During our deep dive into the C8’s development at GM’s Milford Proving Grounds, we learned a lot of nitty-gritty details about how we arrived at the mid-engine Corvette and what it took to get there. So prepare to geek out, ye devotees of the plastic fantastic from Bowling Green, as we enlighten you with 20 facts you (probably) didn’t know about the 2020 Corvette. Ezra Dyer1. The story of this car begins with the 2009 C6 ZR1....
It’s a constant struggle to build a better telescope, and one group of scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory want to use the sun to help. Specifically, they want to use the sun’s gravity as a giant magnifying glass to search for exoplanets, an idea they outlined at the Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop.Over a century ago, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity told us that gravity massive objects can bend and curve space....
The future of Netflix and chill might be more like Netflix and stare. On Wednesday, at the company’s biannual Hack Day, Netflix unveiled a new feature called EyeNav, which allows users to navigate the iOS version of the app using only eye movements and facial expressions, including sticking out your tongue. Really. Enabled by Apple’s FaceID and its augmented-reality platform Arkit, EyeNav is probably the closest thing to pure sorcery Netflix has ever released....
360-degree video technology has revolutionized online media and content. Now, it’s possible to capture and share every inch of your surroundings in crystal-clear resolution, even if you’re moving at high speeds. As the camera that sparked the 360-degree revolution, the 360fly HD Video Camera remains the most reliable and versatile 3D camera around, and it’s currently available for over 75 percent off at just $70.Whether you’re a professional BMX rider who wants to record every in-air flip in stunning detail, or a more laid-back nature enthusiast who wants to capture your top-of-the-mountain surroundings, this rugged camera was built to be used on the go....
12:01 am: Fast And Furious Wagon We loved the original Dodge Neon SRT4. It was a rowdy little beast that snorted, snapped and popped like a modified street racer. It did front-wheel-drive burnouts with ease, and with Mopar parts could top 300 hp. Well, the guys from SRT have unveiled that car’s replacement. It’s the Caliber SRT4 and this little wagon comes with 300 turbocharged and intercooled horses–stock. That’s Mitsu Lancer Evo and Subaru STi territory, folks....
China’s Chang’e-4 mission made history by landing on the far side of the moon, and now it’s exploring the area in unprecedented detail. As China’s Yuta-2 rover explores the surface, its lunar satellites are relaying back to Earth stunning pictures of this mysterious and hard-to-reach area.The photo above was taken by Longjiang-2, a small satellite that a Chang’e-4 relay satellite unloaded on its way to the moon last May. Longjiang-2 is small, just under 100 pounds (45 kilograms) and is around 20 by 20 by 15 inches in size (50-50-40 centimeters)....
I’ll never forget building model planes with my dad. The smell of the glue, the decals—plus, the entire experience was lesson in patience for a 12-year-old. We would spend hours meticulously making models that we’d hang from the ceiling or display on on shelf.Now I build models with my own kid. Our latest project comes from Star Wars, of course, and things have changed a lot since my formative years. These easy-to-make models snap together....
Maybe it’s not the stuff of Marvel’s Ant-Man or Honey I Shrunk the Kids, but MIT scientists have mastered a mind-blowing way to shrink stuff by fabricating nanoscale 3D objects of nearly any shape. Called implosion fabrication, “it’s a way of putting nearly any kind of material into a 3-D pattern with nanoscale precision,” says Edward Boyden, a professor of biological engineering and of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT, in a press statement....
Media Platforms Design TeamIndependent researchers at Codenomicon and Google Security discovered a major bug embedded in SSL, a popular internet-wide encryption technology. Dubbed the Heartbleed Bug, this SSL weakness has “left [a] large amount of private keys and other secrets exposed to the internet” with “ease of exploitation” as the attackers leave no trace of their intrusion, according to Heartbleed.com, a website dedicate to answering general and technical questions about the bug....
Store-bought miter boxes are made to fit saws with kerfs of varying size. But this one-size-fits-all solution can lead to flawed cuts. Instead, you can build your own miter box using some 1 X 3 scrap wood and your own saw, and since it’s custom-made, it will be more accurate than anything else.You’ll need a speed square or any tool that measures 45 degrees to mark the side of your wood pieces....
A Russian defense contractor, Kalashnikov Concern, named after one of the most famous small-arms designers of all time and infantry weapons supplier for Russian Ground Forces, is now selling a drone capable of carrying a small explosive charge—and diving onto its target to blow itself and the target into smithereens. Kalashnikov KUB-BLA drone is effectively a kamikaze meant to slip under the radar of traditional air-defense systems. In recent years Kalashnikov has expanded beyond the world of small arms into new weapons systems and even civilian vehicles....
• BREAK THE ECONO-MOLDSaturn continues to shed its dowdy image and offers a fun-to-drive roadster as proof.Saturns aren’t just for librarians anymore. Thanks to the Sky, there’s more to Saturn than straight-laced cars. Basically a mechanical clone of Pontiac’s Solstice, the Sky’s body has no Pontiac sheetmetal at all. Inside, the steering wheel and instrument panel differ from the Solstice’s. And to GM’s credit, driving the Sky is subtly different from piloting the Solstice....
Media Platforms Design TeamPushing the LimitsMy cable modem and wireless access point are located at one corner of my house, and I’d like to access my Wi-Fi network in my bedroom at the other end of the house. It seems that either too much distance or too many walls lie between my access point and the bedroom to get a good signal. Is there any easy, affordable way to extend my wireless network?...
.For more than a century, Popular Mechanics has provided life-saving advice for outlasting storms, surviving outdoors, and preparing for disaster. Find out how to survive anything right here.Life vests save lives, but what else do you need if your boat goes down? We called U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Brian McCrum for insight. Have Signal Devices: Search parties will look for anything from flares to the light on your sports watch—yes, a Coast Guard helicopter can spot that....
From the government’s perspective, energy efficiency in homes can be increased by insulating exterior walls, caulking points of air infiltration and replacing appliances, like older energy-guzzling refrigerators as well as inefficient heaters and air conditioners. The process is nothing new-over the past 30 years the Department of Energy has divvied up an annual pile of cash between the 50 states, weatherizing some 5.6 million homes in the process. The amount of funding each state receives depends on a formula that accounts for population and the number of heating and cooling days per year....
Media Platforms Design TeamFor more than a decade, scientists have been waiting for Voyager 1 to leave the solar system. And for the last year or so we’ve been hearing conflicting reports. Last fall, Voyager was getting close. Then, in March, news outlets reported that it had crossed the threshold. But not so fast, NASA said, as it denied that the spacecraft had left the solar system.The problem is that no one knows exactly what the spacecraft will encounter after it breaks through the magnetic bubble that surrounds our sun and that marks the area of the solar system....
Scientists successfully mounted a hyper thin, flexible, laser-shooting membrane on cow eyeballs. The invention of a pliable, movable laser unlocks new possibilities for security, and it’s also just really cool: some day, we might be shooting lasers from our eyes. Laser light, which doesn’t occur naturally, can be used in precision tools, measurements and surgeries, used to map and track movement or location. Most lasers require a solid supporting structure for stability, which makes them hard to attach to pliable surfaces....
First With a Mechanical “Tilt"Brokers Tip /// 1933 /// D. Gottlieb & Co.Media Platforms Design TeamEarly pinball machines, which became immensely popular in a Depression-scourged America looking for cheap entertainment, were built without flippers. Instead of the now-standard paddles, users pulled a plunger to shoot balls onto the playing field, aiming for holes that were worth various point values. Of course, players would try to influence the outcome by shoving the machines themselves, and game operators were less than pleased with the potential for damage....
Q: Have you ever heard of HHO gas and its ability to significantly boost your MPG? The system is based on producing HHO gas from water by using electrolysis, the water is supplied by a container under your hood. The electricity is provided by the vehicle’s battery. I have seen many postings of improved fuel efficiently ranging from 15% - 50%. If this is true, why doesn’t the automotive industry provide this already?...
A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier is operating north of the Arctic Circle for the first time in twenty seven years. The USS Harry S. Truman and its escorts are currently operating in the Norwegian Sea, practicing cold weather operations—and acting as a not so subtle hint to Russia.During the Cold War, the U.S. Navy routinely operated north of the Arctic Circle. In the event of war, the Navy would have sent several carrier battle groups into the Norwegian Sea to attack Soviet naval facilities in the Murmansk region....
