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Photos of Elgin Park, Michael Paul Smith’s tiny town, have become internet favorites for good reason. They’re fascinating glimpses of a place that doesn’t quite exist: an authentic-looking American town created with scale models. This video gives us a little insight into Smith himself, the sort of reluctant recognition he got from the photos, and his struggles with bullying from an early age. Smith, an openly gay self-described recluse, has said all he wanted as a youth was for “people to say ‘We like you, you’re interesting....

True to their word, the Terminators are back. Fox’s new TV series, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, is a partial reinvention of the franchise that gave us one of our most treasured sci-fi clichés: the robotic insurgency. In the Terminator timeline–which was fleshed out by a trilogy of films, with another trilogy currently in the works–the world is predestined to be plunged into nuclear winter by an artificially intelligent defense network called Skynet that decides–in a moment of binary brilliance–that the quickest path to peace is genocide....

Hoping to take on Meerkat and other competitors, Twitter is finally making its streaming service, Periscope, publicly available. (Right now, on the first day, somebody is using it to live-stream a fire in New York City.)Like Meerkat, the darling of this year’s CES, Periscope lets you use your phone to live-stream video to anyone. Unlike Meerkat, Periscope allows replays of streams, meaning there’s finally a rewind button for when you miss an unspeakably important stream....

UPDATE: Today the U.S. began airstrikes in Iraq, following President Obama’s declaration on Thursday night that he would do so to protect American citizens and refugees there. In this article, originally published June 13, 2014, we survey America’s bad and worse choices for intervening in Iraq.The world is watching in horror as armies of radical Islamist rebels sweep over large parts of Iraq. People who are turning to Washington D.C. for help, but what can be done?...

The movies and TV shows of the Marvel universe are so popular that DIY engineers can’t resist building their own versions of the merchandise. Take, for example, Allen Pan’s new unliftable hammer, based on Mjölnir, which belongs to Thor and occasionally serves as comic relief in Joss Whedon’s Avengers franchise.Pan’s version of the hammer contains an electromagnet snagged from a microwave. Place it on a metal surface, and, just like the films, the thing becomes virtually immovable....

Media Platforms Design TeamOn-Sale Date: Fall 2011Price: $35,310Competitors: Acura TSX, Audi A4, Volkswagen CC Powertrain: 2.0-liter turbocharged I4, 270 hp, 295 lb-ft; 6-speed manual or automatic, FWDEPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 19/27What’s New: Buick, known to most of the country as a purveyor of comfy but stodgy cars, is trying to remake its image. Exhibit number one is the Regal Gran Sport, a high-performance version of the Regal. This new model packs an impressive suite of hardware—a punchy 270-horsepower turbo engine, four-piston front Brembo brakes, adjustable shock absorbers and sharp styling enhancements....

Media Platforms Design Team The sudden collapse of a bridge can be the result of decades of gradual deterioration. Visual inspection of bridges, dams and other structures can be complemented by automated monitoring, in which sensors provide engineers with ongoing data on the condition of steel and concrete. Jerome Lynch, a researcher at the University of Michigan, is in the forefront of this field, teaming up with other engineers to develop systems for a new generation of intelligent structures....

The RegurgitatorMedia Platforms Design TeamThis hyper-speed tire ride reportedly forces 20 percent of its riders to throw up, sending a swirl of vomit into the crowd. That’s why it’s called the regurgitator. It’s the brainchild of Ryan Doyle and Nick Bindbeutel. It spins people at as much as 5 Gs and runs for 30 to 45 seconds. After 45 seconds, your eyes may start to bleed. Like the carousel that PM took for its first ride, the regurgitator is powered by jets–and is incredibly loud....

Media Platforms Design TeamShuttered in 1988 and marred by vandalism and graffiti, Michigan Central Station (MCS) once provided glaring evidence of Detroit’s lost grandeur and rococo decay. But decades of talk about razing the landmark 1913 building fell silent in 2012, and those who clung to the belief that it could be restored were proved right. In 2025, flourishing gardens, the handiwork of citizen volunteers, welcome visitors to this once-derelict train station that has morphed into a multipurpose magnet....

Last October, on a crisp Monday afternoon, a pilot and his flight instructor took off in a single-engine Mooney M20F four-seater from Rostraver Airport near Monongahela, Pa. The pilot, 72-year-old Charles Schreiber, had four decades of flight experience; his instructor, Elaine Heston, 44, had logged 10,800 hours. About 17 minutes later, the Mooney crashed into the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania. The emergency locator went off on impact, transmitting at 121....

Media Platforms Design TeamImage: Wikimedia CommonsThe U.S. Census Bureau recently released data that indicated a marked increase in the median size of new single-family homes completed in 2012. The New York Times says that we’re looking at the return of the McMansions that sprung up en masse toward the end of the last century.Please don’t tell me we’re picking up where we left off. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against big houses in particular, but I had hoped we’d seen the end of over-building tiny residential lots to gain spaces far larger than they really needed to be....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe Alaska Ranger’s high-water alarm sounded early on Easter morning, March 23, 2008. Two hours later, more than 20 fishermen were bobbing in 32 F seas in nothing but their neoprene survival suits, fighting against breaking 20-foot swells and praying for help to arrive in time. Coast Guard helicopter rescuers were still racing toward the scene when the massive 189-foot bottom trawler slowly turned bow up—and then plunged straight down toward the ocean floor more than a mile below....

Q: Mike, perhaps you can explain what happened and whether I need to take any further action. I have a 2002 Oldsmobile Silhouette. I had the oxygen senor replaced by the dealer after the ‘Service Engine Soon’ light came on. The very next day the car would not start for my wife. She called me at work and explained that the engine would not turn over and the “Security” light was on....

The Claim “Is waxing your car too much work? You rub, and buff, and still have white stuff! Everywhere!” Simoniz’s Liquid Diamond (also sold by Simoniz as Instant Shine) resists mud, tar, and “on a hot day, an egg just rolls away.” As flames dance along the car’s hood, announcer Billy Mays says “not even fire” can penetrate its brilliant shine. “The fastest, most durable shine ever put in a bottle!...

Just weeks after Cerberus’ Chrysler takeover, the auto rumor mill is swirling again, with a Swedish newspaper reporting today that the home of the Ultimate Driving Machine could swallow up Ford’s division for the ultimate safety vehicle. That’s right, BMW has apparently been looking into buying Volvo off of struggling Ford sometime early this year. Go wild in the comments section with your thoughts; we know Detroit is…The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Pentagon are entangled in a war of words today, with this year’s assessment of Chinese military capabilities from the U....

When it comes to green energy, there’s a whole wealth of potential power waiting just a couple thousand feet beneath the Earth’s crust. Geothermal energy—turning the heat inside our blue marble into steam power—could be a great supplement to all the renewable energy sources we already have. It’s just expensive to get to it. The reason it’s so expensive is because drilling isn’t cheap. But Mark Russell of Hypersciences has an alternative that is both more cost-effective and more awesome....

Media Platforms Design TeamFor a long time, FutureGen seemed destined to go down in history as just another one of the George W. Bush administration’s dead-end environmental ventures. The initial FutureGen plan, formulated in the early 2000s, called for building a 275-megawatt clean-coal plant near Mattoon, Ill.‚ “clean” because the carbon dioxide it generated would be captured and put into underground storage. The Bush administration withdrew funding for the project as cost estimates climbed, but this month the Department of Energy announced plans to resume FutureGen in a revised form....

Media Platforms Design TeamA typical American alligator goes through 4000 teeth in its lifetime, replacing each of its 80 teeth 50 times. , published today in gets to the root of the regeneration process and may one day help scientists regrow human teeth.New researchProceedings of the National Academy of Science,Many reptiles regenerate their teeth indefinitely, but for some reason mammals lost that ability. Humans, for example, grow one set of baby teeth, later replaced by adult chompers....

Media Platforms Design TeamSeveral steps to a full DIY home-security system will stop intruders in their tracks. Fitting a deadbolt is just one of those steps—and it’s one of the quickest, easiest, and cheapest DIY home-security projects you can do. With a few basic tools you can finish this project in less than an hour.You’ll need an electric drill with a hole saw and spade bits, a combination square, a tape measure, a chisel, screwdrivers, and a pencil....

View full post on YoutubeIn case you haven’t noticed, Infiniti is hell bent on upgrading their image. And while the self-described “challenger brand” has managed to conquer the high-dollar world of F1 thanks to the prowess of Sebastian Vettel and the Infiniti Red Bull Racing team, the Hong Kong-based manufacturer still has miles to go before they can be mentioned in the same breath as blue chip luxury stalwarts like Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz....