Popular Mechanics articles from June 2003

Popular Mechanics archives from June 2003

Our peripatetic editors. (Editor's Notes).
June 1, 2003... One of the most difficult things to try to do around here is to have a staff meeting. Why? Because no one's ever here. Know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. And neither would you. Who wants a magazine produced by a bunch of people...

Floating military base. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2003... While impressive, the battle island is extremely vulnerable to air, surface and subsurface attacks. While the ability to build such a structure is to be respected, defending it would be a nightmare. Or is it just a massive decoy? L....

Pleasant surprise. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2003... I recently picked up an issue of POPULAR MECHANICS, expecting to read just about cars. I was very surprised and pleased to find myself learning about a range of developments in science, technology, medicine and other fields. I couldn't put the...

Full coverage. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2003... My son is in Iraq. Your message to the troops is being sent to him in my next letter as a reminder that the best of America stands with him and his fellow fighters. Thank you for your well-stated support. GEORGE COOK HAVELOCK, NC I...

Reader Ride of the Month. (Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... "I have been working on my 1951 Mercury Kustom for about seven years now. I removed the top and had the rear doors filled in. I added a custom grille and bumpers, tuck-and-roll upholstery, and a 3/4-race, flathead motor with three Stromberg...

Time machine.(Reprint)
June 1, 2003... 100 Years Ago: June 1903 Fighting Fish PM labeled the torpedo as war's most destructive weapon. The torpedo could be fired at its target from a distance of 2000 yards, and once released, it could not be deflected in any direction from...

Molding molecules with light. (Technology Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Researchers have found the key to creating a real "Star Trek"-style Holodeck. Holograms have, of course, been around for decades. While your hand passes unimpeded through a hologram's ghostly images, microscopic particles can be drawn to...

Naturally forming artwork. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Images resembling American Indian art appeared when a magnetic field was applied to metal particles in a liquid. Massachusetts Institute of Technology senior Cory Lorenz wanted to see if the particles could form structures. Instead, the...

First successful jawbone transplant. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... An 80-year-old man suffering from disfiguring mouth cancer became the world's first recipient of a replacement jawbone. A team of 10 doctors performed the 11-hour operation earlier this year at the Regina Elena Institute in Rome. The...

No nukes on Mars. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The broad debris field created across Texas by the breakup of Space Shuttle Columbia has led planners to reconsider the safety of sending nuclear power plants on Mars missions. This is the consensus of delegates to an international conference...

Computer creates cartoons. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... A new animation process takes the tedium out of creating cartoons. The Kabuki system from Possible Worlds (PW) of New York City turns a scanned image into a database of body parts. An animator then uses a keyboard to instruct these parts on how...

Candle wax rocket fuel. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The astronaut refrain "light these candles" may soon mean exactly what it says. NASA and Stanford University in California have teamed to develop a paraffin-based rocket fuel that is chemically similar to candle wax. As it burns, it produces...

Ride a sling shot. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... It may not be a rocket ride to the moon, but for passengers aboard the Sling Shot it sure feels like one. Secured in a 6-seat cart, thrill seekers experience 2.5 g's as they catapult over three 222-ft. support towers. After falling back to...

Cool use for magnets. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Mindful that Japan imports all of its fuel, Nagoya-based Chubu Electric Power has found a way to cut the electricity needed for refrigeration. At a recent meeting of the American Physical Society in Austin, Texas, Chubu described a refrigerator...

Science goes Hollywood to save troubled waters. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... In a rare collaboration, a group of scientists and filmmakers hopes to use special effects to correct what it claims are misunderstandings about the world's oceans. The California-based Shifting Baselines project will use current and historic...

Stealth drive for ships. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... A retired pediatrician may have solved the greatest hurdle to creating stealthy warships. Dr. Jonathan B. Rosefsky, of Haverford, Pa., has patented a ship thruster and pump that produce little if any cavitation. Cavitation is a natural...

Head-up display for helmets. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... A head-up display that puts information on the windshield is fine for highway driving. On the racetrack, where the driver's eyes and attention are constantly shifting, it makes more sense to mount the display in the helmet. A BMW-led initiative...

Planet watch. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... * BOLIVIA Scores of people were killed and more than 100 injured when a mudslide struck a remote gold-mining settlement in Chima, about 125 miles north of La Paz on March 31 .The settlement had 3000 residents. * UZBEKISTAN A massive water...

Columbia's scientific legacy. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Using a specially built camera, astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Columbia recorded live images of two rare atmospheric phenomena. One, called an elf, was captured while Columbia flew over storm clouds in the South Pacific. This type of electric...

Space station on hold. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The grounding of the remaining three space shuttles in the wake of the Columbia disaster has brought construction of the International Space Station to a halt. Russia's Soyuz capsules can ferry astronauts, but its Progress freighters can carry...

Simulators duplicate combat zone terrain. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... "The U.S. military already has a lot of very sophisticated capability, but not the best ability to make different weapons work together," Don Wilkof of Harris Corp. told POPULAR MECHANICS during our recent tour of its Melbourne, Fla., complex....

Wheeled warrior. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The U.S. Army has unveiled a hot set of wheels for fighting terrorists and enforcing homeland security. Designated SmarTruck II, the vehicle is an impressive mix of automotive brains and military brawn, built on a Chevrolet Silverado 6x6...

A safer edge for escalators. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Otis Elevator wants to take the stress out of moving stairs. Its new escalator, aptly named NextStep, integrates a series of safety features. Most notably, each step and its side skirt move in unison. A spokesman for the Farmington, Conn.,...

Transplant sensor. (Tech Watch).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... A minuscule sensor developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee will enable medical personnel to quickly determine if transplanted organs are receiving sufficient blood. The ability to prevent, or at least detect, circulation...

Navy's next sub. (Following Up ...).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... With the Cold War a distant memory, the Navy discontinued production of the Seawolf class attack submarines featured in our July 2000 issue and embarked upon a new multimission design. The first of these new submarines, the Virginia (SSN 774),...

Hurling toward Saturn. (Following Up ...).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... A yearlong countdown is under way for the Cassini, the NASA-led international mission to Saturn featured in our November 1997 issue. Standing two stories tall and weighing more than 6 tons, the $3.4 billion space probe was the last of NASA's...

New Apple laptops are droolworthy. (Computers).
June 1, 2003... It was looking forward to the meeting with Apple's representatives because they were bringing me two of the hottest notebooks on the market: the new 12-in. and 17-in. PowerBook G4s introduced earlier this year. These two beauties could...

Dial-a-game. (Mobile Technology).
June 1, 2003... Finnish giant Nokia has come up with an all-new product that is guaranteed to raise some eyebrows. The company's N-Gage is a mobile phone and a handheld gaming device--all wrapped in a sleek, easy-to-tote piece of hardware. Playing games...

Cigarette lights. (Boating).
June 1, 2003... "Hitting that floating oildrum at 70 mph as I was coming into the Everglades cut would have been like stubbing out my Cigarette in an ashtray." That's not an exact quote by Skip Braver, president and CEO of Cigarette Racing Team, but it's close...

No more needles. (Medicine).
June 1, 2003... Patients seem to hate everything about the health care industry these days, from doctors on strike to imperious insurance companies and indifferent hospital administrators. There is, however, one area of complete and total agreement: No one...

World smallest robot. (Mechanics).
June 1, 2003... It's small enough to "turn on a dime and park on a nickel," or so say the inventors of a 1cm-tall machine that lays claim to being the world's smallest robot. Make that the smallest man-made robot, for the device developed by the Department of...

2004 Cadillac XLR. (New Cars).(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... Simply put, the new XLR roadster is the best car to come from General Motors in a long time. It had better be because it's the most expensive. Behind that Cadillac crest and wreath is nearly $75,000 of automobile. That kind of price puts the...

2004 Chrysler Pacifica. (New Cars).(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... Yes, folks at Chrysler readily admit that their Pacifica is a mix of minivan, station wagon and SUV. But, they'd rather you consider the vehicle a Sports Tourer. Whatever you call it, the Pacifica is one of the least SUV-like crossovers to hit...

2004 Subaru WRX STi. (New Cars).(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... Subaru struck a nerve with the WRX two years ago, bringing plenty of World Rally Championship-inspired excitement, handling and raw power to the Impreza platform--and sales of the WRX have nearly tripled the company's forecast. Now there's the...

2004 Jaguar XJ. (New Cars).(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... True to its heritage, Jaguar's all-new-for-2004 flagship sedan exudes comfort, smoothness and an atmosphere of sensuousness. On the outside, the car's completely new styling is faithful to its forebears. But there are a number of radical body...

2004 Chrysler Crossfire. (New Cars).(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... While the Chrysler Pacifica might be a carefully selected melange of Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler pieces, the new Chrysler Crossfire is a crossbreed of a somewhat coarser mix. The 2004 Crossfire coupe is essentially a Mercedes-Benz SLK320 wearing...

2003 Chevrolet XS-425 Tahoe and Suburban. (New Cars).(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... Few things other than power add both sport and utility to an SUV. That's why select Chevrolet dealerships are now offering XS-425 Tahoes and Suburbans. These 425-hp full-size sport utilities are the latest offerings from Dyno-Proven Products,...

2003 SLP Engineering. (New Cars).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Refusing to let the demise of the Camaro and Firebird stop them from offering high-performance vehicles, the people at SLP Engineering have four new cars and two new trucks for 2003. The cars are all variants of GM's front-wheel-drive...

2003 Guldstrand Signature Edition Corvette. (New Cars).(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... Corvette racing legend Dick Guldstrand has created a 500-hp Signature Edition Corvette to celebrate the marque's 50th anniversary. Guldstrand starts with a Z06 fresh off the line at Bowling Green, Ky., and then ships it to Michigan where the...

2003 Saleen Thunderbird-Bonspeed. (New Cars).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... What works for the Mustang should be good for the T-Bird, right? At least Steve Saleen thinks so. So the Southern California-based specialty builder has created his own interpretation of Ford's 2-seater. The Saleen Thunderbird-Bonspeed Edition...

2005 Buick Regal. (Detroit SPY Report).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Will Buick bring back a 2-door model in the Regal line? According to our sources, yes. To back up these claims, we bring you this view of the model GM is considering. While this 2-door is unlike any Buick now on the road, a number of...

2004 Chrysler Concorde and Dodge Intrepid. (Detroit Spy Report).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Here we have two different views of what is going to be the next generation of large sedans from the Chrysler Group. The clean look was shown around auto shows last winter as the Chrysler Airflite. The down-and-dirty view is that of a...

Babe Ruth. (PM People).
June 1, 2003... I have come to feel, I can knock out 100 homers any son from now on." The year was 1928, and Babe Ruth was revealing his home run secrets to the readers of POPULAR MECHANICS. Although George Herman "Babe" Ruth never did exceed his 1927...

Piggyback vise. (It Worked For Me).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Chances are, the first vise you buy for your basement workshop will need to handle a wide range of jobs--everything from holding your lawnmower blade a spring touchup to gripping a rusty bolt while you clean the threads. For this kind of work,...

Don't screw up. (It Worked For Me).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Hanging cabinet doors or installing the lid on a jewelry box can be a finicky chore--if things don't line up properly when the hinges are in place, even the finest joinery can look amateurish. Because of this, most woodworkers fit the hinges...

Using minirollers. (It Worked For Me).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Everybody knows that the typical 9-in.-wide paint roller makes short work of covering walls, ceilings and floors. And, it's hard to beat one for thick, consistent coverage. Can you imagine painting a room with a brush? But these tools do have a...

Scrap stick holds kindling. (It Worked For Me).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... It sounds a bit old-fashioned, and maybe even out-of-date, but the best tool for splitting kindling quickly is still a hatchet. The only problem with using a hatchet is that the piece of scrap lumber or firewood that you are splitting has a...

What's next: many of today's far-out concept cars are tomorrow's family haulers. (Concept Cars).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Long before some apocryphal advertising executive said, "Let's run it up the flagpole and see who salutes," carmakers were using concept cars to test the waters of public tastes. Many concept cars--once called showcars or dream cars--at...

Hard-driving recorders: the new hard-drive personal video recorders make first-generation products obsolete. (PVRs).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The convergence of computers and consumer electronics is certainly not new. You probably remember when Web surfing from the TV first came on the scene, and, of course, he introduction of listening to your music from a hard drive. Boob tube Web...

Roswell declassified: formerly secret files finally reveal the truth about the world's most famous UFO incident. (Full Disclosure).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Knowing that old military records often contain startling revelations, we were eager to see what surprises awaited us in the latest disclosure from the Roswell files. For decades, UFO researchers had clamored for the National Archives to come...

Kia Rio: the very essence of high value. (Owners Report).(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... You can buy a car that costs less than a Kia Rio. But it wont' be a new one. If you want a brand-spanking-new car, one with that new-car smell, shine, aura and factory warranty, you won't find one that will cost you less than a Kia Rio. ...

Garden grace: how to build a classic cedar garden bench. (Shop Project).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... If the only thing you do in your yard is mow the lawn, maybe it's time to add some creature comfort to your outdoor space. Our stately cedar bench is ideal for relaxing in the fresh air, enjoying the greenery and just getting away from it all....

John Deere X585 garden tractor. (Test).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... Recently John Deere introduced a new line of lawn and garden tractors--called the X-Series--that are loaded with features, including 4-wheel drive on three of the models. Until now, Deere had reserved 4-wheel drive for its compact utility...

ProMow gang mower. (Test).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... If you have a lot of mowing to do--and by this we mean at least several acres--you know there's no cheap way to do it. It either costs a lot to hire it done or costs a lot to do it yourself--in time and equipment. ProMow gang mowers promise a...

Best of the Builders' Show: new tools and building materials. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... There's nothing like the International Builders' Show. We attended the event recently in Las Vegas and looked over the offerings of 1300 manufacturers who brought 300 separate product categories to show. They spread it all out over 1.2 million...

Steel-cutting circular saw. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Leave it to Milwaukee to invent a 13-amp 8-in. circular saw to cut steel. Its quick-release blade shield protects you from flying sparks, and it stores chips as they fly off the blade. When it's full, open its latch and dump the debris into...

Internet refrigerator. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... LG's Internet refrigerator has a 15-in. LCD touchscreen monitor and a LAN port. Another feature permits you to leave a video message for family members. By the way, it also stores food. It provides 26 cu. ft. of space, sliding glass shelves, an...

Finish nailer kit. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Most of the tools and materials at the show are really designed for professionals, but a nice crossover product with strong DIY application is this finish nailer kit from Senco. It consists of an extremely compact 1-hp direct-drive compressor...

Masonry water repellent. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... UGL's Drylok may be the answer to the dilemma about how to protect vertical masonry surfaces, but allow water that has gotten behind the masonry to pass through as vapor. Drylok is a low-odor formulation consisting of microscopically small...

Colonial casement window. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Colonial Casement looks like a double-hung window, but it really is a crankdriven casement window that opens to a full 90[degrees]. A 30 x 60-in. low-E version costs about $4200. The double casement shown costs about $1310 (including the...

Cordless planer. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... When you need handheld planing power here it is: 18 volts and a 3 1/4-in. cutting width. Mounted in the cutterhead is a single reversible tungsten-carbide blade. A spare is included with the tool. It costs about $230 at home centers and through...

Lighted sabre saw. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Makita has added a very bright LED to many of its tools, including the saw shown (Model 4340FCT). This sabre saw is a beautiful, smooth-running tool that cuts with 800 to 2800 strokes per minute with four orbital modes. Electronic speed control...

Adjustable-height sawhorse. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Stanley's Zag sawhorse (about $30) has four independent telescoping legs and a working height of 32 to 39 in. It weighs 12 pounds but is rated for a 2900-pound load capacity. When folded, it's 2 in. thick. Another good idea is the company's...

Indoor-outdoor fireplace. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Twilight is a see-through 36,000-BTU gas fireplace with a difference--it's designed to be installed on an exterior wall. That makes the fire visible from the living room and the back deck. The appliance is a direct-vent type that draws...

Water-based floor enamel. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Concrete looks nicer with a coat of paint, and the same holds for worn-out wood floors. Sherwin-Williams's water-based floor enamel works on any roof-protected or interior floor made of wood or concrete (except garage floors). Even though it...

Solar roof vent. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... CertainTeed's Solar Roof Vent may be the way to power ventilate your attic without running up your electric bill. The system consists of a 24-volt Siemens photovoltaic panel that connects to the vent by a 10-ft. cable. Its design allows you to...

Traditional-looking wood window. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Andersen's Woodwright window has rail proportions, a wood jamb liner and mortise-and-tenon joints that recall an era when windows were built on-site. Yet, it has a heavy-gauge vinyl exterior, insulated glass and tilt sash. You can choose from...

Cordless impact driver. (Products).(tools)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Consider that a typical industrial-quality 12-volt cordless drill-driver produces roughly 310 in.-lb, of torque. This 12-volt impact driver gives you 1000 in.-lb, of torque. The tools we tried at the DeWalt booth sank lagscrews, sheetmetal...

Compact water softener. (Products).(new product by Kinetico )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The 2020c water softener is a compact, highly effective appliance. Powered by water pressure, it can soften water for one room, like a kitchen, or supply an entire house. It measures 8 1/4 in. wide x 18 in. deep x 19 1/2 in. high. Open its...

Double-hung window. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Weather Shield's new double-hung tilt window is not really one window, but a series in which you can control every aspect of the product. The line has redesigned and unobtrusive jamb liners, low-profile sash locks and flush-mounted fingertip...

Washer-dryer pair. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... General Electric's Profile Harmony washer-dryer pair talk to each other. As the washer moves clothing through its cycle, it sends information about the load to the dryer. After the washer has finished its high-speed spin cycle (1010 rpm), load...

Cast-iron sinks. (Products).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... A kitchen or utility sink is not just a receptacle for water, Kohler seems to say. It's an expressive medium made of vitreous-coated clay or cast iron. The 40-in.-long Kalista kitchen sink is made of porcelainized fire clay and is proportioned...

Condensate drainage. (Homeowners Clinic).
June 1, 2003... My basement condensate pump evacuates the condensate from my central air conditioner. But the pump is fairly noisy and can be heard in the living area. Can I simply bypass the pump and run the drain hose into a hole bored through the basement...

Air in hot water. (Homeowners Clinic).
June 1, 2003... Every morning when I turn on the shower, there seems to be air coming out of the hot-water faucet. My plumber checked the water lines pulled the well pump and inspected the water system's check valves. Everything seemed okay. Do you have any...

Review: Lawn Care.(Book Review)
June 1, 2003... We'll keep this review brief: If you want a nice lawn, buy this book. It's the best $20 you will ever spend on lawn care. That's the crux of it. Even though it's produced by the Scotts company, it's more than a tribute to the company's...

Patching drywall. (Service tip: maintenance).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... There are so many ways of patching drywall that often the most obvious one is overlooked. If you've made a cutout in a wall, you can easily use the same piece that you cut out by spreading drywall compound on all four of its edges and gently...

Wood floor over concrete. (Homeowners Clinic).
June 1, 2003... There is a 1/4-in.-wide x 24-ft.-long crack in the concrete floor slab of my 31-year-old home. We live in San Diego County so moisture is not a big issue. We want to lay a hardwood floor over the slab, but we are not sure how to proceed. ...

Refinish a stove top. (Homeowners Clinic).(Column)
June 1, 2003... Is it possible to refinish a stove top? I want to make it a different color. If so, what kind of paint would I need? FRANK L. BAKER DOVER, DE If the stove is an antique, its top is probably porcelain rather than baked enamel, But...

Squeeze play. (Auto Clinic).(car care)(Column)
June 1, 2003... I was driving along the interstate last week when my car started to slow down all by itself. When I finally got to an exit and pulled over into a gas station, the brakes were glowing a dull orange color and smoke was pouring out of the wheel...

Please release me. (Auto Clinic).(Column)
June 1, 2003... My wife just bought a new Honda Odyssey. It came with a small plastic cover plate--we had no idea for what. It turns out it's a spare cover for the shift lever release override. This is so you can get the car out of Park if the brake-shift...

Chip off the old block. (Car Care Tip).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... If you haven't noticed, many new cars have small grilles and a large area of painted metal on their noses--this is due to aerodynamic considerations that require less air flowing through the radiator. But improved fuel economy can come at the...

Permanent is relative. (Auto Clinic).
June 1, 2003... I just bought a new Isuzu truck, and when I went to check the transmission fluid, I couldn't find the dipstick. Can you give me some idea of where it is or how to find out the level of ATF in the transmission? TOM ESPERANZA VIA INTERNET...

Service tips.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... * Have you replaced the original tires with ones of a different size on your 2001-03 Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra with the Allison 6-speed transmission? Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 01-03-10-010B tells the dealer not to diagnose or...

Changing your transmission fluid. (Saturday Mechanic).
June 1, 2003... You drive the same route to work every day--same open stretches, same intersections, same stop-and-go. But today there's a subtle discord in the usual harmony, a blip on your vehicular radar, a bad vibe in your mechanical karma. Shifts seem...