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The 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL is the first update to this iconic vehicle in nearly a decade. The wait seems to be worth it, as the new Wrangler boasts many of the safety and performance features that it’s more citified siblings have, all without sacrificing off-road performance and fun.JeepThe Jeep Wrangler JL is offered in 3 different models, and each model can be customized to an owners liking. The Rubicon remains for the hardcore off-road enthusiast, and the Sahara is still the premium trim model for those who want it loaded....

The U.S. Army has taken note of the explosion of cheap, unmanned drones on the modern battlefield and is working to field a variant of the Stryker armored vehicle to shoot them down. The new variant will go to brigade combat teams fielding the Stryker vehicle, including an armored cavalry regiment in Europe.The Stryker interim armored vehicle (IAV) is an eight wheeled armored fighting vehicle that carries up to nine infantrymen into battle....

The U.S. government just broke a record by leasing the rights to build new offshore wind power, in a deal reaching upwards of $405.1 million late last week. This is the most expensive offshore wind deal in the country’s history. In a few years, a small region in New England could start producing enough electricity to power around 1.5 million homes, according to a new Utility Drive report.The process started about a year ago, when two different turbine manufacturers—Statoil and PNE Wind—approached the U....

High flight costs make realistic simulator training for the F-35 a must-have.The new Distributed Mission Training system will allow F-35 pilots worldwide to fly simulated missions together.The training environment will likely spur spread new tactics and ideas far and wide. F-35 pilots around the world will someday be able to team up with one another in virtual missions, using a system of networked simulators. The technology, known as Distributed Mission Training, will allow pilots in Utah to fly alongside pilots in Europe in a virtual world, conducting virtual missions....

The world is full of sad places, and only a handful of them are in Idaho. The Instagram blog Sad Topographies collects these sad places, posting simple Google Maps screenshots of them. The account is run by Damien Rudd, an Australian artist. So what makes the places sad? Well, really, it’s all in the names. But names don’t come out of the ether. Unfortunate Lake, Dead Dog Island, Hopeless Pass … these are real places, with real stories, and really depressing names....

Deep Space Nine may be the best Star Trek series (FIGHT ME, NERDS), but the original series still holds a special place in the hearts of many fans. Its budgets were more shoe-string, its aliens more quaint, its designs more utilitarian, its first officer more logical. Designer Mark Gonyea wanted to pay tribute to the original series, and he’s designed posters for all 78 episodes, though it seems “The Cage” (aka the original pilot, with a non-Kirk captain named Christopher Pike) isn’t part of it....

The bike retailer VanMoof understands that bikes get stolen. So they made a bike that’s technologically loaded to prevent you from losing your bike to thieves, even after they’ve snapped your lock.VanMoofThe SmartBike comes with a GSM/GPS tracker installed inside the bike and is monitored for free by VanMoof. If your bike goes missing, report it to VanMoof, and they’ll contact the cops once it’s been located. And you don’t need to worry about the GPS tracker dying on you—it’s powered by your pedal strokes....

‘THEY NEED TO WORK ON GAS MILEAGE’Teresa Krug | Pontiac Grand PrixMedia Platforms Design Team When you were buying your car, was it important to you which country it came from?My parents bought it when I was 16, and it was important to them that it be American. They wanted to support the local economy–jobs in the United States. What do you think American car manufacturers have to do better?I think No....

A Russian satellite called Kosmos 2542 made a series of maneuvers in late January to get closer to the National Reconnaissance Office satellite USA 245.A graduate student at Purdue University pointed out the move on Twitter.Experts believe the inspector satellite may be trying to collect intel of its own. Kosmos 2542, a Russian inspector satellite, synchronized its orbit with a U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) satellite called USA 245, and is now trailing the classified satellite from a distance of about 186 miles, MIT Technology Review reports....

Russia’s annual Army Games is back and bigger than ever. The games, which pit the armed forces of (largely totalitarian) countries against one another in staged military exercises, are in their fifth year. Thirty countries are taking part in the games, which for the first time are taking place in locations outside of Russia including Iran, India, and China.This year’s games pack more than 30 competitions, including the popular tank biathalon, a sniper competition, Aviadarts fighter and helicopter games, bridgelaying exercises, and even a field kitchen exercise that involves baking bread....

Birds evolved from dinosaurs, and in the midst of that evolution, there were a flurry of links between the two. Now scientists have found another: a curious dinosaur that featured the type of wings associated today with bats. They call it Ambopteryx longibrachium, which means “pteryx-like with elongated forelimb.”Ambopteryx was discovered in a 163 million-year-old rock formation in China’s northeastern Liaoning province by a farmer in 2017. Liaoning, near the North Korea border, is a crucial location for understanding the link between dinosaurs and birds, as it was also where the first known feathered dinosaurs, Sinosauropteryx prima, were ever found....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe all-new 2008 Evo X is finally here. Well, almost. You’ll have to wait a few more months for it to hit dealers. But we recently got a sneak peek and first drive of the revamped speed demon at Mitsubishi’s Tokachi proving ground in Northern Japan, and it definitely lives up to the hype. Mitsubishi took a big chance rebuilding this very popular sports sedan, as any serious modifications could cause the vehicle’s core customer—the fast and the furious—to get their speed fix elsewhere....

Media Platforms Design TeamOn Wednesday, Subaru will officially unveil its all-new Impreza WRX. We took a gander at the shots that have been circulating the web early and… well… we’ll let you make up your own mind. But to our eyes, this new high-performance, all-wheel-drive Subaru looks an awful lot like a Kia Spectra (see photo below at right). Not the most dynamic shape for a legendary sport compact like the WRX....

Media Platforms Design TeamOn-Sale Date: July 2014Base Price (est.): $155,000Competitors: Tesla Model S, Porsche 918 Spyder, Ferrari La Ferrari, Volkswagen XL-1, McLaren P1. Powertrain: Turbocharged 1.5-liter I-3, 228 hp, 236 lb-ft; AC electric motor, 129 hp, 184 lb-ft; six-speed automatic (gas engine) with two-speed automatic (electric motor); AWDEPA Fuel Economy (combined, est.): 94 mpge What’s New: With a far-out body wrapped around the carbon-fiber body tub, front and rear aluminum subframes, and a wishbone suspension at all four corners, the i8 mimics race-car build technology....

Media Platforms Design TeamOn-Sale Date: January 2014Price: $75,995 (minus up to $7500 in federal tax credit)Competitors: BMW 640i, Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe, Tesla Model SPowertrain: 1.4-liter I-4 and 55-kw electric motor. Total system output: 207 hp, 295 lb-ft; planetary gearset transmission.EPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 33 mpg combined; 82 mpge (EV mode)What’s New: You might never guess this handsomely chiseled coupe hides a reworked Chevy Volt drivetrain, but that’s the high-dollar shell game Cadillac plays with this jaunty 2+2....

Today, Defense Secretary James Mattis unveiled the first U.S. Defense Strategy document in ten years. While there have been plenty of interim reports, this is the first comprehensive review in a decade and the first major defense policy document of the Trump administration.Mattis says in the document that his intent is “to pursue urgent change on a significant scale.” That may be true, but when you peel back the surface of the 2018 U....

X, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has signed a deal with an Indian state to offer internet connectivity that it describes as " fiber optic cable, but without the cable." The company hopes that free space optical communications (FSOC) technology will form the spine of high-bandwith internet in southeast India.Andhra Pradesh is currently co-home to Hyderabad, one of India’s most influential tech cities. The state offers its residents some of the cheapest broadband access in the world, and though India’s internet connectivity numbers have grown substantially in recent years, many, especially rural populations, are still without regular high-speed access....

Apple is getting a new prioritization system for the Genius Bars at stores that will rank customer troubles by severity. Called Concierge, it’s an overall to the current first come, first serve system. The company also plans to ease congestion at its crowded stores by providing wait list estimates. Once on the list, a customer will receive a text message with an estimated wait time, a follow-up when their appointment is due, and a final text message assigning them to a Genius Bar employee....

Google Street View is a great way to visit faraway cities from the comfort of your couch. But it may be at its best when it moves beyond pavement – or even gravel – and into some impressive natural environments.Take this Street View of El Capitan. The icon of Yosemite National Park has become a favorite of climbers seeking a big challenge. While not everyone has the set of skills needed to scale directly up to the top, Google’s version serves as a pretty alright armchair proxy....

Seventeen years after the 9/11 attacks destroyed the buildings above it, a New York subway station that carried passengers to the World Trade Center has re-opened. The long-awaited reopening of the station, now officially called the WTC Cortlandt station, is a milestone for the city’s infrastructure, but also speaks to the vast complexity of rebuilding a place like lower Manhattan.View full post on Twitter“Remember, there was a lot of construction,” says Joe Lhota, chairman of the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), speaking to the New York Times....