Popular Mechanics articles from June 2006

Popular Mechanics archives from June 2006

The anti-terror beat.(Editor's Notes)(Editorial)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO keep our country safe? In recent months, debates have raged about how to protect our borders, ports, cities and airports. Most of these discussions assume that massive federal agencies are the only organizations equipped...

The home front.(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... As contributor Bing West suggested in his piece "Invest in Our Troops" ("The Great Weapons Debate," April 2006), how about giving up one DD(X) destroyer or a couple of hundred Joint Strike Fighters to give our guys on the ground better...

Winged victory.(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... Davin Coburn's article about learning to fly in a week piqued my curiosity ("How I Learned to Fly in a Week," April 2006). I looked into my Army log book from World War II and saw that I had 9 hours of flight instruction before I soloed--in a...

Response: red-light cams.(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... We challenge the comical approach your magazine took to cover the issue [of red-light cameras] ("Big Brother Is Ticketing You," March 2006). Deaths and injuries caused by red-light running aren't funny. From 1999 to 2000, more than 900 people...

Reader tip.(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... In Auto Clinic (April 2006) you talked about fixing clouded-over headlamp lenses. I have found that toothpaste also works. Apply toothpaste to a soft toothbrush and, using a circular motion with gentle pressure, brush it on the headlamps. Then,...

High-stakes laser tag.(Boeing Co.)(Lockheed Martin Corp.)(Northrop Grumman Corp.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The Airborne Laser (ABL) sounds like something out of a very bad action movie--a laser turret mounted on the nose of a 747-400R This isn't a laser designator or a low-power beam that dazzles enemy pilots and sensors, but rather a megawatt-class...

Mind over mouse.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... German scientists unveiled the Berlin Brain-Computer Interface--dubbed the "mental typewriter'--at the CeBIT electronics trade show in Hanover, Germany. After attaching a cap of electrodes to his scalp and practicing for around 20 minutes, a...

Pledge drive.(Aviation and Space Agency in a deal with golfclub maker)(National Aeronautics and Space Administration)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... the cash-hungry Russian Space Agency has signed a deal with a golfclub maker for a cosmonaut to hit a golf shot around the world" from the international Space Station, NASA has yet to approve--the ball wood orbit the Earth for up to four years,...

Fossil raid.
June 1, 2006... Federal agents seized nearly 8 tons of fossils at a gem show in Tucson, Ariz., including ancient pine cones, crab claws, and three football-size dinosaur eggs valued at more than $4000 each. The feds were tipped off by Interpol that the fossils...

Circuit chilly.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... As computer chips set smaller, its hard to keep them cool with fans. British scientists propose creating a refrigeration field with materials like zirconate-titanate. At 428 F, the ceramic cools by more than 20 F when voltage is applied, though...

Boxed lightning.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Scientists in Israel have used the 600-watt magnetron from a microwave oven to create "ball lightning" by vaporizing rock. Ball lightning is rarely observed in nature, and its origins aren't fully understood. The scientists drilled through rock...

Spit and run.
June 1, 2006... German scientists have confirmed that archerfish--known for spitting water at insects on branches more than 2 ft. away--also can take down insects in flight. After training in a lab, the fish could hit targets moving at 10 in. per second about...

Nature's tiny spring.(TECH WATCH)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... THE LATEST RESEARCH in nanobiomechanics has revealed naturally occurring "springs" in a single molecule of protein. Found in various human tissues, including hair cells, these spiral-shaped nanoscale springs, or nanosprings, are actually chains...

Time machine.(TECH WATCH)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... TODAY'S TV VIEWERS are faced with a decision--to HD, or not to HD? Channels broadcasting in hi-def are a rarity, but over 4,3 years ago the new kid on the broadcasting block was UHF, or ultra-high frequency, which added channels 14 through 83...

Sonic boomerang: it has no tail, no fuselage, and at high speed, it essentially flies sideways. After a two-decade hiatus the Oblique Flying Wing--one of the strangest approaches to supersonic aerodynamics--is now back on the drawing board.(United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)(Northrop Grumman Corp.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Northrop Grumman has signed a $10.3 million contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to study the Oblique Flying Wing (OFW), a concept that dates back to the 1950s. The OFW consists of little more than engines mounted...

A digital star is born.(Panavision Inc. and Sony Corp. introduced digital movie cameras)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... For years Hollywood has been the last bastion of the film camera, with relatively few features shot digitally. Panavision's Genesis, below, is poised to finally change the industry. It has been used on 13 movies, including the upcoming Superman...

Supercomputers: IBM's sprawling 64-cabinet BlueGene/L supercomputer at California's Lawrence livermore national lab.(International Business Machines Corp. to introduce supercomputers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The latest rankings for the 500 fastest supercomputers in the world will be announced on June 28 at the International Supercomputing Conference in Dresden, Germany. The reigning champ is IBM's BlueGene/L system, which has reached the...

The 450-watt skateboard.(UPGRADE)
June 1, 2006... There's a reason Exkate's Raptor 4.0 Extreme ($500) is called a power board. Whether you're a complete novice or a hardcore skater, the first time you pull the trigger on the wireless remote, the 40-in.-long board will probably take off without...

Wrench revised.(Black & Decker Corp. introduces auto wrench )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Nothing, it seems, is sacred, even that noblest of tools, the adjustable wrench. Black & Decker's new Auto Wrench ($30) is a battery-powered 8-in. wrench that opens and closes with a press of a button. It takes two AAA batteries, works with...

Security Webcam.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)
June 1, 2006... Creative's Live Wireless Webcam ($149) sends footage directly to a secure Web address. Users with an assigned login and password can access the camera from nearly any Web browser, letting them monitor a child from another room in the house, or...

Exer-station.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Gaming and fitness have always been strange bedfellows, but at least the Exer-station ($200) doesn t make you dance like you're auditioning for a boy band. The 24-in.-tall joystick works with GameCube, PlayStation 1 and 2, Xbox and PC games,...

What is "Origami"?(Microsoft Corp. introduces mini tablet computers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... After much insidery speculation about Microsoft's "Origami" computer, it turns out that there is no Origami--it was a buzz-generating code word for the Ultra-Mobile PC (or UMPC), a whole new computing category. * Okay, What Are UHPCs? ...

HCC-210 Bluetooth Car Kit.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)
June 1, 2006... The HCC-210 Bluetooth Car Kit ($90) is the rare speakerphone that works so well you'll actually want to use it. Its single speaker is loud and clear, and it works with any Bluetooth-compatible cellphone. At 4.6 in. long and 4.2 ounces light, it...

Split decision.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)
June 1, 2006... The Dual-Flo ($201 hose nozzle makes your garden-variety garden hose more versatile with an internal valve that switches between a gentle Now [the upper outlet] and a high-pressure spray [the lower]. It also can act as a Y-connector, splitting...

Getting some fresh air.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)
June 1, 2006... Somewhere between old-fashioned tubes and experts-only parasails is the WEGO KITE TUBE ($600), a 10-ft.-wide towable platform that can take to the air. When towed at slower speeds the inflatable tube slides along the water, but at 17 to 20 mph...

Cutting edge.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)
June 1, 2006... To develop its monster of a reciprocating saw-the 13-amp DW311K ($169]DeWalt took one of its own saws and some competing products, ground off their markings, painted them gray and had contractors test them. The feedback from the pros: Skip the...

Clash of the flashlights.(ABUSIVE LAB TEST)(Statistical table)
June 1, 2006... Energy-efficient LEDs are natural successors to incandescent bulbs. But what about flashlights that replace standard alkaline batteries with lithium-ion batteries, hand-cranking and even shaking? With an eye chart, a stopwatch, a flight of...

The iPod Posse.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)
June 1, 2006... iPod accessories fall into two groups: the very stupid (like, no kidding, iPod underpants) and the surprisingly useful. Here are our picks for the latter group. Boombox [1] Attec Lansing iM7 $250 /// This 6.5-pound dockable, portable...

Beholding Saturn: NASA's imaging specialist explains the stunning view from the Cassini spacecraft.(National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
June 1, 2006... On June 30, 2004, one of the most sophisticated. spacecraft ever built screamed toward Saturn at 54,483 mph. Then, for 96 minutes, it burned half its weight in fuel, braking just enough to settle into orbit. In the two years since, Cassini has...

Lawyer in a box: it seems like every device now comes with a "click-through" legal agreement. When did our gadgets get so bossy?(Toyota Motor Corp.)
June 1, 2006... I own a Toyota Highlander Hybrid, and I like it a lot. But I bought it without the fancy satellite navigation system, a decision on my part that cost Toyota about $2000. The reason is that I wanted to buy a car that didn't come with a built-in...

Sun showers.(ENERGY FAMILY: PART THREE)
June 1, 2006... It's not just about electricity. To slash water heating bills, star with sunlight and lots of copper tubing. Here's how. Located a few steps outside our basement door, partially obscured by cherry whips and spruce boughs, are four 100-gal....

Step 1: fire jet boots. Step 2: jump: how a finnish wingsuiter is setting odd new benchmarks in human flight.
June 1, 2006... "In this kind of weather, if you land in the water, you're going to die," Visa Parviainen said to the hot air balloon's pilot. Parviainen was clinging to the balloon's basket last autumn, flying high above the small lakes near Lahti, Finland,...

Rare bit: with rich, soft-to-the-touch interior materials and an exacting fit and finish, the GTI may be the most refined car in its segment.(Volkswagen AG)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The 1983 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI created the sport compact market in the States. And the all-new GTI is true to that spunky original. First, the new GTI comes standard with a 200-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Second, you choose...

Q ship: the Q7 offers 28 seating configurations and can hold 88 cu. ft. of stuff with all the seats folded down flat.(Audi AG's )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The Q7 is Audi's very first SUV. Given the automaker's legacy of all-wheel-drive cars, it's not surprising that the Q7 is more of an all-weather trooper than a mountain goat. And though it is based largely on the same chassis as the Porsche...

Detroit spy report.(Opel AG's saturn)
June 1, 2006... 1. We'll call it the Outlook. This 2007 1/2 crossover will be the biggest Saturn yet. Details include three rows of seats, eight-passenger capacity and front- or all-wheel drive. This prototype was seen just outside Detroit earlier this year....

Ever fresh.(Mercedes-Benz SL line updated)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... With minor changes inside and a facelift outside, the Mercedes-Benz SL line is ready for another go-around. Power in the SL550 comes from a 382-hp V8 and a seven-speed automatic; the SL55 AMG has a 510-hp V8 and a five-speed. Both do a much...

Asia spy report.(NEW CARS)
June 1, 2006... 1. In case you didn't make it to the New York International Auto Show in April, here's the next Nissan Altima. It won't be for sale until fall. The front-drive sport sedan rides on an all-new chassis, and Nissan engineers promise it will be one...

Potently green: hybrid or no, the GS 450h has all the expected Lexus trappings, such as elegant wood, soft leather and an optional high-zoot sound system.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... We can see the self-appointed hybrid police objecting already. The new Lexus GS 450h doesn't promise 50-mpg fuel economy. Instead, it delivers V8-1ike thrust with four- or six-cylinder economy. And to us, that makes good sense. The GS hybrid...

Europe spy report.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... 1. We've always thought of VW as a maker of small cars for everyman. Looks like we were right--the large, expensive Phaeton and Touareg were failures. So VW's again concentrating on what it does best: Witness a small SUV based on the Golf. To...

From Alabama: hardly the interior of a typical mud masher, the GL450 has all the luxury needed to compete with large luxury SUVs from GM and Land Rover.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... There's such a rabid following for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class that the company created a whole new model line rather than replace it. Called the GL-Class, this new SUV is the largest passenger vehicle Benz offers, with seating for seven....

Public defenders: protecting America's cities, ports, borders and airports requires new technology and new tactics. Here's a look at who's doing it right.(Cover story)
June 1, 2006... No one sees them coming. There are no flashing lights, no sirens. The black Suburban simply glides out of Fifth Avenue traffic and pulls into a no-parking zone in front of the Empire State Building. Moments later, four men spill out in...

The joy of concrete: concrete is an age-old pillar of civilization, on a par with beer, steel and the T-bone steak. Master concrete and you can build a backyard empire--starting with a spot to fire up your grill.
June 1, 2006... NEARLY 2000 YEARS AGO, the Romans constructed a temple of a size and design that engineers still look upon with awe. It was a massive circular building, 143 ft. in diameter, covered by a monolithic dome. The building still stands. It's called...

Power trip: seven days, 3000 miles, five skill-testing two-lane roads, a willing copilot and a 505-hp corvette. Life is good. Very good.
June 1, 2006... WE'RE HALF AN HOUR INTO OUR L.A.-TO-NEW YORK ROAD TRIP and Ella is asleep. Seriously. She's asleep in a brand-new $68,700 Daytona Sunset Orange Metallic Corvette Z06 the quickest, best-handling Vette that Chevy has ever produced. It's like...

Grippier tires.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Four patches of rubber are all that translate your driving inputs into action. Most vehicles have tires that find a compromise among handling, braking, quiet, comfort, fuel economy and durability. The fastest way to upgrade handling is to swap...

Better brakes.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Going fast means using the brakes a lot to slow enough for curves. This can overheat standard brakes and quickly wear them. Get increased slowing and stopping power with larger rotors, along with matched calipers. These, in turn, mean larger...

Souped-up shocks.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Most cars are designed with a suspension that strikes a compromise between ride comfort and safe, predictable handling. You can sharpen your car's handling by installing a set of firmer shock absorbers. These keep the tires better planted on...

First-class seats.(car seating ggg)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Most cars come with front seats designed for hours of comfortable, nonfatiguing driving. So they don't necessarily hold you snugly in place. If you're serious about hard driving, you'll improve your game with seats designed for something more...

America's top 25 performance roads.
June 1, 2006... HENRY FORD MAY HAVE put America on wheels, but President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave those wheels somewhere to go when he created the interstate system, 50 years ago this month. (He signed the legislation in June 1956.) These concrete marvels...

What's wrong with this picture? HDTVs are capable of spectacular video quality--but they aren't always perfect, television industry consultant Pete Putman explains how good images go bad.(High definition television)
June 1, 2006... You laid down serious cash for your new set, upgraded your tuner box and hooked it all into your surround-sound system. Then you turned it on and tuned into a whole new era of disappointment. Those HD pictures don't look as good as they should....

Trickle-down theory: the quick guide to building a stone-lined, fit-any-where, good-looking backyard pond.
June 1, 2006... If you've always wanted a backyard pond, you're not alone. Hundreds of thousands of homeowners already have them and thousands more are installing them every year. Why all the fuss over a water-filled hole? Well, for one thing, gurgling...

Classic: simple do it yourself weekend projects.(Michel Frank's table design )
June 1, 2006... An icon of modern design that you can build in a weekend. This table, designed in the '20s, is generally attributed to dean-Michel Frank, a French designer and decorator associated with Parsons School of Design in New York City. But the...

Dimmer switch savings: if I have a l00-watt bulb controlled by a dimmer switch, will I use less electricity if the switch is at a lower setting? If so, that would imply that the switch would pay for itself, eventually. is that true?
June 1, 2006... Yes, modern electronic dimmers save energy. Furthermore, a dimmer that's used to control a frequently used light will almost certainly pay its own way. Dimmer switches save energy by switching the light on and off 120 times per second,...

Take a learning vacation.(summer schools )
June 1, 2006... Call them Club Ed. These are schools where you can go on vacation to learn anything from chain saw lumber milling to building a solar energy system to crafting a wooden boat. Sessions run from a few days to three weeks, with typical weekly...

Channellock: 120 years and going strong.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... We live in a time when companies are swept easily into the economic trash can, either by market forces or yet another accounting scandal. If not that, they pack off their manufacturing for distant shores. Credit is due, then, to that hardy band...

Log shed.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Two winters ago my old metal shed collapsed when the roof caved in from snow. I really enjoy doing some sweating and building things at my own pace, so I designed a new, sturdier shed modeled after a log cabin. I just like the rustic look of...

Reader feedback.(HOMEOWNERS CLINIC)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... Recent issues of the Homeowners Clinic generated a variety of helpfuL responses from readers. Here are a couple: After reading a recent letter and PM's response on cleaning soap scum from a shower enclosure, David Aker wrote to tell us...

Plastic bumper repair.
June 1, 2006... There oughta be a law: If there's a post in a parking lot--any post--it should be high enough to see when you're backing up. Unfortunately, the law we usually see applied is Murphy's, and the resulting body damage repairs will cost just a few...

Auto clinic.(automotive glass management)
June 1, 2006... A Basic Problem I have a sprinkler system in my front yard that splashes water onto my car on breezy days. I think the water droplets that evaporate from the side-window glass leave mineral deposits behind. Oddly enough, the paint doesn't...

Recording hi-fi from the sky.
June 1, 2006... I'm interested in one of the new portable satellite radios that also play MP3s. Can I record broadcasted songs directly with these machines? Also, can I offload these songs from the machine? Devices such as Pioneer's inno ($400) and the...

Cable guide.
June 1, 2006... For all the advances in wireless technology over the past few years, most of your electronic devices are still connected to each other by cords--and the variety of different cable standards is only growing. So while we wait for all these...

Lifeguard.(personal watercraft)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Guy Pere Haleiwa, Hawaii Years on job: 16 OAHU'S FABLED NORTH SHORE is not only the home of pro surfings Triple Crown contests but the birthplace of tow-in surfing. in which personal watercraft help athletes drop in on waves up to 50 ft....