Popular Mechanics articles from October 2006

Popular Mechanics archives from October 2006

The nuclear option.(nuclear power)(Editorial)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... WHEN I WAS IN college, one of my geology professors told us--with absolute certainty--that the world's oil reserves would "run dry" within 25 years. That was 26 years ago. So count me as a bit of a skeptic when it comes to doomsday scenarios...

Gas sippers.(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... Of course, it's possible to build an automobile that gets 100 or more mpg. As you well know, it's already been done. Toyota built a prototype in the 1980s that achieved 110 mpg, but concluded there was very little market for such a car. The...

China's stateside spies.(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... Your article on China stealing our military secrets was excellent ("China's Secret War," August 2006). Our wonderful trading partners are secretly building an enormous military machine, thanks in part to espionage, theft and our own greed....

RV home sweet home.(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... Using an RV as a vehicle is inefficient ("Honey, Have You Seen the Remote?" August 2006). Using it as a house is far more efficient. RV appliances run off batteries and stored water, using a fraction of the electricity, water and gas of a...

Back to the future.(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... I was a "rocket scientist" back in the 1960s ("Crash Test," August 2006). Like the flush toilet, rocket propulsion had gone about as far as it could go when we landed on the moon in 1969. Lighter and cheaper are good, but an exploding rocket is...

Fast as lightning.(TECH WATCH)(Tesla Roadster)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... The electric car is dead--those bog-slow, glorified golf carts of old, that is. Long live the Tesla Roadster, the first production high-performance electric car. The numbers are hard to believe: 0 to 60 mph in around 4 seconds, topping out at...

Naturally repellent.(TECH WATCH)(chemicals in perspiration)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Using sweat from subjects who seem to repel mosquitoes and microelectrodes attached to the insects' antennae, Scottish researchers have isolated the naturally occurring chemicals that act as masking agents, raisins hopes for a high-strength,...

Transfer of power.(TECH WATCH)(American Superconductor 344 superconductors)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... A breakthrough in high-temperature superconductor wires might help revamp the ailing national power grid. Called 344 superconductors, these 4ram-wide wires (shown encased in steel, alongside the copper cables needed to transmit the same amount...

Back-seat survivor.(TECH WATCH)(automobile accident study)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... According to a University at Buffalo study of 33,318 fatal crashes that controlled for factors such as passenger age, vehicle type and airbags, the middle of the back seat turns out to be at least 16 percent safer than other seats, and up to 86...

Radiation gets scarier.(bone loss)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Astronauts and cancer patients may suffer bone loss at much lower levels of radiation than previously identified, a new study shows. Researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina exposed mice to different doses of radiation, including the...

Don't hog the box.(TECH WATCH)(The ChargeBox )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... As pay phones vanish, a new idea might take their place: coin-operated recharging kiosks. The ChargeBox is being rolled out in airports, hotels and cybercafes across Britain, each with six lockers where you can plug in your phone, PDA or iPod....

VR meets ESP.(TECH WATCH)(virtual reality puts telepathy to the test )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Blurring the line between sci-fi and science, researchers at the University of Manchester are using virtual reality to test for telepathic powers. Goggled and gloved, subjects concentrate on an object (like a virtual trumpet, below) while...

Team player: the PlayStation 3's multitasking processor might change computing forever. Or maybe it'll just help you kill more monsters.(TECH WATCH)
October 1, 2006... When Sony announced that its PlayStation 3 would cost at least $500, gamers, stockholders and industry analysts were floored. They demanded to know how a game console could possibly be so expensive. One reason is something called Cell, a new...

Sporting chance: a revolution in cheap, easy-to-fly aircraft has sputtered on the runway for years. Now, one of biggest companies in aviation is set to lead the way.(Cessna Aircraft Co.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... When the Federal Aviation Administration announced its sport pilot initiative in 2004, small-plane enthusiasts rejoiced. It meant prospective pilots could earn their wings in much less time, and manufacturers would once again be empowered to...

Where the rubber meets the street.(TECH WATCH)(Rubbersidewalks )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... CONCRETE SIDEWALKS aren't as tough as you think. Freezing temperatures can crack them, and burrowing tree roots can buckle whole slabs, often requiring the tree's removal. So, in more than 60 cities around the country a new product is hitting...

Orbital advertising.(Bigelow Aerospace Co.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... ASSUMING SPACE tourism works out as well as a growing fleet of entrepreneurs hopes, a zero-g vacation could still cost you $200,000 and up. But for $295 you can launch a photo of yourself--or some other keepsake--into space on Bigelow...

Time machine 1946.(using nuclear power)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... NUCLEAR POWER may be on the verge of a technological renaissance in this century (see "The Next Atomic Age" page 76), but in 1946 fission reaction had only made its power felt in warfare. Fourteen months after Hiroshima and years before the...

Creative outlets.(UPGRADE)
October 1, 2006... It sounds like something out of a monster flick: a tentacled creation that harnesses electricity to save us from ourselves. In fact, the PowerSquid Calamari ($80) from Flexity is a surge protector with six flexible outlets, reining in bulky,...

Dremel redesigned.
October 1, 2006... Nearly every classic power tool has been blessed with a lithium-ion upgrade, but the Dremel Stylus ($70] has sprouted a useful new shape as well. Like all Dremels it can be held like a pen, but the handle allows for more positions, and has a...

FatMax Mobile Project Center ($109).(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)
October 1, 2006... Like most multifunction products, Stanley's FatMax Mobile Project Center ($109) isn't best-in-class at either of its lobs. But it gets the job done--as a work surface (with an integrated clamp and a three-outlet power strip) and as a handcart...

Handset test drive.(Hello Hero of Hello Direct Inc. and Motorola Q of Motorola Inc. being tested)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Hello's youth-oriented Hero and the more mature Motorola Q both promise the latest in mobile surfing and downloading. The phones worked fine for calls and e-mails, so we gave them two data-transfer tests--one for the kids, and one for the rest...

Bit and run.
October 1, 2006... Sure, if you're installing some curtain rods, one screwdriver bit will do. And if you burn through that one, there's a new one rattling around somewhere. But when you're working on a deck and burning through bits, or up on a ladder with no one...

HandiSaw ($40).
October 1, 2006... The pun is unavoidable: Black & Decker's HandiSaw ($40) is handy. This miniature cordless 6-volt reciprocating saw uses standard jigsaw blades to buzz through vinyl siding, wall paneling and small tree limbs. The pistol grip allows for quick...

Lighter years ahead.
October 1, 2006... The future of lighting, as we keep insisting, is the LED, and the Philips Aurelie LED Decklight ($100) is a glimpse of brighter and more power-efficient days ahead. It comes with 10 white or blue lights that are easy to install and can last for...

Fire smarter.
October 1, 2006... At 12.3 ounces and 7 in. high, the BernzOmatic Trigger Start Torch Kit ($30) is lighter, more compact and less top-heavy than other propane torches. But it can sweat and solder pipe or loosen rusted bolts just as well, running for up to 5 hours...

Point, shoot, lose 10 pounds.(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)(HP Photosmart R967)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... You too can lose unwanted width in the blink of a sensor with the HP Photosmart R967's ($449) "slimming" feature. One of a slew of in-camera effects that can be applied after the fact, it essentially squashes the image. This has a thinning...

Command Force Micro Chopper Patrol ($13).(UPGRADE: WISH LIST)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... The Command Force Micro Chopper Patrol ($13) is an old toy concept that we're happy to welcome back. By adjusting throttle and pitch, you can fly your very own gunship--the AH-6 Little Bird (shown), AH-64 Apache or AH-1 Super Cobra. Even a milk...

The sound of silence.(UPGRADE: LAB TEST)(earphones)(Product/service evaluation)
October 1, 2006... The Sound of Silence Passive noise cancellation is simple--earphones shroud your ears with mammoth "cans" or fill them with speaker-embedded plugs. Active noise cancellation, however, uses audio frequencies to counter noise. We tested...

The nano dilemma: critics exaggerate the dangers. Boosters flog the benefits. Let's give nanotechnology a chance to develop before we start taking sides.(THINKING AHEAD: NANOTECH)
October 1, 2006... Nanotechnology: Is it going to change the world? Or, as one article recently asked, is "nano" in danger of becoming the new "turbo"--a marketing term that doesn't have much to do with what's inside the box? The answer is both, I'm afraid, and...

Automotive Excellence Awards 2007.(Product/service evaluation)
October 1, 2006... Automakers bombard America's drivers with new models every year--and the editors of Popular Mechanics test drive just about every one of them. It's a great job. But while we love getting behind the wheel of a new machine, we drive...

Just don't call it a blimp: it's a hybrid airship--part plane, part dirigible. Two Ohio inventors think production versions up to 990 ft. long will launch a new era of aviation--one where low and slow is the way to go.
October 1, 2006... The future of aviation is wobbling. Looking like a giant albino queen ant, the 117-ft.-long Dynalifter airship trundles down a grass airstrip in eastern Ohio, its white, ovoid envelope bobbling with each clod and divot in the runway. Undersize...

Future shocks: think mother nature has dealt us her worst? Think again. Here are five natural disasters poised to strike the United States, and why they will be like nothing we have ever seen.
October 1, 2006... EARTH IS ONE ROUGH PLACE. Even the most devastating storms of recent years pale in sheer destructive power against outsize natural disasters of the past, such as continent-smothering ice sheets, ocean-raising floods, super volcanoes and the...

Cheap trills.(spud guns and other mechanical innovations)
October 1, 2006... THREE, TWO, ONE... SPUD! The potato gun and its frivolous kin--the rocket car, desktop trebuchet and others--bring together all the physics, time-wasting potential and backyard bragging rights a paragon of American know-how could want. Got 30...

The next atomic age: America's nuclear power plants will soon have to be replaced--but with what?
October 1, 2006... LEANING OVER THE RAIL THE RAIL metal catwalk, I peer down through 16 ft. of Crystal-clear water at the cool, blue glow coming from the shapes at the bottom: partially spent uranium fuel rods. "Blue," says, Joel Duling, my guide to America's...

The great nuclear debate.(Patrick Moore)
October 1, 2006... Now's the Time PATRICK MOORE Chair and Chief Scientist, Greenspirit Strategies Ltd. WHEN I HELPED FOUND Greenpeace in 1971. my colleagues and I were firmly opposed to nuclear energy. But times have changed. Nuclear energy is the only...

Beyond hi-def: HD has changed the way we look at TV. Now, a technological revolution is under way that will change the way we use it.
October 1, 2006... ON JULY 1, 1941, the television station WNBT (later to become NBC) signed on to the airwaves with the first day of commercial television broadcasting. Programming included a news report, a few quiz shows, and a Dodgers-Phillies game that was...

Hidden agenda: how to transform an antique clothes armoire into a modern computer workstation.(HOME JOURNAL)
October 1, 2006... For several years, I had a love-hate Relationship with our home computer. I loved having it available for the whole family to use for research, e-mailing and downloading. But. I hated the fact that it created a cluttered mess in our family...

Waterlogged tank woes.(Homeowners Clinic)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Q My well pump goes on and off, cycling very rapidly whenever someone showers or flushes a toilet. Could there be a problem with its pressure tank? It's a bladder type of tank that I had installed some years ago. Or, could the problem be with...

Crumbled mortar joints.(Homeowners Clinic)(ways to repair broken bricks)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Q What can you tell me about repointing the mortar joints in a brick chimney? Some of the joints in my house's chimney are severely deteriorated and I want to repair them. A Repointing (which is also known as tuckpointing) is the process...

Swept under the carpet.(Homeowners Clinic)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Q I'm purchasing replacement carpet for my home. When its price is quoted as0 "installed," does that cover the cost of the carpet cushion or is that extra? Also, is it likely that the 30-year-old subfloor under the carpet will be okay? A...

Raptor Anchor $3.90 per pack.(Editor's Choice Awards: Great new products to help you hang stuff from drywall; repair indoor and outdoor wood, and apply a fresh, clean coating to concrete floors.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Hammer a Raptor Anchor into drywall, then drive a No. 6, 8, 10 or 12 screw into it. A small plastic hinge holds the pointed tip of the anchor to the anchor body. Driving the screw into the anchor causes the pointed portion to pivot against the...

PL Fix $19.(Editor's Choice Awards: Great new products to help you hang stuff from drywall; repair indoor and outdoor wood, and apply a fresh, clean coating to concrete floors.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... PL Fix is a polyurethane-containing wood repair material consisting of resin and hardener that are mixed to a creamy consistency. Once it cures, it has remarkably good working properties. You can drill it, grind it, carve it and even plane...

Drylok E1 $30-$40 per 1-gal.(Editor's Choice Awards: Great new products to help you hang stuff from drywall; repair indoor and outdoor wood, and apply a fresh, clean coating to concrete floors.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Drylok E1 is an indoor-outdoor concrete-floor paint that is a fusion of epoxy and water-based acrylic resin. It's a lot like ordinary latex paint because you use it right out of the can rather than mixing two components together. Also, it has...

Seeing green.(water leaves stain on tub)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Q My home's water leaves a green stain around tub and sink drains. What causes this? A The water is probably slightly acidic with a high carbon dioxide content. This causes it to leach copper from the plumbing. As the water evaporates, it...

That sinking feeling.(Homeowners Clinic)(handling house cracks)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Q My house has settled and the foundation has cracked severely. Some of the doors and windows are stuck shut because of the settling. How can I correct this? A Contact a licensed structural engineer with experience in soil mechanics. The...

Taking a load off.(READER PROJECT)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... I decided to build this front-end loader after I wrenched my back. I was wrestling with a cherimoya tree that I was trying to transplant on my 1 1/2-acre property in Fallbrook, Calif. It was an ironic injury in that it occurred shortly after my...

Replacing tired liftgate struts.(SATURDAY MECHANIC)
October 1, 2006... DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY * EASY Sprinkles of rain gently pepper your head as you thread your way across the parking lot pushing a cart full of groceries. The liftgate of your minivan promises to provide the shelter you need to unload the...

What's going on back there?(removing leaves from automotive tube)(attaching a trailer to a ship)(bent valves)
October 1, 2006... Q I towed my boat around a lot this summer. Each time, I hooked up the trailer harness connector when I hitched up the trailer, but half the time one or more of the lights didn't work. (Several members of the local law enforcement community...

Pushing the limits.(Tech Clinic)(using extenders to access Wi-Fi)
October 1, 2006... Q My cable modem and wireless access point are located at one corner of my house, and I'd like to access my Wi-Fi network in my bedroom at the other end of the house. It seems that either too much distance or too many walls lie between my...

Taking it with you.(transfering license from old computer to new one)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Q I just upgraded to a new PC, but all of my software and purchased music are registered to my old one. Do I need to rebuy Microsoft Office and all my iTunes music? Come to think of it, did I need to rebuy my operating system? A...

OS X ... P?(Apple Computer Inc. uses Intel Corp.'s processors, operating system)
October 1, 2006... Q I've read a lot recently about programs that let you run Windows XP on Apple Macintoshes with the new Intel processors. Does it work the other way around? Can I run OS X on my PC? A You could, but it's certainly not sanctioned by Apple....

Explosive charge.(safety of lithium-ion batteries)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Earlier this year, Internet photos of a burning Dell laptop sparked alarm about the safety of lithium-ion batteries. The problem is not unique to laptops; li-ion batteries are found in everything from cellphones to power tools. Most li-ion...

Instant gratification.(instant messages from cellphones to computers)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Q I've noticed that many new cellphones have both text messaging and instant messaging functionality. Does that mean I can use my phone to send instant messages to computers? A Yes. Having that functionality means you can send instant...

Widescreen TVs.(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... How could a 32-in. widescreen TV have a smaller picture than a 32-in. standard format TV? Here's how. 4:3 STANDARD 25.6 in. Width x 19.2 in. Height 492 sq. in. Surface area 16:9 WIDESCREEN 27.9 in. Width x 15.7 in. Height...

This is my job.(Eric Terrill of Oceanography's research center)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... As director of one of the Oceanography's research centers in San Diego, Eric Terrill's job is--in short--to figure out how the ocean works. His research analyzes severe weather's effects on the open sea; in the past year, the 36-year-old has...

Insulation Part 4 of a PM series: holy R-value, batt-man! The war between heat, cold and moisture inside your walls.
October 1, 2006... More than anything else, our homes need to keep us dry and comfortable. While handling rain is straightforward--the roof leaks or it doesn't--keeping heat in its place is a slippery issue. Air leaks account for up to 15 percent of the heating...