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Media Platforms Design TeamThe AP reported this morning that three climbers who attempted to scale Mount Everest this weekend died and that two more were still missing. But about 150 climbers managed to summit the world’s highest peak on either day—including a 73-year-old who became . the oldest woman to reach the zenithWhy is everyone ascending Everest in May? To find out, and to get other answers to our questions about Everest, we talked to John All, a geographer at Western Kentucky University....

What is a maker, anyway? Before answering that question, I need to rewind a bit and look at the history of the maker movement (and yes, it is a movement, a cultural and economic force).The definition of “maker” has changed radically in the last ten years, and it’s about to morph again in a very big way. The reason for the shifts is common in history: people, lots of them, getting their hands on new technology and tools....

The premise is simple: Astronaut Mark Watney, left behind on Mars by crewmates who believe he is dead, is very much alive. He must use all his cunning and the few meager resources at his disposal to survive on another planet, and maybe get back to Earth.The follow-through is anything but simple. Author Andy Weir’s runaway success of sci-fi novel, The Martian, is full of technical details and elaborate chemistry—tempered by jokes about Three’s Company—as Watney explains how he solves crisis after crisis to keep himself alive....

Media Platforms Design TeamIn case you’ve forgotten, the 2012 Honda Civic landed with a big thud. And rightfully so. The car was a cheap version of its former self and lacked the personality and quality to compete within its segment.Fortunately for Honda, the brand has some cachet. As Honda executives emphatically reminded the audience at Honda’s press conference during the L.A. Auto Show, despite the poor reviews, the Civic remains the top-selling car in its category....

Media Platforms Design TeamOn-Sale Date: NowPrice: $24,950 to $28,250Competitors: Toyota Highlander, Ford Edge, Dodge Journey, Nissan Murano, Hyundai Santa Fe Powertrains: 2.4-liter I-4, 191 hp, 181 lb-ft; 3.3-liter V-6, 290 hp, 252 lb-ft; six-speed automatic, FWD or AWDEPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 19–20/24–26 (I-4), 18/24–25 (V-6)What’s New: The 2014 Kia Sorento’s sheet metal is a disguise. Yes, it looks an awful lot like the 2013 Kia Sorento, and yes, the basic body panels and glass are the same....

Media Platforms Design TeamWhen Barack Obama’s plane during a flight on Monday, was the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate in more danger than anyone let on, including his campaign staff, a major airline, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)–or the senator himself? “Everything seemed under control,” onboard his charter MD-80 after an unscheduled touchdown. “The pilots knew what they were doing.“encountered mechanical problemsObama told reportersBut even as the head of the NTSB called the agency’s investigation of the incident “extremely serious,” a veteran MD-80 flight mechanic described the onboard irregularity to PopularMechanics....

In the latest round of budget negotiations, NASA got a pretty good windfall. But hiding in that $19.3 billion budget it is a $55 million directive: begin building a deep space habitat, and have it ready to go by 2018. In 180 days, NASA will have to report on any progress. It may be part of Congress pushing NASA to be more serious in its efforts toward a crewed Mars mission in the 2030s....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe history of the Impreza WRX STI has been filled with offensive elements: Weird bugeye headlights, awkward jellybean styling, not being available in the USA. Now Subaru has unveiled the new hot rod WRX and it’s completely inoffensive, save for the fact it won’t be offered in hatchback form. Where’s the hooliganism in a car everybody can like? What the crowd can agree on is that a six-speed manual transmission, symmetrical all-wheel-drive, and a 2....

Media Platforms Design Team> Lawn disease requires the right combination of grass type, environment and pathogen. The detail above shows the grayish-white mycelium of gray snow mold covering a section of turf. The damage to your lawn can be extensive. (Photograph by Alan and Linda Detrick) Fairy rings form in soil that’s high in woody organic matter. In moist conditions, the rings may be accompanied by mushrooms. (Photograph by Dr. Peter Landschoot)Media Platforms Design Team> Cool-weather stripe smut displays black stripes of erupted spores on blades....

Media Platforms Design TeamLAS VEGAS — I’m strapped into the driver’s seat of a BMW M5 equipped with the seven-speed sequential manual gearbox. It trembles slightly with each rotation of the crankshaft as I wait in the pit lane of Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s road course. I’m trembling a little myself, because an M5 has enough power to seriously humiliate a careless or inexpert driver. And I’m here to explore the M5’s limits so I can learn about Dunlop’s new ultra-performance tires....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe radiation leaks at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant have gone from bad to worse. First workers vented small amounts of radioactive gas to try to cool the reactors in danger of going into meltdown. Then, on March 15, radiation levels shot up to 1000 times higher than previously recorded after an explosion at a fourth facility housing spent fuel rods. On March 16, according to the AP, plant operators briefly pulled the 50 remaining workers out of Fukushima after radiation levels suddenly spiked again, and then ordered them back in to resume their attempts to stave off an even larger disaster....

Media Platforms Design TeamSoldiers don’t like to climb ropes and ladders. This is not because they are lazy—it’s not a good field for the lethargic—but because climbing means they are exposed to enemy fire and are expending valuable energy. Those simple facts make climbing aides like the Atlas Power Rope Ascender, which can hoist up to 500 pounds with the press of a button, a welcome addition to their gear. Requests for climbing aides increased as U....

Home ownership has long been the American Dream. But being master of your own abode also means you can’t call the super when something needs fixing. Sometimes, you gotta roll up your sleeves and tackle the repair yourself. Fortunately, the homeowner’s tool box has gotten exciting, with manufacturers offering capable tools that were previously too costly for the non-professional’s arsenal. Here are some common home improvement situations you’ll likely come across, plus a few key tools to have on hand....

OLD-WORK ELECTRICAL BOXESI bought new light fixtures for my bathroom, but when I removed one of the old fixtures I found there was no junction box. There is no stud near where I need to place the junction box I would like to install. Please help.MIKEVIA INTERNETYou should be able to install the light fixtures using an old-work electrical box (also known as a remodel box). It’s sold at hardware stores, home centers and electrical supply stores, and is available in any number of rectangular and round configurations....

With the release of Android 5.0, Lollipop, Google is trying to do more than just freshen up its mobile operating system. The launch of Lollipop is also the launch of Material Design, the visual language Google teased this summer that promises to make Android cleaner, more beautiful, and easier to interact with, with bold colors and tactile surfaces everywhere.We met up with Matias Duarte, Google’s VP of design, at Google’s launch event which showed off not only Lollipop but also the big Nexus 6 phone, the Nexus 9 tablet by HTC, and the Nexus Player set-top TV device, all of which run the new system....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe world’s most popular cyber marketplace for drugs, Silk Road, has been seized by the feds. Despite the U.S. government shutdown, at least four agencies—the FBI, the IRS, Homeland Security, and the DEA—are still active. The four took down Silk Road earlier today. They also charged the site’s owner, Dread Pirate Roberts (Ross Ulbricht) with narcotics tracking conspiracy, money launder conspiracy, and computer hacking conspiracy.To collect enough evidence to make a case against Dread Pirate Roberts, FBI Agent Christopher Tarbell and others in law enforcement made more than 100 purchases on Silk Road over the last two years....

Q: My iPod Nano’s screen has failed, but it still plays music and shows up when I plug it into my computer. Is there a way to fix it that doesn’t cost as much as a new one?A: Enjoy tinkering with tiny, delicate parts and voiding any remaining warranty left on your device? If so, replacing your screen is a relatively easy affair. You’ll need to purchase a replacement screen, of course, which will run you around $60 to $80–typically you can find one on eBay....

It’s smaller than your index finger, and it might be the future of implantable devices to treat a fractured spine, pinched nerve, or neurological disorder like epilepsy.As they report in the journal Science today, a team of engineers and medical researchers in Sweden has just designed a pinpoint-accurate implantable drug pump. It delivers medicine with such precision that it requires only 1 percent of the drugs doctors would otherwise need to deploy....

Media Platforms Design TeamJust about a decade ago, the introduction of the contradictory phrase “four-door coupe” angered me. I distinctly remember testing the Mercedes-Benz CLS at its press launch thinking, “This is a pretty car, but why not just call it a sedan?” I doubted the long-term viability of the genre, but the world’s oldest automaker enjoyed the last laugh, as countless imitators have since carved a niche for themselves by building similarly-themed slope-tailed sedans....

Media Platforms Design Team1927: German physicist Werner Heisenberg formulates the uncertainty principle: It’s impossible to measure the physical property of anything without disturbing what you’re measuring. For example, trying to measure a particle’s position changes its speed.2003: Japanese scientist Masanao Ozawa theorizes that Heisenberg’s limit of uncertainty could be lower than previously believed. He claims that researchers can measure a particle’s properties without disturbing others, or at least disturbing them less than Heisenberg thought....