Popular Mechanics articles from December 2008

Popular Mechanics archives from December 2008

Skill set.(PM LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Your October story "100 Skills Every Man Should Know" was fantastic! I learned several new tricks, and the expert advice improved upon my existing DIY knowledge. I will reference the guide several more times. ...

Energy overflow.(PM LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... Thank you for the wonderful story "Rediscovering Hydropower," which features the mill site my brother and I plan to restore to produce electricity. It has been extremely well-received and helps further the cause for this important power source....

Correction.(Correction notice)
December 1, 2008... In October's "100 Skills Every Man Should Know," skill No. 70, "Tie a Necktie," describes a half-Windsor knot, not a full Windsor.

Auto show news.(PopularMechanics.com)(Photograph)
December 1, 2008... Exclusive alternative-fuel test drives prime the pump for PM's barrage of worldwide first looks at 2010's hottest rides, with live video of Ford's new Mustang and more, as industry-show season heats up before winter. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Breaking sci-tech.(PopularMechanics.com)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] From live unveilings of unmanned gadgetry (left) to breakthroughs at the world's top labs, PM's Tech Watch Daily team is expanding its coverage every day with breaking new at the frontier of science and technology.

Microwave hurricane hunter: when it comes to testing high tech weather sensors, scientists enter a different kind of quiet room.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Quality testing a new, ultrasensitive weather radar requires a room that is guarded from any conflicting; emissions. When the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Hurricane Imaging Radiometer, HIRAD,...

The word is out.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The word is out: Developers of a secret Formula One race-car suspension are now offering the device to all teams. In 2005, engineers at the University of Cambridge in Britain developed a system exclusively for Team McLaren that adds another...

Quick mind of a fly.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A fly's ability to avoid a swatter is due as much to brainpower as to raw speed, according to high-speed digital-imaging experiments at Caltech. Within about 300 milliseconds before a fly takes off, it compares visual information about the...

Coal power without the C[O.sub.2].(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The first coal-fired power plant equipped with a carbon-capture system is now operating in Germany, with the promise that virtually all the C[O.sub.2] it produces will be collected, liquefied and stored underground....

Instant light: just add garbage.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A Harvard University spinoff called Lebone Solutions is offering an alternative power source that developing countries can use for cheap, reliable electricity. Microbial fuel cells use bacteria that feed on soil, manure or food scraps to...

Identifying hot shots.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A technique developed at Britain's University of Leicester allows investigators to retrieve previously hidden fingerprints from spent bullet casings. The heat generated by gunfire bums away the sweaty impressions that produce fingerprints, but...

Divorced dark matter.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The high-speed collision between two galaxy clusters has given a team of astronomers a rare chance to observe elusive dark matter separately from ordinary matter. Dark matter is an invisible substance that appears to interact with surrounding...

The U.S. Navy's holiday wish list: research priorities expose the pentagon's technological ambitions and worries at sea.(TECH WATCH)
December 1, 2008... Early next year the Office of Naval Research's Office of Transition will release requests for proposals to fund its advanced naval technology programs. The office's initiatives have a shelf life of five years, with an expectation that...

Eco-espionage: environmental sleuths use DNA identification to unmask a hidden world of commercial whaling.(TECH WATCH)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The growing databases of animal genes have given wildlife researchers a powerful tool to identify new species, protect endangered animals and even catch cheats at fishing tournaments. Scott Baker and his colleagues at Oregon State University...

The quiet return of supersonics: dedicated engineers are seeking solutions to again push business jets beyond the sound barrier.(TECH WATCH)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Civilian aircraft designers have been trying to get back into the supersonic business ever since the 2003 forced retirement of the Concorde, but they have been hampered by the Federal Aviation Administration and...

Merconomics: as the use of private security forces in combat rises, so does the dispute over the cost, here's the data behind the debate.
December 1, 2008... The U.S. military has always gone to war with civilian contractors in tow. During the American Revolution the ratio hovered at one contractor per six soldiers; the numbers in Iraq are closer to one contractor for every person in uniform. As a...

Time machine: December 1957.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ballistic missiles have been a military staple since their debut in World War II. By December 1957, when PM first placed ship-launched missiles on our cover, the U.S. Navy was introducing vessels explicitly designed...

2009 Wish list.(Buyers guide)
December 1, 2008... The holidays are a time for family, festivities and lots and lots of gear. Here's our list of the most-wanted tech, toys and tools of 2008. Feel free to send a copy to Santa. Dell M109S DLP Micro Projector ($500) Traveling salesmen...

2009 automotive excellence awards.(Buyers guide)
December 1, 2008... by the PM Automotive Editors [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Popular Mechanics ++ Test-Driven Vehicles It's been a rough year for automakers. Yet the new cars and trucks available today are some of the best and brightest ever produced....

Why I hope there's no life on Mars: why such a spoilsport? Because life on Mars would make human exploration much harder.(THINKING AHEAD)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Life on Mars! H.G. Wells got a good story out of the idea, and while the Martian life of Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs and (more recently) Robert A. Heinlein and S.M. Stifling is exciting, it is also fictional. Still,...

Is gray primer the new kandy apple?(RAT--ROD MOVEMENT)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Through ranks of cars painted matte black or primer gray rolls a pearlescent white '51 Ford, gleaming and glowing, turning heads. When it pulls into its spot, the owner hops out and slaps a "For Sale" sign under the...

10 tech concepts you need to know for 2009.(BIG IDEAS)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1 T-Rays Terahertz radiation, or T-rays, occur at a frequency of around a trillion hertz--between microwaves and infrared on the electromagnetic spectrum. Unlike X-rays, T-rays are nonionizing, so they don't...

Is recycling worth it? It's the nagging question that haunts every household--and it's time to answer it once and for all.(PM INVESTIGATES)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE MODERN ERA OF RECYCLING began in the meandering wake of the Mobro 4000. The infamous garbage barge spent much of 1987 traveling up and down the eastern seaboard looking for a place to dump its 3000-ton load of...

Standing guard: America's missile shield is designed to destroy incoming ballistic warheads with interceptors. PM heads to an Alaskan army base where vigilant soldiers keep defensive missiles locked and loaded in case a rogue nation makes its move. But will the system work?(Cover story)
December 1, 2008... THE SIGN NEXT TO THE DOOR is not an omen. It shows a bright red figure in a protective suit, the kind of full-body gear you might wear when handling dangerous pathogens. Or, in this case, when entering a building housing an operational...

So you want to buy a digital SLR camera.(Buyers guide)
December 1, 2008... Single Lens Reflex (SLR) is a complicated term for a complicated machine. It refers to the prism and flip-up "reflex" mirror system that allows users to accurately focus and frame their shots directly through a camera's optics, rather than...

20 minute solutions: here are 20 quick fixes, easy upgrades and instant organizers that you can bang out before lunch. grab your toolbox--and stopwatch--and get started.
December 1, 2008... * QUICK FIXES Silence Squeaky Hinges * There are few sounds as irritating as a squeaky door hinge. Fortunately, silence can be yours in a matter of minutes. First, remove one of the hinge pins with a hammer and a small screwdriver or...

Drill, baby, drill! Three men test seven drills over two days. we'll stop at nothing to help you buy a better power tool.(DIY HOME: HEATING SYSTEMS + REMODEL RIGHT + A BOY'S FIRST KNIFE)(Buyers guide)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cordless drills hit their stride when manufacturers introduced the lithium-ion battery several years ago. These batteries combine huge energy density with light weight. (It's no wonder they're slowly replacing...

House warming: a better understanding of heating systems can help keep the home fires burning.(How Your House Works)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Anyone who has ever spent a night tossing and turning in a cold house as a result of a busted heating system will never look at that particular equipment the same way again. It's as unpleasant as being stranded on a...

Remodeling done right.
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Q I've built a large deck and a shed and fixed up a bathroom. Now I want to build an addition onto the back of my house, I've never worked with an architect before--do I need one for this job? Also, is it a good idea...

Anatomy of a building permit: getting this one piece of paper starts a remodeling project off right.(Homeowners Clinic: Q + A)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Skip a building permit and you'll run into problems when you try to sell your house, because there will be no way to prove that the work you did conforms to building codes. You might have difficulties even before that. in some cases, building...

Unlucky 7.(Homeowners Clinic: Q + A)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... About a year ago, I installed an electronic doorknob. Although I really like the device, the number 7 seems to catch on the stainless-steel surface surrounding the keypad. Can I lubricate the plastic? I'm concerned that the lubricant will...

Lost power.(Homeowners Clinic: Q + A)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... We had new siding installed on our house and matching siding installed on the shed. Shortly after the work was done, the shed lost power when the circuit breaker supplying it tripped. Can there be any relationship between the siding work and...

Loose towel bar.(Homeowners Clinic: Q + A)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The hollow wall fasteners that hold my towel bar to the drywall keep pulling out. How can I stop this from happening? Remove the bar and use screws to attach it to a clear white pine backboard on which you can route a decorative edge. Paint...

You have to start somewhere.(BUILDING BLOCKS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There's a pile of tools on my office desk at home, the ones you see here. Little axes, shovels and the like. I carved them when I was a boy, with a pocketknife my parents gave me one Christmas. Boys carried knives in...

Gas gadgets that work: we all want to get the best fuel economy from our vehicles. Here are three gas-saving gadgets that actually work.(DIY AUTO: GAS-SAVING GADGETS + ROLL PINS + SERPENTINE BELTS)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SATURDAY MECHANIC ** DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY /// EASY Not a day goes by around here without a frantic phone call or e-mail from one or more readers. Gas is expensive, they say, and the increased costs of...

Suspenders and belt.(Car Clinic: Q + A)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Q I finally figured out how to thread the new serpentine belt around all of those pulleys. It's all spinning correctly, but I don't think the belt is tight enough. I can depress the belt nearly a half-inch with just my thumb. Is there any way...

Raising a stink.(Car Clinic: Q + A)(cleaning ductwork)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... My wife's 2003 TrailBlazer had mice in it. I got the mice out, but now the truck smells like, well, you know, whenever I run the a/c. How do I clean the ductwork? Mice seem to have an affinity for the HVAC ducting in cars, particularly if...

Breathe deep the gathering gloom.(Car Clinic: Q + A)(automotive air filter)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Can you please tell me how to change my cabin air filter for a 2006 Grand Caravan? I cannot find it inside the cabin--even if I dig in the glove box. Like most cabin air filters, the one in your Dodge can be changed without any tools, and...

Oil surplus.(Car Clinic: Q + A)
December 1, 2008... I've got a 1994 Ford Ranger that seems to be producing engine oil. Since my last oil change, the oil level (cold engine) increased by a quarter-inch. Oil creation probably sounds like a good thing in these days of high oil prices, but I suspect...

The dark knight.(Car Clinic: Q + A)(instrument panel)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The instrument panel in my 2000 Chevy Cavalier doesn't work at all. It doesn't tell me the temp of the car, how fast I'm going or anything. I've asked a few mechanics and none of them has ever seen anything like this before. But if I take it to...

Punching through steel: don't make things worse when removing stuck roll pins.(THE MECHANIC'S HEADS UP)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A roll pin is generally used to lock something to a rotating shaft, such as this clutch cable arm. The hard spring steel it's made from accomplishes two things. First, the springiness makes the pin expand to completely fill the bore it's...

An old soul.(Car Clinic: Q + A)(motor oils)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Is there really any difference between the "high-mileage" motor oils and normal motor oil? And if so, is it worth the price? There are several of these oils on the market, intended for use in engines that have accrued a lot of miles. They...

Park place.(Car Clinic: Q + A)(emergency brakes)
December 1, 2008... Is there any reason to use my emergency brake on an automatic-transmission vehicle sitting on a completely flat surface? I have a bet with a friend about this topic. No, and at the same time, yes. The "no" first: The parking pawl, a small...

Something for nothing.(Car Clinic: Q + A)(automotive gears)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... This is probably the dumbest question of all time, but in the pursuit of 100 mpg, why wouldn't and why couldn't we just add more gears like they did with bicycles? I could see 12- or 15-speed transmissions with smaller engines driven by diesels...

Resuscitating dead data: that hard-drive crash didn't destroy your files. Here's how to get them back.(DIY TECH: HDTV CALIBRATION + WII DVDS + NOISY HEADPHONES)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Let's dispense with the l-told-you-sos. If you find yourself facing a data recovery job, then you have probably forgotten the cardinal rule of computing: All hard drives eventually fail. And you didn't back up your...

Worst-case scenario: we took two drives and messed 'em up good, then sent them to the pros.(DRIVE DISASTERS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What if your hard drive is suffering from something a bit worse than your everyday hard-drive crash? How much damage can your data take before it's gone forever? We wanted to find out what could be salvaged from a...

DIY HDTV calibration.(Digital Clinic: Q + A)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Q I purchased a new HDTV, and the store I bought it from has offered to "calibrate" its picture for a few hundred dollars. Isn't this something I can do myself? A Out of the box, most new TV sets are tuned to...

No DVD for Wii.(Digital Clinic: Q + A)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... I read that the optical drive on my Nintendo Wii is actually a DVD player. So why won't my Wii play movie DVDs? You're right: The Wii's optical drive is essentially a DVD player that can't play movie DVDs. The reason for this is simple...

Background music.(Digital Clinic: Q + A)
December 1, 2008... When I'm listening to music on my iPhone and I open an application, the music stops. Is there any way to keep my tracks playing? As long as an application is silent, it shouldn't keep your iPhone from playing your music in the background....

Noisy cancelers.(Digital Clinic: Q + A)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... I have Bose's QuietComfort 3 noise-canceling headphones. When I lean them against a sofa or headrest, they let out a high-pitched squeal. What's going on? Your Bose headphones use what's called active noise cancellation. That means they...

This is my job.( distilleryman Joel Elder)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * JOEL ELDER * Age: 31 * YEARS ON JOB: 1 Seven years ago, Joel Elder earned his living pouring booze: now. he makes the stuff. Elder distills whiskey, rum, vodka and bourbon at Tuthilltown Spirits, a...