• Technology

    Airborne Laser Blasts Off

    By Melinda Dodd Posted on 12.23.2008 7 Comments

    Should they cast their eyes skyward at just the right moment, a few lucky observers could see something spectacular this summer: a Boeing 747 splitting open a ballistic missile with a laser in mid-flight. After 12 years and $5 billion in R&D, the Missile Defense Agency’s Airborne Laser (ABL) will make its first real-world attempt to shoot down a missile in midair.

    12.23.2008 at 11:38am - Comment by i_am_a_nerd

    thats probably a good thing to have, when we're on the edge of destrution with Russia. i dont have anything against the russians, but seem to be teetering back and forth between peace and war. so in case our good 'ol friends decide we need to be taught some manners and launch a barraige of nuclear warheads through the upper stratosphere, we will need some sort of defense. the US is not ready for a near thermo-nuclear war, we have no troops, (their all in IRAQ), and no international support. nobody wants to get involved with THAT war!!

  • DIY

    What's a Good Way to Send Myself Reminders?

    By Posted on 12.16.2008 1 Comments

    It’s a fine time to ditch paper for good and move to an all e-mail- and SMS-based system. Start with Google’s online calendar (google.com/calendar), which lets you set up multiple alerts for one event—for example, a text message one week before Mother’s Day, then another the day before in case you still managed to put off sending flowers. New event pop up while you’re away from a computer? Add it to GCal from your cellphone by texting the event details to GVENT (48368).

    12.17.2008 at 07:39pm - Comment by i_am_a_nerd

    wow,thats a good program! i just tried it out,and it was great. you create a passsword,and log yourslef in, no problem! i can set it to program more than one event on a single day,and then i can set it to either email me or send pop-ups, and how often. you can even send the alert to frinds to let them know of upcoming events. i highly reccomend using this program!!

  • Cars

    Charging Ahead

    By Posted on 12.16.2008 9 Comments

    If there's a gene for entrepreneurship, Elon Musk has it. From his first project at age 12 creating and selling a videogame called Blastar for $500, to his $1-billion-plus sale of PayPal to eBay in 2002, the 37-year-old South African is every bit the born mogul. These days he's chairman of Solar City, the largest residential solar-power provider in California. He's also the founder and CEO of Space X, a space-exploration company that made headlines last September when it launched the first privately developed rocket into orbit. But lately it's Musk's newly minted role as CEO of the San Carlos, California-based start-up Tesla Motors that is drawing the most attention.

    12.16.2008 at 06:48pm - Comment by i_am_a_nerd

    the tesla roadster is awsome, but it is reativly inefficcient to my standards. it seems like a lot of power, but its really nothing. and having a nuclear reactor implanted in the hood of a car would be stupid, of course. but that is the amount of power that would be needed to match an all-electric cars performence to todays gasoline cars. engineers need to find a way more effecive battery and power distribution system. ive been working on a design of a generator system that has no moving mechanical parts. it seems to be better that a lot of other battery systems! thats what we need for this guys plan for electric cars. something like that!

  • The Environment

    Three Bodacious Green Innovations

    By Posted on 12.16.2008 9 Comments

    Plug-N-Play Cars

    Zero to 60 mph in about nine seconds may sound sluggish, but it's a breakthrough for a zero-emissions, all-electric car that can travel up to 100 miles on a single charge and hit speeds of 85 mph. That's the claim of the i MiEV (for "Mitsubishi Innovative motor Electric Vehicle"), a new plug-in four-door coupe. The i MiEV runs on a pack of 22 lithium-ion batteries, but unlike other electric cars, including the Chevy Volt and Tesla Roadster, the i MiEV doesn't require a liquid cooling system to avoid overheating.

    12.16.2008 at 06:39pm - Comment by i_am_a_nerd

    thats a huge breakthrough, but i noticed it said that it will be testing the i MIev in the US, but will sell it in the japanese market. we talk about going green all the time, but we never seem to do it. thats what gets me, the US needs an efficcient way to bring these all-electric cars into the US market! thats why were doing so bad.



Download Our iPhone App

Stay up to date on the latest news of the future of science and technology from your iPhone with full articles, images and offline viewing



Follow Us On Twitter

Featuring every article from the magazine and website, plus links from around the Web. Also see our PopSci DIY feed



Become a Fan On Facebook

Share links with friends, comment on stories and more


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.

Popular Science Photo Pool


Share your photos in the Pop Sci pool at www.flickr.com!
tags_sprite.png
POP_embeddedForm_cover_May09.jpg