• Technology

    Kaguya Lunar Probe Sends Final HD Images Before Crash-Landing

    By John Mahoney Posted on 7.21.2009 5 Comments

    The Japan Space Agency's Kaguya lunar explorer, after a mission that included new geological surveys and lots of gloriously detailed HD footage of the moon's surface, crash landed into a large crater on the moon's near side this week. And JAXA today released its final images, depicting the final moments of its descent. Updated with video.

    6.20.2009 at 04:40pm - Comment by meowmix4jo

    they can't just put any camera on there. though they could do with some better ones.

  • Gadgets

    An Automatic Beer Pourer

    By Posted on 3.24.2009 3 Comments

    Software engineer Steve Struebing put a lot of work into a device that helps him to be lazy. Using a Construx toy set and a servo motor, he built a frame to hold a bottle of his favorite beer. He then created a Web application for his iPhone to communicate with a control module that pivots the frame. As he tilts the iPhone, the frame tilts accordingly, for a perfect pour every time. More details at instructables.com.

    3.25.2009 at 01:43am - Comment by meowmix4jo

    I don't think he did it because he didn't want to pour his own beers. He did it because he can. Alot of people enjoy doing this kind of stuff for fun (myself included).

  • Science

    Science and Religion: Bridging the Divide

    By Christine Cyr Posted on 3.25.2009 27 Comments

    Over the last century, science and religion have been like oil and water: They just don’t mix. Scientists and people of faith seem to disagree about everything, particularly when it comes to hot-button issues like evolution and stem cell research. But not everyone thinks the two groups should be so polarized. John Polkinghorne, a theoretical physicist who worked at Cambridge for 25 years before becoming an Anglican priest in 1982, has spent his career trying to bridge the divide.

    3.24.2009 at 11:45pm - Comment by meowmix4jo

    KaylaKaze: Someone read the bible a little too literally (or hasn't read it at all). Science and religion should have no problems with each other as long as neither is taken to the extreme. I am not religious in any way, but I have read the bible, and I have no knowledge of scientific facts that completely disagree with anything in the bible. Keep in mind that what to include and what not to include in the bible was selected by the catholic church, so it might not be exactly what god intended if you believe in such things.

  • Technology

    Bomber Tank Becomes Wading Pool

    By Posted on 3.16.2009 7 Comments

    July 1947: "Warplane wing tanks, which can be picked up as war surplus for about $5, make excellent back-yard wading pools. The pool shown was cut from a wing tank made for a B-17 bomber. It was laminated neoprene and cloth and required a couple of hours of cutting time, but it was so stiff that no frame was needed for rigidity." Browse the full PopSci archives on the Web.

    3.16.2009 at 07:20pm - Comment by meowmix4jo

    boom? i really doubt anyone was going to cut it with gas IN it. i've never lit something full of gas, but lighting a tire with lighter fluid in it doesn't cause much of a boom. i would imagine an old gas tank would do even less, if anything at all.

  • Gadgets

    The Sole of a Winner

    By Adam Weiner Posted on 3.6.2009 7 Comments

    First of all, let's set the record straight. Man is a natural long distance runner. Despite impressions to the contrary foisted on us daily from our predominantly sedentary and "well-fed" modern lifestyle, it is interesting to note that for long enough distances a well-trained human can outrun just about any other creature on the planet. Of course, recognizing the health benefits of exercise, not all of us live a sedentary life, and running has become a popular form of physical activity. In addition to the exercise aspects, however, those of us with a competitive or goal-oriented nature, from the elite athlete to the recreational runner, might be interested in running faster. Obviously accomplishing a 5K personal best or qualifying for the Boston Marathon requires a solid training program and a substantial amount of hard work. But what about those incidentals that might enhance our ability to train and thus augment our performance on race day? (We're not talking about performance-enhancing drugs here.) That's where the video comes in.

    3.12.2009 at 04:29pm - Comment by meowmix4jo

    Ryan, if I understood right, you are basically saying that if they flatened All Stars more they would make better running shoes? *goes out for a run in my all stars*

  • Cars

    A Wearable Motorcycle

    By Annemarie Conte and Esther Haynes Posted on 9.24.2008 49 Comments

    The transportation program at the Art Center College of Design has produced legendary car designers, including BMW chief of design Chris Bangle and Henrik Fisker, the creator of the Fisker Karma electric supercar. But this year, after professor Bumsuk Lim’s inaugural motorcycle-design class, the buzz is all about bikes, especially Jake Loniak’s exoskeleton motorcycle concept Deus Ex Machina.

    8.18.2008 at 02:22pm - Comment by meowmix4jo

    I've never seen those things are racetracks. “I never envisioned this as a commuter,” he says. “This is a sport bike.” I'm pretty sure most people would stay away from them because of the dangers. Kind of like with regular bikes.

  • The Environment

    The Science of Changing Your Oil

    By Posted on 8.14.2008 4 Comments


    Dear EarthTalk: How often do I really need to change my car's oil? Conventional wisdom has always put it at every 3,000 miles to prevent engine wear, but isn't changing oil that frequently wasteful and unnecessary? Also, what is the "greenest" and longest-lasting oil I should use? -- Vic Roberts, Lincoln, MA

    8.15.2008 at 02:39pm - Comment by meowmix4jo

    Synthetic Oil needs to be changed less because it reduces engine wear. This can of course also be bad in certain situations though.



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