Popular Mechanics articles from July 2007

Popular Mechanics archives from July 2007

Meet the readers.(EDITOR'S NOTES)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... PHOTOGRAPHER GEORGE LANGE has shot heavy hitters ranging from Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey to Samuel L. Jackson, Jim Carrey and Sophia Loren. To that list of luminaries let us now add James Garlitz of Corriganville, Md., Robert Lange of...

Hot bulbs.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The CFL article ("Compact Fluorescent Bulbs," May '07) was timely and informative--it sure beats standing in a store aisle trying to figure out the specs among the many brands. RALPH SYMINGTON GROVELAND, MA Excellent study on CFLs...

Contributor applause.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... I couldn't agree more with Glenn Harlan Reynolds's "Bring Back Our Knobs" (May '07). I enjoy driving and consider myself a responsible and educated driver. I've seen a lot of good and bad designs, but have never been asked for feedback from any...

Plugging it in.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... Being interested in cars in general and electric performance cars in particular, I found your cover article on plug-in hybrid cars (May '07) to be informative and exciting. RON DILL YORKTOWN, VA If a practical plug-in car is...

Basic training.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... With regard to the Army's new Land Warrior System ("The Wireless Warrior," May '07), I'm reminded of the old axiom, "Keep it simple, stupid." Infantrymen need to stay focused on their immediate environment. All the Army is doing with this new...

Easy does it.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... Your mag is the best! I love how easy it is to look up articles I read in prior issues. I just go to popular mechanics.com, enter the subject and BAM!--there it is. Thanks for simplifying my life. KEVIN MULLEN PARKER, CO

Defensive drive.(TECH WATCH)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... It's a three-letter word that's become synonymous with the war in Iraq--IED, or improvised explosive device. While no vehicle is IED-proof, the Marines have placed an order for 1000 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs), which are...

To kill a neutrino.(TECH WATCH)(Fermi National Accelerator Lab)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Physicists at the Fermi National Accelerator Lab in Illinois have determined that there are three--and only three--types of neutrinos, ruling out the existence of a proposed fourth "flavor." The experiment used 1280 light detectors in a...

Infrared dawn.(TECH WATCH)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... A steel filter developed by scientists at the University of Utah could be the first step toward harnessing far-infrared light, the last unused portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Far-infrared frequencies are extremely high, potentially...

Surgical air.(TECH WATCH)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... A new robot from Johns Hopkins University has no metal parts and uses zero electricity, to avoid interfering with the powerful magnets in MRI machines. Built for remote prostate surgery, the bot is made of rubber, plastic and ceramics, and its...

Flying over thin ice.(TECH WATCH)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... A French adventurer plans to cross the top of the world by blimp next year. Why? Because it's there, of course. And to dangle a tool that will use lasers and electromagnetic waves to measure ice thickness along a 6200-mile route from Norway,...

Sea power.(TECH WATCH)(Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Finally, a way to charge your phone on the ocean floor: Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California laid a 32-mile-long cable 3000 ft. below the surface, providing eight power outlets for deep-sea research. A...

One small leap.(TECH WATCH)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Scientists UC Berkeley have created what appears the world's smallest rubber band (being stretched by tiny motors). Less than a thousandth of an inch thick, the band allows flealike robot to leap nearly 30 times its height, or twice as far for...

Bionic sensation: in a first for prosthetics, a new mechanical arm gives its user the sense of touch.(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... IT'S AN AMBITIOUS DEADLINE: BY 2009, DARPA hopes to have a mechanical arm whose functionality is on par with a flesh-and-blood limb. A new arm developed by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is just as...

Jet-pack buyer's guide: the good news: not one, but two companies are selling jet packs. The bad news: the tech has a long way to go.(TECH WATCH)(Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana's TAM Rocket Belt)(Jetpack International's Jet Pack H202 )
July 1, 2007... TO SOME EXTENT, EVERYONE'S IN THE market for a jet pack. But since Bell Labs built the first rocket belt (the correct, if less exciting, name) in 1953, potential buyers have been stymied by two problems: Rocket belts aren't for sale, and even...

Ballistic dogfight: a drama test highlights the under-the-radar progress of the Missile Defense Agency.(TECH WATCH)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... AS THE DECADES-LONG DEBATE OVER missile defense quietly rages on, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) just marked a milestone. This past April, a Navy guided missile cruiser detected a dual threat, two missiles launched simultaneously over the...

Time machine: January 24, 1903.(TECH WATCH)(Steorn Limited)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... IRISH COMPANY STEORN LTD. recently claimed that, come July 2007, it will prove that its "magneto-mechanical" perpetual-motion technology creates more energy than it consumes. Trying to buck the law of thermodynamics is nothing new. In 1903, PM...

Glimmers of home: NASA's new telescope doesn't take pretty pictures, but it may find a world that can support human life.(TECH WATCH)(spacecraft Kepler)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... OF THE MORE THAN 230 PLANE-I-S that have been discovered outside of our solar system since 1992, only one even remotely resembles Earth. Gliese 581c, which was spotted this past April, is 20.5 light-years distant, and appears to have liquid...

Resident roboticist: in Asia, walking robots continue to make strides. When will American bots step up?(TECH WATCH)
July 1, 2007... IN THE QUEST TO BUILD A PERFECT household servant robot, researchers in Japan and Korea are hoping that slow and steady wins the race. Humanoid bots such as Asimo and the lesser-known but no less well-connected Hubo (it has shaken hands with...

Chain reaction.(UPGRADE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... With nearly 3 ft. of exposed chain ripping along at thousands of feet per minute, even a midsize, 16-in. chain saw demands your complete attention. Chain-brake systems that stop the chain in response to blade kickback are now standard on nearly...

Bit Dr.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... With the exception of its infomercial-sounding name, it's hard to imagine improving on the Bit Dr. ($25) from LoggerHead Tools. This lightweight multibit screwdriver has 10 double-sided bits tucked away in the handle and a quasi-ratcheting...

Hi def format-war report.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Chances are, the only thing you want to hear about the Blu-ray/ HD-DVD format war is that it's over. No such luck. Blu-ray seems to be winning, with more support from the movie studios and (at press time) 1.2 million discs sold, compared to...

Slow drip.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... It isn't cookie dough, but it is edible. DRIWATER TIME-RELEASE WATER ($2 for a 9-ounce tube) is essentially an IV drip for plants, a mixture of 98 percent water and 2 percent nontoxic emulsifier. The gel slowly oozes out of holes you cut in the...

Crushing the competition.(UPGRADE///ABUSIVE LAB TEST)
July 1, 2007... CRUSHING THE COMPETITION Even the cheapest blender is a ravenous beast, tearing through ice and fruit in a matter of seconds. But what happens when a model has just 10 seconds to make a frozen margarita (ice plus margarita mix), shave...

Test drive: 3G Stepper Hammer Bike.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The 3G STEPPER HAMMER ($649) sounds a little pointless--it's a cross between an eight-speed bike and a stationary stair-step trainer, with wooden planks instead of pedals. So why not just ride a regular bike? As we found out, the 3G Stepper is...

Test drive: Orion Cooker.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... There's no more sacred altar for BBC) fanatics than the smoker, which transforms tough cuts of meat into fall-off-the-bone delicacies. So Orion's claim that its Cooker ($150) can smoke six racks of ribs in 75 minutes, compared to 5 hours for a...

Compact Belt Sander 371K.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Porter-Cable's Compact Belt Sander 371K ($120) is more than compact. This 5-amp corded model is the smallest belt sander on the market, light enough (at 5 pounds) to be used with one or two hands. And its 2 1/2 x 14-in. belt is well-suited for...

Smarter than the average bot.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)(Verro 300)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The Verro 300 ($800) is setting an example for all those listless, randomly drifting pool-cleaning bots. Using iRobot's artificial-intelligence tech, it efficiently washes and vacuums an entire pool in 60 to 90 minutes, with internal filters...

Sound bites.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Media players are shrinking at a rate that's both mind-blowing and slightly hilarious. Since trimming ounces and millimeters means sacrificing some of the features found in full-size players, the current field of mini competitors is...

Sunset cruiser: sit back and enjoy the scenery. This is the perfect palm springs convertible.(NEW CARS)(Chrysler Sebring Convertible)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... America is falling in love with convertibles again. The reason? Nearly every one has a folding metal hardtop. So you get open-air fun when you want it, and inclement-weather protection when you need it. The Chrysler Sebring has one too, but it...

Power broker: Bentley Arnage T.(NEW CARS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Forget for a moment that the $271,000 Bentley Arnage T costs as much as a ski condo in Colorado. What will the few well-heeled buyers get for that much dough? First, you get an interior so sumptuous you could live in it for a week. The leather...

Subtly sporty: Honda Civic Si Sedan.(NEW CARS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... If there's one downside to the Civic Si Coupe, it's the wing'd-up boy-racer body style. Those of us who have permanently retired the beer bong want a little more subtlety with our speed. The Civic Si Sedan has the same fluid, balanced and...

Bargain luxury: Hyundai Veracruz.(NEW CARS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... A seven-passenger Korean crossover that rivals a Lexus? It's true. Hyundai consistently delivers more for less. And the all-new Veracruz is the best example yet. We were impressed with the handling over the mountain passes of San Diego County,...

Road rocket: Noble M400.(NEW CARS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Explosive. That's the best way to describe the Noble M400. This British supercar is one of the quickest on the planet. Nail the throttle and it leaps. The M400 weighs nearly 1000 pounds less than a Corvette yet it packs even more horsepower,...

Live from The Big Apple.(NEW YORK AUTO SHOW)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... * Chevy's B-Concept GM unveiled three little B-Car concepts at the New York Auto Show, each with a different look and personality. We liked the practical, vanlike Groove the best. This trio of economical concepts shows that GM not only is...

The bright stars of Ford's future.(news)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Ford's fiscal woes didn't stop the Dearborn automaker from showing two cars we predict will be hits. The Shelby Mustang GT500KR is a no-brainer--add an extra 40 hp to the GT500's already stout 500 hp and you have an instant classic and an...

Lambos get lighter.(news)(Lamborghini)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Lamborghini recently unveiled the lightweight, more powerful Superleggera version of the Gallardo. So could a lightweight version of the V12 Murcielago be far behind? Recently, we sat down with Stephan Winkelmann, president and CEO of...

Chevy's hydrogen volt.(news)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The beauty of the Chevy Volt's E-Flex hybrid drivetrain is that the concept allows the use of virtually any powerplant to drive the generator for the battery pack. So Chevy has a Volt concept with a hydrogen fuel cell stack and a new...

Hidden treasures: barn finds are out there. You just have to know where to look.(Jay Leno's Garage)
July 1, 2007... EVERY ANTIQUE-AUTOMOBILE enthusiast dreams about finding a long-lost car in some garage or barn. A forgotten treasure just waiting for someone--you--to rediscover. At least that's the dream. But it doesn't happen very often. I believe if...

Taming the coast: pumping sediment onto the nation's beaches is an expensive fix for the erosion caused by coastal development--and often a bad fix at that.(NATURAL RESOURCES)
July 1, 2007... ON A CHILLY day in late January, Darren Buscemi took his 10-year-old daughter, Ali, and 8-year-old son, David, to the beach at Surf City, N.J., to try out a new metal detector. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had just begun to pump 33,000...

Why Blade Runner still matters.(MYTHBUSTERS WORKSHOP)(Movie review)
July 1, 2007... TWENTY-FIVE YEARS A60, the Ridley Scott film Blade Runner became an instant science fiction classic. Set in a sodden, squalid Los Angeles of 2019, the neo-noir masterpiece influenced a generation of filmmakers and video-game designers. Long...

Battlefield space: when China destroyed its own satellite, outrage--and debris--rapidly encircled the globe. Was the sat kill a policy weapon or the start of an arms race in space?(Cover story)
July 1, 2007... Some details of China's ASAT test are classified. Our artist relied on published reports, declassified information and comparable technology to create this graphic. The Chinese kinetic kill vehicle is based on Raytheon's Exoatmospheric Kill...

Full throttle: four cars, two tracks. We test the latest supercars to the ragged edge.(TRACK TEST)(Product/service evaluation)
July 1, 2007... The Audi R8, Corvette Z06, Porsche Turbo and Dodge Viper (from front to back) lap the 1.8-mile Streets of Willow road course. The R8 cut a quicker lap time than all but the Viper--and it did so with the least horsepower. The R8's LAP TIME:...

The coffee table that will change the world: forget the keyboard and mouse. The next generation of computer interfaces will be hands-on. Welcome to the age of digital furniture.
July 1, 2007... MICROSOFT'S REDMOND, WASH., corporate campus is a sprawling affair, with more than 100 buildings scattered over 261 acres. To make sense of it all, you have to navigate by numbers. The Microsoft Visitor Center, for instance, is in Building 127,...

Out of the workshop: if it can be built, a PM reader will do it. Here's proof--the best reader projects of the year.(DIY RALLY 2007)(Popular Mechanics)
July 1, 2007... Tinkerers. Scroungers. Inventors. Dreamers. These are the folks who spot a trash pile and immediately picture their next project; who spend countless hours in the shop finessing a dream into reality, working toward the rush of the moment when...

Let the games begin; these backyard upgrades can add some competition to the summer.(DIY HOME: SAFE SUBPANELS + CHOOSING AND USING SCREWS + PATIO REPAIR)
July 1, 2007... Vince and Beth Campagna don't get out much anymore. Ever since the Holland, Pa., couple converted an unused strip of their backyard into a manicured horseshoe pit, the good times are found right at home. "I should charge a cover to all of the...

Rural electrification.(HOMEOWNERS CLINIC: Q+A)
July 1, 2007... Q I'm installing a 60-amp subpanel in my barn, which will be fed from the 200-amp main panel in my house. Do I run a ground from the house in addition to the black, red and white wires? Should the grounding and neutral bus bars be connected in...

The rules.(KNOW YOUR STUFF: SCREWS)
July 1, 2007... 1] When it comes to screws, simpler is better. Where possible, use a screw with an exposed head, as opposed to a recessed head that requires an extra drilling step. 2] When in doubt, use a longer screw. The extra length can help make up...

Frozen coils.(HOMEOWNERS CLINIC: Q+A)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q What causes the air-conditioning unit in my furnace housing to freeze? What's the best way to defrost it without damaging either appliance? A There are two things that typically cause the air-conditioning system to freeze up. One is poor...

Masked man.(THE DIY LIFE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... I WAS HELPING my buddy Dave Hoyer with a kitchen remodeling project. After a couple of hours, we took a break. When I slipped off my dust mask, I was appalled by the amount of dust on it. It was strange. I had spent the previous hour using a...

Making a mark.(TOOL NEWS: TAPES AND MORE)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Measuring and layout are key steps in any job, yet most DIYers put far more thought into tools that cut and drill. The stuff here isn't as fun as, say, a high-powered saw, but it can save lots of time. After all, you only cut once; you measure...

Off-the-cuff solution.(NOW YOU KNOW)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... When one of my old sweat shirts gets too ratty to wear, out it goes--to the garage or into the back of my work vehicle, a commercial van. I cut off one of the shirt's sleeves, then cut the rest of the shirt into various-size pieces and stuff...

Sunken pavers.(HOMEOWNERS CLINIC: Q&A)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q The paver blocks in the patio of my backyard have sunk and become uneven in spots. What's the best way to level them and keep this from happening again? A First, pry one of the pavers out from the sunken area by using a pair of...

High yuck factor.(HOMEOWNERS CLINIC: Q&A)
July 1, 2007... Q Do cast-iron sewer lines ever corrode away or wear out? Sometimes we get a stench in the basement that smells like sewage. We know that our sewer line runs in the ground below the concrete basement floor. I want to be sure that there's a real...

No-weld rust repair.(DIY AUTO: SATURDAY MECHANIC)
July 1, 2007... Your old car is in excellent mechanical condition, so you figure there's going to be no problem with passing inspection--until the DMV drone refuses you because of the quarter-size rust hole in the fender, even though the rest of the car is...

The turn of the screw.(CAR CLINIC: Q+a)
July 1, 2007... Q I'm trying to remove the screws that hold the latch plate onto the B-pillar of my antique car. They don't look particularly rusty. I can't get them to budge, however. My Phillips screwdriver doesn't fit very well, and the screwdriver bit...

Knocking diagnosis.(CAR CLINIC: Q+a)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q There's a knocking noise coming from the engine of my 2005 Chevy Colorado at idle. The dealer says the noise is coming from the fuel injectors, and that it's normal. I think the noise is coming from under the rocker arm covers, and I'd like...

The big squeeze.(CAR CLINIC: Q+a)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q I own a Mercedes with a diesel engine, and I just had to replace the glow plugs and glow plug sensor, I've owned several diesel vehicles and I've never had to do this before. Here's the question: What exactly do glow plugs do? A Diesel...

Extension tension.(CAR CARE TIP)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Installing spark plugs or, for that matter, any threaded fastener, can be complicated by stuff that's in the way. Stuff you can't move, like the firewall. That's why I have sockets and extensions with universal joints in them, to allow a little...

My cup runneth over.(CAR CLINIC: Q+a)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q I took my 2007 Scion tC to the dealer for its first oil change. The specs call for 4 quarts of oil, but the tech put in 5 quarts instead. I drove it 270 miles before I noticed the error--and then I went back and had them restore it to the...

Flush cycle.(CAR CLINIC: Q+a)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q Some 10W-30 oil was accidentally "added" into my car's bellhousing (#!$%!) through a rubber plug that was mistaken for the transmission oil fill port. (Yes, 10W-30 motor oil is the correct transmission lube, according to the manufacturer.) I...

Whoa, Nellie.(CAR CLINIC: Q+a)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q I have a 2004 Ford Escape. Because my driveway is a steep incline, I always set the parking brake. At my last service, the dealer informed me that the mechanism could no longer be adjusted, and the entire parking brake needs to be replaced,...

Finally, some recognition.(DIY TECH)(face recognition technology)
July 1, 2007... Q While shopping for a new digital camera, I saw that some models are touting a new "face detection" technology. Does this stuff really work? Can it recognize the faces of pets? A It does work. Face detection technology, available from...

Damage control.(DIY TECH)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q I pretty much live with the music on. Are in-ear headphones worse for my hearing than traditional headphones? A Not only are in-ear headphones not worse for your hearing than conventional headphones, they might be better. When it...

Free software: do you get what you pay for?(DIY TECH)(Product/service evaluation)
July 1, 2007... PC applications are becoming increasingly bloated, complex and expensive. And most users don't even know half the features included in the software they buy. Meanwhile, open-source "freeware" applications are growing in both number and...

Subpar slide show.(DIY TECH: DIGITAL CLINIC)(DVD resolution)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q I burned my vacation photos to a DVD, then played the disc through a DVD player on my HDTV, but the resolution looked far inferior to the same photos on my computer screen. Why is this? A The native resolution of the DVD format is 720 by...

Laptop profiling.(DIY TECH: DIGITAL CLINIC)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q Why do I have to take my laptop out of my carry-on luggage at the airport security check? I don't have to remove any of my other electronics. A Ann Davis, public affairs manager for the Transportation Security Administration, says that...

Smarter smartphone.(DIY TECH: DIGITAL CLINIC)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q A few months ago, I bought a smartphone with Windows Mobile 5. Now that Windows Mobile 6 is out, can I upgrade the operating system of my phone? A Phones these days are really just small computers that happen to have a cellular radio...

Brick breaker.(DIY TECH: DIGITAL CLINIC)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q Does my laptop's power brick include a surge protector? A It's highly unlikely. There are a couple of issues: Surge protection electronics are fairly complex; they usually include MOVs (metal-oxide varistors) that would add extra size,...

Solid-state drives.(EMERGING TECH)(hybrid hard drives)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... It used to be that hard drives were spinning things inside the PC meant for massive data storage, while solid-state flash memory was used for small-scale storage in portable devices. But as computers become more versatile and flash capacities...

What's up.doc?(DIGITAL CLINIC)(Microsoft Word 2007 documents)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q I just bought the new Microsoft Office 2007 and noticed it's saving documents in a different format from the previous version. Are these files going to be readable by people with previous editions? A The new default Microsoft Office file...

Gain TV screens.(KNOW YOUR STUFF)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Have you ever noticed that when you watch a rear-projection TV, things look beautiful and bright... until you stand up? And then the picture dims? Turns out, this has nothing to do with the underlying projection technologies such as DLP, LCD...

This is my job: wind farmer.(Chris Mugge)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... CHRIS MUGGE DAYTON, WASH YEARS ON JOB: 3 CHRIS MUGGE STANDS high atop the green energy revolution--literally. The 37-year-old project site supervisor for wind energy developer Vestas Travels the country assembling and maintaining...