Inspect your home with the help of this handy checklist to prevent minor problems from growing out of control and becoming expensive headaches.
The 2009 BMW 7-Series will soon get a version of the big joint venture from GM, Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler and BMW: the Two Mode hybrid system, which is good news in light of today’s high fuel prices.
Legendary rock climber Hans Florine and his Japanese partner snatched the world record for fastest climb up the Nose of El Capitan on Wednesday in a thrilling, heart-stopping display of strength, endurance, concentration and pure guts.
It's one thing for a car to run on air, but do the latest claims of hydrogen-turned-oxygen-turned-electricity propulsion hold water—or feed in to the hysteria of the gas crunch?
Nearly a decade ago, PM reported on the crafting and history of fireworks with a profile of the Grucci family, who insisted that, while the technology goes back to China before Marco Polo arrived, the real art of fireworks is in the timing.
Mercedes-Benz officials have faith that the current cost of diesel is an anomaly that will soon right itself and are launching a line of premium, diesel powered, SUVs.
The B-2’s computerized fly-by-wire wizardry is a supreme technical achievement, but the Guam crash underlines the vulnerability of even sophisticated computer systems to mundane glitches.
PM's Citizen Fuel Cell feels some serious giddyup from his new hydrogren-powered electric motor. Comparing GM's prototype Chevy Equinox with his parents' Prius and a temporarily parked Jeep Grand Cherokee, his only complaint is some noisy idling (with audio).
The XRS 9950 promises "total protection and peace of mind," but this clever gadget may have you stop looking for speed traps and start looking for hidden cameras instead.
We checked in with the inventor and some critics to see how this technique has progressed, or if it's just another example of Web-propelled junk science.
Parents and lawmakers have been alarmed for years about the violent, lawless nature of the Grand Theft Auto series. Is game developer Rockstar giving them even more to fret about?
Much like the fictional cleaning robot currently packing movie theaters, robots are being used to clean humanity’s worst messes. Here are a few doing some of the dirtiest jobs imaginable.
This week, Adam Carolla gives us a sneak peak at his new show, Top Gear USA; despised director Uwe Boll talks about his awful movies; and MTV-badboy Tom Green chats about his Web-based comeback.
From super-efficient cars to encapsulated cities, Buckminster Fuller's works made Frank Lloyd Wright look positively normal, and his prescient engineering foreshadowed the current movement toward green design and prefabricated housing.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced on Monday that Tesla Motors would soon begin building its long-awaited second vehicle: a five-passenger sports sedan that should hit a 225-mi. range per all-electric charge. Head on over to
The San Francisco Chronicle for the scoop, then check out PM's expert analysis below.
Taser, a company better known for its (mostly) nonlethal weapons than for surveillance, has developed a product that takes the camera out of the squad car to where the action is, while worn by an officer.
You don't need a wind tunnel—or even a welding kit, really—to know which way the wheels go. PM's guest hypermiler tracks down five average joes whose simple, cheap DIY car adjustments are maxing out fuel efficiency—and could inspire the world's top automakers.
The NSA has made headlines in the past few years for wiretapping and data-mining of questionable legality, but one of its primary functions is protecting the military’s computer networks, and that's where the red team comes in.
A 17-year-old
was reportedly decapitated over the weekend in a restricted area of "Batman: The Ride," which has operated for more than a decade at Six Flags Over Georgia. Even as more screams are programmed in to America's new roller coasters, Pop Mech TV's video tour shows that safety is more important than ever.
Your cable or satellite company might be reducing the quality of your HD signal in order to cram more channels through their network bandwidth. Some tips from our tech guru for getting the clearest picture.
Loud, fast and hideously expensive, the MV Agusta F4CC sets a new bar for exotic motorcycles. It's a case study in the marvelous things that can be accomplished when money is no object and the sky really is the limit.
Joseph Truini is something of an expert on building sheds. So it's not surprising that people often ask him for advice. And so with these inquisitive souls in mind he presents his favorite tricks of the trade.
The
demolition at a key reactor is a significant sign as to the country's recognition of nuclear tensions, but we look back at PM's investigation of what may be a more pressing threat: North Korea's growing stockpile of secret biochemical weapons.
Armed with data from May’s Green Grand Prix, the PM-sponsored Cornell Automotive X Prize team is currently installing and testing a new digital control system that will increase the efficiency of its electric motor.
A Dodge Viper spinning at 75 mph, Angelina Jolie clutching to it as she fires large-caliber weapons, the supercar literally driving off the side of an out-of-control bus—is this the stuff of Steve McQueen territory?
This follow-up to the unique Novint Falcon promises enhanced realism in first-person shooters by producing haptic feedback every time you pull the trigger. Does it live up to the hype?
Steve Jobs let the animators at his
other little startup do what they do best with
WALL*E: use breakthrough technology to bring a great idea to life, but don’t let it out of the lab until it’s perfect. Sound familiar?
The Flying Spur isn’t exactly the poster child for our new eco universe. But for the few that have the means and want a luxury sedan that delivers performance, refinement and, of course, cachet, there aren’t many that beat the Spur.
Pentagon officials today announced big changes for its closely watched Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, aiming to bring combat sensors and robots to the battlefield more quickly.
Mercedes-Benz announced this week that they will sell an electric Smart for 2010, along with an electric Mercedes-branded vehicle. We slid behind the wheel of the first-gen Smart EVs—part of a research project in conjunction with British electronic specialists Zytek.
The Jules-Verne-meets-Batmobile vehicle is being loaded up for a trip across the Atlantic, bound for the Bonneville Salt Flats and a potential rendezvous with racing history in late August.
Just when you thought the Porsche 911 was on its last legs, along comes a new one to reassert its primacy. The 2009 models, complete with more powerful and economical engines help keep the iconic Porsche one step ahead of its lower-priced brethren.
After a workout with the Wii Fit, you might want to kick back with Nintendo's Virtual Console. Cheap, instant downloads of the best retro video games from yesteryear. Here’s a handful that we’re still waiting for.
We spoke with Eric Halpin, the Special Assistant for Dam and Levee Safety for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, about flood response lessons learned, and the state of the nation's levees.
In the market for great circular saws, there’s certainly an open space for a small, agile circular saw that can handle hard surfaces in addition to wood, and this product fills it.
A lot of gee-whiz products come through our doors here at PM. And a lot of them make us yawn. But during the six months since CES, some toys had us sitting up, smiling and paying attention. Here are the top gizmos we¹re excited about so far this year.
Radio host Adam Carolla is best known as a comedian. But this self-proclaimed car “nerd” has a bigger role this fall as host of NBC's
Top Gear, an hour of supercar test drives, ridiculous road trips and death-defying stunts.
Scientists are looking way beyond ethanol to a new generation of power—one that's designed on a computer, produced by bacteria and acts just like good old gasoline. The countdown to production-ready designer fuels has begun.
In July 1917, spurred by several high-profile tragedies at sea, including accidents and U-boat attacks, PM reported on a new design for davits, devices that lower lifeboats into the water on cables.
Summer has just begun and many parts of the country have already experienced record-high temperatures. As electricity rates continue their upward spiral, here are some steps you can take to lower the cost of running those air conditioners.
Salmonella outbreaks are filling the headlines with the same voracious fear seen in Korean protests over mad-cow-infested beef from the U.S.. Is your dinner table really at risk? Experts weigh in on the real threat.
Get Smart, with the return of the classic shoe phone, plus the addition of a tooth radio and what might be the most insane Swiss Army knife ever, represents the evolving combo of contraptions both ludicrous and hilarious.
The goal was to give buyers something other than the mild-mannered base Lancer or the bad-boy Evolution models to choose from. It was a great idea, because this new Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart contains real Evo DNA—and Mitsu gets the chemistry dead right.
In a breakthrough that likely provides scientists with their best opportunity ever to investigate extraterrestrial life, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has apparently spotted liquid ice on Mars.
Even with the pain at the pump, we’d still take the gas engine over diesel any day. With a refining shortage and adverse taxes pushing diesel prices higher, we’re wondering whether the fuss about diesel is even worth it.
As the Mississippi continues to pound levees, a team of St. Louis environmental scientists have strung together high-end DLP projectors, strapped on their 3D glasses and set out to tell Americans where
not to risk it next time.
Of all the tons of fuel that drives modern space flight, cash is the most critical. Rocket scientists to hedge-fund managers crunched the numbers at Wednesday's first-ever Space Business Forum.
Is there any way for an employee to browse the Web anonymously on a company computer? Tips for secret surfing on the job from our tech guru.
Our DIY Guy offers advice with his new weekly tips for PopularMechanics.com, but sometimes you’re better off with a paid specialist. Call it the D-DIY movement: don’t do it yourself.
Scientists in Utah have excavated "
a major dinosaur fossil discovery" of well-preserved bones and trees from the late Jurassic period. Another high-tech paleontologist breaks down the gear it takes to make
Jurassic Park real.
While many racing games let you plow into walls scot-free, most purists would argue that crashes are an essential part of the sport. Here's what goes into making the most realistic race-game wrecks.
Detroit says the SUV is (almost) dead. Long live the SUV? So says Jalopnik's editor-in-chief in his monthly guest analyis for PopularMechanics.com.
Texas Instruments is bringing the next generation of handheld displays to market with the Optoma Pico, a gadget it claims will be the tiniest projector commercially available. Traveling salesmen everywhere, rejoice!
The makers of this device claim you will "save up to 20 cents on every dollar you're spending right now on your electricity bill—without changing your lifestyle." Will this $150 investment actually pay off?
The CTS-V holds on to Mother Earth like there are rotating claws in each of those fat Michelin tires. And it never appeared to put a foot wrong in GM’s ery experienced hands. Looks like a winner to us.
The man who turned sci-fi fantasy into big-screen reality
before the days of CGI, has died at 62. And it wasn't just all animatronics and makeup. Winston lobbied so that the geeks in his field got the recognition they deserved.
Even if a wet cellphone seems dead, there's a good chance it can be resuscitated as long as you act fast. This is a DIY moment: Your phone's warranty probably doesn't cover water damage.
Talk about timing: Mere days before Spain was virtually shut down by truckers protesting a rise in diesel prices, Mercedes showcased an impressive array of green technologies, from nearly production-ready hybrids to its breakthrough DiesOtto concept.
The Web is abuzz as Honda's first fuel-cell car
rolls off the production line. But as we learned in a test drive late last year, the FCX works pretty well as a prototype—you know, as far as 68-mpg vehicles are concerned. Take a look back at PM's full review of this next-gen ride.
As a deadly EF-4 tornado whipped through Little Sioux, Iowa, with 145-mph-plus winds last Wednesday night, federal climate scientists and a group of university researchers were in the early phases of testing high-tech replacements for an aging Doppler radar system.
It’s the megaengineered geek machine everyone loves to hate. But with prices soaring at the pump, Segway sales are up at least 25 percent—and counting. Could personal transporters save gas and stop WMDs?
Recently, a patent application was submitted for an aircraft in the shape of a flying saucer. Dubbed a “winged electromagnetic air vehicle,” the battery-powered prototype has already got NASA and the Air Force interested.
We gathered up five middleweight contenders from Yamaha (Star), Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki, and rode them nearly 350 miles through some of California's best roads. We found that the smaller bikes had enough power, efficiency and comfort to impress.
In-the-wall bookcases are elegant, but they can be difficult and expensive to construct. We show you an easier way to create a classic piece for any space.
For Friday the 13th, that irregular holiday of superstitions, we’re taking a closer look at those everyday household happenings turned supernatural that the old wives blame for bad luck.
In the global warming-tinged new film from M. Night Shyamalan, plants—yes, plants—are the enemy, releasing neurotoxins on the level of a massive terrorist attack. But could this horror fantasy ever really go down? Our experts all agree: absolutely not.
The latest headlines in the "New Space" race reflect the same story: Hooked-up investors are finishing first. In a day-after analysis, PM's resident private-space geek reminds us why it's still going to be a while before the everyman gets a cheaper ticket.
Tragedy struck Iowa on Wednesday night when
natural disaster turned deadly. Despite the classic Boy Scout crisis know-how turning some young men into instant heroes, four were lost. For lessons on preparation and recovery, we take a look back at the Kansas town that, just over a year ago, withstood an even stronger tornado.
Loaded with features like folding wings (so you can keep it in your garage) and seat belt-like parachutes (so you can ease the whole thing down to the ground), ICON Aircraft’s new light sport airplane (LSA), dubbed the A5, might just be the ultimate joyride.
Does expensive luggage increase your belongings’ chance of survival? To find out, we pit one budget hard case against two top-shelf ones. The goal: Measure their durability and payload protection.
Viva la difference! The Citroën C5 offers continent-spanning legs, an idiosyncratic heritage and supreme competence in areas that owners appreciate most often: ride quality and fuel economy.
Prepare for NASA-worthy g-forces, blistering speed and the ride of your life: Popular Mechanics takes you behind the cutting-edge tech of next-gen coasters, PopMech TV takes you behind the scenes of the new Fahrenheit tummy lifter, and PopularMechanics.com offers you an ...
In need of a boost after a negative report leaked, Lockheed Martin tested it's latest prototype for the Marines—a supersonic F-35 that lands like a chopper (with super lift engines) and thinks like a pilot (with a HAL-esque brain).
In recent years the quality of cut-rate flat screens has improved immensely. Are high-end sets still worth it? To find out, we put a new Samsung 1080p LCD—the followup to our highest-rated TV of last year—against a budget Vizio set with similar specs.
In the spirit of Father’s Day, we scoured the PM archives for fun projects that fathers and sons can build together using everyday materials. We even re-uploaded the old—but still timeless—plans so you can print 'em out for pops.
Studies show that logging workouts helps runners stick to a routine. The Nike Plus SportBand improves on their original Plus iPod training system—by removing the iPod.
MIT is Division I in academia, and like their counterparts in sports, lots of students turn pro before graduation. As the Class of 2008 tosses their high-tech hats in the air, we look at projects with the potential to shake things up in the real world.
The military isn’t the only branch of U.S. government that relies on gaming companies for its R&D. Pentagon geeks may use Xbox 360 controllers, but government-funded scientists went straight for the hardware.
Behind the scenes of the Coast Guard’s most extreme rescue. Plus: Why the federal government has finally learned the lessons of Katrina three years later. And cave rescuer Anmar Mirza walks us through her careful craft.
Tinkering with new mpg monitoring gadgets (not the “mega-efficient” gas savers he's debunked time and again), PM's senior auto editor reminds us of maybe the most obvious—if overlooked—advice when it comes to today's hell at the pump.
If Steve Jobs’ demo today was any indication, stand-alone nav unit makers like Magellan and TomTom really do have every reason to be “scared [expletive-]less.”
Ausra has built a prototype that will become the largest solar thermal energy facility in the U.S. The core of this system is an array of flat mirrors that reflect sunlight to boil water in an elevated tube, producing steam that drives turbines to generate electricity.
Record prices at the pump continue to climb with
the latest market shifts, and Wall Street sees $150 barrels by Independence Day. PM breaks down the current worldwide supply—and how to expand it.
Glenn Derene interviews an anonymous operative from the agency's Red Team, which cracks Pentagon networks for the next big attack.
President Bush signed the new transportation Bill, which
frees up $45 million for environmental studies on America's first magnetic levitation train. PM's recent cover story thinks ahead on the future of high-speed rail.
American backseat passengers will soon be thanking Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Aston Martin and Porsche for making their climb a bit easier.
The die-hards out there are already hawking their first-generation iPhones and preparing to line up for the new model. But fear not: Steve Jobs' keynote won't just be about the new iPhone, it'll be about what's new for your iPhone.
Our rookie tester puts the newest entry-level Audi through its paces at Infineon Raceway—and learns a thing or two about racing.
For some modern vagabonds, the best mobile home isn't the one you buy from the factory—it's the one you build from a secondhand public transportation.
At times, the hassle of keeping your lawn green is enough to make you consider AstroTurf, but don’t despair: PM’s DIY Guy is on the case with his new weekly Top 5.
As we stare down the nozzle of $4-plus gasoline, Ford has fortified their popular hybrid crossover with more power, sharper handling, and better fuel economy.
Until recently, most headphone plugs didn't fit iPhone's recessed jack, leaving owners with one option: the bundled set. Now, other companies have stepped up. Here's how their products compare.
Its bulbous bodywork, jet-like air intakes and sculpted titanium exhaust canisters make the 2009 V-Max appear ready to battle with the most aggressive two- (and four-) wheeled hot rods.
Organize with the array of cans, bottles and newspapers that collect in your home with these helpful tips for designing the ideal recycling storage unit.
With the threat of everything from antisatellite weapons to solar flares, the Department of Homeland Security is upgrading an old navigation system to eLORAN to track signals across the country,
Lost-style.
If those mysterious chunks turn out to be ice, will NASA’s star research robot—already surprising its human overseers with power output—have unlocked an extraterrestrial mystery in its first week? Here’s how the new solid-state findings fit into the puzzle.
Rather than differentiating itself from the competition by stuffing in more features, the Vado simply gives you a slightly larger video screen (2 in.instead of the Flip's 1.5) in a smaller body, and for less money.
Hoping to snatch a bit of market share from the likes of the Acura RL, Lexus GS350 and Cadillac CTS, the MKS debuts a fresh design direction for Lincoln.
Paranormal researchers, NASA geeks and even skeptical magicians all agree that the invasion of extraterrestrial evidence has gone over the edge with digital manipulation. Why that's not good for skeptics or believers—and why you've been watching a fake of a fake for almost ...
With water pressure mysteriously low, a bizarre movie set provides ideal kindling for a massive fire—again. Could "Doc" Brown's Back to the Future clocktower have been saved with building codes, fire lanes and no Hollywood camera trickery? Investigators seem to think so.
In October of 1954’s annual home section, Popular Mechanics paid homage to California-style homes, an inventive and modern strain of design that was quickly spreading from the West Coast to the East.
Reporting once again from the 2008 International Space Development Conference, PM columnist and Instapundit blogger Glenn Reynolds analyzes the influx of money into suborbital flight—and what that could mean for your vacation to the moon.
Volkswagen is filling the small crossover void with the new 2009 Tiguan—a spunky ride with some great features, but a lot of necessary options. A clean-diesel TDI version could grab an engine from the 2009 Jetta within three years.
America is the top vendor of major conventional weapons, Russia ranks number two, and both countries share a legacy of making military equipment to counter the other's capabilities. We've mapped the world hotspots where these weapons clash.
After a major collapse in March, the causes behind Friday's accident are more obscure. If the crane did indeed meet all city safety regulations, what went wrong? For starters, residents were worried that the worst might happen again.
In an instant expert analysis for PM's Digital Hollywood, Lost geek Adam Savage traces the chemistry of those 500 pounds of C4, and explains why the space-time continuum from last night's Season Four finale changed his theories on the future of our favorite sci-fi show.
At a next-gen conference on the future of exploration, PM columnist and Instapundit blogger Glenn Reynolds looks at how little we still know about the Chinese antisatellite test—but how far the country's out-of-this-world activity has come.
Rival companies tell PM they're shaking in their boots over Steve Jobs enabling iPhone 2.0 with GPS, and how a stripped-down version might even outsell the original.
The multitouch action demonstrated in Windows 7 earned Microsoft the lion's share of buzz at this week's All Things Digital conference. But are we really ready to give up our mice and keyboards?
Experts see the future of gaming hardware in Xbox controllers for flying UAVs, next-gen interfaces for unknown battlefields and, believe it or not, Wiimotes for basic training.
For the past few years, an arms race in thinness has been shrinking everything from cellphones to laptops. Our resident gadget geek gets hands-on with Hitachi's ridiculously thin new LCD sets.
Could the Genesis go from the numbers list to a real, live production car and help take Hyundai from a mere builder of competent cars to a multi-line global automaker? We sent Jalopnik's editor in chief to Korea to find out.
Forget the Large Hadron Collider: Whether they’re tracking Martian robots, simulating hurricanes or fending off the supernova apocalypse, these supersize science projects don’t just look cool—they’re hunting some of the world’s biggest unsolved mysteries.
With aliens, mushroom clouds and man-eating insects,
Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull might be more heavy on the science fiction than any films in the classic franchise. The Huffington Post's Hollywood geek says that's a bad thing.
The road between Chicago and the Mississippi Delta is a pathway to great music, food and adventure—if you know where to look for them.
The all-new 2009 model was designed to change its reputation as a small and underpowered mid-size sedan. It's bigger, it comes in three trim levels, and it's still got our favorite quality: The Mazda6 is a hoot to drive, unlike its less sporty foes in the marketplace.
After struggling to hit the $100 mark last year, the One Laptop Per Child initiative is back with a touchscreen tablet dubbed XO-2. But will high-priced screens will keep the group's new goal out of reach?
For his biweekly "Buzzword" column, PM’s senior tech editor subjects himself to a new version of the F/X rig you’ve seen before.
Nearly three out of four U.S. consumers support only talk-free functionality for cellphone use on commercial airliners,
a new study has found (somewhat unsurprisingly). We look back at why the federal government is concerned about more than just chit-chat.
It might just be the closest model yet to Nissan's four-door sports car dream come true, at least for a front-drive sedan: The 2009 Maxima's emphasis is clearly on its personal relationship with the man behind the wheel.
Sure, the superstar Honda robot can conduct orchestras and run around Disneyland. But at $1 million and without specific research goals in sight, can Asimo actually lead the consumer robotics revolution—or just the hype machine? PM's resident geek offers his report card.
Reporting on the multi-segment research system known as the the Air Force Missile Test Center in July 1952, PM wrote that "Missile launching and flying is one of the most complicated operations on earth."
