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Media Platforms Design TeamJohn Falconio’s office is usually the last place you’d find him. Most of the time, the owner and president of is somewhere on his 10-acre facility in rural Allentown, N.J., the largest sawmill in the state. Falconio, wearing logging boots, a Riephoff trucker’s hat cocked back on his head, and earplugs on a plastic cord draped around his neck, oversees 18 employees and a breakneck operation: Logs come in on trucks and leave as industrial lumber for truck beds or trailers, as building materials, and even as sawdust for horse farms or as mulch for landscapers....

Q: I’ve heard that tossing a whole, dead chicken into my septic tank lessens the need to have the tank pumped because the bacterial action created by the rotting carcass is effective at breaking down sewage. True?A: Like the Jersey Devil and other urban myths, this theory seems to have taken on a life of its own. I first learned of it in the late ’80s from readers who said they knew people who’d been using the technique for decades....

Media Platforms Design TeamOnly a day after announcing a partnership with Nest, ARM, and other manufacturers to support a new wireless protocol, fresh rumors suggest that Samsung might be buying its way into the smart home. According to TechCrunch, Samsung is mulling spending $200 million to acquire SmartThings, a smart home startup that began its short history on Kickstarter accruing $1.2 million in support—more than fives times its original goal. The company has since raised $15 million from interested investors....

Media Platforms Design TeamNASA/JPL-CaltechEach successive mission to the Red Planet ultimately seeks to answer the question most famously posed by David Bowie: “Is there life in Mars?” So, when the Mars 2020 Rover Science Definition Team (SDT) set out to define how the next Martian rover would explore the planet’s surface in search for answers to this question, all they could really rely on was what previous missions have already discovered....

Media Platforms Design TeamThey call him The Freak. Any major league baseball player with hair down to his shoulders and the physique of an indie band bassist (not to mention an arrest on pot possession) is worthy of that kind of a nickname. But San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum, who will start tonight’s opening game of the World Series, earned his moniker the hard way: for his almost unhittable stuff....

UPDATE: The college released a statement revising their policy, saying they would allow Iranian students in with individually tailored curricula that still conforms to federal sanctions. This came after consultation with the State Department. The University of Massachusetts at Amherst is no longer allowing Iranian nationals to enroll in many science and engineering courses, citing recent sanctions against the country. The school has banned Iranian students from graduate programs in the natural sciences, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, or computer engineering....

Media Platforms Design TeamUnderwater wind turbines—it’s an idea so simple you wish you’d patented it. Actually, they’re called tidal turbines, and their rotors are propelled by tidal currents instead of wind. The largest test of this new type of power production is under way in New York City’s East River, with six 35-kilowatt turbines scheduled to be installed by mid-March in a channel that’s off-limits to large vessels. As the 16-ft....

For Business Week reporter Paul Barrett, the gun industry has always been a fascinating topic. “There is really no other business that is so tied up with American history, American politics, law, culture, popular culture, and incessant controversy,” he says. In his book, Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun, out this week, Barrett goes behind the scenes at one of the world’s most successful, and secretive, gun companies.The Glock debuted in the 1980s, and now its everywhere....

LOS ANGELES — The exhibit hall doors at the Los Angeles Convention Center won’t open for another hour, with reporters, semi-reporters and ravenous gamers camped out in a growing mosh pit in front them. So before we offer any “hands-on” feedback for the massive collection of games being previewed here at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), here’s a rundown of the single interesting piece of news buried within last night’s extended Microsoft press conference....

BEYOND BOOK LEARNINGEngineeringOlin CollegeWhat’s the best way to learn about robotics and agricultural engineering? (a) Read about it in a textbook; or (b) build a robot tractor? If you answered (b), then you’re thinking like an Olin student. The Needham, Mass., college opened its doors in 2002, thanks to a $460 million grant from the F.W. Olin Foundation. Its mission: Revamp engineering education, which critics say has become more academic and less practical in recent decades....

Media Platforms Design TeamOn Sale Date: Feb 1, 2013Price: $24,950 to $30,440 Competitors: Mini Countryman, Jeep Patriot, VW Tiguan Powertrains: Turbocharged 1.4-liter I4, 138 hp, 148 lb-ft; 6-speed automatic transmission, FWD or AWDEPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 25/33 mpg FWD, 23/30 AWDWhat’s New: Aiming at an open slot in the U.S. market, this compact luxury crossover is the smallest Buick since the Vega-based Skyhawk from 1980 1979. The Encore is built by GM Korea on a platform shared with the Opel Mokka and Chevrolet Trax (both are sold overseas but not in the U....

Media Platforms Design TeamOn Sale Date: August 2012 Price: $36,000 (est.) Competitors: Audi Q5, BMW X3, Cadillac SRX Powertrains: 3.5-liter V-6, 302 hp, 273 lb-ft of torque (4MATIC); 2.1-liter I-4 turbo-diesel, 190 hp, 369 lb-ft of torque (BlueTEC 4MATIC)EPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): TBDWhat’s New: Although the GLK’s midcycle refresh incorporates only mild styling tweaks, with updated bumpers, headlamps, and interior trim, the mechanical alterations introduce nearly 1000 new parts to the boxy sport ute....

Media Platforms Design Team1. Using a circular saw? Put the finished side face down. Circular saws spin their blade into the wood from the bottom to the top. If you’re concerned about the appearance of the cut, place the finished surface face down while you make the cut.2. Using a sabre saw? Put the finished side face up for a neater cut, since sabre saws cut in a downward motion.3. Score the cut line with a knife....

Media Platforms Design TeamIn the home—as in life—it’s often the little things that matter. And it’s amazing how many small structural things can go wrong around your house. Whether it’s the front-door lock that won’t let you into your own home, or the cracked window that won’t keep the cold out, small household problems can have a big effect. For most of these, there’s no need to call for a repairman—the solution lies in tapping your ingenuity and using a few common household materials in innovative ways....

Media Platforms Design TeamIt’s been more than a decade since the original American Gladiators went off the air. So when NBC announced the show’s return last fall, the official release claimed that, “Using splashy twists including special effects, water skills and the latest technology, the classic games will be upgraded with even higher thrills, impact, energy and spectacle.” A brief first season aired earlier this year, but aside from the excruciating presence of hosts Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali, and a redesigned final obstacle course, the upgrades were hard to spot....

In 2007, I camped out in the hallway of my local mall for 12 hours for the opportunity to buy one of the first iPhones. I was mesmerized by the device and what it could be—so much so that I was willing to spend my entire day sitting on the floor playing Monopoly with my friend Brian, prepared to give Apple what at that point in my life amounted to a week’s paycheck....

In 2009, Boeing had an idea. Instead of developing an entirely new fighter for a market already dominated by the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, it would update an already existing fighter with the latest in technology. Even better, it would be low observable—a step below stealthy planes such the F-35 and F-22 Raptor. The result: the Silent Eagle. Based on the F-15E Strike Eagle, Silent Eagle would be an affordable alternative to the F-35....

Amid the flurry of new car excitement that is the New York International Auto Show, PopMech Editor-in-Chief Jim Meigs (left), Road & Track Editor-in-Chief Larry Webster, and Car and Driver Editor-in-Chief Eddie Alterman found a little time to sit down for Car Show Radio, an hour-long show in the which they and a few guests discuss the top trends of the show. The show airs tonight (Thursday the 28th) at 8 p....

LOS ANGELES — Chrysler lifted the cover off its Sebring, literally: The company just unveiled the 2008 Sebring convertible. And, in a novel approach that might solve our convertible cover dilemma, the car would be built in two versions — one with a metal top, the other fabric. Depending on model — Standard, Touring or Limited — the Sebring can be delivered with a retractable metal top, or a choice of natural or vinyl fabric....

Q: I live in Northern Sweden (62 miles south of the Arctic Circle) where plugging in a car to keep the engine block warm is the norm. However, even if my car has been plugged in for several hours the temperature gauge never shows that the engine is warm when I first start my car. However, it still goes up as I drive it a little while. I know that the car is getting power because a secondary stand alone heater runs when the car is plugged in, so that I can have a warm car when I get in....