Media Platforms Design TeamTo turn your front yard into a creepy cemetery this Halloween, start with the gravestone. Plastic headstones are easy to find at any party store. However, making your own is much more fun, and the finished Halloween graveyard may look much more convincing. Plywood is affordable and easy to paint. Cut out your headstones with a jigsaw. Simple shapes like rectangles or the traditional rounded top are quick and easy to cut....
American baseball fans are preparing to finally get a closer look at the “gyroball,” a pitch that may or may not really exist, but one that has been steadily gaining notoriety over the past year.The pitcher most often associated with the gyroball, which was designed in a computer lab and breaks like a slider ignoring gravity, is Daisuke Matsuzaka. The 26-year-old Seibu Lions phenomenon recently led Japan to the World Baseball Classic championship but now finds himself at the center of a feverish silent auction: Major League Baseball clubs will submit sealed bids to the Lions by 5 p....
The catastrophe that ended the reign of dinosaurs may have also helped forests bloom with flowers that could better withstand the post-apocalyptic climate.The prime suspect for killing the dinosaurs was a cosmic impact—the Earth was struck by a rock from space about 6 miles wide roughly 65 million years ago, near what today is the site of the small town of Chicxulub (CHEEK-sheh-loob), Mexico. This disaster would have released as much energy as 100 trillion tons of TNT, or more than a billion times the combined energy of the bombs that leveled Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leaving behind a giant crater more than 110 miles across....
Media Platforms Design TeamYosemite is synonymous with stunning natural settings and a chance to get away from it all. But in the past few weeks, Yosemite has attracted unwanted attention after a Hantavirus outbreak in the park.So far, eight Yosemite visitors are confirmed to have contracted the virus, with three dead of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome—a variation of Hantavirus that’s not communicable between humans, but which can be transmitted to humans through contact with excrement, saliva, or urine from infected mice....
For a 77-year-old plane, the Breitling DC-3 looks damn good sitting on the flight line in Addison Airport in Texas. This is one stop on the luxury watch company’s world tour, where it’s using the classic flyer to sell watches and make a little aviation history, as Breitling’s DC-3 will become the oldest airplane to circumnavigate the globe. The trip has afforded the public the chance to experience short flights in the venerable airplane, which enjoyed its heyday in the 1940s....
View full post on IframeThere were some things you just couldn’t get away from back in the late 1990s: The Monica Lewinsky scandal, Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” and meteorologists going on and on about El Niño.El Niño was, and is, a weather pattern that forms every 2 to 7 years and is dominated by warm ocean water in the Pacific. The 1997-8 El Niño was one of the most powerful on record; it also became a cultural force that inspired bits on SNL....
MATERIALS LIST–DRESSERKeyNo. Size and description (use)A113/4 x 20-5/8 x 35-1/4" MDF (top core)A2as reqd.mahogany (bottom veneer)A3as reqd.pomele sapele (top veneer)B123/4 x 17 x 34-3/4" MDF (side core)B2as reqd.mahogany (inner veneer)B3as reqd.pomele sapele (outer veneer)C42 x 2 x 54-1/4" mahogany (leg)D1121/8 x 1/8 x 54-1/4" wenge (inlay)D241/8 x 1/8 x 5-1/2" wenge (inlay)E43/4 x 2 x 2" wenge (feet)F113/4 x 5 x 33-1/2" mahogany (top rail)F213/4 x 5 x 33-1/2" mahogany (bottom rail)G23/4 x 3-5/8 x 41" mahogany (mullion)H13/4 x 19 x 32" birch plywood (bottom)I13/4 x 3/4 x 32" mahogany (edge band)J121/8 x 1/8 x 20-1/2" wenge (inlay)J211/8 x 1/8 x 35-1/4" wenge (inlay)K1213/16 x 1-1/8 x 22-1/8" mahogany (edge)K2113/16 x 1-1/8 x 37-1/2" mahogany (edge)L113/16 x 3/8 x 35-1/4" mahogany (edge)M21 x 5 x 17" mahogany (rail)N21 x 9-3/4 x 17" mahogany (rail)O53/4 x 6 x 32" mahogany (rail)P31/2 x 9 x 40-1/4" mahogany plywood (panel)Q113/4 x 4-7/8 x 31-7/8" mahogany (drawer front)Q213/4 x 6-7/8 x 31-7/8" mahogany (drawer front)Q333/4 x 7-7/8 x 31-7/8" mahogany (drawer front)Q413/4 x 8-7/8 x 31-7/8" mahogany (drawer front)R121/2 x 4-1/8 x 18-5/8" maple (drawer side)R221/2 x 6-1/8 x 18-5/8" maple (drawer side)R361/2 x 7-1/8 x 18-5/8" maple (drawer side)R421/2 x 8-1/8 x 18-5/8" maple (drawer side)S111/2 x 3-3/8 x 30-7/8" maple (drawer back)S211/2 x 5-3/8 x 30-7/8" maple (drawer back)S331/2 x 6-3/8 x 30-7/8" maple (drawer back)S411/2 x 7-3/8 x 30-7/8" maple (drawer back)T61/4 x 18-1/8 x 30-7/8" birch plywood (drawer bottom)U121/2 x 1 x 2-1/2" mahogany (block)V141-1/2" No....
GOODWOOD, England — There’s one very important lesson that automakers in the United States are learning lately: It’s the small, fuel-efficient cars that sell. And it’s not exactly breaking news to those of us across the pond. We’ve been pummeled by high gas prices and crowded city centers for decades. Small cars are the rule in Europe, not the exception. But driving small and saving big at the pump doesn’t mean fun has to be left on the back burner next to the tea kettle....
Media Platforms Design Team The 2.0 liter all-wheel-drive Suzuki SX4 crossover hatchback has always been a bit of an oddball: It looks relatively sporty compared to other cars in the subcompact class, yet delivers relatively modest performance. Well, thanks to Road Race Motorsports, the SX4 has gotten quite a bit quicker. —Basem Wasef The Specs Mating a turbocharger to the stock 143-hp powerplant injects some Hyde-like personality into Suzuki’s little hatch....
Media Platforms Design TeamEarlier this month, China tested a new helium-filled airship that will soar to great height to offer the government new and broad surveillance capabilities. Called Yuanmeng, the ship is expected to be able to stay aloft for up to 48 hours. According to People’s Daily Online, an official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, the Yuanmeng was tested above Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia, on October 6.The airship works via a combination of lighter-than-air gases and electricity....
Media Platforms Design TeamEver since the loss of the space shuttle Challenger, almost a quarter of a century ago, the watchword above all others at NASA has been “safety.” Unfortunately, watchwords don’t necessarily create actual safety, as we learned a little over seven years ago, with the loss of her sister ship Columbia.Despite NASA’s own checkered safety record, the last refuge of those defending Ares I, which the Obama administration has proposed canceling in the new budget request, is that it will somehow be safer than the commercial vehicles proposed to replace it, despite the fact that it is years from flight and NASA is proposing to fly crew aboard the new vehicle on its second flight....
Media Platforms Design TeamBUICK’S FIRST CROSSOVERBuick unveiled Enclave, its first real crossover vehicle, here in The Motor City yesterday. (The way we look at it here, the Rendezvous is more of a converted minivan.) The car-based Enclave combines the best features of an SUV, station wagon and minivan in a midsize package that will compete in the entry-luxury vehicle market. Enclave has all the elements that make crossovers the favorite new vehicle of today....
Home maintenance isn’t restricted to repairs. In fact, certain tasks– when performed regularly–may actually prevent things from breaking in the first place. But when things do go wrong (and it’s inevitable that they do), we have some backup plans that you can try before you grab the phone to call for pro. Appliances and plumbing are the most frequent offenders, but they also often can be the simplest to care for....
Media Platforms Design TeamIf you don’t have to travel next Wednesday, then do yourself a favor and stay home, away from the chaos.To predict when travel conditions will be at their worst this holiday season, Google engineers looked at data from 21 cities over the previous two years. Their main conclusion is no surprise: The day before Turkey Day is the worst travel day almost everywhere in the country, and the worst time to be on the road is between 3 and 5 p....
Media Platforms Design TeamIn the 2004 US Open tennis quarterfinals, Serena Williams couldn’t catch a break against Jennifer Capriati. Faced with a comedy of linesman and chair umpire errors, the world’s best player looked on as one bad call after another went against her, swinging the match in Capriati’s favor. The decisions were so egregious that US Open officials dismissed the chair umpire from the remainder of the tournament and apologized to Williams for the calls....
Media Platforms Design TeamLast Sunday, during a playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III crumpled on the field with a knee injury. Griffin reportedly tore ACL and LCL ligaments and may face a year-long recovery following reconstructive surgery today. But as bad as things look for the star rookie QB, things could be worse: A physical therapist told ESPN that Griffin would be looking at even graver recovery challenges had he suffered damage to his knee cartilage....
Media Platforms Design TeamHurricane Sandy continues to have a devastating human cost for victims along the eastern seaboard, but a notable portion of the estimated $20 billion in physical damages has been automotive.While Fisker gained unwanted publicity after 338 of their sedans burned to the ground due to the storm’s salt water shorting their batteries, the bigger financial story lies in the estimated 200,000 vehicles that will be written off due to water damage....
Media Platforms Design TeamHere is an odd yet clever crossover: Mario Kart 8 was just released in Japan. So was the new Mercedes-Benz GLA. So, of course, players will be able to download the Mercedes SUV for Mario and friends to drive in the game.The DLC will be free and is part of a bigger ad campaign for the GLA in Japan. In real life, the vehicle is not particularly suited for racing, so the in-game car will be modified—it will have no roof, for example....
Put aside the never-ending debate about whether “Star Trek” or “Star Wars” is superior and watch this “Star Wars VS Star Trek” trailer, amazing fan-made teaser by Alex Luthor that shows just what would happen if the two universes co-existed.In this ultimate geek-out, Kirk and crew go up against their most formidable foe yet: Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, thousands of Storm Troopers, and one giant Death Star headed right for Earth....
Sea ice is dwindling all across the Arctic, so much so that in 2007, ice melt opened up the fabled Northwest Passage, the all-water route across the American continent that ill-fated voyages sought for centuries. The region might become even waterier in years to come, but one research team is going on a scientific road trip along the northern sea ice while they have the chance. Starting next month, adventurers from the Mars Institute plan to drive a modified Humvee across more than 1200 miles of treacherous thin ice and frozen ground, becoming the first road vehicle to drive the route of the Northwest Passage....
