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This week, we learned about new upgrades that’ll make the B-52H, one of America’s oldest weapons still in use, eligible for service for nearly a century. Here’s a look at some of the Pentagon’s oldest weapons in its arsenal—and why the military still uses them.For a country with a $600 billion dollar defense budget, the United States still uses a sizable amount of old gear. Some of the antiquated stuff is around because it works really, really well, and there’s not come along anything better to replace it with....

By now, we’ve gotten accustomed to sticker shock when it comes to the cost of brand-new bombers and fighter jets (hello, F-35). But the plane that would replace both the F-22 Raptor and F-15 Eagle could reach a staggering cost of $300 million per plane. That figure comes from a new study called “The Cost of Replacing Today’s Air Force Fleet," which was published by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and first reported by Defense News....

What if you could broadcast high-definition videos through wearable cameras or glasses without ever worrying about the battery? Researchers from the University of Washington have developed a new method to stream videos that uses up to 10,000 times less power than current method. The technique, called backscatter, has previously been used for low-data rate sensors, like those used for temperatures. Here’s how it works: the pixels in the camera are connected to the antenna, which sends data back through a scrambling transmission process called backscatter....

Media Platforms Design TeamLAS VEGAS—The best thing about being a tech reporter is being privy to the latest and greatest gadgets, sometimes even before they’ve been officially released to the public. Case in point? I’m one of the first to have been aware of Skullcandy’s “first-ever women-specific line” of headphones and earbuds, “finely tuned and engineered specifically for them” and “unmatched in the electronics space.” Finally! (I am quoting the press release....

After denying it at first, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has admitted flaws in the Tesla Model 3’s emergency braking. Musk has promised a firmware update to the car in coming days to fix the situation.The issues with braking in the Model 3 emerged when the magazine Consumer Reports declined to give the car a full-throated recommendation. “The Tesla’s stopping distance of 152 feet from 60 mph was far worse than any contemporary car we’ve tested and about 7 feet longer than the stopping distance of a Ford F-150 full-sized pickup,” the magazine said in its evaluation....

The U.S. Army’s new Modular Handgun System has started going out to units in the field, with the first pistols reaching the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in late November. The Army plans to widely distribute the new M17 and M18 pistols to re-equip the force as it retires the 1980s-era M9 pistol. A new video shows the gun’s introduction at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the home of the “Screaming Eagles” of the 101st....

Q: I’ve noticed a lot of cellphone carriers are now prorating their early termination fees as you get further into your contract. Is there any catch?A: Of course there is, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a huge improvement over the old system, where abandoning a two-year contract one day before its conclusion would result in the same $150 or $200 fee as if you had left after a week.First of all, I hesitate to to use the word “prorated,” since the price drop isn’t directly proportional to how much of the contract you’ve completed....

Media Platforms Design Team(Photo Credit: Athos)I have a bad leg, like a character in a Dickens novel, only I got it by dancing ballet. Alone. in my bedroom. i was 16 and practicing a move called a penchée when my right hamstring made a sound like the end of a string bean snapping off. I had to use crutches for six weeks and, because i couldn’t sit comfortably in any of the usual configurations, rode everywhere in the back of the family pickup....

Media Platforms Design TeamPrice: $500Description: A 56-volt mower with a 20-inch cutting width, powered by a lithium-ion battery.Summary: The Ego’s power, cut quality, quietness, portability, and compactness all point to a well-engineered machine.I’ve always thought combustion engines are best for outdoor work because burning high-energy fuel provides a continuous and plentiful supply of torque. But engineers are challenging that presupposition, and a perfect example is the Ego mower. This machine does a commendable job not only of cutting grass but also of overturning my hard-bitten view....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe great turbocharger vs supercharger debate has raged for ages, splitting the choice of forced induction between two philosophically opposed setups: the former offering a revvier, higher-strung sort of boost (thanks to exhaust gases), and the latter delivering a gruntier and lower-end power enhancement (courtesy crankshaft inertia).In an effort to modernize the brand, Chinese owner Geely has made a $300 million investment in Volvo’s Skövde engine plant, and while the brand has had more than its share of struggles of late, their re-engineered 4, 5, and 6-cylinder powerplants (dubbed Drive-E) offer a bright spot of innovation within an otherwise challenged car company....

In late 2017, astronomers in Hawaii spotted a strange object careening through our solar system at an oddly high speed. They watched closely as it sped past the sun at nearly 200,000 mph, whipping around our star and continuing on out of our neighborhood. Scientists were ecstatic because this was the first ever observation of an interstellar object seen in our solar system.There was something else strange about this space rock, called ‘Oumuamua: It looked like a spaceship you’d see in a sci-fi movie....

When you shop online or even set up a Bluetooth speaker, you probably have to create an account. That used to mean entering your email address, then clicking a “verify” link. Now, services like Lyft and Square’s Cash app verify you by text. But just as your inbox has become a repository for 50-percent-off-sale emails and scammers disguised as customer support, disseminating your phone number across the internet creates opportunities to find you and obtain your sensitive info....

Plague HouseThe Black Death is here. Warn your visitors with a few signs such as “Plague! Keep Out!” or “Beware the Black Death!” Red paint hand-lettered on plywood works well for the medieval look, but you can also post a few modern biohazard signs, too. Light them with red or yellow spotlights or flashing lights.Populate your front yard with plastic skeletons. Dress a few and pose them in the throes of death, or scatter skeletons and loose bones around the yard....

Last month, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin accomplished one heck of a feat. It not only launched a rocket to space, but landed it vertically on the way back down. It only takes one look at this video of the scientists who worked on it to understand how exciting it was. This footage from the Blue Origin HQ is just a fantastic rollercoaster of joy, with 400 scientists oscillating wildly between cheering and pained silence before exploding into pure elation when the rocket finally touches down....

Electric currents to the brain can trigger lucid dreaming, the mysterious state in which dreamers are conscious they are dreaming and can even control the course of their dreams, according to a new study in Nature Neuroscience. These findings could tell us something new about the origins of consciousness, the researchers say. And someday, perhaps, you’ll be able to buy a kit that allows you to stimulate lucid dreaming at home....

Media Platforms Design TeamThere’s been a lot of talk since AT&T announced a proposed merger with T-Mobile Sunday about how the new giant company would be bad news for consumers. AT&T service might improve with increased bandwidth, but less competition in an already uncompetitive marketplace—combined with the removal of T-Mobile as the current bargain cellular option—has led consumer advocates and many in the tech press to predict an outcome of higher prices and reduced choice for customers....

A mish-mash of stuff today. First, Al Gore’s testimony before Congress. I’ve been a little hard on Al of late, what with his rampant use of electricity in his TN home. But I loved these lines: “The planet has a fever. If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor. If the doctor says: ‘You need to intervene here’, you don’t say: ‘Well, I read a science fiction novel that tells me it’s not a problem....

A swarm of up to 17 drones is flying over northeastern Colorado.Local authorities are aware of the drones, but believe they are harmless.Nobody has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the drones, adding to the air of mystery. A series of nighttime visitations by a mysterious drone swarm has residents of northeastern Colorado baffled. As many as 17 drones appear to be running deliberate search patterns, as if training to look for something....

Media Platforms Design TeamIn “Nirvana,” a science-fiction short story by 2013 Pulitzer Prize–winner Adam Johnson in the August issue of , a Palo Alto–based startup programmer comes to terms with both his girlfriend’s degenerative nerve disorder and with the talking hologram he has recently coded.EsquireThe world of “Nirvana” is a not-so-distant future full of spy drones, driverless cars, and talking holograms. But there are more than a few reasons to think Johnson’s vision of the future is spot-on....

Media Platforms Design TeamLast year’s Civic was a bit of a dud. In our test drive, PM said the 2012 version just couldn’t compare to the refinement of the Chevy Cruze and Ford Focus. “Overall, there’s little to offend,” we wrote. “But not a whole lot to sing about either.” It was a hard fall for the longtime favorite; the Civic perhaps hit bottom when Consumer Reports dropped it from its recommended list....