• Gadgets

    Shifting Gears (Electronically)

    By Posted on 2.17.2009 5 Comments

    Last year bicycle manufacturer Shimano debuted its years-in-the-making electronic gear shifting system, the Dura Ace 7970 Di2. Electronic shifting, which replaces traditional steel cables with a precise CPU-controlled system of sensors and motors, had long been a goal of bike makers. A workable solution, however, proved elusive. So when Shimano finally got it right with the Dura Ace system, it earned PopSci’s 2008 Best Of What’s New Grand Award in the Recreation category.

    2.17.2009 at 11:57pm - Comment by wak4af

    Nice system, but out of reach for most casual bikers. How about getting a camera man who knows how to FOCUS a camera???

  • Gadgets

    Cell Wars: A New Hope?

    By Posted on 3.5.2008 6 Comments

    To spend our precious time here together moaning about how royally screwed up our cellphone companies are here in the States would at this point be too easy. You know the drill: Half-assed handsets, crippled functionality, spotty signals, dumbfounding user interfaces, outrageously priced call plans, incomprehensible outsourced customer service reps from a far-off land, and lets not even talk about the indentured servitude contracts. No, the topic is cliché at this point, so today Id like to take a positive spin on things.

    3.21.2008 at 10:15am - Comment by wak4af

    I travel in Africa a lot. My last trip to Ghana, there were a couple guys standing there after going through customs handing out FREE sim chips for their wireless service. Each chip had a couple minutes on it and you can buy more minutes EVERYWHERE. And the cost of the minutes is minimal. Ghana is no exception. The most I have ever paid for a local cell network sim chip is the equivalent of $2 US. Little road side stands sell chips and minutes throughout Africa, even in small little towns. Even Africa is ahead of the US in its wireless phone service. I have written to my congressman on this issue more than once. I would encourage you to do the same. We are being royally ripped off here in the US as cell phone technology is not expensive, but we are being charged as if it were.

  • Cars

    When Automotive Design Goes Bad

    By Posted on 3.21.2008 4 Comments

    digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/When_Automotive_Design_Goes_Bad; Later well be posting a gallery of the most attractive, noteworthy, and technologically advanced cars from this years New York International Auto Show (watch our auto show coverage page here). But for now, I present you with the most unfortunate piece of automotive design on the showroom floor: The Toyota Yaris Club Five Axis Design.

    3.21.2008 at 09:06am - Comment by wak4af

    I agree... not cute... and the name is definitely not sexy... but it does match the car... dull, dull, dull. Is this supposed to be a sports car? It's design looks like a mongoloid step child of a scaled down hybrid.



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December 2009: Best of What's New

In our December issue, Popular Science names the 100 best innovations of the year: bombproof wallpaper, self-parking cars, the fastest helicopter, and 97 more. Plus inventor profiles and videos.

Check out the best of what's new here.

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