basic skills....

The ultra-efficient Quantum dot LED lights that earned one of our 2006 Breakthrough Awards aren’t widely available yet, but you can still save energy – and help the environment in the process – by participating in Energy Star’s “Change a Light, Change the World” campaign, which encourages every American household to exchange just one energy-hogging incandescent bulb for an eco-friendly compact fluorescent.Switching at least one light bulb cuts around $30 off your annual electricity bill, according to Bob Aldrich of the California Energy Commission....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe fastest monohull sailboat in the world is a needle-nosed ocean racer called V.O.60. It was designed by Bruce Farr, and is capable of 36 knots. That’s 41.4 mph. This sleek machine is 64 ft. long, just over 17 ft. wide and weighs 30,000 pounds. The mast soars 85 ft. in the air. The bottom of Farr’s speedster has a flat after section like a powerboat–the hull lifts out of the water and planes at anything over 17 knots....

The basic principle behind hydrogen fuel cells is fairly simple: Hydrogen atoms are stripped of their electrons to generate electricity and then combined with oxygen to form water as a by-product. Mainstream deployment of fuel-cell vehicles, though, has proved to be complex. Compared with liquid fuels, hydrogen is tough to transport and store. And without a meaningful number of vehicles on the road, there’s been no incentive to build hydrogen fuel infrastructure....

Media Platforms Design TeamEvery year, F/A-18C Hornet and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet squadrons across the West Coast get together. It’s called the Strike Fighter Ball Pacific, and an important part of the event is the Hornet Ball, the annual video chronicling F-18 exploits throughout the year. Produced by LT Joseph “C-Rock” Stephens, the video shows highlights of the past year from the West Coast’s Hornet community, including overseas-based squadrons. It’s a delightful exercise in fighter plane porn....

It’s no secret that Lockheed-Martin’s development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been, to put it very kindly, difficult. Cost overruns, delayed timelines, engine failures, and poor performance have plagued the fifth-generation stealth aircraft. For instance, Lockheed promised the F-35 would at least match the maneuverability of current jet fighters—but test dogfights between the the F-35 and F-16 have proven otherwise.Now, War Is Boring’s David Axe has found an 8-page document full of talking points from the U....

Media Platforms Design TeamWhen the PR department of a paint company promises something that’s “unlike any product we’ve manufactured before,” it’s easy to be skeptical. However, I’ll admit Rust-Oleum came through with the goods during a recent demonstration of its .NeverWet Multi-Surface Liquid Repelling TreatmentLike all well-marketed home products, NeverWet’s name leaves little to the imagination. Any water-based liquids that come into contact with concrete, wood, plastics, metal, or fabric treated with NeverWet will bead up and roll off, literally....

Media Platforms Design TeamSome are state-of-the art units controlled by microprocessors, while others are based on 17th-century technology. Most are made in the United States, though a few come from Europe and one from even farther away. Yet despite their differences, they share a common goal: to lead the next generation of affordable, cleaner-burning woodstoves for residential heating.Popular Mechanics is a partner and judge in this year’s Wood Stove Design Challenge, a competition that looks to bring more innovation to the world’s most popular and widely used renewable energy device....