Popular Mechanics articles from March 2007

Popular Mechanics archives from March 2007

The life of a spymaster.(EDITOR'S NOTES)(Jim Dunne)(Editorial)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... MOST PEOPLE WHO meet POPULAR MECHANICS'S Detroit editor, Jim Dunne, recognize him as a debonair individual. A sharp dresser. An old-school gentleman. But looks can be deceiving. Here at PM we know that underneath that sharp suit, behind that...

Power to the people.( )(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2007... I found the article "Power Pioneers" (Jan. '07) to be astonishing. I've always wondered if it would be realistic to live off the grid, and it was a real eye-opener to read that it's possible for a family to generate twice the amount of power...

Missile dismissal.( )(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2007... The yet-to-be-built X-51 hypersonic cruise missile ("Bullet From the Blue," Jan. '07) is an overly complex way of achieving less performance (600 nautical miles, 3600 mph) than was demonstrated by the two-stage, rocket-propelled, air-launched...

Taking away.( )(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2007... Your article "Giving Back" (Dec. '06) should've been called "Special Advertising Section." About 53 percent was devoted to features and prices of equipment or pictures of them in use. Keep magazine articles separate from advertising. ...

Well, thanks.( )(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2007... I have been a reader since the 1970s, and POPULAR MECHANICS has become my favorite magazine. I savor each issue, trying to mete out the content so it lasts at least two weeks. I send the issues to my son, who's at college in Santa Barbara; he's...

Dad bashing?( )(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2007... If it's one thing dads don't need, it's another kick in the pants ("Your Dad Was Wrong," Jan. '07). Why slant the title and premise of your article [on changes in how to maintain a car] when the actual culprits are mostly new technologies? ...

Robot chopper.(TECH WATCH)(Fire Scout)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... The Fire Scout is arguably the smartest unmanned aerial vehicle ever built. Unlike remote-operated drones such as the Predator, this helicopter is a true robot, with enough computing power to take off, fly and land on its own. Last year a pair...

Wide-open lenses.(Nanophotonics)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... A lens developed by South Korean researchers offers a wide-angle view without fisheye distortion, perfect for ceiling-mounted security cameras. The lens has a 151-degree field of view, slightly short of the theoretical limit of 180 degrees for...

Flying around thin ice.(software usage to avoid in-flight icing conditions)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... A new software application is helping pilots avoid in-flight icing conditions. Accessible from the cockpit, the system uses weather models to gauge the risk of running into clouds of supercooled droplets, which freeze on contact and can lead to...

Laser chat.(laser signals)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... A French defense contractor recently achieved the first two-way laser communication between an airplane and a satellite. The 50-megabit-per-second signal traveled 24, 855 miles between the European satellite Artemis and a plane carrying a...

Hello, robo.(Japanese firm rents Ubiko robot )(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Robots may be planning to take over the world, but at least they're willing to start at the bottom. A Japanese firm Is renting out Its 44-In.-tall Ubiko robot (above) as a greeter. It can give directions, respond to questions and hand out...

Sonic boost.(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Chines phyicists, using sound wavelengths the same size as thelr tiny subjects, created pressure sufficient to levitate small animals-Including an ant, below--without squishing them. Why? To research weightlessness... and just because.

Gore-Tex for the toxic crowd.(suits (Clothing))(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... A new "breathable rubber" could lead to a lightweight hazmat suit that won't drown its wearer in sweat. The material incorporates liquid crystal and acts like Gore-Tex, but with 100 times smaller pores. Water vapor can exit the suit, but larger...

Desktop B.C.: high-resolution imaging helps crack the code of a two-millennium-old computer.(TECHWATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... FOR A CENTURY researchers have chipped away at the mystery of the Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient analog computer discovered in fragments by a diver off the coast of Greece. Believed to have been lost in a shipwreck about 65 B.C., it's...

Time machine: 1960.(TECHWATCH)(Atomic Energy Commission runs Plowshare Program)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... THE OIL SANDS in Alberta, Canada, are being mined to produce thousands of barrels of oil daily, but it's a dirty, difficult job (see "The Oil Rush," page 70). The environmental impact is significant, but it could be worse. Forty-seven years ago...

Plug-in challenge: plug-in hybrids are back in the spotlight, but lurking in the shadows is the same old problem: building a lightweight, powerful, affordable battery.(TECHWATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... WHEN GENERAL MOTORS unveiled the Chevy Volt in January, plug-in hybrids suddenly seemed to matter again. Sure, the Volt is a concept car, and more of a testbed for various electric-drive systems than a showcase for plug-in charging (see our...

The oink-less BLT: who needs animals? It's only a matter of time before factory-grown meat becomes fast-food reality.(TECHWATCH)
March 1, 2007... It sounds like a sci-fi nightmare: giant sheets of grayish meat grown on factory racks for human consumption. But it's for real. Using pig stem cells, scientists have been growing lab meat for years, and it could be hitting dell counters sooner...

Turning machine.(UPGRADE)(Cub Cadet i1050 )(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... You don't need Cub Cadet's i1050 Zero-Turn Tractor ($3900). Then again, you don't need a Porsche. The i1050 lets you make zero-point turns, rotating in place to get in and out of tight spaces. Like other zero-turn mowing machines, it uses dual...

7.2V Lithium Ion Cordless Impact Driver with LED Light.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... This isn't the only lithium-ion stick driver out there. But Makita's 7.2V Lithium Ion Cordless Impact Driver with LED Light ($99) is the most powerful stick model we've tested, offering the kind of impact driver function normally found only in...

Cutting it closer.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)
March 1, 2007... The best innovations are often the simplest, like the curved profile of these Angled 8-in. Diagonal Cutting Pliers ($34), which let you place the head flush against a flat surface while gripping the handles securely. This tool is handy for...

Ironman resolution vibration trainer.(TEST DRIVE)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... It's impossible not to be skeptical of Ironman's Resolution Vibration Trainer ($2000), which claims to help users lose weight by shaking them. You hold a sequence of poses, including squats and a legs-in-the-air crunch, for up to 90 seconds at...

Windows Vista: should you switch?(UPGRADE: TEST DRIVE)(Microsoft Windows Vista)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... AFTER MUCH DELAY and fanfare, Microsoft has finally released Vista. We've played with beta incarnations of the operating system for months, watching it evolve from a glitchy mess into a relatively polished product. But now that Vista is in...

2007 tech preview: from game-changing breakthroughs to the latest must-have toys, the consumer electronics showy in Las Vegas is a first look at the year's most promising gear.(Consumer Electronics Show)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Television in general--and hi-def in particular--loomed larger than ever at CES. Not surprisingly, the displays are getting bigger and crisper. And, with digital video recorders and streaming video from the Internet raising the bar for...

FlyTech Dragonfly.(UPGRADE)(WowWee)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... It's from the same company that spawned the Roboraptor, but don't assume WowWee's FlyTech Dragonfly is a robot. It has zero autonomous functions--but who cares? With a 16-in. wingspan, this radio-controlled ornithopter flies at up to 18 mph...

Jabra BT8010.(UPGRADE: CES '07)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Sometimes you want one earphone, sometimes you want two. Jabra's new $149 Bluetooth headset lets you decide if you want to go mono with a single 0.8-ounce earpiece or swing a cord around the back of your neck, attach a second earpiece and...

Panasonic HDC-SD1.(UPGRADE: CES '07)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Hi-def video cameras are popping up all over, but Panasonic has created the one to beat--for $1500. It records in 1080i to an included 4GB SD card, and outputs HD video directly to a TV. Plus, its integrated 5.1 microphone records surround...

Intel Core 2 Quad.(UPGRADE: CES '07)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Hey, wait a second--didn't computers just go dual core? That's right, the chips are doubling all over again with Intel's new Core 2 Quad, which has four cores on a single CPU. That means computers can juggle more applications at once while...

SCH-u740.(UPGRADE: CES '07)(Samsung SCH-u740)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... It takes a lot for a phone to catch our eye--a lot of movement, in this case. A dual hinge lets you open Samsung's SCH-u740 vertically, like a flip-phone, or you can turn it sideways to type away on number keys that are now part of a keyboard....

Hillcrest Labs Loop.(UPGRADE: CES '07)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... As the number of TV channels and video sources grows, traditional remote controls become ever more inadequate. Hillcrest Labs has a new way to navigate the audiovisual world--the Loop remote, which will ship with select set-top boxes and other...

HP Mediasmart 1080p LCD HDTVs.(UPGRADE: CES '07)
March 1, 2007... You can't get more "future-proof" than these 42- and 47-in. HDTVs from Hewlett-Packard. The 10800 resolution might come in handy down the line. For now, internal Wi-Fi cards mean you can wirelessly access video from a PC or directly from HP's...

Resetting the standard: the GMC Acadia just may be the best-executed GM vehicle since the corvette. Yeah, it's that good.(NEW CARS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Here's another in the growing legion of seven- or eight-passenger crossovers. GMC's Acadia is nearly full-size and from behind the wheel it feels only slightly smaller than a Yukon. Ah, but the driving experience--it has a smooth and supple...

Evo extra-lite.(MITSUBISHI LANCER)(Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Of all Mitsubishi's vehicles, the best-known is the least driven--in the real world, that is. For years, millions of video-game players have been virtually steering the hot-rod Evolution sedan (aka the Evo) in the Gran Turismo series and other...

Jeep Liberty.(SPY REPORTS)(Jeep Eagle Corp.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... For 2008, the soft curves of the current Liberty will give way to a more traditional, angular Jeep look. Outside of the hallmark Jeep vertical-bar grille and oversize round headlights, the new model actually will look a lot like the Dodge...

Toyota Prius.(SPY REPORTS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Here's a good look at the next-generation Toyota Prius. The inside word from Japan is that the '09 version of the landmark hybrid will deliver both better fuel economy and more power. Engine size increases to 1.8 liters. New batteries and...

Showtime in Detroit.(NEW CARS: FIRST LOOK)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Ford used January's North American International Auto Show in Detroit to rip into the new year with new products. For one thing, the carmaker pulled the covers off the restyled '08 Focus, its vital small car. The Focus sports a new nose and a...

Diesel spread.(Alternately Speaking)(Los Angeles Auto Show)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... All but lost under the cloud of hydrogen at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November was DaimlerChrysler's announcement that it was sharing its PM Breakthrough Awardwinning Bluetec with competitor Volkswagen. The small Tiguan crossover, shown in...

Electric power.(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... General Motors gave the world its view of our electric future in Detroit when the company revealed its first E-Flex system, in the Chevrolet Volt. Though the electrically driven Volt uses a small gasoline engine to charge its lithium-ion...

Eyes on earth.(Carl Wunsch)(Interview)
March 1, 2007... PM INTERVIEWS CARL WUNSCH PROFESSOR OF PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY, MIT AS THIS MONTH'S COVER STORY ILLUSTRATES, MANNED SPACEFLIGHT WILL ALWAYS BE AN IRRESISTIBLE ADVENTURE. BUT SOME SCIENTISTS FEAR THAT IN THE RUSH TO COLONIZE THE MOON,...

Timeless power: Leno looks back 150 years for the future of his garage's power..(JAY LENO'S GARAGE)
March 1, 2007... LIKE A LOT OF GUYS who love cars, I'm fascinated by mechanical devices. The weirder and the bigger, the more I'm intrigued. And then there's the pull of history that attracts me to machinery; I like to trace its development back to its roots. I...

Mission: moon: with the iconic space shuttle nearing retirement, the pressure is on to design a new manned vehicle--one that will deliver us safely to the lunar surface, and back again, for decades to come.(Cover story)
March 1, 2007... ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIVE MILES ABOVE THE PLANET, suspended between curving, blue horizon and starry blackness, a four-man spacecraft floats in low-Earth orbit. The year is 2020, and the situation routine. Suddenly, a bright tongue of flame...

Full-size pick ups: when you've got to haul a real load or tow a real trailer, only a real pickup will do.
March 1, 2007... FEW VEHICLES ARE SO PERFECT for so many Americans as the full-size pickup. That's why these big haulers have perennially been our nation's best-selling vehicles. But now the creators of this quintessentially American icon--Ford, General Motors...

Space savers: clutter is an unloved side effect of modern life. Here's how to find more room--and make peace with your stuff.
March 1, 2007... It's hidden inside the walls, beneath the stairs, in places you'd never think to look. The solution to the great American storage crunch is all around us in the form of unused space--cavities and nooks ready to absorb clutter and help bring...

The oil rush: it takes big machines that make a big mess to mine black gold in Northern Alberta's vast oil sands. Is tapping these frontier reserves worth it?(SPECIAL REPORT)
March 1, 2007... THE SKY IS BLUE AND CLOUDLESS and north-country sharp, but you can barely see it from the cab of John Martin's Bucyrus 495 shovel. We are elevated three stories above a sea of mud and dirt and sand; a sulphurous stench permeates the air....

The best of green design: the smartest new ideas are often the ones that get back to basics: in this case, by saving money, energy and natural resources. PM salutes 25 innovators who are doing things right.
March 1, 2007... "GREEN DESIGN" MAY BE A RELATIVELY new term for describing ideas that are environmentally sensitive, but the concept is timeless--particularly as it applies to the home. The principles are simple: Use materials wisely, conserve water and...

Flooring it: how to put hardwood underfoot in a weekend.(DIY HOME: HARDWOOD FLOORS)
March 1, 2007... Believe it or not, I installed a beautiful hardwood floor by myself in just one weekend. How? I chose a DIY-friendly floating floor. Unlike typical hardwood flooring that must be nailed or glued down. floating floors are simply laid down over a...

Removing caulk.(HOMEOWNERS CLINIC: Q+a)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Q The caulk around my bathtub is peeling away in places, and it looks pretty ugly. How do I remove it and recaulk? A The first step is to soften the caulk by applying caulk remover (I like 3M's product) [1]. Next, slice through the softened...

Know your stuff.(DIY HOME)
March 1, 2007... The tapes shown here range from ho-hum films with an adhesive layer to specialized products that leave glue (or even putty) behind after a backing is peeled away. There's an ideal tape for every job-but when in doubt, go for the heavier stuff....

Bowed foundation wall.(HOMEOWNERS CLINIC: Q+a)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Q The concrete block foundation of my house seems to be kicking out into the cellar. Can that be? Can I repair it? A It is more common than you might think for a concrete block foundation wall to bow inward. The situation can develop slowly...

Overheating lights.(HOMEOWNERS CLINIC: Q+a)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Q A recessed light in our bathroom turns itself off if left on for a long period. It cannot be turned back on for an hour or so. Why does this happen? A The light is probably overheating and its thermal switch is causing it to turn off....

Repainting a floor.(HOMEOWNERS CLINIC: Q+a)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Q I am looking for the right way to repaint the wood floor in my living room. Do you have any suggestions? A First, buy a simple home test kit for lead paint. If the existing floor paint contains lead, you're better off coating the floor...

Master-level tip: removing painted trim.(DIY HOME)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... EVERY KID NEEDS A HERO. Mine was my big brother, Paul, who has always been a whiz with mechanical stuff. He's a remodeling contractor now, and I still admire him--these days, for the way he can deftly pop painted trim off a wall without...

Drywall mold.(HOMEOWNERS CLINIC: Q+a)
March 1, 2007... Q I am finishing my basement. To do that, I have to deal with some drywall that got wet from a plumbing leak. The leak has been fixed, but mildew is growing on the drywall. Should I replace the drywall, or can I clean it? A Replace the...

Replacing a timing belt.(SATURDAY MECHANIC)
March 1, 2007... DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY /// DIFFICULT **** Your six-year-old econo-box is starting to show a bit of wear and tear, but everything mechanical still works fine. Until it doesn't. Specifically, the engine suddenly goes dead silent one fine day....

Where lightning strikes.(CAR CLINIC: Q+a)
March 1, 2007... Q A friend of mine told me that I should always disconnect the positive terminal of the battery first to keep the electricity from spilling out of the battery. I can't see how this would matter. I just unhook whichever terminal is closest...

Cold logic?(CAR CLINIC: Q+a)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Q My dad was a mechanic and instilled in me that I should never start and then turn off an engine without getting the temperature gauge to at least register some heat. This is to keep totally cold oil from clogging up the pistons. However, my...

Them's the brakes.(CAR CLINIC: Q+a)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Q I have a problem with the ABS in my 1992 Buick Park Avenue. One day as I was driving, the car just started to slow down all by itself. After a lot of looking and trial and error, I unplugged the rear wheel sensor and the problem stopped. My...

You need this: pocket IR thermometer.(infrared)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Hot, hot, hot. Or not. We've got a couple of infrared thermometers around the shop, and they're great for checking tire temperatures, trailer bearings, brakes, whatever, on your car or truck. We even use them to check the hot oil when we fry...

Don't be yellow.(CAR CLINIC: Q+a)(yellow headlights)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Q I bought some yellow headlights for my vehicle. I believe they help me see better at night, especially when it rains. I live in Washington state, the land of rain and fog. However, one of my friends who has the same yellow lights has been...

Movies: from PC to TV: downloading a film is easy. Getting it to your living room screen is trickier.(DIY TECH)
March 1, 2007... The same revolution in digital compression and bandwidth expansion that made it possible to buy and download music over the Internet is slowly but steadily changing the way we get movies into our homes. Online movie stores such as CinemaNow,...

Spent cartridge.(DIGITAL CLINIC: Q+a)
March 1, 2007... Q Even when I haven't been using the cartridges in my inkjet printer very much, the ink levels still seem to decrease. Is the ink simply evaporating over time? Is there a way to prevent that? A Ink is designed to evaporate quickly--the...

Upload your iPod.(DIGITAL CLINIC: Q+a)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Q My hard drive recently failed and I lost a lot of data, but my music is backed up on my iPod. If I plug my iPod back into my computer with the new hard drive and blank library, will it erase the music on my iPod, or will it repopulate the...

Screen cleaner.(DIGITAL CLINIC: Q+a)
March 1, 2007... Q I have a new LCD television, and I'm not sure how to clean it. With my old tube set, I just spritzed it with Windex, but the surface of my new TV isn't glass. A "We recommend using LCD cleanser that can be purchased at any electronics...

DVD speed ratings.(KNOW YOUR STUFF)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Improved mechanics and greater processing power make today's DVD burners up to 16 times faster than first-gen models (thus 16x). But why are some DVDs rated faster than others? A disc has no moving parts and no processors, so would a 4x disc...

This is my job: sleep doctor.(Clete Kushida)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... CLETE KUSHIDA PALO ALTO, CALIF. YEARS ON JOB: 20 THINGS THAT GO BUMP in the night often threaten sleepwalking specialists. "I've had patients throw things at me an d try to assault the staff while sleeping," says Clete Kushida,...