• Gadgets

    A Morning of Music with Peter Lyngdorf

    By Paul Adams Posted on 11.14.2008 0 Comments

    I hate the word "audiophile," which implies a fanatic who imagines he hears things that don't exist and spends far too much money to get those imaginary sounds. But I do like music. And I'm extremely proud that I was able to put together a respectable stereo system for just $300 (thanks to eBay and close-out sales).

  • The Environment

    An Endangered Human Species

    By Matt Ransford Posted on 4.25.2008 5 Comments

    If we don't get our act together in time and we push this planet past its limits, to the point where things get disaster-movie bad, at the very least we can take solace in the fact that we've been there once before. According to new research out of Stanford University, the human species was on the brink of extinction 70,000 years ago due to an extended drought. It shrunk the human population to a number perhaps as low as 2,000.

  • The Environment

    World's Largest Underwater Turbine Installed

    By Gregory Mone Posted on 4.8.2008 3 Comments

    The concept of harvesting the ocean as an energy source is nothing new, but in practice it's rarely utilized. That's beginning to change, though. This week, the first major underwater turbine was installed in Northern Ireland's Strangford Narrows—a body of water known for its fierce currents. SeaGen's twin blades measure 52 feet wide, and instead of intermittent winds, this green electricity generator will rely on the ever-changing tide to produce power for around 1,000 homes. Built by Marine Current Turbines, it will be operational this summer.

  • DIY

    Trap Lightning in a Block

    By John Mahoney Posted on 2.15.2008 16 Comments

    There are many unusual things to see around Newton Falls, Ohio—the Wal-Mart with hitching posts for Amish buggies, the Army base with helicopters and tanks proudly arranged on hills—but I was here for the most unusual thing of all: the local Dynamitron. I was here to make frozen lightning.



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December 2009: Best of What's New

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