Popular Mechanics articles from April 2004

Popular Mechanics archives from April 2004

Gadgets and gizmos in Vegas.(Editor's Notes)
April 1, 2004... It's like a ritual. Once a year, we all get on a plane for Las Vegas. The ensuing four days are spent walking hundreds of thousands of square feet (literally) of convention center floor space and myriad hotel suites, looking, looking, looking...

They're here.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... I found it fascinating that our government would have a plan already in place to deal with the arrival and landing of a UFO--if and when it ever happens. But then when I thought about it, of course it would have a contingency plan ready for...

Reader project of the month.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... I built a pool table (with a couple of modifications) from plans I found in the December 1961 and January 1962 issues of POPULAR MECHANICS, I decided to use pockets instead of ball returns. I have had to re-cover the top once, but we have...

Wheels of justice.(Time Machine)
April 1, 2004... 100 Years Ago: April 1904 When Alliance, Neb., replaced Henningsford as the country seat, it needed a courthouse. Rather than built a new structure, it was more economical to ship the old one by freight from Henningsford. The 2-story...

On a troll.(Time Machine)
April 1, 2004... 25 Years Ago: April 1979 PM's plan of the month was a bass boat, specially designed for avid fishermen, that could be built for less than $450 (excluding the engine). With a 20-hp engine, the performance was said to be good enough for...

Relatively speaking.(Time Machine)
April 1, 2004... 75 Years Ago: April 1929 Building on his famous theory of relativity, Albert Einstein attempted to define the laws of motion of atomic particles in the gravitational field. Einstein theorized that gravitation and electricity were the same...

Mighty mite.(Time Machine)
April 1, 2004... 50 Years Ago: April 1954 RCA developed the first atomic battery that directly converted atomic energy into small, but usable, quantities of electricity. The battery contained a minute amount of a radioactive isotope. This, in turn, was...

Around the world in 80 hours.(Technology Watch)
April 1, 2004... Steve Fossett, the first solo pilot to circle the Earth in a balloon, hopes to repeat the trip, this time in a jet plane. The flight plan calls for the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer to take off from a yet-unnamed airport in the American Midwest...

Growing new nerves.(Technology Watch)
April 1, 2004... Synthetic molecules designed by scientists at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., act as tiny scaffolds that promote the growth of nerve cells. "We have shown that our scaffold selectively directs cells to become neurons," says...

UAV takes to German skies.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... The German navy may use a version of the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for maritime surveillance. POPULAR MECHANICS was on hand when a test version, called the Euro Hawk, made a pinpoint landing at Nordholz Air Base...

Casting light on nano realm.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... One of the more vexing problems facing scientists who work with nanotechnology is being able to see their subject. Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico solved the problem by firing a short burst of laser light through a...

Genetically modified pet fish.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... Is your cat getting bored watching plain old goldfish swim around? Get a GloFish. Yorktown Technologies of Austin, Texas, has received FDA approval to sell genetically modified zebra fish. The addition of a gene from a sea anemone causes the...

Plastic grass saves water.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... Artificial grass will join the Eiffel Tower and Manhattan skyline on the Las Vegas list of fabulous fakes. The turf is made of polyethylene fiber on a urethane mat, much like that used to carpet professional sports fields. It will replace the...

World's tallest building pays homage to American history.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... Freedom Tower, the skyscraper to be constructed on the World Trade Center site, will incorporate two tributes to America's past. Its 1776-ft. height recognizes the year the 13 colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. The...

Moon race outtakes.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... Not all of the film shot by and about Apollo program astronauts was shown on television. Broadcaster Mark Gray of Spacecraft Films in Charlotte, N.C., found miles of film and tape in government archives. He has synchronized that pristine...

Mechanical milestone: robots learn to run.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... The difference between running and walking is that during a sprint both feet briefly leave the ground between steps. A 2-year-old can do it with ease, but until recently robots found this feat impossible. QRIO robots from Sony, shown here,...

Air Force tests new BMWs.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... Electronic devices ranging from beepers to cellphones blanket the planet with electromagnetic energy. To test circuits away from this background noise, engineers use rooms called anechoic chambers. The largest of these in the United States is...

Inside out autopsies.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... Swiss radiologists say they can autopsy a corpse without cutting into the body. The new method, called a Vitopsy, combines magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography to create an inside look at the organs. Michael Thail, a forensic...

Stuff of life found far from Earth.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... Data returned by NASAs soon-to-be abandoned Hubble Space Telescope shows the presence of two basic building blocks of life 150 light-years from Earth. Carbon and oxygen have been found bleeding off the atmosphere of the extra-solar planet HD...

Writing on thin air.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... A new type of digital display system that projects color images onto air may someday replace computer and television screens. According to IO2 Technology of Forest Lake, Ill., its Heliodisplay works by shining light onto columns of air that...

Planet watch.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... * INDONESIA Heavy rains pummeled central Java on Jan. 29, followed by landslides that killed 29 people in Tlitir and Banyu Urip. As PM went to press, nine people remained missing. Meanwhile, villages on the slope of Mount Egon were having...

Shape of future submarines.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... A tiny underwater vehicle named NNemo 1 will help engineers find the best shape for future submarines. Developed by Northrop Grumman Newport News in Newport News, Va., the radio-controlled model is currently undergoing testing. Results will be...

Largest seafloor sampler.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass., has developed a coring device that can penetrate 150 ft. into the ocean bottom. Weighing nearly 25,000 pounds, it is nearly twice as long and four times as heavy as existing systems in...

Merger of jet and IC engine technology.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... A hybrid engine that merges aircraft and automotive technology can run on almost any liquid or gas that burns. The keys to its performance are a sensor-activated pressure-containment valve and the shape of the combustion chamber, says designer...

First images from Spitzer Telescope.(Space Shots)
April 1, 2004... Even blase astronomers were dazzled by the first images from the Spitzer Space Telescope. Shown here is the Elephant's Trunk Nebula in the constellation of Cepheus, 2450 light-years from Earth. The globule is being compressed by the surrounding...

Thrill riders aim for the sidewalk.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2004... On paper, X Scream looks pretty tame. An 8-passenger car shuttles down an 85-ft. ramp at a leisurely 30 mph. But as they say in real estate: location, location, location. The ride starts 886 ft. above Las Vegas on the observation deck of the...

NASA casts a longing eye toward the moon.(Following Up)
April 1, 2004... When POPULAR MECHANICS prepared readers for the Apollo 11 lunar landing in July 1969, it seemed certain that by the dawn of the 21st century, rocketing to the moon would be as routine as flying to Miami. After the Soviet-American space race...

An American icon zips shut, heads for foreign shores.(Following Up)
April 1, 2004... Is there any piece of clothing that is more American than Levi's jeans? We certainly didn't think so when we recounted the proud history of the denim icon in our May 1999 issue. A part of America for 150 years, Levi's jeans helped settle the...

Desktop brawl.(Computers)
April 1, 2004... A few months ago, Apple introduced a new computer built around its G5 64-bit processor--and a brash new marketing campaign for it. Apple claimed it was "the world's fastest personal computer." A bold claim. So bold, in fact, that we...

Spam I am.(Information)
April 1, 2004... It is unaffectionately known as spam. Why our scourge of electronic junk mail took the name of a canned pork product is beyond me, but one thing's for sure. Most people want the electronic kind about as much as the kind that comes in a can. ...

Attack of the giant amphibians.(Amphibians)(Terra Wind)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... Beware the giant amphibians. At night by the lake, amid the incessant chirping of crickets and the croaking of frogs, comes the sound of Fordus Excursionus slithering up the bank. Farther out, in deeper water, is the ominous outline of a 43-ft....

2005 Chevrolet Equinox.(New Cars)
April 1, 2004... Saturn's exclusivity is a thing of the past. As General Motors continues to find ways to amortize costs and maximize all of its resources, the once "untouchable" different kind of car company has become more like other GM divisions. And that...

2004 Suzuki V-Strom 650.(New Cars)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Suzuki's do-it-all V-Strom 1000 is just the right blend of sport tourer and off-road enduro. And now it has a kid brother. The V-Strom 650 is a lighter, less expensive and less powerful version of the original. Though the engine between your...

2004 Harley-Davidson Customs.(New Cars)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... H-D's 6-year-old Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) has created two more limited-production bikes. CVOs are differentiated from all others by factory-installed Screamin' Eagle (SE) high-performance parts and accessories, and special handlebars...

2004 Kawasaki Vulcan 2000.(New Cars)
April 1, 2004... Perhaps more with motorcycles than most things, size does matter. Enter the Vulcan 2000. With a bore of 103mm and a stroke of 123.2mm, the newest Kawasaki cruiser has a displacement of 2053cc. The big engine sports pushrods and four valves per...

The goods: great products and promotional offers from PM advertisers.(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... Shade Tree Canopies Turn your HOT deck or patio into a cool outdoor oasis. Elegant retractable canopies to attach to your house or install free-standing in your yard. All systems are custom-made to fit your deck of patio and shipped...

That 70's car: restoring a vintage automobile from a celebrated decade! Part I of II.(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... Six months ago, we asked car enthusiasts to choose which car from the Seventies they'd most like to see us restore. Your votes selected the 1970-1974 Plymouth Barracuda, one of the rarest and coolest of all Pony Cars. Good choice! The...

World's largest saw.(Extreme Machines)
April 1, 2004... What do you do when a 20,000-ton car carrier capsizes in one of the world's busiest waterways? In the case of the ill-fated Tricolor, you put out an urgent call for the world's largest saw. The tale begins on Dec. 14, 2002, when the giant...

Turning off hair loss.(Medicine)
April 1, 2004... In ancient Egypt physicians used the electric catfish that inhabit the Nile River to shock their patients into good health. Since then, electric and magnetic stimulation devices have fallen in and out of favor with the medical establishment. By...

Crowning a new queen: the Queen Mary 2 is the biggest, fastest, most luxurious cruise ship.(Naval Architecture)(Cover Story)
April 1, 2004... When Britannia ruled the waves, a ticket stamped "POSH" supposedly bought a traveler the height of luxury; a "port out, starboard home" berth on the shady sides of the ship. Today, the password for opulence is QM2, for Queen Mary 2. Nearly as...

Smart threads: today's technology-driven fabrics coddle you while battling the elements.(Gear)
April 1, 2004... Your son is a brain surgeon and your daughter owns her own software company. That's nice, but what does your jacket do? If it just lies on you and looks cool you're totally yesterday. Cutting-edge fabrics worth their weave will function as a...

Real. Tech. Here. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the editor's choice award winners shine like the lights of Sin City.(Popular Mechanics Editor's Choice Awards)
April 1, 2004... The future is here and it was on display at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas--the largest Consumer electronics show in the world. At past shows, much of the new, exciting technology our editors covered was not yet...

Long-term test cars: welcoming 300 hp of pint-size fun.(Update)
April 1, 2004... We witness the simultaneous departure of a small, front-drive important-brand sedan and the arrival of another small, import-brand sedan. There, however, the similarities end. The departing car is being hailed as an example of what the auto...

The future is now: how Texas Instruments plans to change the world, one chip at a time.(Computers)
April 1, 2004... Someday your digital camera will shoot video so impressive you won't need a camcorder when you go on vacation, Someday you'll play 3D games on your cellphone in surround sound. Someday you'll download a movie from the Internet and shoot it to...

Spring training: build this kit greenhouse and have a big-league growing season.(Gardening)
April 1, 2004... Gardening has always been the No. 1 hobby among Americans. But that has traditionally meant outdoor gardening. Lately, however, more gardeners are adding an indoor dimension to their gardening interest by building a greenhouse. Some industry...

Sitting pretty: an easy-to-build cedar chair, and an ottoman to match.(Project)
April 1, 2004... If you've ever dreamed of extending the comfort of your living room to your deck, patio or yard, our porch chair-and-ottoman combination is a great place to start making that dream a reality. We've built the set out of solid red cedar--a wood...

Good neighbors: an elegant picket fence that's easy to build.(Project)
April 1, 2004... Of all the things you might do to dress up your landscape, few have as much impact as adding a fence. And if it's a picket fence, your yard suddenly takes on a charm and character that's right up there with Mom and apple pie. It not only...

Gardening catalogs: mail-order plants and seed.(Reference)
April 1, 2004... To browse a gardening catalog is to be an eternal optimist. These catalogs fill page after page with delightfully sunny images of flowers, shrubs, trees, fruits and vegetables. No weeds, fungi of plundering insects intrude on this world. The...

Panning for oil.(Auto Clinic)
April 1, 2004... I got my car back from the quick lube yesterday, and now there's a big puddle of oil on the drive. The manager at the garage says the drain plug was stripped, and his guy reinstalled it as carefully as possible. I say BS. I want them to replace...

Bridge merchant.(Auto Clinic)
April 1, 2004... The dealer tells me I need to replace the intake manifold gasket in my 1997 Monte Carlo LS right away, if not sooner. He says the leak is really bad and that I need to keep close track of the oil level or it will run dry. The gasket will cost...

Flush twice.(Auto Clinic)
April 1, 2004... I read PM's Saturday Mechanic from June 2003 about changing transmission fluid, and took your advice. I detached the transmission cooler line from the radiator, then ran the engine briefly until fluid stopped running out into the bucket. I got...

Batten down the hatches.(Car Care Tip)
April 1, 2004... It was too consistent a pattern. I was driving back home, and the Check Engine light came on after a few miles. It went out a few hundred miles later. Not unusual in this day of tattletale engine-management computers. The misfire detection...

Service tips.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... * Do the instrument panel lights on your 2000-04 Dodge Intrepid, Chrysler Concorde or 300M flicker and change brightness at random? Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 08-022-03 says it might be from a poor connection at the headlamp switch. Don't...

Batteries not included.(Auto Clinic)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... My car battery is rated for 24 months. The 24 months are up. Should I replace it before it fails? I've had batteries quit before and it's always around the 24-month point. How do they know? How is a battery made to go 24, 36 of 48 months? Is...

Repairing windshield washers.(Saturday Mechanic)
April 1, 2004... An oncoming car suddenly splashes a huge wave of muddy water at you. Panicked, you manage to toggle the windshield wipers on, clearing the sluicing muddy water away. But as the water dries, your vision is clouded by the remaining muddy film....

1. Current events.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Battery chargers)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... Rayovac's 15-Minute Charger should cut into your battery bill. Two types are available: a 2-battery and a 4-battery model ($25 and $35, respectively). The devices use only the company's I-C3 nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries, which can be...

2. It's a gas.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... If you've had it with getting sprayed with gasoline while trying to adjust the floats in your carburetor with the engine running, this float-adjusting tool will help keep you dry. The tool loosens the locknut, and its internal screwdriver...

3. The buck starts here.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)
April 1, 2004... John Deere is now in the ATV business with its new Buck lineup. Powered by 500cc or 650cc Rotax engines, the ATVs feature progressively locking all-wheel-drive systems, and a set of front and rear cargo racks of a rear cargo box. Uplevel models...

4. Multibeam.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)
April 1, 2004... Climbers, spelunkers and other adventurers will appreciate the versatile Petzl MYO 5 headlamp. Its five LEDs can be adjusted to three lighting levels for illuminating up to 99 ft. A 6-volt xenon bulb gives you a beam that illuminates up to 330...

5. Free poster.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... Here is one great poster. It shows 100 of POPULAR MECHANICS'S best covers, one from each of the first 100 years of PM's existence. It measures 11 x 17 in. and is suitable for framing. And it's free. To receive a poster, simply send PM a...

6. Potent pair.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)
April 1, 2004... Pair up Black & Decker's reciprocating saw ($70) and its 1/2-in. hammer drill ($60) and you have formidable cutting and drilling capability for $130. The saw weighs about 6.75 pounds and cuts with 2400 strokes per minute. The hammer drill...

7. Heat stroke.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Ringers Gloves )(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... Sportsman racers and weekend warriors should check out the DriverX driving gloves made with fire-retardant CarbonX. Manufactured from carbon fiber, CarbonX will not ignite even when exposed to 2600[degrees]F for up to 2 minutes, and it will not...

8. Smaller is better.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Oven)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... Think about it. For day-to-day cooking, do you need a full-size oven? Probably not. That explains the growth in countertop toaster ovens. Jenn-Air's convenience oven is a full-featured, 220-volt wall oven with an amazing difference: Its oven...

Cat's meow.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Ocean Tech Yachts)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Offshore catamarans usually are single-purpose boats designed for high-speed cruising. Ocean Tech Yachts'40-ft. SS-4000 Express adds fishing and diving capability to its 55-mph top-speed performance. The boat features a 265-sq.-ft. cockpit, and...

Routes.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... If you're tired of getting lost and having your spouse say, "I told you so" every time you make a wrong turn, try the GeoSat2 Car Navigator. It will calm everyone's nerves. The unit uses GPS/WAAS technology with a digital mapping system. The...

Cold cart.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... Home appliances don't get any more versatile than this portable refrigerator. It runs on propane, 12-volt DC or 120-volt AC. Its wheels snap on and the foldup handle acts as a stand. The appliance has room enough for six 6-packs of your...

On the beam.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)
April 1, 2004... Dialing 911 in an emergency won't help very much if you're stranded in the boonies and don't know where you are. With TracMate, a satellite monitoring device, you dial 911 on your cellphone, then hold the phone up to TracMate. The unit...

Stick together.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Liquid Nails)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... Liquid Nails may be on to something with the adhesive that it calls Perfect Glue. It handles the bulk of household fastening jobs, even waterproof ones, works indoors and out, and withstands temperatures from minus 600 to 300[degrees]F. And,...

Offbeat.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... If you're looking for a way to improve your game, check out the Slazenger Tour Platinum. This ball was designed and tested for real-world golfers--not golf champs. The ball provides forgiveness from the side-spin typically imparted by...

Flat feet.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(bicycles)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... One of the biggest fears men and women have about bicycles is the feeling of insecurity when their feet don't touch the ground. To compensate for this, some riders adjust the seat too low or select a bike that's a size too small--conditions...

Foiled again.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Hardman Adhesives)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... It's a smart idea to put epoxy in a single-use foil pouch because you typically don't need a lot, and the adhesive deteriorates when stored in a syringe of other container, even if it's closed carefully. This epoxy gives you a working time of 3...

Be inhospitable.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... Using this spray is one way that you can make your place less hospitable to carpenter ants and termites. It contains Deltamethrin, a synthetic insecticide known as a pyrethroid. This is similar to naturally derived pyrethrum, which comes from...

Got Bawls?(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... So you're a caffeine addict but coffee just makes you more tired. Yet you need an extra shot for those late-night video game tournaments and the all-night band rehearsal. Then you simply must try BAWLS Guarana. Along with a huge dab of caffeine...

Time trials.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... We're not here to take sides in this discussion, but merely to tell you that Dixie Chopper, the manufacturer of this 20-hp zero-turn mower, says the machine is capable of cutting several acres an hour. That's a top cutting speed of about 7 mph....

A cut above.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Freud)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... A thin kerf is a good kerf, many woodworkers say, because a thin blade wastes less wood, produces less dust and imposes less load on the saw motor. With that in mind, Freud introduces its Industrial Thin Kerf blade. An added benefit is that the...

Fold Up Shop.(Great stuff: from fun to functional, here are the newest, coolest gadgets and gear on the planet)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... Some folks have neither the space nor the need for a full-blown workshop. All they need is a stable workbench and a place to neatly organize a few tools. The Stanley Fold Up Workshop should fill the bill nicely. It has a multi-position...

Compost-twin provides continuous compost.(Product Link)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... The only two-bin rotating compost bin. Holds ten bushels in each chamber. Easy to turn and empty. You'll have a constant supply of compost. One year money-back guarantee. FREE video. FREE Compost Activator with purchase. ...

Pour-N-Restore[R].(Product Link)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... Pour-N-Restore[R] combines a citrus degreaser with an absorbent powder to lift and absorb oily stains from concrete and masonry. Just apply, let it dry from a liquid to a powder, and sweep it up. No scrubbing. No rinsing. No mess. Call...

Rolbak[R] the original basketball protection net.(Product Link)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... Provides safer play, property protection, excellent free throw training aid and returns the ball back to the shooter. Assembles quickly and easily. The Rolbak Net is a universal fit to all basketball apparatus. SGMA -Voted TOP 5 Sports Product...

Operating steam models.(Product Link)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... Relive the glory days of steam power with miniature trains, cars, boats, and electric generators. Choose from a wide range of working steam models, from novelties to museum quality pieces. Trains are HO thru G gauge. Fun and educational! To...

Modern gutter.(Product Link)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... RAINHANDLER-Patented maintenance-free modern gutter for your home. Converts roof runoff back to rain and disperses it gently in a swath three feet wide. No clogging, no cleaning, no ground erosion. Virtually invisible. Rugged aluminum, 25 year...

Camp can be set up before you finish reading this sentence.(Product Link)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... Practical adventure seekers will immediately recognize the advantages of the KAMPAROO. These over-built Australian Lightweights are NHTSA certified for any road use by virtually all vehicles. Prices start at $3995. Download our brochure or call...

Pigtail food flipper.(Product Link)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... The handy-est cooking tool you'll ever own. Lightly pierce the edge of your meat, twist your wrist and it's flipped! Replaces spatulas, tongs and forks. Surgical stainless steel, lifetime replacment warranty. "A cooking tool with a silly name...

Junghans.(Product Link)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... Accurate to 1 second in 1 million years, Junghans is the world leader in atomic and solar watch technology. Junghans Mega Solar Titanium made of extremely lightweight titanium and solar powered. No more battery changes. Made in Germany. For our...