• Technology

    Jumping into Action

    By Posted on 4.16.2008 8 Comments

    Last April, we dissected the worlds most advanced fighter jet, the F-35B Lightning II, in the pages of our annual How It Works issue. Now military contractor Lockheed Martin is firing up the jets 40,000-pound-thrust engine (the most powerful ever built for a fighter jet) in preparation for flight tests. The jet can soar at supersonic speeds (1,000 mph) and deflect radar signals, but by the end of the month, pilots are expected to show off its most highly anticipated feature: the ability to stop mid-flight and touch down virtually anywhere.

    Article Rating:
    4.17.2008 at 04:19pm - Comment by Jedi_Master

    Who said that the aliens have ensued peace among themselves?

  • Gadgets

    Apple Sued for Not Being Colorful Enough

    By Posted on 4.1.2008 8 Comments

    An angry Apple iMac owner filed a class-action lawsuit against the company because she says the monitors don't display as many colors as advertised. The lawsuit claims that Apple knows its monitors only display 262,144 colors, but asserts in marketing materials that the machines flash millions of hues.

    4.2.2008 at 02:56pm - Comment by Jedi_Master

    "Millions of different hues"... How is that going to mess with the display? Can't the user just reset the color settings on the monitor? And does anyone realize that "marketing materials" is designed to sell stuff? They don't care if they lie! good grief...

  • Technology

    Space Shuttle Retirement Could Force Major Job Losses

    By Posted on 4.2.2008 4 Comments

    When the shuttle retires in 2010, as many as 8,000 NASA contractors could lose their jobs. After a request from lawmakers, NASA released these numbers yesterday, but added that this could be a worst case scenario. The Kennedy Space Center would suffer the biggest losses, with 80 percent of its contract workers losing their jobs by 2011.

    4.2.2008 at 01:46pm - Comment by Jedi_Master

    Hmmm... that's good news for aspiring aerospace engineers though. ;-)

  • Science

    What Would You Do With Your Mountain Fortress?

    By Posted on 1.22.2008 64 Comments

    Hollowed-out mountains are good for so many things. They can house strategic military bases. They can store toxic waste. And if youre truly evil, you have the option of carving it into the shape of a skull, making it your secret headquarters, or periodically host kung-fu tournaments there. Or, you know, all three. The Norwegians are hoping to use their hollowed-out mountains for the altruistic, though ominously named, Doomsday Vault. The vault will be a depository of seeds of all the known varieties of the worlds crops, just in case anything goes down. NASA, on the other hand, recently announced that they'll be upping the speed on the whole hollowed-out-mountain game by harnessing the naturally occurring hollow lava tubes on the moon as a library. Information could be stored on computers housed in these lava tubes and sent by satellite. At least its good to know that if one day NORAD happens to unleash its missiles or a kung-fu tournament on Skull Island goes horribly awry, all our seeds and back issues of PopSci will be safe. What would you do with a hollowed-out mountain? Let us know in the comments section below. Me, Id make a gigantic bounce house. And host a kung-fu tournament. —Dan Smith

    3.28.2008 at 10:10am - Comment by Jedi_Master

    I would definitely live in it. I would have a perpetual motion energy generator in it to power the stuff, and i would have... a giant library, every game and game system known to mankind, and a Pizza Hut joint. oh, and don't forget the unlimited wi-fi access. um... I would also have to make part of it a lazer tag/paintball arena. hm...

  • Science

    Author Arthur C. Clarke Dead at 90

    By Posted on 3.18.2008 4 Comments

    March 2008 has been a rough month for nerds. First came the passing of D&D co-creator Gary Gygax. Now we hear that one of the mightiest names in science fiction, Arthur C. Clarke, has died. Clarke, author of some of the genre's classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Childhood's End, was a tireless enthusiast for science and technology. Arguably, though, Clarke's most striking contribution to humanity, published in a paper in 1945, was his idea of using geostationary satellites as communications relay stations.

    3.19.2008 at 02:04pm - Comment by Jedi_Master

    He was one of the best writers of our time... We all will miss him. Rest in peace, Mr. Clarke. Thank you.



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