China and the US have reached an agreement to fight what the White House called “one of the greatest threats facing humanity”—climate change. The two countries agreed to adopt a new global climate accord by 2015 and set ambitious new targets for carbon emissions reductions. It’s the first time China has ever done so.This is a big deal for a few reasons, not least of which is that China and the U....
Media Platforms Design TeamWe’ve been spying it for quite a while now, but Jeep finally unveiled the 2008 Liberty this afternoon. And what a wet unveiling it was, with rain pouring in through the Javits Center sky roof and Jeep officials breaking out the umbrellas:You can easily spot some familiar lines in the all-new Liberty’s exterior styling and interior layout. Most obvious of the changes is the exterior shape and size: Replacing the rounded curves of the 2007 model are sharper body angles, especially evident in the rear, where the box-like tail replaces the rounded forms of the current model....
Nürburgring, Germany—Much in the way the aspiring Hollywood star needs to “do Shakespeare,” Toyota felt it needed to “do supercar.” Full model competence these days doesn’t just include the world’s best-selling hybrid, successful luxury and youth brands and a full lineup of trucks and crossovers—it also requires something mad, bad and jet-fighter fast in the showroom. Ten years ago, Toyota instructed its Lexus luxury division to start bottling up enough super to build an eponymous car....
Using a geochemical “fingerprint,” scientists have traced the ancient and complex trade routes that were based in the Polynesian islands and extended for thousands of miles outward—all of long before any Europeans made contact. Recent DNA has shown trading based out of Polynesia extended as far as South America and the Caribbean, but there have been questions to the exact timing. European traders are often thought to have led the spread of commerce across the globe, enabled by early Spanish and British explorers—but the actual story may be a bit more complex....
Any true jet-setter knows that one of the most difficult things about traveling is keeping your devices powered up on the go. Traveling from country to country requires an almost constant turnover of adapters, and keeping an individual adapter for every country you plan to visit in your bag simply isn’t an option for those who like to travel light.This ultra-slim Flip Quad World Travel Adapter lets you simultaneously charge up to four USB devices anywhere in the U....
HAPPY LIFE WITH GEELY At least that’s what it says on the Chinese carmaker’s press kit, a one-page extravaganza unaccompanied by the customary CD filled with images and specs. Geely, of course, is the latest in a rash of contenders to be the first Chinese-manufactured automobile sold in the United States. In a refreshing change of pace after the Chrysler intro that involved elaborate stage production, an artificial snowstorm that left a good 2 in....
Ukraine is developing a new missile, Bliskavka (“Lightning”).The missile is a high speed air to ground missile that reaches up to Mach 3.5.An article in Ukraine’s press claims the missile can’t be stopped, an assertion that is not true.A new missile under development by Ukrainian defense contractor Yuzhnoye is virtually unstoppable, flying so fast it cannot be intercepted by enemy defenses. That’s the claim made in Dnipro Panorama, which says the new Bliskavka (“Lightning”) missile could be used against Russia’s Black Sea Fleet....
The first gas station exclusive to electric vehicles in the U.S. is now open in Takoma Park, Maryland. Charging station infrastructure is a hinderance to the growth of electric cars.The station’s owner has no idea if it will be a success or not, but is excited to try.The U.S. has its first fully converted, gas-to-electric refueling and service station for electric vehicles (EVs). Located on the Maryland/Washington, D.C. border, the station’s owner hopes it will spur environmental action in the region....
Media Platforms Design Team Garmin Astro 220 GPS Dog Tracking System /// $600 The Promise: Garmin’s Astro combines a handheld outdoor GPS navigation device with a GPS-enabled DC 30 dog collar for your best friend and hunting companion (the device can track up to 10 dogs—extra DC 30s cost $200 each). When your dog sets off after your quarry, a radio transceiver in his collar communicates with a transceiver in your handheld nav....
My wife and I had our first kid this summer. In an unrelated development, we also bought our first Nest thermostat. It came with a free Google Mini, which we set up in the living room and promptly forgot—until my wife went back to work at the end of her maternity leave, and I took over, watching our daughter for a week until her daycare officially started. An entire week. I was proud of me too....
In 2017, NASA will begin sending its astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S.-based launches once again. With a little help from Boeing and SpaceX, that is. That’s when the two companies will begin ferrying not just supplies but also people up there, ending the six-year drought between the final space shuttle flights and the first commercial crew trips, a time during which the agency relied on Russian space agency Roscosmos in the midst of deteriorating relations with Russia itself....
Tonight, engineers will test drive the Mars 2020 rover for the first time. The rover’s six wheels each have their own motor, and the craft is able to turn 360 degrees in place.The Mars 2020 rover is scheduled to launch next summer and is expected to land on the Red Planet in 2021. One of the most anticipated missions of 2020, the Mars 2020 rover, is about to take a critical step toward stars....
Facebook is awful. It makes us feel bad, it purposefully drives us into partisan rabbit holes, it tracks you around the web whether you’re logged in or not and leaks the data all over the place. Deleting your account might sound nice, but Facebook is also a crucial tool for communication, so ubiquitous as to virtually be a public utility. Fortunately, there’s a way to fight back without giving up the upsides....
Media Platforms Design TeamAs a 26-year-old living in New York City, there are few things I need less than a pilot’s license. But in November 2005, PM ran a cover story about the Federal Aviation Administration’s sport pilot initiative, which makes it easier than ever before to get a license. I was the fact-checker on PM’s article, and after talking to pilots, aircraft designers and FAA officials for weeks from the confines of a cubicle, I found it hard to let the story go....
Media Platforms Design TeamPersonnel from the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry load the bodies of victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 into a truck at the crash site. Credit: Getty Images.Update, 5:23 p.m. Easter, Monday , July 21: Today Ukrainian separatists agreed to hand over the flight data recorders from MH17 and allow the bodies of the victims to leave the area on trains, according to The New York Times.Update, 10 a.m., Monday, July 21: Here’s what you might have missed over the weekend:• World leaders are accusing pro-Russia rebels in the area where MH17 crashed of blocking investigators access to the crash site....
Media Platforms Design TeamEngineers at MIT have devised what they call a new way of producing electricity. By coating a microscopic carbon nanotube with a layer of fuel and igniting one end with a spark or laser, they’re able to send a wave of heat shooting through the nanotube’s interior. This thermal wave pushes electrons in its path, generating a significant electric current. Prototypes already have energy density 100 times greater than lithium-ion batteries, and they can be stored indefinitely without leaking charge....
Checking into the hotel is a restful end to a stressful travel experience—or, at least, it should be. But rarely is it the highlight of the trip. That could change with a new project by New Belgium brewery, makers of the beloved Fat Tire and other delectable brews. New Belgium just opened up the Pilot Brewery at the Source Hotel in Denver. When guests check in, they’ll get tasters of experimental New Belgium beer brewed at Pilot, which just so happens to be located on the other side of the hotel lobby’s glass wall....
Media Platforms Design TeamIt’s Sunday and the big basketball game is this afternoon, but you can forget about getting tickets. So it’s gather the crowd and drive to the sports bar. Minutes into the ride, the windshield is so foggy, you’ve got to hit the Defrost button. But why? The panel is set to outside air for heater operation, and there are no smokers in the car. You put your hand over the defroster outlets and there’s hardly any airflow....
Plus.ai, an artificial intelligence startup in Cupertino, California, has engineered an autonomous driving system for commercial freight trucks. This week, it made the world’s first cross-country trip of its kind to deliver butter to a small town in Pennsylvania.While this isn’t the first time an autonomous truck has made a cross-country trip, it’s likely the first time a commercial freight truck has made a real delivery like this.Autonomous trucks are likely going to become mainstream before any self-driving consumer vehicles....
President Donald Trump promised to increase the size of the U.S. Navy to 350 ships, which could prove to be a pricey task. But what if some of those ships could include World War II-era Iowa-class battleships? It’s not impossible. The four Iowa-class battleships—USS Iowa, USS New Jersey, USS Wisconsin, and USS Missouri—were built early in the Second World War to be fast fleet battleships, capable of keeping up with aircraft carriers and duking it out with Japan’s famous Yamato-class battleships....
