• Science

    The Physics of Artificial Gravity, Part Two

    By Adam Weiner Posted on 2.4.2009 3 Comments

    Heeding a suggestion from one of our readers, let's follow up on our discussion of artificial gravity. As we described last week, although the film Armageddon attempts to portray artificial gravity aboard a rotating space station, it does not take into account the fact that unless the radius of the station is very large compared to the height of a person, anyone on board will feel significantly different forces acting along the length of their bodies. The result: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, disorientation, and nothing similar to the sense of gravity as we experience it on Earth.

    2.6.2009 at 04:12am - Comment by Tym29

    Those "hair buns" were helmets. And might not be such a bad idea.

  • Entertainment & Gaming

    PopSci.com Giveaway: Win a Copy of Eagle Eye on Blu-Ray!

    By Posted on 4.2.2009 64 Comments

    From executive producer Steven Spielberg, Eagle Eye delivers everything PopSci.com fans could want in a cyber-thriller: unexpected plot twists and action sequences, two of Hollywood’s hottest young actors (the film stars Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monoghan), and a plot that is inextricably hinged on the use of cell phones, LED signs, and television screens. Leave a comment (any comment) below for a chance to win one of seven copies of Eagle Eye. The film, on Blu-Ray, is presented in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1

    1.25.2009 at 12:35am - Comment by Tym29

    Free! sure, i'll take one of those.

  • Technology

    A Star Is Born. Well, a Lot of Stars

    By Posted on 7.11.2008 4 Comments

    Considering the birth rate, astronomers might have named this the Rabbit Galaxy. According to a new paper in today’s issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters, researchers have discovered a galaxy that birthed stars 400 times faster than our Milky Way, overturning previously held ideas about the formation of giant galaxies

    7.27.2008 at 03:46am - Comment by Tym29

    Good one Zazzy. Try reading the article again, this time slower.

  • Technology

    A Star Is Born. Well, a Lot of Stars

    By Posted on 7.11.2008 4 Comments

    Considering the birth rate, astronomers might have named this the Rabbit Galaxy. According to a new paper in today’s issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters, researchers have discovered a galaxy that birthed stars 400 times faster than our Milky Way, overturning previously held ideas about the formation of giant galaxies

    7.27.2008 at 03:45am - Comment by Tym29

    Good one Zazzy. Try reading the article again, this time slower.

  • The Environment

    More Speed, Less Guilt

    By Posted on 7.1.2008 4 Comments

    7.1.2008 at 12:40pm - Comment by Tym29

    The Fisker Karma IS comming. I think you guys are going to have to eat your words on this one.

  • The Environment

    You're Wrecking the Environment

    By Posted on 6.24.2008 13 Comments

    Everyday behavior, things that it's easy to take for granted, have a significant effect on the planet. Some habits are easy to change, but others are more deeply entrenched. And so, despite your good intentions, you're probably wrecking the environment as we speak. See the five ways you're ruining things (and how to turn them around) here.

    And check out PopSci's complete coverage of the future of the environment at popsci.com/futurecity.

    6.24.2008 at 03:03pm - Comment by Tym29

    if you look at a LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) of glass products over plastic. the amount of crap put into the atmosphere to produce all the extra energy to smelt the glass and transport heavier bottles etc plastic does make a better option.

  • Cars

    Ford Sync: Cheap Auto Entertainment

    By Posted on 2.22.2008 4 Comments

    Ford Sync, an in-car entertainment center running Microsoft software, has won praise as the first system to integrate hands-free calling, music playing from MP3 players and voice control of all functions. (PopSci was among the admirers, awarding Sync a Best of Whats New award.) Despite all its cool functions, Sync doesnt cost much to build, according to a report today from research firm iSuppli. Once again, our pals in El Segundo, CA ripped apart a perfectly good gadget to see what makes it tick. The answer: not much. But do you get what you pay for? One of our editors had a hair-pulling-out experience with a Sync-equipped car last week. Ford insists it was an anomaly, and is sending us a new model to test. Stay tuned for our verdict. Meanwhile, click ahead to see what components make the Sync work (or not work).

    5.15.2008 at 02:11am - Comment by Tym29

    It is cool tech and a great partnership from two not so great companies. So when will Apple and BMW get together and make something better? Was it really so hard to figure out everyone wants something like this in their car? They just need to sell an after market media center that everyone can replace their car stereo with. I am amazed the components are so inexpensive, so sell more.

  • Cars

    GM Ropes in 50 Cent for its Odd Unveiling

    By Posted on 3.20.2008 1 Comments

    The long awaited Pontiac El Camino—I mean, the Pontiac G8 Sport Truck—arrived this morning at the New York Auto Show in what might be the most amusingly schizophrenic press conference in history.

    5.15.2008 at 02:01am - Comment by Tym29

    Sports truck? that thing is ugly.

  • Cars

    Engineering a Debunking

    By Posted on 5.5.2008 4 Comments

    The Internet loves a scoop, and car lovers love to speculate on new models. That's the perfect environment in which to incubate Photoshop renderings of sports cars hinted at, but unconfirmed. The latest engagement of wishful thinking hit the Internet this past weekend. It's a take on a car BMW officials have yet to announce but which the German media has been predicting for several years: the return of the BMW M1, a two-seat sports car the Munich-based company built in the mid-1970s.

    5.5.2008 at 11:59pm - Comment by Tym29

    but too crappy to be a BMW 5 years from now. it take that long to put a car into production and a new BMW is going to look a lot more innovative than a simple rebadge like the one above.

  • Technology

    Navy Tests 32-Megajoule Railgun

    By Posted on 2.1.2008 18 Comments

    Um, wow. This video comes from a test firing of the Navys Elecromagnetic Railgun (EMRG), which was carried out yesterday at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia. The gun—which generates a powerful electromagnetic field to hurl projectiles at extremely high speeds—is rated at 32 megajoules, but the railgun engineers have to work up to that number slowly: this test was designed to reach a record-setting muzzle energy rating of 10 MJ. (The actual number turned out to be 10.64 MJ, according to Collin Babb with the Office of Naval Research.) One big question this video begs is, what causes the giant fireball?

    2.4.2008 at 02:32am - Comment by Tym29

    "whole footage seems fishy to me"- 32 megajoules, 200 miles Anyone who thinks that releasing that much energy isn't going to result in excess heat being released (ie stuff burning) either needs to go back to physics class or do a Wikipedia search on entropy. Air at that speed would burn most anything.



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December 2009: Best of What's New

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