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Technology

"Jet Man" Yves Rossy Attempts First Intercontinental Flight, Ditches Into Atlantic

By Clay Dillow Posted on 11.25.2009 10 Comments
He started as the Jet Man and became a wet man. Just more than a year after becoming the first person to cross the English Channel using a jet-powered wing, Swiss adventurer (and former PopSci cover star) Yves Rossy ditched into the Atlantic while attempting the first intercontinental jet wing flight.

11.25.2009 at 06:25pm - Comment by Tor

@KH- Yeah, that's some shameful post-production editing for sure!
K-Tect Sustainable Building Systems

By Posted on 11.3.2009 7 Comments
Homebuilders can ditch the lumber and the expensive labor costs that go with it. These prefabricated, custom-made insulating panels are easier to assemble than conventional wood frames, and more energy-efficient. Kama’s K-tect system uses steel studs that are spaced apart to minimize heat loss and filled with ridged insulation called Neopor. Embedded with heat-deflecting graphite flakes and then expanded with steam, Neopor requires about 50 percent fewer raw materials than other polystyrenes. It’s also recyclable and resists fire, moisture, mildew and termites.

11.24.2009 at 10:14am - Comment by Tor

Lack of communication between departments, and an apparent lack of respect for readers... I'm disappointed too.
Gadgets

The Future of Laundry: No More Water

By Posted on 10.22.2009 19 Comments
Clean your clothes without putting them—or your utility bills—through the wringer. Xeros’s prototype washing machine uses 90 percent less water than ordinary models, which also eliminates energy-intensive spin cycles and dryer blasts.

10.22.2009 at 03:14pm - Comment by Tor

Yes, there would certainly be pellets all over the place if you used this method to wash clothes- I think it's better suited for linens and such...
Gadgets

Canon 1D Mark IV Joins the Nigh-Vision Club, This Time With Full HD Video

By John Mahoney Posted on 10.20.2009 1 Comments
Less than a week after Nikon wowed with its D3S, with previously unseen light sensitivity up to ISO 102,400, Canon has unveiled their own night-vision pro DSLR, the 1D Mark IV. But where the D3S falls short in the video department, the 1D Mark IV pushes things forward.

10.20.2009 at 01:51pm - Comment by Tor

Filmed with nothing but available light!? *impressed*
Technology

The Future of Wi-Fi is Routerless

By Corinne Iozzio Posted on 10.14.2009 7 Comments
Routers are the middle-men of our wireless networks; without them, our Wi-Fi gadgets (laptops, hard drives, cameras, printers, whathaveyou) can't talk to each other. But routers, like most intermediaries, don't make anything easier -- not at all. A new Wi-Fi standard is on the horizon that will let our devices talk to each other directly. Ain't that sweet?

10.15.2009 at 09:43am - Comment by Tor

@ coolnezz: I completely agree. I'm a mac user- when I need to share a file with a fellow mac I do it through my home network, but I always use a flash drive to avoid dealing with the windows networking (I've tried to set it up several times). Hopefully this standard will make things easier when transferring cross-platform.
DIY

The Green Dream Home Gets a Crucial Second Skin

By John B. Carnett Posted on 10.13.2009 4 Comments
Building this house has been a constant learning experience, and today was no exception. My original plan was to build the walls from special insulated structural panels from Kama-Eebs, add some simple "X" braces to control shear, and throw on some housewrap before attaching my siding. And that would have been the cheapest and most ideal solution, but the more I looked at the final Kama panels installed the more I began to question the wisdom of that idea.

10.13.2009 at 06:31pm - Comment by Tor

Wow, these zip panels must also add much more to the R-value than if you'd just gone with simple housewrap over the Kama panels.
Cars

Test Drive: 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI

By Mike Spinelli Posted on 10.12.2009 5 Comments
With not quite 50 horsepower at the wheels, the original Volkswagen Rabbit diesel couldn't hit 125 miles per hour from the barrel of a circus cannon. Yet here we are in the 2010 Golf TDI, outgunning the locals (at least some of them) on a stretch of autobahn near the company's Wolfsburg headquarters. Not since I found my stash of Kiss solo albums in the attic has 1978 felt so long ago. Volkswagen's on-again-off-again production of diesels for the US in the ensuing three decades entered a new "on" phase in 2008 with the reintroduction of the Jetta TDI. This year, the company is returning the diesel Golf TDI (formerly Rabbit, formerly Golf, formerly...) to the US after a four-year absence.

10.12.2009 at 09:30am - Comment by Tor

So I clicked on the photo gallery link... "ACCESS DENIED You are not authorized to access this page" What level of popsci security clearance do I need?! :P
Cars

Nissan's Lean, Green 'Land Glider' Banks Like a Motorcycle, Feels Like A Plane

By Clay Dillow Posted on 10.8.2009 12 Comments
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a Nissan? Though limited to terrestrial travel, the concept Land Glider automobile from Nissan banks like an airplane, tilting into corners, giving drivers the sensation of flying. But, the likenesses to aviation don't end there. The two-seater orients driver and passenger in tandem -- one in front and one in back -- and rather than a steering wheel, the Land Glider has airplane-style, computer-guided yoke controls.

10.8.2009 at 07:16pm - Comment by Tor

That is the all-time worst car promotion video I've EVER seen, no exaggeration! The music is creepy, it contains no information about the vehicle, and doesn't even show the interior! Booooo!
Science

Custom-Tuned Eyesight Is the Latest Trend in Ophthalmology

By Posted on 10.6.2009 7 Comments
20/20 vision is no longer enough to function in this world. In the latest trend in laser eye surgeries, people are tailoring their eyesight to suit their lifestyle or profession, hoping to give themselves an edge in their respective fields. Need better long-range vision for some friendly night-time sniping from half a mile away? Tweak it. Want one eye adjusted for distance and the other for reading? Tweak it.

10.6.2009 at 10:43am - Comment by Tor

I'm very much looking forward to being able to afford wave-front laser surgery. Soon! My only hesitation is that the doctors performing the operation still wear glasses- what does that tell you? I'd rather not think about it too much!
Gadgets

Five New Microsoft Mouse Prototypes Tackle Multitouch, Look Crazy

By Corinne Iozzio Posted on 10.5.2009 11 Comments
By now you know the Windows 7 line, but in case you've somehow missed it: it's the first major computer operating system to support multitouch, meaning it (like an iPhone) can read more than one finger press at a time. Of course, in order to take advantage of touch, you need to upgrade your hardware -- for a premium price, naturally.

10.5.2009 at 07:52pm - Comment by Tor

"Windows 7 line (...) it's the first major computer operating system to support multitouch" OS X has supported multi-touch for a few years now, didn't Windoze 7 just come out?