moyer

12.03.08

Flight of the Bird Men Redux

By Michael Moyer Posted 07.17.2007 at 12:43 pm 3 Comments

Back in July of 2003 we published "The Flight of the Bird Men," a story with the tag line "For Jari Kuosma and Robert Pecnik, skydiving wasn't enough—they wanted to strap on wings and fly. So what if 96 percent of their predecessors had died in the attempt?" After seeing this video, I can't believe it's only 96 percent:


Just amazing.—Michael Moyer

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The Next Space Thruster

Rockets burn for mere minutes. This engine runs for years, sending probes to Neptune at 10,000 miles an hour
By Michael Moyer Posted 03.15.2006 at 3:00 am 1 Comment

NASA's Ion Engine

1. Charge the Fuel
Xenon is an inert gas, seemingly useless for rocketry. Before it´s used as fuel, the engine must convert it into an electrically charged gas, also called a plasma. An electron emitter fires electrons at the xenon gas. When an electron hits a xenon atom, it strips off an additional electron from the atom´s shell to create a positively charged xenon ion.

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The Internet Sarong Archive

By popsci Posted 03.03.2006 at 2:25 pm 0 Comments

This page is an electronic archive of images of people proving theorems while wearing sarongs. ‘Nuff said. —Michael Moyer

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Web App Motherlode

By popsci Posted 02.24.2006 at 1:07 pm 0 Comments

Techcrunch is a blog solely dedicated to tracking new Web 2.0 applications. How embarrassing that my co-worker from the science silo (fellow poster Michael Moyer) had to bring it to my attention, but man am I glad he did. Techcrunch blogger Michael Arrington doesn't just list the latest Web apps, he provides thorough and smart reviews, often long before the apps get mainstream buzz and show up on one of our other favorite sites, Lifehacker. Check out Arrington's review of the not-yet-public airline price tracker, Flyspy—I'm drooling already.—Mike Haney

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speedy The Fastest Swimsuit on Earth
"At the Beijing Olympic pool, perhaps the only star bigger than Michael Phelps was his swimsuit. The Speedo LZR (pronounced "laser"), like Phelps, didn't disappoint: 16 of the 32 gold-medal winners wore the full-body suit, and another 13 wore LZR pants."
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speedy A Finish that Repairs Itself
 "It won't save you from a key-gouging vandal, but the finish on the 2008 Infiniti EX and FX-model SUVs can erase scrapes caused by, say, car washes or stray branches."
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speedy Boeing Advanced Tactical Laser
"Truck-mounted IED-destroying lasers have already been tested in Iraq, but firing lasers from an airplane is a more difficult proposition."
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speedy A Spit Test for Heart Attacks
"This year, San Antonio EMT crews began using a spit test that detects cardiac arrest faster, more accurately and more cheaply than other diagnostic tests."

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