Popular Mechanics 2009-04

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P M F E A T U R E S /// A P R I L 2 0 0 9
VOLUME 186 NO. 4
62 e Smarter 76 Weapon of 82 Maers 90 Finding Your

Home 2009 Mass Disruption of Rescue Inner Garage
Mode to mammoth, Could hackers take down We attend the Coa PM and Garage Mahal
these produs and proj- key parts of our infraruc- Guards elite helicopter turn a two-car space into
es boo eciency and ture? Experts say yes. A rescue school, where a home tness center.
cut resource wae. chilling look at the wide- lessons art in the class- BY LARRY WEBSTER
BY ELIZABETH SVOBODA spread cyber threat to room and end at sheer
America's national security. clis, in deep caves and
BY GLENN DERENE on huge ocean waves.
BY KALEE THOMPSON
86 e Fa and the Frugal Sensible vehicles dont have

to be dull. In the ultimate te of funionality, eciency and
(especially) fun, PM pits a sporty subcompa again an exotic
motorcycle. e results may surprise you. BY BEN STEWART
ON THE COVER
To dramatize the threat posed by cyber attacks, pyrotechnics expert
Drew Jiritano attached an explosive squib to the back of a laptop
computer; stop-motion photography captured the results. PM's digital
imaging specialist Anthony Verducci completed the concept.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF MINTON POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM | APRIL 2009 3

> NEW TOOLS > CARS > HOME > HOW-TO /// P M D E P A R T M E N T S
30
P H O T O G R A P H S B Y J M U C K L E / S T U D I O D ( F I S H I N G R E E L ) , A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S ( A I R P L A N E ) ; I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y G A B R I E L S I LV E I R A ( D I G I TA L C L I N I C ) , B R A D L E Y R . H U G H E S ( S P R I N K L E R )
diy
Tech Watch
13 Safety Snake A new
robot assesses conruion-
site danger before workers Home
get arted. Plus: Digital 95 Grow Up Create an
cameras help the visually ecient, no-hassle garden
impaired to see; how we with raised beds.
could get into orbit aer the 98 Window eory
space shuttle retires. What you need to know
about your homes
windowsincluding how
Upgrade to troubleshoot.
27 Double Display e 103 Homeowners
Lenovo inkPad 700dss Clinic Closet-orage
slide-out screen makes faceowire versus wood.
secondary displays mobile. Plus: When to dump a
Plus: Fly-shing gear on the sump pump; should you
cheap; te driving Micro- 37 repaint galvanized eel?
sos new Windows 7 OS.
Auto
New Cars 109 Saturday
37 City Slicker e Kia
Soul Sport oers funk and
18 Mechanic How to replace
your car's serpentine belt
frugality. Plus: Fir look at the right way.
the 2010 Honda Fury; ve 112 Waterproong
cars that could save Detroit. Conneors Preventing
moiure from inltrating
automotive elerical con-
Columns neions. Plus: Why you
46 3Ds Big Revival shouldnt inall tubes in
Stereoscopic lms have tubeless tires; does leaving
been around for over a cen- a car idling for a long time
tury. So why is Hollywood damage it?
getting excited (again)?
52 Solar Racer PMs
Detroit editor Larry Web- Technology
er drives the University of 116 Making the Mo
Michigans sun-powered car. of Your Router Your wire-
58 Safety rough less router is the heart of a
Danger? Do safety fea- home network. Heres how
tures make us a more to get the mo out of it.
dangerously? Glenn Harlan 120 Digital Clinic Keep
Reynolds inveigates. 120 Web-based e-mail secure
from digital snoops. Plus:
Using TiVo to record without
cable; does touching an LCD
monitor damage the screen?
LISTED ON THE COVER:
42 5 Cars at Could
Save Detroit /// 43 Caddy Monthly
Plug-In /// 76 Cyber Attack HOW TO RE ACH US 6
/// 90 Garage Makeover ///
LE T TERS 8
82 Coast Guard Rescue
School /// 62 24 Home Tips
9
95 THIS IS M Y JOB 126
4 APRIL 2009 | POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM

EDITORIAL BOARD
OF ADVISERS
POPULAR MECHANICS is
James B. Meigs grateful to these
Editor-In-Chief scientists, innovators and
leaders, who help ensure
Executive Editor David Dunbar Deputy Editor Jerry Beilinson we cover the most
Design Director Michael Lawton Managing Editor Tara Cox important stories in the
EDITORIAL ART most authoritative way.
Editor, Automotive Ben Stewart Senior Art Director Peter Herbert
Senior Editor, Automotive Mike Allen Associate Art Director Stravinski Pierre
Senior Designer Bradley R. Hughes
BU Z Z A L D RIN
Senior Editor, Home Roy Berendsohn Apollo 11 astronaut;
Senior Editor, Science Jennifer Bogo PHOTOGRAPHY colonel, U.S. Air Force
Senior Editor, Technology Glenn Derene Director of Photography Allyson Torrisi (Ret.)
Detroit Editor Larry Webster Associate Photo Editor Michele Ervin S H A WN CA RL S O N
Associate Editors Joe Pappalardo, PRODUCTION Executive director of
Assistant Managing Editor Emily Masamitsu the Society for
Seth Porges, Harry Sawyers
Copy Editor Robin Tribble Amateur Scientists;
Research Editor Erin Scottberg
IMAGING MacArthur Fellow
Assistant Editor Erin McCarthy
Digital Imaging Specialist Anthony Verducci S A U L GRIFFIT H
Assistant to the Editor-In-Chief Allie Haake
POPULARMECHANICS.COM President and chief
Contributing Editors: Online Director Angela Diegel scientist, Makani Power;
Jim Gorman, Chris Grundy, Ben Hewitt, Carl Online Editor Tyghe Trimble MacArthur Fellow
Hoffman, Alex Hutchinson, Joel Johnson, P R O J E C T A S S I S TA N T S T H O MA S D . JO NES
S.E. Kramer, Jay Leno, Fred Mackerodt, The Joe P. Hasler, Blaine McEvoy Space shuttle astronaut;
MythBusters (Jamie Hyneman, Adam Savage),
author of Sky Walking
Contributing Photographers & Illustrators:
Joe Oldham, Glenn Harlan Reynolds, Noah Burcu Avsar, Tim Bower, Gordon Chapman/ D R. K EN K A ML ER
Studio Catastrophic FX, Brad DeCecco, Dogo, Surgeon; author of
Shachtman, Erik Sofge, Kalee Thompson, Joseph
Chad Hunt, Scott Jones, Ed Keating, Axel de Roy, Surviving the Extremes
Truini, James Vlahos, Logan Ward, Jeff Wise
Dan Saelinger, Gabriel Silveira, Sinelab, GA V IN A . S CH MID T
Business Associate Wendy Logroo Art Streiber, Transluszent, Dan Winters Climate modeler,
NASA Goddard Institute
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Publisher Roboticist; author of Mad
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advancing science. e result?
Reinventing exiing items,
co overruns and failure.
JOHN MCKINNEY
ANAHEIM, CA
EDITORS UPDATE: Since our

February issue hit newsands,
Jupiter Dire proponents
met with President Obamas
transition team, adminirator
Michael Grin has le NASA,
and the current plans for human
spaceight have been placed
under review. For continuing
coverage of the future of NASA,
visit popularmechanics.com.
PM Lab vs. TV Claims

PM LETTERS I so enjoyed your article on
produs, If You A Now ...
A friend gave me a set of the
Future in Space I S S U E
of work and invement on as-seen-on-TV Aqua Globes you
As a 40-year space program 02/09 Ares? NASA evaluated the teed, and though they are a
veteran, I was both intereed Readers Jupiter proposal and found it good idea, I found one of the
and saddened by Februarys responded to seriously wanting on a number ems so tight I couldnt even
ory about competing pro- ories on future of points, including safety and get water into the bulb.
NASA launch
posals for the next generation vehicles, PM lab co. Hiory will catch up with M.E. DOHERT Y
of launch vehicles, NASA and tes and the Jupiter Dire and the plan DALLAS, TX
Its Discontents. It seems much worlds large will be long forgotten by the
vehicles.
of the cultural arrogance I expe- time Proje Conellation is Larger an Life
rienced as a graduate udent on the moon. anks for supersizing me
in the 60s ill exis today. A JIM MCDADE I truly enjoyed your ory Mega
better solution than NASAs VESTAVIA HILLS, AL Vehicles. I only wish you
Ares proposal would be to take had highlighted the Antonov
the already-proven enhanced Your NASA article shows the An-225 Mriya as the worlds
expendable launch vehicles as agencys management is ill large aircra. Getting a close
the basis for a new personnel biased toward higher risk revo- glimpse of that colossal jet
launch vehicle. Its sad to see lution versus evolution. If a new would have provided a titanic
Dr. Grin defending a badly syem is based on exiing ending to the ory.
awed program, and I hope syems, they feel they arent G R E G O R Y T. D R A K E
hes given his walking papers. inventing anything new or MOUNTAIN HOME, ID
C H A R L E S P. K E L L E Y
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
Write to Us Include your full name, address and phone
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NASA throw away four years
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AUTOMOTIVE // SCIENCE //
TECHNOLOGY // HOME //
HOW-TO CENTRAL // VIDEO
Car April Online

Buffs, Features

Start Your DIY RALLY
2009

Engines! Calling all inven-
tors! Its that
Join Popular Mechanics time of the year,

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MECHANICS readers
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and yards to
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HOLLYWOOD F/X APOLLO TURNS 40
of Castrol EDGE motor oil. An For the late behind- In 1969, Apollo 11
estimated $550 value! the-scenes explanation made hiory when
of how the udios ren- it ferried three aro-
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tech-intensive movies, We continue our
including Watchmen, long hiory of Apollo
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tor Salvation, go to with people involved in
popularmechanics the Apollo 11 mission.
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N`k_Xcdfjkm\[\ZX[\jf]jlZZ\jj]lck\Z_efcf^`ZXcX[mXeZ\d\ekjXe[èefmXk`fej#:\c\jkife_Xjgifl[cp\Xie\[i\Zfê`k`fe
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NEWS + TRENDS + BREAKTHROUGHS
Safety
S afety
a fety S
Snake
nake
A ROBOT BU ILT TO C O N D U C T D A N GER O U S
I NSPECTI O N S SL ITH ER S TO TH E TO P O F A
KOREA N T EC H C O N TEST. B Y E R I N M C C A R T H Y
Inspeing high-rise conruion sites is a

dangerous job, but somebodyor some
robothas to do it. Engineers at Virginia Tech built
the HyDRAS-Ascent II to climb by encircling a beam
and twiing its 90-degree joints in sequence. In
December, the robot won the grand prize at the
Capone Design Fair in Seoul, South Korea,
competing again experimental robots, eleronic
gizmos and other novel hardware. Traveling with
HyDRAS isnt easyco-designer and dooral
udent Gabriel Goldman had to explain the
contents of his carry-on suitcase at every airport-
security checkpoint. I know to take o my
shoes, Goldman says. e only thing they had
a problem with was my robot.
Look Ma,
No Wheels
e modules
are wrapped in
high-friion
rubber foam
that helps the
Rounded robot grip
Right Angles metal or
Each of concrete.
HyDRASs
Tools for a modules has
Serpent an elerically
Designers powered
plan to outt universal joint.
the robot
O N T H E W E B > To watch the with sensors,
robot wind its way up poles, go cameras and
to popularmechanics.com/ a tool
robotsnake. manipulator.
POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM | APRIL 2009 13

THE FRIENDLY
NEIGHBORHOOD
WIND TURBINE
+ A new wind
turbine promises
to be a t for any
home. Michigan-
T E C H W A T C H
based Cascade
Engineerings
7--dia. turbine
has a ring around
its blades that
minimizes
vibration and
helps keep noise
to less than 35
decibelsbarely
a whisperno
matter what the
wind speed. e
$10,000 unit
promises up to
2000 kilowatt-
hours per year
in high-wind
GRIPPING
MEDICAL
Avatars of Exercise areas, about 20
percent of the
NANOTECH One of the trickie parts of exercise is maintaining good form to aivate elericity used
+ Doors the right muscles. A new syem developed by Amerdam-based Motek by a typical home.
usually resort to
Medical displays a virtual body double showing exaly which muscles are
invasive biopsies
being used and how much force theyre generatingin real time. Users of
to fetch body tis-
the Human Body Model wear a suit with 47 reeive markers that are
sues from
illuminated by infrared robe lights that ash several hundred times a
patients. But
second. Eight high-speed cameras and force sensors in the oor capture
engineers at
data that is used to create models of the users movements and the force
Johns Hopkins
that those motions generate. e syem is being teed in Israel to help
University in
patients recover movement aer a roke; it could also provide an early
Baltimore have
diagnosis of conditions such as muscular dyrophy.
developed a
magnet-guided
microgripper,
the size of a
speck of du, NEWSBRIEFS
that can do the
Reports From the Edge of Science
Compiled by Alex Hutchinson
job gently. e
six chromium-
copper ngers of
the gripper are FULL-SPECTRUM Hard as Steel, Easy as Plaic
kept open by a E-LITERACY + A new plaic that condus elericity
layer of plaic,
+ Reading has been developed by German
which soens
when doors
Experimental Eagle devices with scientis at the Fraunhofer Initute for
+ NASA recently nished a program that eleronic paper, Manufauring Technology and Applied
heat the
may aid the return of supersonic commer- or e-books, are Materials Research. e composite
surrounding
catching on, but
tissue, closing cial ights. During tes at NASAs material combines the elerical and
so far theyre
the grabber's Dryden Flight Research Center in thermal properties of metal with the
ill black-and-
ngers around a Edwards, Calif., two uniquely modded easy manufauring of plaic. Research-
white. Research-
sample. F-15 Eagles ew as close as 100 apart ers have developed conduive polymers
ers at the
to measure the leading aircras shock University of suitable for wires and circuit boards, but
waves, while the lead pilot recongured Toronto recently the new, lightweight material could nd
the wings and direion of the engines demonrated a wider use in vehicles. For example,
nozzles. Shock waves cause sonic booms new photonic aircra could use lightweight, conduc-
that limit ights over populated areas. cryal screen tive fuselage panels that dissipate the
whose pixels
e NF-15B (above) is ideal for udying charges from midair lightning rikes.
can each cover
airplane geometry because its canards, the entire
borrowed from the horizontal abilizers sperum,
of an F-18, can be adjued in ight. switching colors O N T H E W E B > Follow breaking
0.1 mm in about a tenth science and technology news daily
of a second. at popularmechanics.com.

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No airliner that suers total engine failure aer hitting a ock of geese can
So Landing be called lucky. e odds of riking birds large enough to deroy two
S U R V I V I N G T H E W AT E R Y
airplane engines are extremely remote. Yet, when birds knocked out both engines
CRASH OF AN AIRPLANE WITH
NO ENGINES WAS NO of US Airways Flight 1549 aer it took o from LaGuardia Airport on Jan. 15, a
M I R A C L E . BY THE EDITORS series of fortunate events followed that enabled the Airbus A-320 to ditch into
the Hudson River with no loss of life. Many called it a miracle; PM believes it was
T E C H W A T C H
a combination of good vehicle design, smart piloting and, yes, ju plain luck.
1 2 3 4 5
Airplanes are Air emergencies Rivers can make Ditched airplanes Training for
made to survive are more decent runways. don't sink fa. the unlikely can
total engine loss. survivable at Capt. Chesley Airplane save the day.
How can higher altitudes. Sullenberger fuselages are Ditching into
computer- Flight recorders determined that designed to keep water is a rare
controlled planes show that the he did not have air in, and that event, but
eer without airplane reached a enough control to design helps keep commercial airline
power? Auxiliary maximum altitude return to LaGuar- water out. Aviation crews prepare for
power units and of 3200 . If the dia. Without the designers also it. Likewise, NY
ram-air turbines bird rike had engines working include syems Waterway ferry
that drop from the happened lower, in reverse to slow that can delay crews train to
fuselage can power ju aer takeo, the plane, he might sinking. Airbus assi and treat
the hydraulics that the plane probably have overshot the A-320 cockpits are diressed boaters
control an airplane. would have runway. If you have equipped with a or swimmers. ey
Damaged engines plunged into the to put a jet down, button that seals quickly retrieved
can provide a rough and frigid the Hudson River the lower openings 142 of the Airbuss
trickle of power waters of Long is a close-to-ideal on the plane's 155 passengers
from the windmill- Island Sound at a venue. Its wide, fuselage, like the and crew from the
ing of their blades very high speed, the water is avionic ventilation icy water.
as they move in a spot where relatively calm and ports and inlet for
through the air. rescue would have rescuers are close the ram-air turbine.
taken longer. at hand.
P H O T O G R A P H B Y A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S ( A I R P L A N E )
e safe landing of US Airways Flight 1549, shown here as the plane is hoied from
the frigid Hudson River, was aided by luck, training and engineering.
e need to prote the nations infraruure has always bred fresh thinking. In
March 1916, as the Unites States mulled its entry into World War I, POPULAR
MECHANICS reported on a New York inventor who proposed arming train cars with heavy
Time artillery. ese mobile gun platforms would be similar to ones used by Germany and
Machine would be deployed to guard Americas coas and, PM wrote, defend our inland cities,
MARCH railway centers and indurial points. (e idea was never adopted.) Modern technology
1916
brings both new threats and the plans to thwart them: Todays security pros are trying
to prote the U.S. from cyber attacks that exploit our infraruures deep reliance on
information technology (see Weapon of Mass Disruption, page 76.) A LLIE H A A K E

MIRACLE PROJECTOR
A scienti turns a doors visit into
a machine to help the visually
impaired see. BY AMBER ANGELLE
+ During a trip to a senior fellow at

T E C H W A T C H
the optometri 20 MITs Center for

years ago, Elizabeth Advanced Visual image onto the
Goldring became Studies. However, retina. Its like a
inspired to create a the cumbersome, video projeor,
seeing machine for $100,000 SLO Webb says. eir
the visually wasnt praical late prototype is
impaired. ats outside doors a nondescript,
when Goldring, who oces. She has 5-in.-wide box with
is legally blind in collaborated with a digital camera
one eye and Robert Webb, attached. By
partially blind in the inventor of the SLO manipulating the
other, r and a physici at cameras zoom,
encountered a Harvard Univer- Goldring is able to
Scanning Laser sitys Schepens Eye recognize faces
Ophthalmoscope. Research Initute, and diinguish
e SLO is a tool to create a mobile objes. She plans
that uses an version called the to begin teing the
infrared laser to Retinal Imaging portable Seeing
shine an image onto Machine Vision Machine Camera Landing on the deck of an aircra carrier takes quick reexes,
the retina, Syem. e new at the Joslin sharp mental focus and cool daring. But does it require a pilot? is
bypassing device subitutes Diabetes Center fall Northrop Grumman will art ight teing the r unmanned
hemorrhages and LEDs for the coly Eye Initute in
other defes within laser to illuminate a Boon. With this
rike airplane created to operate from a carrier. e ealth
the eye. e patient screen that focuses device I can see X-47Bs 62- bat wings fold in to reduce overall span to 31 for
reports when he is visual data from a when my daughter orage. And thats no cockpit: e air intake is, almo mockingly,
able to see the computer or is smiling, in the same place as a window in a manned aircra. e X-47Bs
image, allowing the camera as a full Goldring says. sea trials on a carrier are planned to begin in late 2011.
examiner to identify
areas of healthy and
unhealthy retinal
cells. During the
te, her damaged
eyes could clearly
read words. I had
to have one of
those machines, Powerful Whirlpools Hydropower researchers at the
University of Michigan are
says Goldring, now SCIENTISTS BORROW FROM FISH TO
C R E AT E E N E R G Y I N S L O W - M O V I N G borrowing rategies from sh to
W AT E R . BY BEN BLOCK maximize the energy that can be
harveed from slow-moving water.
For example, trout use spinning
eddies that form on both sides of a
3 ationary obje, like a rock, to help
THE VORTEXES
MOVE THE CYLINDERS conserve energy as they swim
UP AND DOWN,
GENERATING upream. e vortexes that form
ELECTRICAL POWER. alternate from one side of the rock to
the other, so sh swimming
upream slalom between these
whirlpools. Schools also use vortexes
created by the sh ahead to conserve
energy when swimming upream.
I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y G A B R I E L S I LV E I R A
1
WATER FLOWS e University of Michigan teams
THROUGH DEVICES
THAT USE BOBBING
design harnesses these alternating
CYLINDERS INSTEAD vortexes: Aluminum cylinders joined
OF TURBINES.
to built-in eleromagnets form a
ladder-shaped device. As owing
currents swirl pa a cylinder, the
vortexes that form above and below
push and pull the cylinders to
2 generate elericity. Inventor Michael
ALTERNATING VORTEXES FORM ON THE DOWNSTREAM
SIDE OF AN OBJECT WHEN FLUID FLOWS PAST. Bernitsas eimates the bobbing

e revolu-
tionary X-47B
(artis depic-
tion, below)
was revealed
to the public
late la year.
aion can yield 51 watts per cubic

meter at water speeds of 3 knots,
depending on the number and size
of the cylinders. e device, known
as Vortex-Induced Vibrations for
Aquatic Clean Energy, or VIVACE,
attraed Navy intere for its
potential to generate power at
ow speeds slower than the 5-knot
minimum of mo turbines. To
maximize the syems eciency,
Bernitsas draws insight from the
anatomy of sh. Sandpaper-like
surface roughness on the cylinders
mimics scales to form more
energetic whirlpools. Flexible
plates designed like a shs tail
could speed up cylinders in very
slow-moving water or decrease the
cylinder movement, which would
help to prote aquatic life. We
may design a tail thats adjuable
and has sensors, but Im not
anywhere near that yet, Bernitsas
said. Simply, we are not as smart
as sh at this point.
e Worlds Space Fleet
M E E T T H E S P A C E C R A F T T H AT C O U L D
T E C H W A T C H
INHERIT THE SPACE SHUTTLES JOB

OF FERRYING SUPPLIES INTO SPACE.
BY MICHAEL BELFIORE 2003 2009 2010
e space shuttle is due for China became

retirement in 2010, and NASAs next Earths third
spaceship, Orion, wont be available until at space-faring nation
lea 2015. at will leave a ve-year gap with this vehicles Dot-com millionaire
r launch in 2003. Elon Musk founded
during which NASA aronauts and
Since then, these Space Exploration
space-ation cargo will be grounded unless single-use cra, Technologies, or
they nd other ways to get to orbit. In the loosely based on SpaceX, to deliver
pa, NASA has cadged rides o its former Soyuz and booed aordable access
arch-rival, the Russian Federal Space by Chinas Long to space, and hes
Agency, and its Soyuz (for aronauts) and March 2F rockets, been developing
Progress (for cargo) spacecra. But have been ying the Dragon and its
relations between the U.S. and Russia are taikonauts to orbit Falcon family of
once every two or rockets with the
cooling, raising the very real prospe that
three years, making help of seed money
Congress will forbid NASA to buy space- the Shenzhou the from NASA. In
ights from Russia. NASA has epped up only vehicle besides is unmanned ship December 2008,
its support of two U.S. companies, Space Soyuz and the was designed for NASA went a ep
Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and shuttle that could transporting cargo further and
Orbital Sciences Corporation, that hope to currently y to the International awarded SpaceX a
have unmanned cargo spaceships ready for aronauts to the Space Station. $1.6 billion
launch by 2010. (See details below.) Even if International Space e r of these contra to service
these companies succeed, NASA will ill Station. NASA expendable the International
and its Chinese vehicles will launch Space Station with
have to rely on Soyuz for manned ights. counterpart have this year aboard a 12 cargo ights
But maybe not for long. Heres a roundup of so far shown no new Japanese arting in 2010.
seven rides to low Earth orbit besides the signs of cooperat- H-IIB rocket; no SpaceX is also
space shuttle and Soyuz that could be ing, but that could manned versions working on a crew
available for space-ation ights. change. are planned. version of Dragon.
NAME
H-
PAY L O A D
SH I IT DR
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Na hin an ds ace ds
tion a A
Exp eros Tec Explo
Adm al S lo pa hno rat
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tra e Ageration ce l io
(US ogies n
tion ncy A)

2010 2014 2015 2020 AVAILABILITY
Orbital Sciences e prosaically

Corporation has named (for now)
also been receiving Orbital Vehicle has
federal funding to been on Indian
develop alternate drawing boards
rides to orbit, and it since at lea 2006,
too got a NASA and the Indian
contra in space agency
December to send condued An unmanned cargo
cargo to the Lockheed Martin unmanned re-entry version of Europes
International Space and Bigelow tes in 2007 to answer to the
Station. Orbitals Aerospace are gather hard data Russian Progress
contra is worth udying the for a manned cargo ship, with
$1.9 billion for eight conversion of re-entry capsule. three times the
launches aboard the exiing hardware Aual conruion payload, arrived at
Cygnus capsule, to launch Bigelows is awaiting the International
booed by the Sundancer government Space Station for
companys Taurus II capsules to the approval for the r time la
launcher, now in rms planned funding, making year, booed by
development. space ations. this the mo Europes Ariane 5
Current plans call While not part of speculative proje launch vehicle. e
for cargo ights NASAs plans, the of the bunch. European Space
only, but the Atlas V 401 e spacecra Agency is udying
company says launcher and the would launch on a four-person
manned ights proposed cargo Indias Geosynchro- manned version
wouldnt be out of and crew capsules nous Satellite dubbed the Crew
the queion if could easily service Launch Vehicle Transport Vehicle,
NASA requeed the International Mark III, now in or CTV, for use
them. Space Station. development. in 2020.
AU
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CY SU OR TR OMA
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rpo nc osp ace n
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(US ation s (US ace Org Res Sp urope nds
A) A) ani earc ace an
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I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y M A X I M U S C H AT S K Y
GEAR + TOOLS + TOYS
Double Display
e 17-in. A built-in e slide-out Tech acionados love using multiple monitorsthe
primary screen ylus-operated 10.6-in. second- second screen boos produivity. But until now, such
features the wid- tablet allows ary screen
e color gamut for precise can keep tool
setups were reserved for the desk-bound. e Lenovo
weve seen on a image touchups palettes and inkPad 700ds (from $3660) is the r laptop with
laptop, resulting without separate IM windows a slide-out secondary screen. is rig is priced for pro
in more realiic equipment. from infringing
images. on the main photographers, but the technology should eventually end
work space. up in more aordable machines. SETH PORGES
PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER RIESETT POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM | APRIL 2009 27

Car
Buffs,
Start Your
U P G R A D E
Engines!
Join Popular Mechanics
New Online Auto Community at
popularmechanics.com/myWheels Test
M
Drive
qqP
WINDOWS 7
OPERATING
SYSTEM
zNkLqRNks
Looking Beyond Via

To be hone, I never really developed the visceral hatred for Micro-
sos Via operating syem that many users seem to feel, but the
sentiment is underandable. Via is bloated and slowand it took a
Youre in the drivers seat back-seat-driver approach to security that could really get under your
on myWheels: skin. (Are you sure you want to launch this program? Are you really
sure?!) So less than two years aer Vias launch, Microso is pre-
Share photos of your car paring to launch Windows 7 sometime in the next year or two. In
January, the beta of the new OS was released for all the world to try.
Submit your car for the My initial impressions are promising. It is faster at the important
Castrol EDGE Car of the Month! uin my tes, Win 7 booted in around 45 seconds (Via typically
takes well over a minute)
Swap stories, tips and more and navigation is far more
with other car buffs intelligent. But hey, its a beta,
so theres ill much that could
Test your auto I.Q. with go wrong. And many more
improvements are surely in
a Mechanics Quiz the works. G L E N N D E R E N E
Register and be automatically Navigation e new

task bar gives full-screen
entered to win a Magellan previews and acks up
multiple windows for less
Maestro GPS system and a years clutter. Jump Lis put
worth of Castrol EDGE motor oil. recent and important tasks
into right-click menus.
An estimated $550 value!
Networking While ill
far from simple, network-
ing is denitely more
exible with the new OS.
Homegroup makes con-
tent sharing between PCs
easier, but only if both are
running Win 7.
Next-Gen Features
Few computers take advan-
tage of it now, but Win 7
natively supports multi-
No purchase necessary. The Popular Mechanics Castrol Auto Club touch, which could eventu-
Sweepstakes. Sponsored by Hearst Communications, Inc. begins ally make touchscreen
February 1, 2009 at 12:01 AM (ET) and ends May 30, 2009 at 11:59 interaion as ubiquitous
PM (ET). Odds of winning will depend upon the total number of as mouse clicks.
eligible entries received. Open to legal residents of the 50 United
States and D.C. who have reached the age of majority in their state of
residence at time of entry. Void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited
by law. Sweepstakes subject to complete official rules available at:
Super Fly Gear
eres something Zen-like about y shing. Its ju you, the river and whatever you
carry with you. But novice anglers o
en make the miake of overdoing the la part, loading
up on unnecessary and expensive equipment. We teed the late gear to nd the be get-
up for the trout sherman who doesnt want to spend a small fortune. BY BRIAN MCCLINTOCK
U P G R A D E

1. R O D
S T. C R O I X I M P E R I A L
P M
($150) is graphite rod

was tough enough to
and up to the abuse of

novice teers, yet light and
responsive enough to sat-
isfy our veterans, perform-
zNkLqRNks
ing as well as rods that co

twice as much.
2. LINE

CORTLAND PRECI-
S I O N P L AT I N U M
($65) For a y line to work, it
needs to oat. Sadly, some
lines art sinking aer a
day or two of use. Not this
oneits one of the mo
durable weve ever ca. We
ran over it with a truck, and
it ill laed a full season.
3. REEL
SAGE 4500 CF
SERIES 5. W A D E R S
($325) When ghting a sh, SIMMS FREESTONE
the reel is your mo impor- ($200) While you dont
tant weapon, and one thing need to buy the mo
worth splurging on. Not
only did we nd this carbon-
expensive waders on
the shelf, be wary of the
ber reel to be extremely cheapeweve seen
light and durable, but dialing waders leak aer a single
its drag up and down was outing. is pair is made
eortless, making it easy to from a lightweight and
tire out our catches before durable synthetic and cos
reeling them in. hundreds less than models
with the same level of
4. BOOTS performance.
SIMMS FREESTONE
($130) When it comes to 6. PACK
boot soles, y shermen FISHPOND ARROYO
used to have one choice: ($60) Casual day-anglers
felt. But recent research can ditch the traditional
sugges the material is a
magnet for baeria, and its
vecompa packs are
less bulky and make caing
use pollutes reams. ese easier. is pack has plenty
rubber-soled boots provide of places to ash lures and
felt-like traion, without tools, and was comfortable
STUDIO D
tainting tributaries. through days of wading.
30 APRIL 2009 | POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM PHOTOGRAPH BY J MUCKLE

e recession has been kind to pocket
camcordersthe gadgets low prices have made
them commercial successes in an otherwise
bleak business year. But technology moves fa, and
these once no-frills cameras are now oering
U P G R A D E
advanced features. Take the Kodak Zx1 ($150) :

It shoots in 720p high denition and is weather-
resiant, built to withand rain and dirt. It wont win
any Oscars (as with any pocket camcorder, its
vulnerable to shaky hands), but for beach bums
and snow-sporters, its a no-brainer.
P M
A mag
magn
magnetic
m agnnet
ettic ssocket
e ocke
ket
e
zNkLqRNks
holds
hold
dss onto
on
o ntoo nuts
and hexhead
faeners thatthaat
might otherwise
otherwise
get lo in nooks
nooks
ooks
and crannies.
Telescope Torque
Nuts and hexhead faeners arent always located in easy-to-reach places
(laundry appliances, in particular, are notorious for their poorly placed faeners).
e Klenk 14-In. Adjuable-Length Magnetic Nut Driver ($11) has a
PHOTOGRAPH BY J MUCKLE/STUDIO D (TORQUE WRENCH)

telescopic sha (the tools total length can be set between 7.5 and 10.5 in.),
allowing users to reach mo out-of-the-way nuts and faeners with a single tool.
Pocket Presenter
While microprojeors have been trickling onto the market
over the pa year, their portability (and usefulness) has been
limitedthey need to be tethered to other devices to
produce an image. e Samsung MBP-200 Pico Projeor
doubles as a portable media player, meaning it can be used to
display videos or PowerPoints up to 50 in. diagonal on
its own. In other words, its everything you need to give a
presentation, and it ts in a pocket. Samsung is mum on a
release date and price, but look for it later this year.

Pre Approved
FCq e pa few years have seen a number
Editors of attempted iPhone killers. But without
Choice exception, theyve all been hampered
by unresponsive touchscreens, bulky
U P G R A D E
designs or nonintuitive interfaces. So

what makes the Palm Pre (price not
set) dierent? It takes everything the
iPhone does wellits interface is smooth
and intuitive, and its the only non-iPhone
phone to feature a multitouch-capable
touchscreenand builds on it. Unlike
P M
the iPhone, the Pre has a slide-out

keyboard (which, remarkably, doesnt add
a signicant amount of bulk), it can
multitask, and its the r phone with an
induive charging coil built in, allowing
zNkLqRNks
users to wirelessly charge the phone by

ju laying it on a charging-pad accessory.
While eleric mowers are cleaner, quieter and easier to maintain than
their gas brethren, they rarely provide enough power to mow anything
but a small lawn. e Huler Zeon ($6500) is the r eleric
zero-turn riding mower, and its able to cut a bit over an acre on a single
charge. Of course, many riding mower users deal with multiacre lawns,
but this is a good art, and we wouldnt be surprised to see future
models with longer-laing batteries.
Conneed Camera
All Wi-Fi cameras allow users to
upload les wirelessly, but the
10.1-megapixel, 4x-optical-zooming
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 ($500) is
the r that also has a built-in Web
browser, allowing on-camera
access to photo-sharing sites such
as Picasa. In praice, uploading
images was easy, but it took several
minutes for larger photosand
theres no way to automatically
shrink multi-megapixel photos to a
Web-friendly size.
CROSSOVER + MOTORCYCLE +
HYBRID + DETROIT AUTO SHOW
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INSIDE
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City Slicker
One could argue that the Kia lineupat lea in the pahas been more like back-
ground scenery than iconography. at will likely change with the Soul, a hip new box
poised to challenge Scions xB. e Sport is powered by a 142-hp 2.0-liter inline Four
paired to either a ve-speed manual (our $17,645 teer) or four-speed automatic. e
motor is blessed with a broad torque spread that makes high engine speed largely
unnecessary. You can cruise at 80-plus all day without undue fuel consumptionwe
averaged ju north of 30 mpg. e Sport receives a real sport-tuned suspension and fat
18-in. wheels, so it can be huled along at a surprising rate. eres an hone mechanical
sense to the Soul, despite its somewhat inert eering and a slightly vague manual shier.
Yet, it all comes together in a car that is fun to driveand to look at. BARRY WINFIELD
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DRIVEN
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N E W C A R S
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2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid 2 0 0 9 Toyota Highlander
Home-Team Hybrid Under the Radar

ree years ago, when Ford began work Behind the wheel Hybrid powertrains may grab head-
on its $27,995 Fusion Hybrid, few of the Fusion lines, but sometimes eciency doesnt
envisioned the ensuing fuel-price roller Hybrid, its all require the added expense. For 2009,
about watching
coaer. Luckily, Ford homed in on that SmartGauge the Highlander is available with a new
maximizing eciency: e new Ford screen. We used 187-hp 2.7-liter four-cylinder under the
boas an impressive rating of 41 mpg Empower mode, hood paired to a six-speed automatic.
city and 36 mpg highway. e 191-hp which oers info to (e vehicle is only available in
assi in economi-
hybrid powertrain can deliver over 700 cal driving. front-wheel-drive and base-trim levels.)
miles on a tank, too. Use a gentle right Its rated at 20 mpg city and 27 mpg
foot and it really is possible to cruise highway. Aer 400 miles we can report
close to the claimed 47-mph mark, e 156-hp that this $26,450 model doesnt
Atkinson-cycle
gliding silently under eleric power. Its Four requires less relegate you to gas-hog atusor the
a rather peaceful way to slice through fuel on rearts, slow lane. We averaged a solid 25 mpg
tracuntil the gas engine kicks in. But and the op/art during a combination of highway and
drive more realiically and spool the cycle occurs 1.5 city driving. ats within riking
times more oen
engine all the way to redline every so than on the Escape diance of the $35,445, 27-mpg-city-,
oen; economy will dip into the mid Hybridincreasing 25-mpg-highway-rated Hybrid. e
30s. As always, the be way to achieve eciency. powertrain oers reasonable pep, and
maximum fuel economy is with a the shis are quick and nearly
delicate throttle. BASEM WASEF imperceptiblethis is a smooth
gearbox. Cruising along at 60 mph, we
noticed the tach regiered barely
more than 1750 rpm. B.W.

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N E W C A R S
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7
2009 Aprilia Shiver SL 750 2 0 0 9 Ducati Monster 696 2 0 1 0 Honda Fury
Spine Tingler Machismo Redened HOT CHOPPER

Aprilia may barely regier a blip on the Sixteen years is a lifetime in the In a shocking move,
colleive radar of American riders. But motorcycle world, but thats how long Honda has unveiled a
produion chopper. At
for those who know, these bikes are it took Ducati to redesign this icon.
r glance the bike
the two-wheeled equivalent of a Hey, you cant aord to mess around boas the usual
Lamborghini. Aprilias mo aggressive with a megahit like the Moner. e chopper cues, but
attempt yet at planting a ake in the air-cooled, 80-hp 696 cc L-twin engine closer inspeion
U.S. market is its $8999 Shiver, a is an exercise in simplicity. And the reveals modern
416-pound 750 cc naked bike that bikes compa proportions and touches like liquid
cooling and sha drive.
puts Ducatis iconic Moner squarely 30.3-in. seat height make it welcoming e fork is raked at a
in its crosshairs. e Shivers 95-hp to less-experienced riders. row a leg laid-back 38 degrees
V-twin provides plenty of thru for over the $8995 Duc, and you lean and the seat sits at
enthusiaic riding, as well as a forward. e position is more sporty a low 26.7 in. e
wonderfully raspy song. Power comes than andard. e clutch feels light, as 200 mm rear tire is ju
fat enough. And the
First Look |qYV:#q wj|q|
on rong and smooth from low rpm, does the eering eort. But aer a
Furys tank looks like
q
and the lightweight feel makes it easy few hours in the saddle, the ride can retched tay, leaving
to li the front wheel under moderately get taxing. ough its entertaining, the plenty of space above
heavy throttle. We attacked the Moner 696 wouldnt be our r the cylinder heads,
canyons of Southern Californias choice for a long-diance tour. Still, for which cap the
Angeles Cre Highway and found the brisk back-road fun, the Moner 696 fuel-injeed 1312 cc
52-degree V-twin.
Shivers hardware well-suited for is the right bea for the job. B.W.
Honda promises an
aggressive riding. At low speeds or intoxicating exhau
high, the Shiver feels agile and willing notefor a chopper,
to change direion eortlessly. B.W. thats a mu. B.W.

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D E T R O I T
2010
Toyota Prius
e all-new, third-generation Prius was

the mo anticipated reveal at Detroit.
e new car hits the road this spring
Despite a shaky economy and a rougher-than-rough 2008 for automakers, with a larger 1.8-liter engine and an
the 2009 North American International Auto Show revealed sharp designs improved hybrid-drive syem. anks
and innovation. But perhaps the bigge news came a week aer the to careful aerodynamic tuning (a low
show itself, when Chrysler and Italian auto giant Fiat proposed an alliance. .25 Cd) and reduced drivetrain weight,
the new Prius is quicker than before (0
If nalized, Fiat will get a 35 percent share in Chrysler and access to Ameri-
to 60 mph in a claimed 9.8 seconds),
can manufauring. Chrysler will receive Fiats hip, small cars. e move
yet, according to Toyota, it will hit 50
should give Chrysler the amina to survive. Lets hope so. BEN STEWART mpg combined. Impressive. is new
Prius has been designed from the
beginning to be a plug-in hybrid. In place
of the nickel-metal-hydride battery
packs, Toyota will at some point within
the next two years oer a plug-in
version and inall lithium-ion battery
packs (now being developed with
partner Panasonic). Exa timing for the
plug-in is unknown, but Toyota will put
ON THE WEB > Go to popularmechanics.com/ 150 in eet use by years end.
detroitautoshow09 for new reveals and analysis.

5
1
Co nce p t Cadillac Converj
ink of this concept as the upscale

version of the Chevy Volt. It uses
the same extended-range plug-in
technology. e Converj shows that
GM could use the Volts tech across
several brands. And by expanding
the volume of batteries and related
syems, theyll lower cobringing
the technology to more people.
2
2 0 1 0 Ford Taurus
Fords new Taurus is the mo

riking since the 1986 original. e
platform and the 3.5-liter V6 are
shared with the Lincoln MKS. Ford
promises exemplary handling that
will return the Taurus to its atus as
a drivers car. A hot-blooded SHO
model is also coming this summer
with all-wheel drive and 365 hp.
3 4 5
PHOTOGRAPHS BY GETTY IMAGES
( C A D I L L A C , P R I U S A N D TA U R U S )
2010 Buick LaCrosse Co nce p t Chrysler 200C EV 2 0 1 0 Lincoln MKT
Is this the be Buick sedan in Heres an elegant, rear-drive sedan In simple terms, the MKT is
decades? Could be. e specs and concept that uses a range-extended Lincolns version of the Ford Flex.
design look impressive. Its the r plug-in power like the Chevy Volts. e MKT will be oered with two
Buick sedan to oer all-wheel drive. Chrysler says it can hit 60 mph in 7 powertrains, a 3.7-liter 265-hp V6
And awd versions have real-time seconds, drive for 40 miles on and a twin-turbo version that
damping suspension and an eleric-only power and cruise for should make 355 hp. Lincoln claims
eleronic limited-slip rear 400 miles without refueling. e the MKT is quieter than the already
dierential. e top 280-hp 3.6-liter 200C EV points to a future where hushed Flex. Praical three-row
V6 model hits 26 mpg highway and we can enjoy large, roomy cars that seating could make the MKT a
60 mph in 6.5 seconds. sip fuel like much smaller ones. cornerone of the Lincoln lineup.
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D I G I T A L H O L L Y W O O D
nally ready for its closeup? The short

answer may be that technology has
caught up with the concept. Stereo-
scopic lms of the past were plagued
3 D S B I G R E V I VA L by problems. People always liked
H
3D, says David Cohen, an associate
> B Y E R I N M C C A R T H Y editor at Variety. It just didnt work
> I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y M AU R I Z I O S A N T U C C I
very well. The 3D format is now much
more reliable, thanks to the introduc-
ollywood is buzzing about 3D. Dreamworks tion of digital technology and prod-
Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has com- ucts developed by companies such as
pared it to the introduction of color. Director RealD, based in Beverly Hills, Calif.,
James Cameron delayed which spent 18
the release of his stereo- months com-
scopic epic Avatar in part to 3D H AS B E E N AROU N D FOR bining stereo-
give theaters more time to A C E N T U R Y. S O W H Y I S scopic science
convert to 3D capability. A E VE RYON E E XC I T E D N OW ? with digital pro-
dozen or more stereoscopic jection. NASA,
films will be released in the military
2009, and more than 30 movies are in production. and Fortune 500 companies use 3D
But stereoscopic lms are not a revolutionary con- to design automobiles and aircraft,
cept; in fact, audiences have been paying for them because you need to see the way we
since The Power of Love in 1922. The golden age of see in real lifewith depth, says
3D was in the 1950s, with a brief resurgence in the Michael Lewis, who before founding
1980s. Each time experts heralded the format as RealD created content for 3D IMAX
the next big thing in lmmaking, and each time, lms. Our goal was to come up with
the surge quietly subsided. a simple technology that would allow
So what has convinced Hollywood that 3D is us to get that experience to the world.

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D I G I T A L H O L LY W O O D / / /
3 D R E V I V A L HOW IT WORKS
Cinema, being at the top of the visual-

3D Animation
A ereoscopic movie consis of two slightly dierent views of the same
food-chain experience, is where we felt aionone for each eyewhich creates the illusion of depth. An audience wearing
we had to start. special glasses is able to see the heroine below jump into personal space (aion
that appears to occur in front of the screen), while the pursuing robot remains in
world space (aion that seems to take place behind the screen). Mo udios
e 3D Headache plan to release upcoming animated lms in 3D; heres how its done.
Humans naturally see in stereo
because our eyes, set about 2 in.
apart, each see a slightly different
view; our brains combine that data
into one image, which allows us to
perceive depth. The 3D format tries
to replicate this effect by shooting
with two cameras, one representing
each eye. But its not as simple as
setting the cameras eye-width apart
and yelling action. The distance
between the two cameras, or inter-
axial distance, determines the per-
ceived depth of a scene, known as
volume. The wider you separate the
cameras, the more 3D volume there
is, says Phil McNally, global stereo
effects supervisor at Dreamworks
Animation. Shooting for a big screen
and scaling down reduces 3D volume;
shooting small and scaling up creates
too much 3D, which is headache- Animation and where the dierent frame for each eye for a
inducing for viewers. Animators capture camera views coincide. total of 144 frames per
the aion with ereo seconddouble the rate
Filmmakers also need to calculate camera rigs they create Projeion of regular cinema.
the zero parallax setting, or ZPSthe in a computer. To ensure A single digital projec-
that no elements in a tor, outtted with a e View
point where the two digital images scene appear at, lm- photo-optical device, Audience members wear
converge onscreen. ZPS determines makers shoot with as superimposes the two glasses with circular
what appears to occur in front of the many as three dual rigs. lmseach with a dif- polarization, which allows
Commercial soware ferent polarizationon only one image into each
plane of the screen and what seems and proprietary tools a special silver movie eye by reriing light;
to happen behind the screen. allow animators to screen that is capable the brain combines those
When 3D movies were shot on precisely control what of showing both 3D and images into 3D. e
appears in personal 2D lms. e projec- glasses also maintain
film, the potential for botched set- space and world space, tor triple-ashes each ereoscopic fusion.
tings was huge because cameras had
to be aligned by hand. But that was
just the beginning of the problems
with film. The cameras also had in lms that were painful to watch. During 3Ds golden age, in the 1950s,
to capture a scene in perfect time As for the audiences role, film- stereoscopic movies relied on linear
with each otherwhich is impossible makers in the 1920s (and as recently polarization and polarized glasses,
because even the movement of lm as the 1980s) used overlapping red which funneled images to the proper
through a camera causes distortion. and cyan imagesknown as an eye by restricting light. Polarization
In addition, the two rolls of lm had anaglyphto create stereoscopic created better colors, but if viewers
to be matched precisely for color. movies. Audiences wore glasses with moved their heads, they disrupted
I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y D O G O
Projection in theaters was also red and cyan lenses, which ensured the stereoscopic image.
problematic, since it was impossible that each eye saw only one of the two
to perfectly align the two projectors overlapping prints and allowed the Digital Relief
again, one for each eye. Plus, film brain to create a 3D image. Anaglyphs Current 3D films, however, are sub-
usually needs to be repaired during were originally designed for black tle, immersive and easier to produce,
its life cycle, which created discrepan- and white, so using them on color thanks to digital technology. While
cies between the two reels, resulting lm led to poor color representation. some analog-era challenges still

apply, filmmakers now use comput-
ers to determine interaxial distance D I G I T A L H O L LY W O O D / / /
3 D R E V I V A L
and ZPS and to align cameras. Digital
capture eliminates issues with incon-
sistent lm stock, and if a lmmaker
still bungles the job, new software can
be used to digitally correct errors in
Top: An NFL
postproduction. Films camera-
Whereas two lm projectors were man captures
once required to show 3D, theaters la seasons
San Diego
can now use a single digital projector Oakland game
outtted with a photo-optical device; using a ereo-
scopic camera
theaters are in the process of replac- rig built by 3ality.
ing analog projectors with digital
ones. (According to the Motion Pic- Bottom: James
Cameron on the
ture Association of America, 4632 of set of his 3D
the more than 40,000 movie screens epic Avatar.
in the United States had digital tech-
nology in 2007.) The lm industry will high-definition for the
save $1.5 billion a year in print costs home is far away at all,
when it can send masters via satellite the companys North
or beroptics, so it is partially under- American CEO and chair-
writing the conversion: A digital pro- man Yoshi Yamada told
jector and server cost a hefty $70,000. reporters. In fact, a home-
The ability to show 3D movies, electronics group called
says Perry Hoberman, an associate the 3D@Home consor-
professor at the University of South- tium estimates that 1.9
ern Californias lm school, is a huge million 3D-ready TVs were
incentive for theaters. Not only does sold in 2008. Panasonic
the experience give people a reason is pushing an industry-
to leave their homes and HDTVs, but wide standard for stereo-
theaters can also charge more for scopic hi-def and has
tickets. (Katzenberg has proposed built a 3D Blu-ray disc-
adding an extra $5 to tickets for 3D authoring center that
aims to put stereoscopic
THE 3D FORMAT IS THE FIRST THING THATS A DVDs in stores by 2010.
CARROT INSTEAD OF A STICK TO GET EXHIBITORS TO The potential goes beyond DVDs:
The NFL and NBA have beamed ste-
CONVERT TO DIGITAL, SAYS USCS PERRY HOBERMAN. reoscopic broadcasts of games into
movie theaters. Its not often that I
get this excited about something, says
Glenn Adamo, vice president of NFL
Media Operations, who supervised the
P H O T O G R A P H B Y A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S ( C A M E R A M A N )
films.) For exhibitors, Hoberman Disney/Pixars Bolt, still in theaters at 3D broadcast of an Oakland Raiders
says, its the rst thing to come along press time, earned approximately 41 San Diego Chargers game in Decem-
thats a carrot instead of a stick to get percent of its $111 million domestic ber. I hope we get to do it again.
them to convert to digital. box ofce from 3D, which accounted When it comes to movies, one
Even polarized glasses have been for 27 percent of the lms screens. thing seems certain: The chances
upgraded. Today, filmmakers use Journey to the Center of the Earth of 3D sticking around are better this
circular polarization, which retains earned approximately 60 percent of time. Its not a huge bubble like in
3D fusion while allowing audience its $102 million gross from 3D, which the 1950s, when everyone scrambled
members to move their heads. After accounted for 30 percent of screens. to produce 3D movies and didnt
10 minutes, 3D used to be a bad The home-electronics industry know what they were doing, Hober-
experience, Lewis says. With new also wants to tap into 3Ds popularity. man says. The format works pretty
technology, its a really good one. At this years Consumer Electronics well; there has been investment in
Box ofce from the rst lms in Show, Samsung, Sony and Panasonic various systems, and studios are
this latest stereoscopic era shows touted the formats home potential. making money on it. Its not going
that audiences are hungry for 3D. Panasonic does not think that 3D away this time. FC

C A R C U L T U R E
SOLAR RACER
> B Y L A R R Y W E B S T E R
>
T
P H OTO G R A P H S B Y Z AC H D E S A R T
he car Im sitting in is so falls on photovoltaic cells plastered

futuristic and so techni- all over its upper half. L OOKS L I KE A
cally advanced that it Working under the supervision U FO, S TART S
would cost nearly a million of two faculty advisers, more than L I KE A T U RT L E ,
dollars to duplicate. Yet 100 very bright and very motivated RU N S AS L ON G
this Jet Propulsion Lab on University of Michigan students took AS T H E S U N
wheels lacks the basic fea- two years to build the vehicle, which SHINES
D RI VI N G T H E
tures of even the humblest is designed to compete in a pair of
W OLVE RI N E S
sedan: a radio, roll-down grueling solar-car races. Its the lat-
L AT E S T W I N N E R .
windows, a heater. I had to est model in a program that has
slither between the rails of racked up an impressive record since
aaqqq
a roll cage to access a cock- its 1990 inception: Five wins in the
pit so cramped that it feels college-only 2400-mile North Ameri-
as though Im sitting upright in a Niagara Falls barrel. can Solar Challenge and several top
This three-wheeled car, known as Continuum, isnt nishes running against Honda, GM
built for comfortand its not exactly built for speed. Its
built for distance. More precisely, its built to maximize
the distance a featherlight electric car can travel in a
given time powered solely by the amount of sunlight that
e University of
Michigans solar car,
Continuum, glides around
Chryslers 4.7-mile oval.

C A R C U LT U R E / / /
S O L A R R A C E R
and Ford in the 1870-mile Australia-

based World Solar Challenge.
On this chilly and slightly overcast
November morning, faculty adviser
Ignacio Garcia, a retired engineering
school machinist, and a dozen bleary-
eyed team members trailered the car
to Chryslers Chelsea, Mich., proving
grounds. Most team members have
never driven Continuum, hence their
nervous looks: Im the first outsider
ever to take a spin in a streamliner that
cost them an awful lot of late nights
and bloody knuckles. We have a say-
ing, says head strategist Alex Dowl-
ing, a 20-year-old junior from Saline,
Mich. You can have a social life, get
good grades or do solar car. Pick two.
A hardcore group of about 30 spends
more than 30 hours per week on the
projectdesigning, testing, fabricat-
ing and securing sponsorships for the
$2.4 million two-year budget.
Im about 6 ft tall and weigh 180
pounds, which is 3 in. and 20 pounds
Continuums
too much for the cockpit. After an rear aluminum
unsuccessful attempt with shoes on, wheels (top) were
I go socks-only and clear the small cuom-machined
with integrated
carbon-ber steering wheel. My knees hubs to reduce
are practically kissing my chin. Luck- weight. e front
ily, the controls are on the steering wheel houses the
wheel: A lever on the right works the eleric motor.
California-based
throttle, and one on the left acti- Viper Technologies
vates the brakes. The team designed a donated two sets of
dash that displays speed, charge state wheels worth more
than $40,000.
and distance traveled. They also built
a rearview video-camera system and Author begins
a wireless network that links the car the delicate entry
procedure.
to chase vehicles. The team remotely
monitors Continuum with a Prius- Team members
like energy-ow graphic. lower the top. e
Once Im buckled in, six students blue cloth in front
of the driver is
afx the upper part of the cars body attached to the
in a series of moves so effortlessly frame with
choreographed it would make a hook-and-loop
faeners to keep
Sprint Cup team jealous. The top half road debris from
carries the solar array; the bottom entering the
half is the carbon-ber and Nomex- cockpit. Its a cheap,
honeycomb main structure. light, eeive
reminder that the
As I gingerly pull back on the be solution is
accelerator, the car inches forward oen the simple.
at a turtles pace. Its so pokey that a
few team members walk alongside as
I get underway. Weighing a lithe 480
pounds, Continuum gets all the pro-
pulsion it needs from a 16-hp elec-
tric motor that resides in the single
front wheel. The trike design lowers
the cars surface area, which in turn
reduces drag. How slippery is it? Its
a strategic advantage for other teams
not to know, a cagey Dowling says.
He reveals that the team believes a
Corvette has ve times as much drag
as Continuum. But as I am about to
learn, when it comes to handling, this
is no Corvette.
With a single front wheel, I fear that
any turn at speed will tip the car onto
its outside edge, like a tricycle turned
too hard by a reckless 3-year-old.
We talked to a vehicle dynamics pro-
fessor when we designed the car,
says John Federspiel, a 21-year-old
junior from Rochester, Mich. He had
no idea about three-wheel dynamics.
Theres not much on the subject, so
we had to figure it out ourselves. I
creep up to about 30 mph and gently
turn. The car responds more predict-
ably and confidently than I could
have imagined. I progressively wind
in more steering angle until I feel the
front end safely wash out in classic
understeer. Its not fun, but its stable
and there is little body rollthese
kids have done their homework.

C A R C U LT U R E / / /
S O L A R R A C E R
e team
While crisscrossing a vast expanse designed the
vehicles wheels,
of proving-ground asphalt known as brakes and hubs.
Black Lake, I buzz by the students e three-phase,
at 40 mph. In 10 minutes, my hind- in-wheel eleric
motor kit is built by
quarters have gone numb, but Im
Auralias national
in the groove and ready to head over science agency.
to Chryslers 4.7-mile banked oval
so that I can open this baby up. I e solar array
charges a $17,000,
pull onto a pockmarked two-lane 6-kwh, 66-pound
road and brace for the first impact. lithium-polymer
Theres a loud thud, but the car isnt battery pack.
bothered by bumps. It feels solid and Adviser Ignacio
well-built. Because of the tight con- Garcia (third from
nes and lack of air, beads of sweat le) with solar-car
roll down my face despite the brisk team members.
weather. Its windy too, and Im a
little nervous about how crosswinds
might affect a car shaped like a huge
Delta wing. So when I get to the oval I
stop and ask for a more experienced
driver to try it rst.
The team descends on the car.
Jeff Rogers, a 22-year-old graduate
student from Rochester Hills, Mich.,
shouts, Waist! and all six lift the top Federspiel drives a lap and gives adviser Ignacio Garcia. So, these kids
half about 1 ft. Someone unhooks the okay. Im strapped back in. I oor really built this thing? I ask.
two safety chains and disconnects the it, the car rocks back slightly on its Yes. I only step in if theres a safety
wires that connect the solar array to an haunches, and were off. The motor issue or if they ask, Garcia says. The
electrical device called the maximum- makes a loud growl until I clear adults are there for support. Its amaz-
power point-tracking system. The 10 mph, and then all I hear are little ing what the students have done.
MPPT constantly changes the load pebbles zapping the bodywork. As In addition to engineering know-
on the solar array to extract maximum speed slowly increases51 mph, how, these students run the program
power. Up! Rogers barks. In another 52, 53the car feels ever so slightly like a Fortune 500 tech company. Its
precisely timed maneuver, the team more eager. split into four divisions, and team
carries the top half away from the car The oval, with its perfectly smooth members have weekly progress
and sets it down on sawhorses. surface, is the same place Chrysler meetings, workflow charts, a Web-
Theyre careful with the array since runs Chargers and Challengers flat based forum to catalog every move,
any scratch could reduce the efciency out at supercar speeds, so at 60 mph, even custom stationery. They solicit
of the 2726 solar cells. (Racing rules Continuum is, well, a bit underwhelm- design advice from solar-car alumni
limit the area of the array to 6 square ing. Its hard to maintain that speed and invite companies to teach them
metersabout 7 square yards.) Each because the stiff winds dramatically carbon-ber construction.
$50 cell produces a maximum of 2.6 slow the car whenever I let out the Several students who have taken
volts. In full sunlight, the array pro- accelerator. Too bad I didnt learn to their first spin are giddy from the
vides 2.4 hp, which is roughly what it activate the cars cruise control. The experience. Someone suggests that
takes to hold the car at 60 mph on a real thrill here is, of course, knowing 6-ft 3-in., 210-pound Chris Hammond,
at roadless than an eighth of the this car runs as long as the sun shines a 21-year-old junior from Clarkston,
power a normal car requires. and the battery has juicenever Mich., give it a go. He makes it half-
I wiggle out, and Federspiel takes stopping for a drop of petroleum or a way into the cockpit before he gets
the helm. He moves out with two charge from the power grid. stuck and yells for help. Its the out-
chase cars in tow. Dowling sits in the My legs are numbagainso come everyone knew was coming.
lead chase vehicle, staring at a laptop I prepare to stop. After I climb out, But they laugh and chide him in
screen. We monitor everything, he Dowling asks if other team members a way only a fraternity full of broth-
says. Obsessive Formula One engi- would like a turn. I can sense their ers could. They are, after all, still col-
neers have nothing on these guys. excitement. I wander over to faculty lege students. FC

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T H I N K I N G A H E A D
S A F E T Y T H RO U G H D A N G E R ?
R
> B Y G L E N N H A R L A N R E Y N O L D S
> I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y J O H N H E N D R I X
eading Tom Vanderbilts latest book, Trafc:

Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says W H E N D RI VE RS G E T
T OO C OM FORTAB L E ,
About Us), I was struck by a recurring theme:
AD VAN C E S I N S AFE T Y
Making things safer may actually make them
S TART T O L OOK L I KE
more dangerous. I wonder if its a lesson that RE T RE AT S .
also applies off the road.
Vanderbilt describes driving along a nar-
row, twisting road in Spain, where he navigated Effect, after economist Sam Peltz-
hairpin turns with few guardrails or warning man, who rst wrote about it in 1976.
signs over steep drop-offs. The result: I drove The decades-long effort to make
as if my life depended on it. But when he highways straighter, wider and
reached a four-lane highway with gentle curves, better-marked, with more guardrails
good visibility and little trafc, I just about fell and rumble strips, has eliminated
asleep and ran off the road ... Lulled by safety, one class of dangers only to foster
Id acted more dangerously. another: the complacent driver with
There is a fair amount of scientic evidence a cellphone in one hand and a cup of
that backs up Vanderbilts insights. Give peo- coffee in the other, steering the vehi-
ple antilock brakes, airbags and other safety cle with a knee while occasionally
devices, and they consume the safety glancing at whats ahead.
improvements by driving more aggressively. Meanwhile, modifying roads and
This phenomenon is called the Peltzman intersections so drivers are less com-
fortableby making driv-
ing, in some ways, more
dangerousforces people
to slow down and pay
attention, producing a
change in behavior that,
paradoxically, results in
more safety. This is also
true for pedestrians, who
Vanderbilt says are more
cautious away from cross-
walks than within them
because they dont know
if cars will actually stop.
Likewise, trafc circles
and squares, which
demand a drivers full
attention, turn out to be
both safer and better at
handling large volumes of
traffic than traditional
four-way intersections
with traffic lights. In the
former, people focus on
whats going on; in the lat-
ter, they relax and expect

ring true. In our modern world, lots subprime mortgages to risky nan-
T H I N K I N G A H E A D / / / of things compete for our attention, cial instruments that no one fully
T R A F F I C S A F E T Y
and where we can take things for understoodfelt safe and ordinary.
granted, were likely to do so, even if Modern financial markets, with
the trafc signals to do all the work. its not really a good idea. computers, regulations, deposit
Drivers in trafc circles also commu- The safety-through-danger insurance and bond ratings, felt as
nicate more with hand signals and approach extends to cars. Modern routine and as smooth as that four-
eye contact. As Vanderbilt notes, cars are quiet, powerful and capable lane highway in Spain, causing a lot
when a traditional four-way intersec- of astonishing grip in curves, even of people who should have been pay-
tion with lights was turned into a on wet pavement. Thats swell, of ing attention to doze off. Investors
trafc square, The responsibility for course, until you suddenly lose trac- might have been more careful if it
getting through the intersection was tion at 75 mph. The sense of con- had felt like they were driving down
now up to the users, and they dence bred by all this capability a twisty mountain road with no
responded by communicating makes us feel safe, which causes us guardrails, especially since we really
among themselves. The result was to drive faster than we probably were engaged in the nancial equiva-
that the system was safer, even should. We dont want to make cars lent of high-speed mountain driving,
only without the discipline of fear.
In athletics, protection some-
TRAFFIC CIRCLES, WHICH DEMAND A DRIVERS FULL times leads to more risk-taking.
ATTENTION, TURN OUT TO BE SAFER THAN FOUR- Research has shown that skiers who
WAY INTERSECTIONS WITH TRAFFIC LIGHTS. wear helmets ski faster than those
who do not. Likewise, firearms
though the majority of users, polled instructors are quick to stress that
in local surveys, felt that the system the safety on a gun doesnt actually
was more dangerous! render the weapon safe, just margin-
Vanderbilt also says that change ally safer, so that all usual precau-
causes people to pay more attention, tions still apply. And I noticed when
and hence drive more safely. In 1967, scuba diving with a spare air cylinder
when Sweden switched from driving that instructors were concerned
on the left to driving on the right, these backups would become popu-
many people predicted that acci- lar with inexperienced divers and
dents would increase. But accident that this reliance might breed care-
rates dropped noticeably, and took a lessness with the main equipment.
year to return to the pre-changeover Like all trac circles, this interchange in The trafc example demonstrates
level. The change, and the fear of Bavaria requires motoris to slow down a general phenomenon of modern
and focus on safe driving rategies.
accidents it produced, caused people society: With the best of intentions,
to drive more carefully. The lesson we tend to replace situations that
here is that familiarity breeds slack- call on the use of our wits with situa-
ness, and regular challenges encour- tions that we can sleepwalk through,
age mindfulness and attention. with poor response, but perhaps we and the solutions to matters with any
Instead of designing roads and could design cuessteering-wheel serious consequences are postponed
devices to accommodate people who vibration devices, as in video to the indefinite future. Thats a
are dozing through life, we might games?that make us feel less safe comfortable way to live, and there
produce better performance by at speed and encourage more care. are good reasons to be glad of it
designing things with an eye toward Designers could make cars feel faster were not in a situation where one
engaging attention. at lower speeds, instead of slower at bad harvest means starvation, after
F amed Dutch traffic engineer higher speeds. Done right, this allbut if you can postpone prob-
Hans Monderman once said: When might even make driving more fun. lems indenitely, a lot of problems
you treat people like idiots, theyll In college I drove an Austin-Healey will be postponed. Yet the future
behave like that. Mondermans phi- 3000 that somehow felt faster at 45 eventually arrives. As Vanderbilt
losophy is, instead, to design things mph than my Mazda RX-8 (or even observes, The pursuit of a kind of
PHOTOGRAPH BY ALAMY
so that people are called on to use my Toyota Highlander Hybrid) feels absolute safety, above all other con-
their witsat least within limits. at 75 mph. That was a good thing. siderations, can make things less
When that happens, things often This approach could be taken safe. For designers, lawmakers and
wind up safer. beyond the world of personal trans- the rest of us, its worth keeping this
Im not ready to plow up all the portation. Were in the current nan- in mind. Complacency and comfort
interstates and replace them with cial mess in part because things that have their place, but they also have
cow paths, but this approach does were actually dangerousfrom their perils, as we are learning. FC

W H E N I T C OM E S
TO C ON S E RVI N G
RE S OU RC E S ,
EVE RY B U I L D I N G
C AN D O B E T T E R.
H E RE , P M S
GUIDE TO
P ROD U C T S AN D
P ROJ E C T S T H AT
C AN H E L P
UN L OC K YOU R
H O U S E S H I D D E N
P OT E N T I AL .
by
Elizabeth
Svoboda
photograph by
Fredrik
Brodn
Step into any home-improvement ore

these days and youll confront a smorgasbord of eco-friendly labels craed to grab
your attention: VOC-Free! Saves Energy! All Natural! Its easy to take a cynical attitude
toward this profusion of promises. As green has gone mainream, its become tough
to tell the true contenders from the impoors who slap on seduive ickers.
Weve sied through hundreds of produs to bring you the beinnovations that
lighten your homes impa on the planet in a measurable, meaningful way. Our favor-
ites range from mode (an under-the-drain device that conserves shower heat) to
mammoth (an entire home built from recycled shipping containers). e engineers
behind these produs and syems consider their works impa from development to
disposalno spin can subitute for design that simply makes sense.
POPULARMECHANICS.COM
APRIL 2009 63
AGILEWAVES
Home-
Eciency
Monitor
Conservation
upgrades save
energy and
waterthe
challenge is
deciphering ju
how much.
Agilewaves
Web-based
Resource Monitor
tracks a homes
utility usage in
real time, then
calculates how
much CO2 it
generates. While
other monitors
chart water, gas
and elericity,
Agilewaves can
include solar and
geothermal
syems in its
snapshot. It also
incorporates
energy prices
to show how
RAINWATER Colleing rainwater for gardening conserves much money a
HOG, RAINTUBE supplies and controls runobut mo people homeowner is
dont want a hulking tank out back. Auralian spendingand
Water- archite Sally Dominguez says manufaurers where the bigge
Colleion savings are.
basically laughed at her search for a svelte
Syem ciernso she designed her own. Each 6--tall
Rainwater Hog ores up to 51 gal, yet only ECODRAIN
occupies 1.3 sq of yard. Its modular shape allows Shower Heat
it to slide under the deck, squeeze again a side Exchanger
wall or sit side by side for greater capacity. Use the
Hog with the RainTube gutter lter to clean water You already
of debris before it enters the receptacle. paid to heat the
water washing
down your shower
drainwhy wae
it? EcoDrains
heat exchanger
transfers heat
INTEGRITY BLOCK from water
passing through
Building Better Concrete the shower drain
to fresh cold
water headed to
Manufauring the cement that binds typical the tap (the two
concrete causes about 5 percent of global CO2 dont mix). A
emissions. Integrity Block, which makes a typical shower
consumes 12 gal
ruurally sound concrete replacement, shaves of hot water; the
PHOTOGRAPH BY STUDIO D
that gure by using 40 percent less cement in its rammed- EcoDrain reduces
earth masonry. Up to half of each block is composed of the energy your
water heater
quarry scraps. Quarries are typically aer a particular uses for that
mineral, says Shawn Cunningham, the companys vice- purpose by 25 to
president of marketing. Everything else gets poured out. As 40 percent.
for looks: When you ack them again a concrete
equivalent, theres no comparison, Cunningham says. Aer
using these red Sedona landscape blocks, we tend to agree.
64 APRIL 2009 | POPULARMECHANICS.COM I L LU S T R AT I O N S BY P O K E D S T U D I OS

B I G A S S FA N S
Moving Massive Amounts of Air

When it comes to heating and cooling large rooms eciently, bigger fans are
better. Mo regular-ass fans top out at ju under 5 in diameter, but the blades
on a Big Ass Fan range from 6 to 24 . e size and design let them turn slowly
using less energywhile ill achieving 25 times the airow of models you might
nd in a warehouse. Also, typical fans rely on gears that buzz audibly and reduce
eciency; Big Ass models operate silently and smoothly courtesy of a series of
magnetic pads, which power the blades friion-free rotation. Unwelcome noise
prompted this Knoxville, Tenn., homeowner to replace his indurial clunker with a
Big Ass Element model, which uses only a 3/4 -hp motor to spin its 12- blades.
66 APRIL 2009 | POPULARMECHANICS.COM

D E E P R O O T S I LV A C E L L
Safer Sidewalks, Healthier Trees
e roots of trees can push sidewalks out of position, and the gravel-heavy
aggregate that supports trac above them compas soil, iing root growth
and limiting their ability to absorb orm-water runo. DeepRoots Silva Cell is an
underground framework made of glass-reinforced polypropylene and packed with
nutrient-rich soil. e technology allows roots to spread even if the tree is
surrounded by asphalt, making the syem a smart choice for a developer
planning a city promenade or a homeowner planting shade for a garden patio.
N AT U R E M I L L
Easy Indoor
Compo
Compo keeps
food wae out of
landlls while
enriching garden
topsoilbut
producing it at
home can be a dirty
job. NatureMills
under-the-counter
compoer makes
the whole process
as easy as tossing
scraps into the
kitchen disposal.
I was compoing
in my own yard,
and I liked the
benets, but I
couldnt and the
smell, says Russ
Cohn, NatureMills
SG BLOCKS Former merchant ocer David
Cross got plenty of exposure to
founder and CEO.
As wae is mixed,
Shipping-Container Housing shipping containers in the four years
heated and aerated
in NatureMills
he spent cruising the world on
upper chamber, a cargo vessels. Cross saw the large
charcoal air lter corrugated-eel boxes reused as tool
neutralizes odors. sheds in China, then later, as commu-
Decomposed
wae then drops nications shelters for the military
to a lower but he always thought their highe
chamber, providing use would be in housing. us began
fresh loads of
compo every two Safe, Green (SG) Blocks, where Cross
weeks. e entire now works as business development
process consumes direor. We take inruments of
5 kilowatt-hours a
trade and turn them into inruments
monthabout as
much as a typical of conruion, Cross says. ey do it
night light. by cutting open several of the 40-
PHOTOGRAPH BY MIKE CHINO (SG BLOCKS)
long, 8- wide, nearly 10--tall blocks

and combining them to form frames
for anything from simple Colonials to
the chic, modern Harbinger House
(le). Converting the boxes takes 95
percent less energy than scrapping
and extraing the usable metal; Cross
calls the adaptive process recycling on
eroids. Faor in the solar panels,
rainwater recycling and suainable
ooring options, and SG Blocks save
much more than eel boxes.

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10 WAYS TO RAISE YOUR HOUSES IQ THIS YEAR ...
These weekend projects will conserve energy, water and, ultimately, your hard-earned cash.
With todays technology, you can be conscientious and comfortable.
Kitchen

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AND 14 STEPS TO TAKE TODAY
Stroll through your home with PMs list of low-cost (or free!)
upgrades, making quick xes as you go.
TU RN DOWN TH E WATE R H EATE R

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E L E M E N T F O U R W AT E R M I L L
Water From Air

British Columbiabased Element
Four helps ease water shortages
by pulling moiure raight out
of the air. Engineered for muggy
outdoor environments or humid
indoor rooms, the wall-mountable
WaterMill conantly adjus to the
ambient dew point. Fans pull in air,
then the water vapor within
condenses as it ows across metal
coils. e condensation passes
through a carbon lter, and
ultraviolet light erilizes it. Each
WaterMill can produce up to
12 liters of potable water per day.
OUTDOOR INDOOR
Reinventing the Tree

As organizations such as the Fore Stewardship Council (FSC) set the rules for
safe harveing, engineers are hard at work redening the nature of lumber itself.
ese three wood alternatives represent a creative approach to a classic material.
E N G I N E E R E D T I M B E R R E S O U R C E S FLOORING FROM SALVAGED WOOD

When companies mill furniture and paper, they create a wae ream
of seemingly unusable wood. Engineered Timber Resources presses
these poindurial byprodus into new decking, ooring, furniture
and panels. Its agship produ, Songwood, combines the scraps of
seven types of FSC-certied hardwood from the oors of Chinese
mills, resulting in a beautifully riated grain.
O S M O S E M I C R O P R O BETTER PRESSURE-TREATED LUMBER

Pressure-treated lumber resis rot, fungus and inse damage, thanks
to copper pressed into the boards. But mo manufaurers dissolve
the copper particles, creating a liquid preservative that leaches out and
corrodes aluminum ashing. Osmose grinds the copper particles
inead, so they penetrate into the wood in solid form. is means less
leaching, no corrosion and lumber that shows a paint or ains true
PHOTOGRAPHS BY STUDIO D
color rather than pressure-treated woods telltale green hue.
N Y L O B O A R D CARPET-SCRAP COMPOSITE PANELS

An eimated 5 billion pounds of used carpet enters U.S. landlls each
year. Nyloboard colles these unwanted scraps, then melts them
down into panels for use as ruural sheathing. e produ has
advantages over typical oriented-rand board or plywood. e boards
are impervious to moiure, so theres no cupping, warping or splitting
as they acclimate, says Danny DeVito, Nyloboards direor of
marketing. ere are no inses, rotting, mold or mildew, either.
POPULARMECHANICS.COM | APRIL 2009 75

PM
COVER
STORY
///
C Y B E R AT TA C K
W E A P O N OF M A S S
wink out and the few trafc lights that
remain active blink at random.
In the silence and darkness, citizens
DISRUPTION may panic, or they may just sit tight and
Hackers could
wait for it all to reboot. Either way, much
use the very
computer of the country would be blind and unre-
T HE N E X T WOR LD WA R systems that sponsive to outside events. And that
might not start with a bang, but with a keep Americas might be the enemys objective: Divert
blackout. An enemy could send a few infrastructure Americas attention while mounting an
running to bring
lines of code to control computers at key down key offensive against another country.
power plants, causing equipment to utilities and Pentagon planners have long under-
overheat and melt down, plunging sec- industries. Just stood the danger of cyber attacks on U.S.
tors of the U.S. and Canadian grid into how worried military networks. Indeed, the Defense
should we be?
darkness. Trains could roll to a stop on Departments Global Information Grid
their tracks, while airport landing lights BY GLENN DERENE is one of the most frequently targeted
computer networks on Earth. But the
cat-and-mouse game of information
espionage on military networks is not
the only digital threat that keeps
national-security experts up at night.
There is a growing concern over the vul-
nerability of far more tangible assets
essential to the economy and well-being
of American citizens.
Much of the critical infrastructure
that keeps the country humming
water-treatment facilities, refineries,
pipelines, dams, the electrical gridis
operated using a hodgepodge of tech-
nologies known as industrial control
systems. Like banks and telecommuni-
cations networks, which are also gener-
ally considered critical infrastructure,
these industrial facilities and utilities
are owned by private companies that
Digital Sabotage
are responsible for maintaining their Much of Americas infrastructure is computer-controlled and therefore
own security. subject to hacking. Below: A status check of ve key sectors.
But many of the control systems in Opposite: An in-depth look at the vulnerabilities of a natural gas pipeline.
the industrial world were installed years
ago with few or no cyber-security fea-
tures. That wasnt a big problem when
these systems were self-contained. But
in the past two decades, many of these Transportation Finance Telecom Water
controls have been patched into com-
pany computer networks, which are Railroads, ship- Modern banking e bad news is It may not be the
themselves linked to the Internet. And yards, airports and is entirely reliant that telecommuni- r target mo
when it comes to computer security, a city trac syems on digital money cations connes people think about,
good rule of thumb is that any device all rely on central- transfer and everything, and but the outdated
that is computer-controlled and net- ized computer computer data- vulnerabilities are computer-control
networks to run bases. In January, manife. e good syems that
worked is vulnerable to hacking. smoothly. La year a tech contraor news is that the regulate the ow
Bad-guy hackers pulling the plug on two Los Angeles was indied for sprawling syem of water and
public utilities is a common theme of trac engineers planting a digital is hard to knock waewater could
Hollywood lms, including 2007s Live pled guilty to logic bomb on out of commission make easy targets
accessing the mortgage giant because of for hackers. In
Free or Die Hard, but such scenarios pres- Automated Trac Fannie Maes redundant 2006, computers
ent more than a mere ctional scare to Surveillance Center servers. e conneions across at a Harrisburg, Pa.,
U.S. intelligence ofcials. According to and shutting malicious code was widely diributed water-ltering plant
Melissa Hathaway, cyber-coordination down four trac designed to deroy beroptic lines were hijacked for
executive for the Ofce of the Director of lights to inuence all data on the and backbone the diribution of
a union dispute. companys network. computers. spam e-mail.
National Intelligence, the list of poten-
tial adversaries in a cyber attack is long,
ranging from disgruntled employees to
criminals to hostile nations.
Most experts agree that China and
Russia routinely probe our industrial
networks, looking for information and
vulnerabilities to use as leverage in any
potential dispute. James Lewis, a down in such an attack? The honest tiple regions outside the United States
MODEL BY MEGAN CAPONETTO (OPENER)
cyber-security expert for the policy answer is that we dont know, Lewis and disrupt power equipment. In at
think tank Center for Strategic and says. And I dont like that answer. least one case, he said, the disrup-
International Studies (CSIS), says that tion caused a power outage affecting
although cyber warfare couldnt crip- GHOSTS IN THE multiple cities. The CIA has been
ple the U.S., it could serve as an effec- MACHINE highly secretive about the incident,
tive military tactic. If I were China, IN JA NUA RY 2008, SENIOR and Donahue would not discuss where
and I were going to invade Taiwan, he CIA analyst Tom Donahue dropped a the blackouts occurred or what compa-
says, and I needed to complete the bombshell on a small conference of gov- nies were affected. But he admitted
conquest in seven days, then its an ernment ofcials and power-company that the CIA had no idea who had per-
attractive option to turn off all the elec- engineers from the U.S. and Europe. petrated the attacks. Hackers had
tricity, screw up the banks and so on. He told them that extortionists had shaken down a public utility, it seems,
Could the entire U.S. grid be taken managed to hack into utilities in mul- and had gotten away with it.

FLASH-DRIVE DROP

Where: Parking Lot Human nature can sometimes provide an easy end run around a rong
rewall. An old hacker trick is to drop a USB drive in a public area, then count on the curiosity
of passersby to do the re. When a facility employee plugs the USB drive into his work
computer to identify the owner of the device, the drive automatically inalls hidden rootkit
soware that invites the bad guys in.
Protection: It may sound mundane, but a computer scientis, so employees of

good deal of cyber security is awareness and infraruure facilities should be taught not
education. Hackers are con artis as well as to fall for social-engineering tricks.
Energy
Natural
Gas
Renery
Americas oil and gas
pipelines and elerical
grid depend on an
awkward marriage of
antiquated control-
syem hardware and X
modern information
technology. e X
infraruure itself is
spread over va
diances and owned
by multiple compa-
nies. Here are ve INSIDE MAN
cyber-security holes in
the nations energy Where: Control Station e mo dangerous threat to any
networkand ways facilitys computer syem is someone who underands its inner
to x them. workings. A disgruntled computer tech can inall hardware, such
as a DSL modem, that enables him to access and control the
renerys network remotely.
Protection: Split up network inventory of all equipment

maintenance between multiple conneed to indurial
employees. Keep a detailed control syems.
Some security professionals think The problem is that the errors that system network. The plant was forced
that government officials have been Schneier refers to can cause bad things to go ofine temporarily.
guilty of as much drama-mongering on to happen. Much of computer hacking Nuclear plants are designed to shut
the issue as Hollywood has. Honestly, I is predicated on exploiting glitches in down in the event of major malfunc-
think the threat is overblown, says commonly used systems. Such exploits tions to prevent a Chernobyl-style catas-
Bruce Schneier, author of Schneier on on a Windows PC are irritating, but at a trophe. But they also generate almost
Security. The risks today are due more nuclear facility, they can be unnerving. 20 percent of U.S. power. What if a
to errors than to malicious intent. He In August 2006, a glitch shut down hacker exploited a coding error in a
sees Donahues story as nothing more the Browns Ferry nuclear power plant in cooling system to shut down a sizable
than a tenebrous rumor. Nevertheless, northern Alabama. Plant administra- piece of the nations power supply?
Schneier thinks vulnerabilities in infra- tors lost control of recirculation pumps Incidents of digital malfunctions
structure will eventually become a real on one of the plants reactors because that cause danger to human life are
national-security threat. of excessive data trafc on the control- rare, but such events have happened. In
June 1999, in Bellingham, Wash.,
shortly before a routine delivery of gaso-
line by the Olympic Pipe Line Co., a
worker updated a database for the
DIAGRAM BY TRANSLUSZENT AND DOGO

INTERNET ATTACK

Where: Remote Location Attackers have a variety of options for breaking into an
indurial facilitys operations: Oen, control syems are conneed to corporate syems,
Compressor so commonly known Windows or server vulnerabilities can open a back door into the control
Station room. Some equipment may be so old that it is accessible by dial-up modem. Hackers can
search for vulnerable equipment by using a war-dialer program that automatically calls
through a li of phone numbers looking for modems.
Protection: Experts advocate placing control syems and inalling access-

rewalls between corporate networks and control soware on old equipment.
X
X CASCADE EFFECT Where: Power
Plant An attack on
one utility can
cripple down-
ream facilities.
For example, nearly
half the elerical
Electrical power in California
Power
Plant
is generated using
natural gas. A
cyber attack on
compressor
ations that fuel
elerical power
plants could result
BREAK-IN in multiate
blackouts.
Where: Compressor Station Pipelines and other sprawling
infraruure syems have many remote, unmanned subations. Protection:
Entry is oen a matter of cutting a fence and jacking into the controls Upcoming Smart
with a laptop. Many facilities have wireless access points that could Grid tech will add
allow attackers to log in from a dianceno bolt cutters required. intelligence to
control syems,
Protection: Cyber security oen Plus, wireless access for critical automatically
means physical security, such as control syems should be rerouting power
taller fences and tougher locks. password-proteed. d
during a crisis.
companys pipeline computer-control An hour and a half later, the gasoline any damage would be temporary and
system. According to a report by the ignited. The ensuing reball scorched supercial. A cyber attacker could gen-
National Transportation Safety Board, a more than a mile of riverbank, killing erate a lot of confusion by killing the
simple typo in the database caused the three people, including two 10-year-old lights in California, but give the state
system to fail, disabling remote control boys, and damaged the citys water- and utility ofcials a few days to reset
for the pipelines operators, 98 miles treatment facility. the systems, and everything would be
away in Renton, Wash. Pressure began back up and running. Its a phenom-
to build in the line, so the operator THE AURORA enon that infrastructure security expert
issued a command to open a secondary VULNERABILITY Eric Byres, of Byres Security, refers to as
pump to relieve it, but the system was CONVENTIONAL WISDOM weapons of mass annoyance.
unresponsive. A weak point in the pipe- about digital attacks is that you can In 2007, however, a video leaked out
line ruptured, releasing 237,000 gal of steal information, and you may even be of the Department of Homeland Secu-
gasoline into nearby Whatcom Creek. able to shut down critical systems, but rity that showed an experiment the

DHS had sponsored at management system. their equipment, building redundant,
Idaho National Laboratory. Over the course of two multitiered networks (a tactic known
In the video, a massive, months, Boden broke in military circles as defense in depth).
green diesel generator into the system 46 The caveat is that with big utility
shakes violently and belches times, instructing it to networks such as the electrical grid,
smoke as it goes into total spill hundreds of thou- telecommunications or pipelines, a
meltdown. Dubbed the sands of gallons of raw clever adversary wouldnt attack the well-
Aurora experiment, it dem- sewage into rivers, defended components of the system.
onstrated how an over-the- parks and public areas. Why should I go after the company that
Internet cyber attack could He was nally caught put a lot of money into securing its
cripple big, essential machines. when a police ofcer pulled him over networks when I can get into one that
When the video hit CNN, it alarmed and found control-systems equipment hasnt and damage them both? asks the
many in the utilities industry. Most of in his car. CSISs James Lewis.
the details of the Aurora vulnerability The reason the Maroochy Shire inci- Ironically, the current weakness
have not been released, but DHS state- dent is recounted so frequently is that it of the economy may provide a shot in
ments about the experimental hack shows how difficult it is to thwart the arm for the digital defenses of criti-
describe it as a man-in-the-middle, or hackers who want to disrupt the infra- cal infrastructure. Much of President
spoong, attack, in which a malicious structure, since attacks can come from Obamas stimulus package is aimed at
computer intercepts all traffic going almost anywhere. An insider with revitalizing infrastructure, and as anti-
between two other computers, essen- detailed knowledge could target a spe- quated equipment gets upgraded, mod-
tially controlling the line of communi- cific companys system, or a hacker ern security technology can be built in.
cation between them. According to could launch an anonymous Internet One example is the Smart Grid, a
Sean McGurk, director of control sys- assault from a distant country. Department of Energy plan that could
tems security for the DHS, the vulnera- The Department of Homeland Secu- receive around $4.5 billion to modern-
bility was common to control systems ritys Computer Emergency Readiness ize the nations electricity delivery
throughout critical infrastructure. Team (known as US-CERT) encourages system with state-of-the-art computer
industry to report cyber accidents and controls. Of course, more computing
THE SABOTEURS STORY intrusions, but there are few legal technology in the grid allows for more
THE MOST FREQUENTLY TOLD requirements for private companies to potential attacks, but it could also mean
anecdote in the world of infrastructure do so. It is possible that many more a more robust and nimble defense.
cyber security is that of Maroochy Shire. incidents have occurred, and compa- The result may be infrastructure net-
The incident, which occurred in Queens- nies have simply kept them quiet. works that are a lot like the Internet
land, Australia, is viewed by many in Infrastructure is meant to last a long itself. The redundancy and exibility of
the industry as an object lesson in the time, so upgrades to existing systems the Internets core architecture has
damage that can be done when some- tend to occur at a glacial pace. There is allowed it to withstand two massive
one with computer skills and a grudge a long life cycle associated with this, denial-of-service attacksin 2002 and
takes aim at a public system. In 2000, says Jeff Dagle, chief electrical engineer 2007on the 13 Domain Name System
Vitek Boden, a computer expert in his at the Department of Energys Northwest root servers that make up the backbone
late 40s who had been turned down for National Labs. Utilities are used to this of the system. In each instance, the serv-
a job in municipal government, rigged equipment lasting 30 years. Never- ers absorbed incredible amounts of
up his laptop computer to a radio- theless, big utilities and industrial facili- traffic as parts of the system either
frequency wireless transceiver to hack ties are starting to see cyber security as a failed or came close to failing. To the
into the citys computerized wastewater reliability issue, and are modernizing engineers who run the system, it was
terrifying, but the rest of the world
barely noticed. If our infrastructure
CAN THE GRID BE TAKEN DOWN IN A were that robust, the cyber war of the
future might have little more impact on
CYBER ATTACK? SECURITY EXPERT your life than a dimming of the lights
JAMES LEWIS SAYS: THE ANSWER IS and a shrug of your shoulders. FC
THAT WE DONT KNOW. AND I DONT

LIKE THAT ANSWER.

Tethered to a
helicopter, a Coa
Guard swimmer
enrolled at the
rescue school in
Aoria, Ore., drops
into the Pacic.
Opposite: e
Coaies class-
roombig swells
at the mouth of the
Columbia River.
MASTERS OF RESCUE
7j7c[h_YWi[b_j[^[b_Yefj[hh[iYk[WYWZ[co"9eWij=kWhZ
fhe\[ii_edWbiWh[fkjjej^[j[ijXoeY[WdYb_i"i[WYWl[iWdZW
jh[WY^[hekiijh[jYê\YeWijb_d[ademdWij^[=hWl[oWhZe\j^[FWY_Y$
FCWjj[dZiWY^Wbb[d]_d]Yekhi[Wjj^[iYêebe\Z_iWij[h^[he[i$
8oA7B;;J>ECFIED
I HEAR THE HELICOPTER BEFORE I SEE IT. A gentle whir at rst, the noise grows
to chain-saw strength as the orange-and-white-striped pod hurtles into view and
settles into a hover over a paved landing pad just a couple of hundred yards from the
Pacic Ocean. Standing in the tall grass at the edge of the clearing, I brace myself
against the rotor wash. One foot back, knees bent, head down. Even in my bulky
ight suit and visored helmet, the wind whips through me. If I stood up straight,
the blast would knock me down.
In seconds, the aircrafta 65-ft-long HH-60 Jayhawkhas settled gently onto
the blacktop. The side door slides open, and the ight mechanic jumps out. At his
thumbs up, I run toward the open cab of the helicopter. The space inside is no
bigger than the interior of an SUV and stacked with safety equipment: A rescue

basket and harnesses used for pulling victims from the water, professional rescuers. Most are Coasties, though two spots in
emergency survival suits and a life raft for the crew. I hook each class are reserved for Air Force parajumpers or Navy res-
my helmet into the aircrafts internal communication system cue swimmers, who line up for the chance to train at the coun-
(ICS)the noise inside is far too loud to hear anyone without trys most intensive helicopter rescue school. In all, half of the
itand buckle myself into the jumpseat. I practice releasing students have passed the grueling physical and mental tests
the buckle a few times to be sure Ill be able to get out quickly that earn them the right to jump out of aircraft for a living. The
if necessary. Ive been told that you can survive a helicopter other half are helicopter pilots and ight mechanics. Theyve
crash in water if you hang on tight to something inside the air- all practiced countless airlifts before, and most have helped
craft. Let go, and you become disoriented. The windows have to save lives in real rescues. This training presents challenges,
pull tabs that allow you to push them out in an emergency. As though, that many have not encountered: bigger waves, colder
Im studying them, we rise from the eld with a barely notice- water, caves, cliffs and unpredictable ocean currents.
able shudder and swoop out toward the open ocean.
Ive come to the Pacic Northwest in late autumn to attend
the Coast Guards Advanced Helicopter Rescue School in IT TAKES ONLY MINUTES to reach the training site. One of
Astoria, Ore. Members of the armed forces have long been the pilots spots sea lions, and I strain to see them out the win-
trained to deploy from aircraft to save downed comrades, dow. Were not much more than half a mile from shore, but
and occasionally those skills have been applied to civilian the water is shallow: Every few minutes a 15-ft wave breaks,
rescue. The Coast Guard, however, didnt have a program in spreading a wall of froth over the ocean.
place until the mid-1980s to allow a specially trained rescuer By the time the pilots pull into a hover, rescue swimmers
to leave the helicopter. By the early 1990s, every helicopter- Michael von Bormann and Stephen Gonzalez are geared up
in yellow rescue helmets, fins,
e Coa Guards masks and snorkels. Theyll
HH-60 Jayhawk is take turns playing victim and
the workhorse of
big-water rescue. rescuer today. Gonzalezthe
A variant of the victimgoes down rst. Swim-
Armys Black Hawk, mer ready, Bowers announces
the Sikorsky aircra
has a range of more through the ICS as Gonzalez sits
than 300 miles. with his legs out the open cabin
door, his black fins pointing
down toward the waves below.
Over his orange dry suit, Gonza-
lez wears a harness thats clipped
into a hook on the end of the heli-
copters external hoist. Direct
deployment of rescue swimmer
to surf from 50 ft, Bowers says,
retracting the hoist cable and
easing Gonzalez out the door.
Below us, rotor wash creates
a perfect white disk of foamy
equipped Coast Guard air station had rescue swimmers on spray. Gonzalez, spinning slowly as he descends, looks like
staff, saving dozens of lives a year. A steady supply of new hes about to hit the bulls-eye. The swimmer circles a forearm
rescue situations, though, highlighted the need for more spe- to the side of his bodythe sign for down. Now detached
cialized training, and ultimately helped prompt the creation from the ICS, Gonzalez must rely on precise hand signals that
of the advanced school in 1995. the ight mechanic can read from his kneeling position at
The one-week course is held eight times a year in the the edge of the open aircraft door. Bowers, in turn, feeds the
churning swells that form where the Columbia River meets pilots a constant stream of information: Swimmer going
the Pacic at the border of Oregon and Washington statean down. Swimmer halfway down. Swimmer at the water.
area known as the Graveyard of the Pacic for the 2000 ship- Being immersed in these waves can feel like being in a
wrecks strewn across the ocean oor. The course is timed to gigantic washing machine. The 100-mph winds whipped up
take advantage of the most hazardous conditions this region by the rotors make matters worse. And so, today the crews are
can rile up. Today the classroom will be an area known as the practicing rescues using a catenary procedure. The swimmer
Middle Grounds, near Cape Disappointment, Washington. remains attached to the hoist while the ight mechanic pays
In the Jayhawk with me are two Coast Guard pilots sta- out enough cablethe stretch is called the catenaryto allow
tioned on Cape Cod, two Coast Guard rescue swimmers (one the bird to move to the side of the rescue scene, sparing victim
has come from Michigan, the other from Puerto Rico), a young and rescuer dangerous rotor wash.
ight mechanic named David Bowers and school instructor The maneuver requires constant, precise communication
Brian Daniels. This weeks 16 students are already full-time between ight mechanic and pilotsand I listen in on all of

system. The swimmers have completed
J^[c[dckijiodY^hed_p[j^[b[d]jê\YWXb[m_j^j^[
drills in caves. They have struggled out
fei_j_ede\j^[^[b_Yefj[h$JeeckY^b_d["WdZj^[h[iYk[ from the beach through a half-mile of
im_cc[hWdZl_Yj_c_dj^[mWj[hYekbZX[Yec[jWd]b[Z_d breaking surf and dangerous riptides.
j^[[nY[ii$Jeeb_jjb["WdZj^[oYekbZX[i[djmWj[hia__d]$ All the students, swimmers as well as
ight crews, have been left to oat on
the open ocean, zipped up in tiny, tent-
it through the ICS. The men must synchronize the catenary like, one-man life rafts, simulating the experience of people
length with the position of the helicopter. Too much line, and they may someday be sent to rescueindividuals who may be
the rescue swimmer and victim in the water could become too sick, too cold or just too scared to help themselves.
tangled in the excess, with deadly results. Too little, and they
could be sent waterskiingpulled violently along the sur-
face like a skipping stone. ITS THE LAST DAY OF CLASS, and Gonzalez is again sit-
When he reaches the water, Gonzalez detaches from the ting at the open doorway of the helicopter, this time above
hoist cable, which Bowers raises back to the helo. The pro- a coastal cliff. Below the helicopter, a plastic dummy affec-
cess is repeated with von Bormann, who will attempt to res- tionately known as SpongeBob hangs precariously from the
cue Gonzalez. Once the two men are in the water, though, the rock. Gonzalezs job: Rescue the mannequin without detach-
waves pick up. Soon, Gonzalez and von Bormann are buried ing himself from the hoist. As Gonzalez is lowered, Bowers
under a breaking swell more than 20 ft high. again feeds the rest of the crew critical information: Swim-
Its only a couple of seconds until they pop up, but from my mer going down. Swimmer halfway down.
vantage 50 ft up in the helicopter it seems much longer.
Took them a long time to surface on that one, didnt Rescue swimmer
it? Daniels says, just moments before another wave Stephen Gonza-
lez plucked this
breaks over the two tiny yellow dotsall thats visible mannequin from
of Gonzalez and von Bormann. Yeah, I didnt see them a coaal cliall
for a little bit, Bowers replies. Its the mechanics job to part of the train-
ing at the Coa
keep the people in the water in sight, but in these condi- Guards Advanced
tions, thats nearly impossible. Another wave pummels Helicopter Rescue
School.
the swimmers. Alrighty, its getting to be pretty sporty,
one of the pilots announces.
The conditions seem harrowing, but the mood in the
aircraft is calm. It takes only a couple of minutes before
both swimmers are safely back inside, the only casualty
a lost snorkel. Before I ever got in the helicopter I under-
stood the intensive preparation all these men go through
to do their jobs. On the rst day of the class, I watched
Gonzalez, von Bormann and the other swimmers easily pass Gonzalez nds his footing on the cliff. From the helicop-
a timed physical-fitness test comprising sit-ups and push- ter, the training exercise looks far more dangerousand
ups50 of eachas well as chin-ups, pull-ups and underwater impressivethan the water rescue. Its breezy, and were only
sprints in a local pool. The pilots y weekly training missions a few dozen feet from unforgiving rock, yet the hover is per-
and regularly practice emergency procedures in a simulator. fectly still. Im apparently not the only one whos impressed:
From the back of the helicopter, though, it becomes clear A crowd has gathered on a beach adjacent to the cliff.
that pulling off the rescues these men could face at any time As the swimmer maneuvers toward the mannequin, Bow-
demands more than individual physical or technical skill. ers feeds the pilots commands to keep the hoist line plumb.
It requires the ability to make decisions quickly and collab- If theres too much of an angle between the belly of the heli-
oratively. It requires each member of the four-person crew to copter and the swimmer, hell swing like a pendulum when he
remain focused and calm and to communicate clearly in the loses contact with the cliff. Right 10, right ve, Bowers says.
midst of chaos. Easy right and hold, hold. Keeping his weight on the hoist
Theyre exposed to extreme situations, says Senior Chief line, Gonzalez shuffles downslope until hes just beneath
Clay Hill, the head of the school and himself a Coast Guard SpongeBob. Within a few minutes of exiting the helicopter,
rescue swimmer. Were giving them the experienceand he has the dummy in a harness that attaches to his own and
the condenceto face these conditions. Once theyve dealt is ready to be pulled back up. Secured in a gunners belt at the
with harrowing scenarios in training, such as a high-seas res- open cabin door, Ive watched the crowd on the beach grow.
cue, dealing with the same circumstances during a real emer- Its too far away to tell if anyone is clapping, but as Gonzalez
gency becomes almost automatic, Hill explains. By the end of slides into the helicopter with SpongeBob, I know I want to.
a typical ve-day course, the students have studied classroom Swimmer and victim are in the cabin, Bowers announces.
theory and have put theory to the test. They have lifted a victim And with that, the Jayhawk backs smoothly away from the cliff
from rough seas using a rescue basket as well as a harness and swoops up over the rugged Pacic coastline. FC

qqqq7qBen Stewart
qqqq
7qJeff Minton
e be way to grin through roller-coaer fuel prices

and a down economy is to choose an ecient vehicle
that delivers plenty of thrills, too. So, whatll it be:
a subcompa or an exotic Italian bike?
qq!q
aaq
q
PM Comparison Test
q
q qq
POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM
|
APRIL 2009
THE ADRENALINE RUSH that comes from piloting a sporty car or

a hot-blooded motorcycle through a series of sinuous curves is a joy
every gearhead craves. Its not all about gunning for at-out, maximum
speed. Smoothly connect each corner with the perfect combination of
87
velocity and precision and the experience becomes more than just a
cheap thrillits an accomplishment.
Such mechanized fun doesnt have to come with a sky-high price tag
or an EPA fuel-economy rating in the single digits. In fact, for less than
$20,000 you can buy a vehicle that will serve as both a weekend
toy and a fuel-efcient commuter. The big question is, two
wheels or four? We gathered together a pair of seemingly
dissimilar vehiclesa high-strung, Italian-bred Ducati VS.
Hypermotard 1100 S and a sensible, versatile Honda Fit

Sportto see how they stack up when it comes to fun, prac-
qq qq
ticality and fuel efciency. We brought them both to Auto
Specs
!q q
Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif., and ran them through our
usual instrumented tests. We braved many miles of Los $15,660 $17,580
Angeles famous trafc, and then, nally, we had some fun
1078 cc
p 1.5-liter
on Glendora Mountain Road, a 15-mile roller coaster of Twin/6M Four/5A
twisting, turning blacktop in Angeles National Forest. So 95 117
can a sexy superbike compete with a fuel-efcient hatch-
397
q]^ 2520
back when it comes to value? Can the humble car match the
bike for driving thrills? The results may surprise you. 48 mm q p MacPherson
Kayaba forks/ rut/
adjuable Ohlins shock torsion beam
FOR WORK 1.95 Mtqq]^ 3.47
e excitement of any PM te is tempered the moment
4.02 Moqq]^ 10.19
we leave the ofce and hit the crowded freeways of Los Ange-
les. Yet the $15,660 Ducati turns the rigors of rush hour into 7.59 MWqq]^ 22.49
a real-life video game. The machine is proud to be loud.
12.2 ZpFqq]p^ 17.4
Twist the grip and the cannonlike exhaust lets out a bark @ 110.3 @ 80.1
that echoes off 18-wheelers and makes pedestrians jump. 30.1 Mtq
q] ^ 30.6
Sometimes its good to be bad. The tremendous torque of 122.4 Moq
q] ^ 122.3
the 1078 cc L-twin rolls on instantly. And with short gearing,
we burst through holes in trafc. The downside to these 0.55 q
q]
h^ 0.75
thrills is comfortwe were saddle-sore in less then 100 48.9 q!q]
^ 29.8
miles. And theres no windscreen. Once clear of trafcat
70 mphthe wind buffeting is erce and tiring.
88
APRIL 2009
|
POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM
q!q q q
ON THE WEB >

Submit footage of your own motorcycle and check out other bikers rides at popularmechanics.com/mybike.
In contrast, the $17,580 Honda Fit
Sport, loaded down with luggage and test
gear, made the grueling rush-hour test
loop, well, easy. Compared to the Ducati, qON THE WEEKEND
the Fit is like a Boeing Business Jet. The e Ducati produces 95 hp and weighs just 397 pounds.
effortless five-speed automatic meant The Fit delivers 22 more hp but has to haul more than an
our feet were not fatigued by clutch work. extra ton of metal, glass and rubber. Not surprisingly, the
And of course, the fully enclosed, climate- Ducati was the star of the dragstrip. Our hired gun, profes-
controlled cabinnot to mention the sional test rider Matthias Jezek, hustled the Hypermotard
MP3-ready 160-watt audio systemkept to 60 mph more than 6 seconds quicker than we could man-
stop-and-go frustrations to a minimum. age in the Honda. In fact, the Ducati reaches 90 mph before
The Fit is no Lexus, but its a cocoon of the Honda even gets to 60 mphabout two-and-a-half sec-
silence compared to the bike. You arrive at onds sooner. Thats staggering. So it seems like the Fit must
your destination relaxednot frazzled, be no fun at all, right? We disagree. The Honda isnt quick
with a bad case of helmet head. heck, its downright slow. But that doesnt mean you cant
The Hypermotard does hold one prac- have a blast on a really good slab of tarmac.
tical commuting advantagelane split- Glendora Mountain Road rises from roughly 750 ft at
ting. The California Highway Patrol says the base to around 3500 ft near the top. It doesnt have
lane splitting is permissible but must be long, sweeping curves but rather tight corners that reward
done in a safe and prudent manner. We a nimble machine. The Ducati is made for this road. Its
oblige. The Hypermotard has a tall, long-travel suspension, breathtaking engine and nearly
upright riding positionsimilar to a dirt race-spec Brembo brakes make short work of switchbacks.
bikes. So visibility and maneuverability But on test day, Glendora was a mineeld. Recent rain-
are excellent. The major disadvantage is storms had loosened debris from above and caused dirt
the lack of room for people and their stuff. and softball-size rocks to roll down onto the road. It takes
Yes, the Hypermotard can handle one pas- a special kind of bravado (or stupidity) to ride a motorcycle
senger. But as a vessel to transport gear at 10/10ths when every corner hides a mudslide. And we
and people, the Fit claims an easy victory. did dial back our speed. Still, short of a full-edged enduro,
this Hypermotard was as well-suited to the challenging
terrain as any ride.
One might have thought the Italian Stallion would have
walked away from the lowly Fit on this road. But at almost
every turn heading up the mountain, the Fit lled the bikes
Strily Business rearview mirror. The handling balance and grip from this
e Hondas analog Honda is extraordinary for a car in its class. You can ing the
gauge package is Fit hard into the tightest corner, ride the brakes slightly to
remarkably simpleand
we like that. e Ducati take the edge off the understeer and then power out to the
uses a digital readout next turn. It was surprisingly quick, especially on the down-
thats dicult to see hill, where momentum makes up for the lack of engine power.
and, like mo bikes, it
has no gas gauge. The Fit actually arrived at the bottom of Glendora ahead of
the Ducatiits front brakes nearly smoking. Fun? Oh yeah.
aaq
qTHE BOTTOM LINE

q
So, which one oers the be bang for the buck? Theres
no easy answer. The Ducati and Honda are both fun, but
wed certainly crown the re-breathing Hypermotard king
PM Comparison Test
of that battle. As a commuter, well give the edge to the Fit.

Pipe Dreams The Ducati can make better time, but the stiff seat and
e Ducatis beautifully
craed exhau is routed cramped foot-peg position mean this bike isnt our rst
underneath the seat and choice for a long-distance cruise. The Fit, on the other
oers twice the number
of pipes as the Honda hand, would be comfortable enough for a cross-country
for half the number of Cannonball Run. The endgame comes down to fuel ef-
cylinders. ciency and price. Over our test route, the Honda returned a
solid 29.8 mpg. But the high-strung, Italian-bred superbike
delivered an incredible 48.9 mpg and cost about $1900 less.
Thats the tipping point. Winner: . FC
WITH ONLY A CRAWLSPACE BELOW their house in Knoxville, Tenn., Tanya
and Laurence Brown eyed their garage when they decided to add a home gym.
We both like to exercise, Laurence says, but ever since we had our first kid, its
been hard to find time to go to the gym. With help from the DIY Networks
Garage Mahal crew and PM, the couple crafted a wish list of equipment that
provided everything from resistance training to cardio. The hardest part, besides
Photographs by Marc Joseph

e DIY Networks Garage Mahal crew and the author
PMs Detroit editor and home-improvement enthusia
turned this two-car garage in Knoxville, Tenn., into a gym
with monkey bars, climbing wall, weight bench and more.
To see the transformation, turn the page.
With some creativity and elbow grease, a garage can be a lot more than just a
place to park cars. B Y L A R RY W E B S T E R
clearing out piles of unused junk, was fitting everything into the tight, two-car
space. We concentrated on the typically unused areas, like the walls and ceiling,
lead contractor Jim Brunton says. We didnt want it to feel cramped. In just
three days, the crew craftily fabricated and installed a tness center with enough X[\eh[
varied gear to work the entire body and stave off boredom. Plus, nearly everything
can be quickly deployed and stored, leaving enough room to park a car.

1 2
IfWY[#IWl_d]9WX_d[ji HWYaIoij[c
e seemingly simple, box-conrued Garage Mahal ho Brian Corsetti (below) works on the support for the combined massage
entertainment center performs several table/Pilates springboard. e bouncy seat for the baby (bottom, ) ), the heavy punching
funions. e one-way mirror'hides a bag * and the speed bag +mount on an easily sourced barn-door sliding track. Each item
42-in. at screen that shines through attaches to a set of sliding wheels and is held in place with a simple locking pin. Perforated
when the TV is turned on. e weight angle iron thats generally used to mount garage-door openers secures the track to the ceiling
benchts into the space (underneath via lagbolts driven into the raers. When not in use, the gear slides into a cuom-made
the TV shelf. Flanking shelveshold closet,. And since the Browns ill needed to ore a few tools, the crew sprinkled in plenty
items generally underfoot, like towels, of racks and orage shelves-. Tough, easily inalled, ick-on oor carpetcushions the
hand weights and resiance bands. concrete oor, and swiveled lightsoer less glare than bare bulbs.
2
7\j[h 3
3 4 5
Ceda[o8Whi 9b_cX_d]MWbb FWha_d]IfWY[

ey taught an important Saving space by combining several funions is always a smart idea. e sliding Larry Weber, PMs
lesson: Check raer track for the bouncy seat and punching bags also supports a climbing rope '&. Detroit editor and Garage
spacing before you do e clever and challenging climbing wallhides both a Pilates springboard''and a Mahal hired hand (below,
anything. e rack of massage table'( in its center seion. e crew used -in. plywood to safely le), works on the
pine bars .had to be secure the hand- and footholds. Lagbolts faened the walls wood frame to the one-way mirror frame.
repositioned farther away uds. e fold-down massage table is hinged at the bottom; the Pilates board is Homeowner Laurence
than intended from the mounted to the wall behind the table. e trickie part was making the table t Brown conrms that,
climbing wall so it lined up precisely into the wall so it didnt rattle when folded. yep, its ill a garage.
with the raers. No
drywall anchor can safely
support a human. Another
key lesson: e more
inviting the gym, the more
likely youll be to exercise.
e refrigerator/
removes the temptation
to get sidelined on an
extended water break. 11
12
10
ON THE WEB > For a preview of the upcoming season of Garage Mahal, which starts in
May, plus other great garage ideas, visit popularmechanics.com/garagemakeover.
CLOSET UPDATE + CONCRETE
FA S T E N E R S + S U M P - P U M P D U M P
Grow Up
RAISED B E DS TA K E TH E
HASSLE OUT OF HORTICULTURE.
BY FIONA GILSENAN
Experienced gardeners use raised

beds to sideep a long li of gar-
dening challenges. ese controlled
experiments in plant parenthood
are so easy, in fa, that theyre also
well-suited to novices picking up a
shovel for the r time.
Bad dirt is out, because you ll a
raised bed with a cuomized soil-
and-compost blend. Drainage is
built into the bed walls, which hold
the soil in place to keep erosion
in check. Greater exposure to the
sun warms the bed, which allows
more plant diversity and extends
the growing season. Plants can be
PHOTOGR APH BY JODY ROGAC POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM | APRIL 2009 95

P M D I Y H O M E /// R A I S E D B E D S string, then dig with vertical strokes
along the outline, ju deep enough to
bury about half of your r course of
lumber. Raised beds are designed so
spaced closely together, so yields level. In general, a northsouth orien- water trickles down, eliminating mo
go up, water-use efficiency is maxi- tation takes full advantage of avail- of the problem of poor drainage. But if
mized and weeds are crowded out. able light. Stay close to the kitchen, your only viable location is bogged in a
Finally, raising the soil level by even a but avoid sites shaded by the house marsh, you can prevent the bathtub
foot reduces the back-bending eort or beneath messy trees. Leave at ee by digging a few inches deeper
needed for jobs such as planting, least 18 in. between beds for walk- and putting a layer of coarse one or
weeding and harveing. ways, or 2 ft if you need room for a pea gravel in the excavation. (You can
Beyond the ease is the controlas wheelbarrow or lawnmower. also inall perforated drainage pipes
you grow your favorite foods, you feed in trenches under or around the bed,
and soak your plants with just what Planning, Building or ju drill weep holes at the base of
they need for optimum growth. To prepare the site, get rid of turf the sides.) Likewise, if there is no turf
A raised bed is most productive and weeds. Outline the bed dimen- between your beds, put down some
and attractive as a bottomless frame sions on the ground with chalkline or landscape fabric and cover it with
set into a shallow trench. The sides pavers or a layer of gravel to improve
can be almost any durable build- drainageaer running out in the rain
ing material, including rock, brick, for a fresh bell pepper, youll appreciate
concrete and interlocking blocks. the mud-free shoes.
Watering troughs or claw-foot tubs Level the earth or gravel layer at the
can work, as long as they have the bottom of the bed, then put down a
capacity and drainage. layer of weed-suppressing landscape
But by far the mo common mate- fabric that extends to the outer edge
rial for raised beds is lumber. e major of the wooden frame. Now is also the
caveat, since raised beds are often time to think about pe control. e
used to grow edibles, is to eer clear rich soil in a raised bed has worms and
of wood preserved with toxins. Avoid
creosote-treated railroad ties; opt
inead for naturally rot-resiant cedar Miter lumber at Use galvanized
or redwood. e EPA considers wood 45 degrees to pipe raps to
make the cap mount 1-in. PVC
infused with alkaline copper quaternary railinga place to pipe inside the
(ACQ) to be safe for food crops, but if sit while weeding bed walls. Cut
and harveing. -in. exible PVC
you use this pressure-treated wood Bed covers ward tubing twice as
you may want to line the bed interior o inses and long as the beds
with landscape fabrican air-and- keep plants warm width. Bend it,
in cool weather. mount it and clip
water-permeable screento prevent a cover in place.
soil conta. Whether using pressure-
treated or naturally rot-resiant wood,
put the bed together with galvanized
or ainless screws or bolts.
Location, Location
A 3 x 6 bed should be wide enough
to support sprawling tomatoes, but
narrow enough to reach easily from
both sides. e ideal height is 1 to 2
tallyou can go taller, but you need
a considerable amount of soil to ll a
3-ft-high bed. If possible, build more
I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y D O G O
1 to 2
than one bed, which makes it easier
to rotate crops and meet the watering 6
needs of specic plants. Aligning beds
in raight rows simplies the inalla-
tion of an irrigation syem.
Finding a at spot spares a lot of
3
diggingyou want the walls to be

other delicacies that attra moles, and in place, but can also reduce the out-
gophers and voles relish young veggie ward pressure that a full bed exerts
roots, Sausalito, Calif., garden designer on the frame, which can dislodge the
Tom Wilhite says. To keep out burrow- lumber after a single season. A cap
ing pes I always recommend a bot- railing that runs around the top of the
tom layer of hardware clotha mesh bed ties everything together. Plus, it
grid of eel or galvanized metal. provides a handy place to set down
Build each wall separately, then gardening tools while working, or,
fasten them together and put the when youre done, a seat to admire
bed into position. Raised-bed build- the fruits of your labor.
ers often sink posts into the ground
for stability, either at the inside cor- Greenhouse Ee Dont ll the bed
ners of the bed or halfway along the A simple framework of hoops and a with dirt from the
garden. Inead,
side walls. These help hold the bed lightweight cover can extend your use peat moss,
growing season in cool areas, con- compo or a soil
serve moiure in dry areas and pro- mix for planters.
Use a 2 x 4 to
te plants from birds or inses. Use level the soil,
clear polyethylene film to raise soil then plant.
Tap and air temperatures in early spring or
fallto get an early art on heirloom Automate, Irrigate
tomatoes, for inance, or to try your Once you add an automatic water-
Back-Flow hand at exotic squashes. But be care- ing syem to your raised-bed garden,
Preventer ful not to bake your plants on warmer youre free to plant, weed and harve.
Timer
days. Remove the cover or slit vents A simple micro-irrigation setup ensures
in it to avoid excessive heat buildup. that plants get water consistently
Y-Filter For pe control, cover the bed with especially important for seedlings and
bird netting or with gauzelike fabrics leaf crops such as lettuce. e sides of
Pressure known as oating row covers, which raised beds heat up quickly in the sun,
Regulator
keep out ying inses but let in both baking the moiure out of the soil, Wil-
Swivel light and air. hite says. Irrigation delivers the water
Adapter evenly and gently. You can set your timer
to water early in the morningless will
-in. Poly evaporate, and you resi disease.
Tubing
A basic setup arts with a faucet or
hose-bib attachment that is essentially
a series of valves that prevent back ow
into the plumbing, lter the water and
control the water pressure.
These valves are designed with
Drip Emitters End Caps
1-in. or -in. conneions. From these,
attach supply lines of exible -in. poly
tubing. e tubings accessibility makes
Shuto it easy to check for leaks and repair
Valve
damage from punures or burs. To
prote the tubing, bury it a few inches
and cover the line with mulch.
e simple drip- Drip emitters Lay the tubing along the beds in
irrigation setup spaced evenly at lines 12 in. apart. Fit seions together
uses exible 12-in. intervals
-in. poly tubing. send water to with compression elbow and T-ttings.
It inalls easily, the plants roots Spray Inall drip emitters at 12-in. intervals
its inexpensive throughout the
and it can easily bed. Inall spray
Emitter along the length of the tubing for even
be repaired if emitters to give delivery of moisture to plants. Low-
damaged. leafy greens a volume sprayers or miers on risers
rinse above the
soils surface. can also be used, but these lose more
water to evaporation. Close the ends
of each line with hose-end plugs and
caps. en sit back and let the syem
water for you. FC

H o w Yo u r H o u s e W o r k s
Window eory
A W I N D O W C A N B E , B A S I C A L LY, A H O L E
I N T H E W A L L . O R I T C A N L O O K G R E AT
W H I L E C U T T I N G H E AT I N G A N D
COOLING LOSSES. YOUR CHOICE.
Windows are complex. A new model may

consi of wood, metal, plaic, glass, mineral
oxides and perhaps an inert gas. Yet even a
well- insulated unit delivers an R-value no bet-
ter than an uninsulated wood-frame walls
(roughly R-4 to R-5). And a house can lose
nearly 12,000 Btu per hour, or about 10 per-
cent of a heating syems output, ju through
these leaky openings. at means theres a lot
at ake when it comes to choosing, inalling
and sealing windows.
Adding orm windows cuts heating losses
from drafty windows in half, and replacing
them with an insulated product pares the
losses ill further. Finally, a modern unit holds
in heat, reeing it from you and your heating
syem back into the room. It seals out dras
and fends o summer sun.
Heres what you need to know.
by R
by RO
ROY
O
OYY BE
BERENDSOHN
B ERE EN
NDSOHN
photograph
p hoto
ogg ra
apph B
BYYFFI
FILIP
I L IP
IP K
KWIATKOWSK
KWIATKOWSKI
W IIA
AT K
KOOWSK
KII
G AT E F O L D PULLOUT
Siding
e r line of
defense in preventing air
and moiure leaks is the
siding. e larger the gap where
it meets the window, the larger
PLEASE the opportunity for dras and
CUT
HERE moiure to make their way Hou
into the wall cavity cu
or house. peel
Flashing tape
over top of
house wrap,
how your house works W I N D O W S
tape on sides
Nailing
Fin
Wi
Insulated A modern
Glass Sash anged plu
a hole cut int
house. e b
wrap is slit so t
nailing n
tucked unde
e ns on
Side flashing
tape applied bottom
over nailing fin hous
Flashing Tape
Flashing tape is, as its
name sugges, a sealing
material applied on the
outside of the nailing n,
sealing the joint between
the n and the house wrap.
It protes again
both air and moiure
penetration.
Glass
No Pane, No Gain e tendency of a window to window is rated at 1.1, a second pane cuts the U to
let heat pass is described as its U-faorlower is the range of 0.47 to 0.63. Filling the space between Sash
more energy-ecient. Its the inverse of R-value, which the panes with argon inead of air drops it to 0.37.
describes insulations resiance to heat ow; higher is Argon is a better insulator than air, a diin
better. Adding a second piece of glass dramatically advantage of insulated glass compared to a orm Insulated
improves the windows U-faor. While a single-pane window inalled on the outside of the house. Spacer
I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y G O R D O N C H A P M A N
In winter, the inner surface of
Anatomy of window glass can be 5 to 20 F
a Dra cooler than the adjacent indoor air,
depending on the windows
thermal eciency and how cold it
use wrap is outside. Indoor air cools as it
ut and passes over the window and sinks,
led back
producing an uncomfortable dray
zone. Insulated glass with a low
U-value is warmer and improves
Warm comfort near windows.
Zone Also, the larger the glass
surface, the more it needs a low-E
coating, a microscopically thin layer
of metal oxide that rees back
infrared energy. Without the
coating, the heat owing out from
your body would ow to and
through the glass, increasing your
discomfort. But a low-E coating
bounces the infrared energy back,
Coldest Point so you feel warmer.
indow
n window is a Sash Gap Equivalent Hole
g that ts into
Hole-in-the-Wall Gang Take a leaky double-hung
window, with each sash measuring 35 x 26 in.a pretty 1
/32 in. 6.5 sq in.
to the side of the
buildings house
good-size window, in other words. With a gap around both
sashes and at the parting rail between them, you have the =
that the windows equivalent of a signicant hole in the wall.
1
/64 in. 3.27sq in.
(the ange) is
er it at the top.
n the side and
t over the REPLACING WINDOWS SURE, WEATHERSTRIPPING
se wrap. HELPS TO REDUCE DRAFTS. BUT WHEN LARGER
ENERGY SAVINGS ARE CALLED FOR, THERE ARE
THREE COMMON OPTIONS.
Inant Gratication
Few window upgrades are as easy
and useful as sealing out dras with
peel-and-ick weatherrip. Fir, use
S T U D I O C ATA S T R O P H I C F X ; G A B R I E L S I LV E I R A ( W I N D O W S )
spray cleaner and remove dirt and New- Tilt-Wash Vinyl Storm
grease from the jambs or sash. When Conruion Replacement Window
the parts are dry, cut the weather- Window Window
rip to length, peel o its plaic // What: A new- // What: An // What: Sliding
backing and press the rips icky conruion insulated window in
surface into place. Use V-shaped window used window a frame;
in an exiing inalled in the mounts on top
rips on window jambs; use house. exiing jamb. of exiing
bulb-shaped rips (shown) on the // Expect: Instal- // Expect: Quick window.
windows top or bottom edge. A $5 lation pro- inallation. // Expect: Fa
roll of the material is enough to seal duces need for Reduced glass inallation
two or three typical windows. exterior and area due to usually one
interior repairs. smaller sash. aernoon.
// Payoff: Major // Payoff: Fewer // Payoff: Fewer
energy savings, dras, energy drafts,
good looks, tilt savings, tilt to improved
to clean. clean. energy savings.
// Cost: $11,000 // Cost: $6300 // Cost: $2000
to $15,000 for to $8800 for to $2400 for
20 windows, 20 windows, 20 windows,
inalled inalled DIY inallation
THE
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3 Steps for
Better Closet
Organizers
Homeowners Clinic
by Roy Berendsohn
Cl
Closets are oen

framed sloppily, with
walls that are neither
square nor plumb. Once
I even ripped away old
drywall and found the
closet had been framed
with scrap lumber
turned sideways. Heres
how to cope.
1.
Before you art build-
ing shelves and inall-
ing drawers, measure
the walls carefully and
check for square and
plumb by holding
a framing square in
the corners and a level
on the walls.
2.
If the walls are out of
kilter, make your syem
Closet self-containedwith
sharp 90 degree angles
Solutions
and vertical sides. Youll
wae a little space, but
thats better than trying
to cuom-t shelves
Q Our closets are packed and overowing. We were thinking and supports to a crazy
quilt of angles.
of renovating them with wire shelving and baskets, but
weve also seen some wood cabinets for closets. Which is 3.
Even if the walls are
better? Is installing these closet systems dicult?
S T U D I O D ; P H O T O G R A P H B Y C H A D H U N T ( TA P E M E A S U R E )
plumb and level, dont

count on regular ud
A Its not really a matter of which system is better, because both can work well. spacing when its time to
inall your new unitsin
You need to decide which style meets your cost and design requirements. A many homes, you wont
basic wire-shelf setup is less expensive than cabinet systems, but the latter option nd it. Spend some time
with a ud sensor and
provides a neater, more nished look. In most cases, you can install any of these mark out the ud loca-
organizers using nothing more than a cordless drill and simple hand tools. tions. is can save you
If youre up for a challenge, though, consider building your own system. a lot of fruitless drilling
later on. R.B.
Inexpensive hardwood and sowood lumber, or plywood with some solid-wood
edge banding, can yield a very attraive closet, especially when you combine it
with well-designed hardware. Woodworking-supply outts such as rockler.com oer
attraive accessories, including sliding racks and garment hooks, while sites such
as kitchensource.com sell a variety of sliding baskets. Doing it yourself can be more
satisfying, and it will ensure that you use every cubic inch the way you wantnot
the way some closet-organizer company envisioned it.
While youre upgrading the space inside the closet, dont ignore the door.
Swinging hollow-core and solid wood doors can be pressed into service to support
PHOTOGRAPH BY J MUCKLE POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM | APRIL 2009 103

P M D I Y H O M E /// H O M E O W N E R S C L I N I C Q + A remaining paint with a pressure
washer. (Dont pull out a sander,
though: You can accidentally scour
right through the zinc layer.)
tie racks, belt and coat hooks, small paint galvanized eel, as your peeling If you do want to paint the steel,
baskets, shoe hangers and a mirror. paint illurates. For one thing, it may start by thoroughly washing the sur-
come to have a slightly oily surface face to remove oily residue, oxides
Painting Galvanized Steel that will cause paint to loose its grip. and dirt. Buy some TSP, otherwise
I have two galvanized eel pos Also, the zinc in the galvanized coating known as trisodium phosphate, at a
that hold up a sign with my houses reas with the paint resins in oil paints hardware ore, and mix this powdered
reet number. e paint is peeling (alkyds), forming a soapy subance. cleaner at a ratio of cup to 2 gal of
o the pos. How do I repaint them? Known as saponication, this process hot water. (is will produce an alka-
Fir, decide if you really want to paint will peel oil-based paint like nobodys line cleaner with a pH of 11.5.) Scrub
the pos. A galvanized nish will form business. It might be simpler to let the surface using a plaic brush or an
a corrosion-resistant surface that the re of the paint peel o and leave aggressive plastic scouring pad, and
doesnt need paint. And its tough to the posts aloneor blast off the rinse thoroughly with hot, clear water.
Let the surface dry. Some painters use
eel wool for this job, but once again
theres a risk of cutting right through
the galvanized layer.
KNOW YOUR STUFF Next, lightly abrade the surface
with the plaic pad or abrasive paper
Concrete Faeners for Any Application to ensure a uniform roughness, remove
loose paint with a scraper and sand the
edge of peeled paint to feather its edge
to a smooth transition. Brush o the
dust and rinse the posts. Then, once
the surface has thoroughly dried, apply
an acrylic primer. Use a produ formu-
lated to be compatible with galvanized
metal. One example is Rust-Oleum
Stops Ru Aluminum Primer. Top-coat
that with a professional-quality gloss or
semigloss acrylic paint.
Dumping the Pump?

How long do sump pumps la?
Powder-Auated Tap-and-Set Hardware Concrete Screw I have one thats 10 years old,
Faener What: Plaic hooks, What: A high-rength and Im wondering if I should pre-
What: A 22-cal. shell rings, sockets and pins screw that is driven into
emptively replace it.
to drive a faener up that are pushed into a concrete. tapcon.com
ats a good queion with no clear
to 3 in. long. You rike hole and then tapped Advantages: Simple
a specialized tool (the with a hammer to and extremely rong; answer, at lea as far as Im concerned.
Ramset HD22) with a break open their self- screws can be removed Ive seen heavy-duty pumps that looked
hammer to detonate contained adhesive vial. (but not reused). as sound aer 10 years as the day they
were lowered into the murky depths
P H O T O G R A P H S B Y F. M A R T I N R A M I N / S T U D I O D
the charge and drive tapset.com Disadvantages:

in the faener. Advantages: Simplies Requires a hammer drill; of a basement sump. But then, some
ramset-redhead.com mounting of durable drilling creates du. years ago, I saw a sump pump fail
Advantages: Light- (and paintable) plaic Co: $4 for a package aer only a couple of years when its
weight and fa to use. shapes to concrete. of eight stainless-steel band clamp rotted a
Disadvantages: Loud; Shapes can be cut o
groove through its cast-iron body.
faeners are dicult with a chisel if they are
(Stainless eel put in conta with ca
to removein mo broken or no longer
cases they mu be needed. iron and submerged underwater sets
cut o. Disadvantages: up a powerful corrosion cell.)
Co: Tool, $22; loads, Requires a hammer drill; If the pump doesnt run very oen,
$4 per box of 25; drive drilling creates du. check it a couple of times a year by
pins, $5 per box of 25 Co: $10 to $12 for a pouring a few gallons of water into
package of two the sump. The mechanism should
run quietly and robustly. If it sounds

P M D I Y H O M E /// H O M E O W N E R S C L I N I C Q + A retrots into the exiing can. (e can
is the cylindrical metal housing that
makes up the body of the light.) ere
is also a compact-fluorescent-light
suspicious, check it. To te the switch, efficient route would be to install retrofit kit from Technical Consumer
Tom Schere, an engineer at North airtight retrot lights designed for insu- Produs (tcpi.com). is kit does cut
Dakota State University, suggests lation conta and then get into the attic air loss through the xture, but its pri-
slowly pouring water into the sump, and seal all air gaps and add extra insu- mary funion is to reduce energy use
which will cause the switch to turn on lation. Unfortunately, this could involve by providing for a compa uorescent
and o a few times. signicant wiring work and expense. bulb and compatible reeor in many
Modern recessed lights are designed common recessed lights.
Dray Fixtures, to be operated on whats known as A word of caution is in order. Not
Tricky Elericals 90 C (194 F) wiring, but if your house all retrofit components are cross-
When I removed a bulb from a was built before the mid-1980s, compatible, nor are all retrofit com-
recessed light in my living room, I chances are good that the lighting- ponents compatible with all recessed
felt cold air gushing from the attic circuit wiring has a lower temperature lights. The lights trim, can and light
into the room. Im concerned about rating. It wont be up to the job of safely bulb all have to work together. The
energy loss through these xtures. supplying current to the new xtures. compatibility information is listed
What should I do? You or an elerician would need either inside the canwhen in doubt, conta
Recessed lights are notorious for leak- to inall new wire all the way from the the manufacturer. Whatever you do,
ing air. In the summer, conditioned air switch to the xtures, or at lea splice be sure not to inall a higher-wattage
reams pa them and into the attic or 90 C wire into the lighting circuit and bulb in the xtures aer youve inalled
a ceiling cavity. In the winter, the same lead it to a junion box in the attic. airtight components. Elericians call
thing happens with heated air. In the ere are simpler, low-co alterna- the praice overlamping. It can lead
case of the attic, this warmed air can tives. For example, you can improve to dangerous overheating, especially in
contribute to ice dams on a roof. the energy efficiency of the lights by older lights that dont have a thermal
Although its a major undertaking, inalling gaskets under their trim, or switch to detect high heats and cut
the mo elerically safe and energy- you can install an airtight trim that power if necessary.
Caulk for Glazing

I have a 100-year-old
house, and Ive hired
painters to paint it and
refurbish its 40 wood
windows. ey say theyre
going to use caulk to
repair the putty that the
old window glass is set in.
Is this a proper repair? I
thought only window glaz-
ing would work for this.
Please advise.
If the painters literally
meant caulk, then theyre
making a mistake. You
should probably nd some-
body else to do the job. If,
on the other hand, they
meant gun-grade glazing
compound, then theyre
doing the job right. This
u is much like traditional
knife-grade glazing com-
pound, but its extruded
out of a cartridge inserted
in a caulk gun. The tradi-
tional knife-applied version
is scooped out of the can,
kneaded into a roll and then care- fer switch that the generator routes
fully tooled onto the sash with a power through is properly inalled.
putty knife. e skill to do it neatly e problem could be as simple as a
and quickly is a disappearing art. slightly loose conneion.
Doorop Solution Storm-Damaged Trees

eres probably an easy answer Our trees took a beating this win-
to this. I want to replace the door- ter from repeated orms. Were
ops all over the house because about ready to begin our spring
the cheapo ones inalled by the yard cleanup, but before we art,
builder are ugly. I put a new one we thought wed get some advice.
in a few weeks ago and scued it If the damage is light and the trees
up by using pliers to twi it in the are small enough that you can make
la couple of turns. ere seemed repair cuts while standing on the
no other way to grip the thing. ground, you can probably handle the
Obviously, my wife wasnt pleased. work. If the damaged limbs are well
Neither was I. up o the ground, call in a pro.
Try peeling o the ops rubber bum- Trees that grow in sunny yards
per. Under the bumper, some ops have codominant stemsthey
have a slot for a screwdriver tip cut have more than one em or large
into the sha end. Other ops have branch that competes with the main
a square base that allows you to slip em. A tree that grows in a fore
an adjuable wrench over it. will be tall and straight because
it has to push up through a shady
Home-Grown Power and crowded environment to reach
Problem sunlight. Its dicult to assess and
We lose grid power a lot, and safely treat orm damage to a tree
Ive found that I cant operate my with co dominant stems. To the
garage-door opener on the power untrained eye, it can look like noth-
supplied by my home generator. ing more than a tangled mass. If you
e opener works ne with grid decide to tackle the job, r do your
power, but not from my generator. homework. Learn how to identify
Im umped. and treat dierent types of damage
Weve been getting more of these by looking on the Web at visual ref-
reports, although most of them erences poed by ate agricultural
concern appliances. I suspe sensi- extension services and universities
tive eleronics are to blame. In one with horticultural programs. If youre
case, we learned from an appliance going to hire a professional, its
manufaurer that they equip their important to distinguish between
ranges with self-monitoring eleron- a company that specializes only in
ics that shut the appliance down if tree removal and one that employs
they dete a minor discrepancy in or is owned by a certied arbori
the supply voltage. It comes down a speciali trained in tree care (visit
to liability fears. Manufaurers take isa-arbor.com to learn more). Only an
advantage of adding monitoring arbori can assess the be way to
components that can prevent dam- deal with the damage and to ensure
age to the appliance or, in the wor a trees future health. FC
case, an elerical re. I cant blame
them for inalling this u, though
it wont make your life any easier in GOT A HOME-MAINTENANCE OR
a power outage. REPAIR PROBLEM? Ask Roy about
Try this: Plug the garage-door it. Send your questions to
opener into a power rip equipped pmhomeclinic@hearst.com or
with a power filter, and plug the to Homeowners Clinic, Popular
Mechanics, 300 W. 57th St., New
power strip into the ceiling out-
York, NY 10019-5899. While we
let that supplies the opener. If it cannot answer questions individu-
works, youve solved your problem. ally, problems of general interest
If not, double check that the trans- will be discussed in the column.
SERPENTINE BELT + WHEEL FIX +
WATERPROOFING CONNECTIONS
S AT U R D AY M E C H A N I C
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY /// EASY
Silence
at
Squeal
T H E S E RP E N T I N E B E LT I S
A C RU C I AL P ART OF T H E
E N G I N E AS S E M B LY. H E RE S
T H E RI G H T W AY T O
RE P L AC E I T. B Y M I K E A L L E N
eres a squeal emanating from

underneath your hoodand it doesnt
sound good. e noise arted a few
months ago, on a gray and rainy
morning, but it went away before
you even pulled out of the driveway.
Problem solved, right? Sorry pal.
Unfortunately, the noise was back
the very next morning, and this time
it laed all the way to the corner of
your block. You lied the hood and
zoomed in on the oending racket
it was the serpentine belt. As the
is belt, obvi-

ously pa its
prime, ran for
115,000 miles,
and it was ill
within the ten-
sion limits speci-
ed. Its toa,
regardless.

P M D I Y A U T O /// S E R P E N T I N E B E L T S long time. A fresh belt will probably
la 150,000 miles without any main-
tenance at all. Contra that with the
expeed 40,000- to 50,000-mile life
weeks dragged on, your morning com- the new style of serpentine belts. A span of a heavily loaded V-belt.
mute got noisier and noisier every day. single belt, winding its way through a
en you began to hear it on the way fore of pulleys, can now drive every Failure Modes
home too. Now its a conant reminder single engine accessory at the same So when, exactly, does one of these
to replace the belt. Soon. time. A single belt only an inch or so belts need to be replaced? Usually, you
Most modern cars dont use old- wide saves 3 or 4 in. of engine room get plenty of warning before you hear
fashioned V-belts anymore. In the 70s, real estate. Better still: Most of the the nal Bad Noise, to wit, that squeal-
as more and more cars were optioned serpentine-belt installations use a ing. A squealing noise is indicative of a
with lots of power-hungry accessories spring-loaded tensioner pulley that problem, but might not require replace-
running off the crankshaft pulley, it keeps a conant preload on the belt, ment of the belt. Misaligned pulleys or
often became necessary to have as eliminating the need to adju the ten- a seized tensioner or idler pulley can
many as four V-belts, each running a dif- sion. If youve ever needed three hands generate some noise as well.
ferent gizmo. ere ju isnt room for and a tire iron to pry an alternator away A belt thats arting to disintegrate
that many belts and pulleys anymore from the block while simultaneously will show damage to the ribs or cords,
not to mention, this belt conguration tightening the adjument bolt-and-nut which can usually be seen without dis-
means that its a service nightmare combo, youll appreciate what a giant mantling anything. But you might need
to replace ju the inner belt by itself. leap forward that is. a ashlight and a dental mirror to see
Youd have to remove the other three Theres one last, very compelling the fraying or cracking.
rnot a fun job. advantage to serpentine belts: They
There are several advantages to dont wear out, at lea not for a really Fresh Belt
Start by udying the old belts rout-
ing, which should be easy if the belt is
ill in place. But its probably not so
easy to spot if the belt is wadded up
like macram next to the a/c compres-
sors mounting bracket. Fear not: ere
should be a belt-routing placard under
the hood. If the car has had bodywork
or been repainted, the placard might
have been covered. Look in the owners
manual; theres usually a routing dia-
gram. With a half-dozen pulleys to
An ordinary Use a raight-

-in. extension edge to see if all
and ratchet is the pulleys are
used to unload coplanar and
the tensioner. square. If theyre
en you can ju not, the new belt
unthread the belt wont la long.
from around the
pulleys.
We used thread-
locking compound
to seal the new
bolt that was
provided with the
tensioner.
HASH MARK
UPPER AND
LOWER
TENSION
LIMIT
Torque the new e hash mark on

tensioner to the the body of the
specied degree tensioner should
of tightness. Yes, fall between the
that means with high- and low-
a torque wrench, tension marks
not your carefully when the new
calibrated elbow. belt is inalled.
for any idler pulleys, which should spin

freely. We replaced the tensioner on our
Suburban and added a drop of thread-
locker to the bolt. e tensioner came
with a new boltnice.
Is the area where the belt lives oily?
Engine oil will rapidly degrade the rub-
ber in the belt. Repair any leaky engine
seals, like the cranksha or camsha
front seal, or any gasketsle the new
belt should go south in short order.
choose from, its possible, sometimes, or disintegrating belt edges are indica- Clean up any old oil too.
to install the belt the wrong way. It tions of a problem with the pulleys, Check all the pulleys as well. Old rub-
might look right, but spinning the a/c idlers or tensioners. A high-mileage belt ber or dirt can build up in the bottom
compressor or water pump back- thats ju looking worn can simply be of the pulley grooves. You may need to
wards isnt good. If the belt is hard to replaced. If there are other indications clean the grooves with brake cleaner or
inall or seems to t poorly, you may of damage from misalignment, get out a wire brush to remove any debris.
have it routed incorrectly. Dont the straightedge and make note of
freaksometimes the water pump what isnt square. Buttoning Up
is driven by the at, back side of the A bent accessory-mounting bracket Its a simple matter to inall a new ten-
belt. Any pulley that has grooves on can make a pulley crooked, and youll sioner and reinall the belt, holding the
it is intended to conta the grooved need to realign it. A eel bracket could tensioner slack with one hand as you
side of the belt. If you need to, sketch be bent back into place, but a couple of thread the la pulley. Once the belts in
the corre routing down before you shim washers might be a better option. place, art the engine and let it idle for
remove the old belt. As a la resort, If youre replacing a belt because of a a minute or two. Check the belt tension
check the shop manual. fried alternator or seized a/c compres- by looking at the tensioner armthe
Most cars provide a common sor, dont assume the new accessory or mark ca into the tensioner body will
-in.-sq hole in the tensioners arm bracket will run true either. fall between the high and low marks if
to release the tensioner. Simply use a Check the tensioner. The pulley the belt is the corre part number and
ratchet to loosen the belt, and unthread should freewheel smoothly. e spring is inalled properly.
it from the pulleys. should have an appropriate amount If you removed any of the radiator
Inspe the belt for damage. Cracks of tension (which you can check with shrouding to access the belt, dont
across the ribs are the mo common a belt tension gauge once the belt is neglect to reinstall it once youve
indication of a belt thats simply at the inalled), and there should be no fric- finished. You certainly dont want
end of its life span. Little rubber bands tion in the pivot. Tensioner assemblies any new noises coming from under
of rib, tus of berglass reinforcing belt are usually not very expensive. Ditto the hood. FC
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DENNIS KLEIMAN POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM | APRIL 2009 111

Car Clinic
by Mike Allen
Waterproong In spite of
that red
O-ring, water
Conneors and sand have

inltrated this
conneor.
Use dieleric
grease to
prevent this
problem.
sidewall, except in an I-have-to-get-

home emergency. Heres why:
The ribbed inside surface of the
tubeless tire is not finished to
accept a tube. Tube-type tires have
smoother surfaces, without any
outanding ribs or texture to wear
out that tube prematurely.
e tube will make the sidewall of
the tire ier. Aside from the poor
ride, this will alter the handling char-
aeriics of the vehicle. A rear tire
iened by a tube may well cause
overeer, pitching you and your fam-
ily off into the weeds. Ditto for a
front tire, which could undereer o
Q e electrical connection
to my cars radiator fan
quits every few weeks. Its
will prevent moisture from getting to
the bare metal, and keep nonconduc-
tive oxides from building up. One side
the road.
A tubeless tire wearing a tube will
run substantially hotter when its
ne for a while, but then it benefit is that the connector will be driven at high speeds, potentially hot
dies and I have to take it less likely to stick and become diffi- enough to failcertainly hot enough
apart and clean the connec- cult to open years down the road. to shorten the life span of both the
tion again. Any ideas? Nonetheless, once the corrosion is tube and tire.
bad enough to dissolve the conduc- Also, I dont nd the use of a tube
A Moisture isnt supposed to be

able to inltrate most underhood
electrical connections, but some-
tive plating from the springy steel or
brass contacts, youll just have to
re m o v e t h e e l e c t r i c a l c o n t a c t s
to be an adequate x for a lazy tire
technician not having properly cleaned
the bead-seat surface of the rim before
times it does. Could be a bad seal, a crimped onto the wires and replace mounting a tire.
cracked connector body or a missing them with fresh ones.
O-ring. Dirt can worm its way in as Idle oughts
well. Examine the connector closely Faulty Logic I le the van running by miake for
for issues. Clean the contacts with A few months ago you described how 12 hours while it was parked. Will
aerosol contact cleaner, then fill the to repair a leaky rim. I think its easier this hurt my vehicle? It drove ne
cavity with dielectric grease. Yes, I to x porous rims by ju inalling a aerwards, but I didnt know if
know: How can dielectric greasean tube. is also helps seal rims that letting a vehicle idle for that long
insulatorimprove the electrical per- arent cleaned up at the bead surface could cause damage.
formance of metal-to-metal con- before theyre mounted. In a perfe world, cars would not idle,
tacts? e springy contacts will wipe Bad idea. Dont do it. ever. Idling serves no purpose. Okay,
away any grease as theyre inserted, Specically, dont ever inall a tube Ill make one exception to that: If its
allowing contact. at grease, in turn, in a tire that says tubeless on the really cold out and you need to warm
112 APRIL 2009 | POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM PHOTOGRAPH BY DENNIS KLEIMAN

P M D I Y A U T O /// C A R C L I N I C Q + A power. So a 1500-watt inverter should
be able to run one with no problem,
although Id look to use one rated for
at lea 2000 watts, to have a little
up the vehicle to clear the windows of pressure cap. If your car has a pressur- headroom. So well need to draw
condensation so its safe to drive, ized overow reservoir, this cap will roughly 1500 watts from the cars
then ne, let it idle. Extended idling is be on the reservoir and there will be a elerical syem to run the heater and
hard on camshas and liers, harder smaller cap on the radiator itself. make up for losses in the inverter
than running near redline. In fact, If the reservoir is unpressurized, the (which is not 100 percent ecient).
some hybrids rarely idle. Even when pressure cap will be on the radiator. At a nominal 13.5 volts, the normal
the engine is turning and the vehicle is Remove the cap on the radiator regard- voltage in a car elerical syem, well
not moving, the engine is loaded less. e radiator should be full to the
down by the alternator, producing cur- brim. If not, check for a bad cap, a leaky
rent to charge the batteries and, ulti- hose between the reservoir and radia-
mately, save gas. Mo hybrids shut tor, a damaged radiator ller neck or a HOW IT WORKS
the engine off at traffic lights to cracked tank.
reduce the proportion of time spent Ru Never
at idle, saving fuel. Ru Never Sleeps Sleeps
Ah, but about your van: Its fine. Aside from Saturn, who else
Modern cars dont overheat at idle, among the big car manufaurers
and the things that wear out, wear out makes cars with polymer bodies?
Blier
slowly. Its common praice in very Tired of watching your eel-bodied car
cold climates to let diesel engines ru away in front of your very eyes?
(which consume very little fuel at idle) ere are a few vehicles on the market
run all night long if theyre going to be today with nonmetallic body panels,
hard to art the next day. And police moly pickup trucks with plaic beds Steel
cars often spend many hours idling and the odd boutique car. GM opped Pinhole
when parked at roadside accident making its plaic-bodied du-buer
scenes in order to power all those minivans a few years back. Saturn is
ashing lights. turning away from plaic as well. at It was a terric paint job, home
from the spray booth so recently
leaves only Corvette (and Cadillac XLR,
Mind Your Manners based on the Vette frame and suspen-
that you could ill smell the
enamel reducer in the garage. I
My 2003 Toyota Camry XLE makes sion). Sounds like a good alternative to always like to see vintage cars,
a gurgling sound under the a rued-out Cutlass to me. Otherwise, in this case a 62 Dart, well-
dashboard when I slow down or plaic body panels are used moly for reored by their owners, so
accelerate. (Its easier to hear upon front and rear fascia and bumpers. when the proud father showed
deceleration because the engine is it to me, I could only hand out
quieter.) Any ideas before I go Power to the People compliments on his bodywork.
ahead and dig into a possibly long Ice and snow orms leave He called me back to his
adventure under the dashboard? thousands without elerical house a few months later,
complaining that the paint shop
e sound las 5 seconds, and my power, running around trying to
hadnt properly prepped before
wife (its her car) says it goes away nd 110-volt generators. I was spraying it, spawning a half-
once the car is warmed up. wondering if a 12- to 110-volt dozen dime-size bliers in the
Its probably air in the heater core. inverter would be sucient to paint. I popped one with my
Usually, this air will eventually work its run a heater of 12 amps at 110 thumbnail, and water trickled
way into the overow, so Id art by volts, or how to size one that down the fender. e problem
making sure theres enough coolant wont cause damage to a cars wasnt the resprayit was his
in the system. Some vehicles have elerical syem. bodywork. Slapping body ller
cooling syems with air-bleed valves Most automotive electrical systems over a ruy panel cant keep
that mu be purged when the syem should be able to handle a few amps water from seeping into pinholes
and liing the paint from behind.
is lledbut your Camry doesnt. Id of extra draw in an emergency. Speci-
He ju assumed a coat of paint
also check the pressure cap to be cally, the 12 amps you mention sounds over the ru on the interior of
sure its properly venting coolant to suspiciously like the exact current the panel would keep the orange
the overow tank and allowing cool- draw of a 110-volt electric space cancer at bay. Nope, you need
ant to return to the radiator as the heater, which draws way more than a to sandbla and chemically prep
syem cools o. few amps. Lets do the math. ruy metal or the ru ju keeps
Do this by waiting for the car to Your heater draws 12 amps at 110 on coming back.
cool off and removing the radiator volts, for a total of 1320 watts of

need to deliver (gulp!) 111 amps to the anymore. Whats the problem with radiator from the inside out in the r
input of the inverter. The alternator my cooling syem? place. You might try to aunch the
almo certainly wont make the 10 to I want to know why you needed to ow by pouring some op-leak into the
20 amps it needs to run the ignition, replace the radiator. Aually, I dont. radiatorbut thats a temporary x at
injeion and fuel pump and also supply at unmiakable maple-syrup-and- be. Sooner or later (probably sooner)
this massive amount of current, espe- Turkish-bath smell waing out of your youll need to replace the heater core.
cially at idle. Many vehicles have only heater is almo certainly from a leaky But know that this is a big jobthe
60-amp alternators. Some vehicles heater core, corroded by the same core is buried, deep inside the plenum
may have alternators rated at over negleed coolant that dissolved your under the dash. FC
100 amps, but they arent
intended to operate there
for long periods of time. Ill
ju mention in passing that
the wiring between the bat-
tery and the inverter will
have to be the size of your
little finger to carry that
much current. Also, youd
need to spin the engine at
well above idle to do this,
and that will require some
mechanical means of rac-
ing the engine. A casual
nickel inserted into the
throttle op wont cut it.
Bottom line: You can
easily suck a few hundred
watts of power off the
cars electrical system to
run a couple of lights or
maybe a small TV set, but
running anything of sub-
stancelike a heateris
going to require a genera-
tor designed for the task.
Whats at Smell

I recently replaced the
radiator in my 1989
Firebird Trans Am. When
I turn on the heater or
defroer I get a faint
smell of antifreeze. Its a
terrible odor, so I dont
even turn the heat on
GOT A CAR PROBLEM?

Ask Mike about it.
Send your questions to
pmautoclinic@hearst.com
or to Car Clinic, Popular
Mechanics, 300 W. 57th
St., New York, NY
10019-5899. While we
cannot answer questions
individually, problems of
general interest will be
discussed in the column.
OVER-THE-AIR TIVO + WHDI
EXPLAINED + SAFER WEB MAIL
A home router can

conne all types of
devices to a network.
Z7q
v7q
q
t7q
F7qq
E7q
o7q
Making the Mo of Your Router

WITH A BIT O F TIN K ER IN G, A H OM E W I RE L E S S ROU T E R C AN D O M ORE
TH A N J U ST BR IN G A C O M PU TER ON L I N E . B Y A N T H O N Y V E R D U C C I
Not so long ago, mo home wire- computers, three TVs, three game as extreme as mine, but the funda-
less routers were one-trick ponies, syems, a DVR and a Blu-ray player mentals of setting up a router on a
rarely used for anything other than all linked into the network. If an home network are always the same.
bringing PCs online. Today, a router always-on data ream is a networks With ju a little bit of tinkering, any-
hooked up to a well-managed home lifeblood, a router is its heart, pump- one can secure a network from
network can connect all sorts of ing life throughout the syem. hackers (something too few people
devices. In my house, Ive got four e typical rig may not be quite bother to do), make a router work
116 APRIL 2009 | POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM I L LU S T R AT I O N BY L E A N D R O C A S T E L AO

faster and more reliably and even

unlock a few surprising features. And
you can do it all in under 30 minutes.
Picking a Router
There are dozens of routers on the
market, and telling them apart can be
dicult. If you want to get the mo
out of your device, look for one that 7qq!qq7
has USB jacks (not all do), is able to
handle Network-Attached Storage
(NAS) devices (which basically are hard
drives accessible to any computer on
the network) and works as an iTunes
server (so you can stream songs
throughout the house). The fastest
routers are 802.11n-compatible.
1. Antennas 2. LAN Jacks 3. Internet 4. USB 5. Reset
ese routers can broadca over 100 e be rout- Plugging Jack Plugging If you tinker
megabytes per secondabout twice ers have two devices direly is is where peripher- too much with
the maximum output of the older antennasone into local area the router gets als such as the settings
that broad- network jacks its data before Network- or lose your
802.11g routers. Although not every cas on the ensures faer, dispersing Attached Stor- password,
computer can take advantage of these widely used more reliable it across a age (or NAS) pressing the
2.4-GHz band, conneions network. devices and reset button
high speeds, mo new ones can. Conne this
and one that than Wi-Fi. printers into a will undo the
And if, like me, you intend to ream uses the less- is is ideal jack to your routers USB damage
high-definition movies around the crowded 5-GHz for immobile modem using slot allows any and return
band. devices such an Ethernet computer on the router
house, look for a dual-band router that as desktop cable. your network to its faory
simultaneously broadcasts both PCs, TVs and to access settings.
2.4-GHz and 5-GHz frequencies. e set-top boxes. them.
2.4-GHz band is also used by devices
such as microwaves and Bluetooth
headsets, so it is prone to interference. or 192.168.0.1. If those dont work, Security
at makes the less crowded 5-GHz your routers exact address can be Whenever I run into an open wireless
band a better choice for data-intense found by looking in the manual or on network, I have a sense of accomplish-
applications such as HD reaming. the manufaurers Web site. When mentI like the feeling of getting
you try to access the control panel, something for nothing. But this exu-
Basic Setup you will be asked for a password. By berance is somewhat muted by the
For a router to work, it mu receive a default this is usually admin or knowledge that whoever le the net-
conneion from a modem. So, heres merely blank. No luck? Once again, work open to me also le it open to
the r ep: Plug it in. Fir to a wall the right information can be found in hackers. (For a skilled hacker, its only
outlet, and then to your modem (by the routers manual or on the manu- a short jump between logging onto a
plugging an Ethernet cord into the facturers Web site. Once youve network and intercepting personal
routers Internet jack). logged in to the control panel, you can data from it.) ere are other problems
ats dead simple, right? Unfortu- art having some fun. with leaving your network open, too
nately, many people op right there rangers can log in and use up your
leaving their network exposed to Changing the Network Name bandwidth, and if somebody uses the
hackers, and missing out on many of a e r ep is to simply give your network for anything illegal, you could
routers most powerful features. So network a unique name. is isnt ju be left liable. My point: Password-
the next ep should be to log into your for funit can also help ward off prote your network.
routers control panel. is is essen- hackers. A networks default name Sele your routers security proto-
tially a Web page that is only viewable often includes the name of the col. is setting can be found on a
on computers that are conneed to routers manufaurer (linksys may control-panel page called Wireless
your router, serving as a home base for be the single mo common network Security. Wireless networks use two
J MUCKLE/STUDIO D
all of the devices settings. name), and if hackers know this infor- types of security protocols: Wired
To get into the control panel, type mation, it can be easier for them to Equivalent Privacy (WEP) or Wi-Fi
the routers IP address into the sneak into a system. To rename it, Proteed Access (WPA). Of the two,
address bar in your Web browser. Out look for a setting called Service Set WEP is older, more vulnerable to
of the box, the default IP address of Identifier, or SSIDand be creative hackers and harder to set up. So if
mo routers is either 192.168.1.1 and unprediable. your router gives you the option
(some older ones dont),
choose WPA.
Now youll need to pick
a password. This can be
done on your control pan-
els Wireless Settings page.
Unlike other passwords
(see page 120), theres no
real downside to saving
this information in your
computer, so you dont
need to pick one thats
easy to remember. This
gives you the freedom to
make it as long and unpre-
diable as possible. Also,
write the password down
and tape it to the bottom
of your router. (If you hap-
pen to lose the password
and get locked out of your
networkits happened to
us allpressing the hard
reset button on your router
will cause it to revert to its
faory settings and allow
you to regain entry.)
Now youve secured the
network, but someone
could still get into the
routers control panel and
undo your security. Routers
typically use one of a few
default passwords for
control-panel access, so its
important to set a new one.
This can be done in the
Router Password setting in
the control panel. Dont pick
the same password that
you use to log on to your
network doing so will
make it easier for hackers
to cause trouble. Again,
write the password down
and tape it to your router.
Updating Firmware
Like most electronic gad-
gets and gizmos, a router
relies on internal soware
called rmware. But tech-
nology moves fa, and by
the time you take your
router home and set it up,
its rmware could already
be out of date. Not only
does upgrading to the late
P M D I Y T E C H /// R O U T E R S
version ensure you have the best same priorities. See that control-
possible protection against bugs panel setting called either Access
and security holes, but it could also Control or Schedule? It allows you
add new features, and even increase to limit when people can log on
the speed of your data conneion. meaning you can shut your network
To update your rmware, down- o at night if your kids are choosing
load the latest version from the surng over sleeping and udying.
manufaurers Web site. en, go You might also want to limit
to the Firmware setting in the con- how much bandwidth your com-
trol panel and upload the le. e puter is sucking up. is can be use-
router will reboot itself with the new ful if, for example, your massive
rmware inalled. downloads are preventing your
Netflix- streaming Xbox360 from
Streaming Music and Printing delivering smooth videoyes, I
If youre anything like me, your digital learned this the hard way. is can
music colleion is scattered across be done through a setting that is
multiple computers. Turning on your usually called rottling.
routers iTunes server feature allows
you to stream songs to any com- Changing the DNS
puter hooked up to your network. When you go to a Web site, you
e be way to do this is to conne typically see the domain as a word
a NAS device to one of the routers (such as popularmechanics.com).
USB jacks. But in order to access the site, your
Aer your device is plugged in, computer mu r translate the
any computer logged on to your words into a numerical IP address,
network can access it as if it were such as 12.44.22.1. is task is usu-
an external hard drive. Create a ally done by your Internet Service
music folder on the NAS device and Providers Domain Name Server (or
drag your entire music library into it. DNS), and it doesnt happen
en, go into your routers control inantlythe process can notice-
panel and look for a setting called ably slow down your Web surng.
iTunes Server. Switch this setting Switching your router from your
on. Your music library should now providers DNS to another one can
pop up in iTunes on any computer speed things up. I like OpenDNS,
hooked up to the network. which keeps a large database of IP
Turning your router into a print addresses that it can inantly sum-
server is an equally useful trickit mon, allowing pages to load faer.
allows multiple computers to wire- To use OpenDNS, go to opendns
lessly share a single printer. Fir, .com and follow the setup process.
plug your printer into your routers You dont need to download any
USB port. Youll need to make sure sowareju enter some informa-
the printers driver is inalled on tion about your router. Alterna-
every computer on the network, so tively, you can perform the same
download the latest one off the task from your routers control
manufaurers Web site. en, go panelgo to the DNS Settings tab
into the Printer setting on each and enter 208.67.222.222 and
computers control panel and set 208.67.220.220 in the two slots.
up the router-conneed printer. Your Web browsing will now go
faer. As a bonus, the free service
Controlling Access will automatically corre typosit
I want my network to be as versatile knows that popularmechaniccs
and convenient as possible at all .com really should read popular
hours of the day and nightbut par- mechanics.com and will send you
ents of teenagers may not have the to the right place. FC
Digital Clinic The Security-Queion Back Door
by Seth Porges
Whats your
favorite book? Password-retrieval
security queions
can serve as a hacker-
friendly back door into
your Web mail.
e answers to these
queions can oen be
found by searching in
Google or looking at
your Facebook prole.
To ward o would-be
snoopers, give false
answers. If given the
option, make up your own,
less obvious queion.
Securing Web Mail

Q I rely on Web-based e-mail, but am worried about how secure
these services are. Is there anything I can do to protect my
mail against hackers and digital snoopers?
A Its easy to understand the appeal of Web-based e-mail services such as

Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail and Yahoo Mail. ey are free, oer several
gigabytes of storage and are accessible from virtually any computer or smart-
passwords, resi the temptation to
use the same password for e-mail that
you do for other programsall it would
phone with a link to the Web. And nearly everybody uses them. But in order to take is one hacked account to wreak
enjoy them, users must take a leap of faith. Aer all, the services store mail on immeasurable havoc on your life. To
distant servers, and the fact that you can access your account anytime and make remembering multiple pass-
anywhere means that somebody else potentially could as wellas headlines words easier, try to nd a way to incor-
reminded us last September, when vice presidential candidate Sarah Palins porate the name (or r few letters) of
Yahoo Mail account was hacked. Whats more, if your account does become a site or service into the password.
compromised or you lose your password, it can be nearly impossible to get a Ju make sure it is not done in a way
tech-support agent on the phonea shortcoming that is to be expected from any that would be obvious to somebody
free service that is used by millions of people. So Web-mail users need to be who might umble upon your pass-
especially careful when it comes to their cyber security. Heres how. word. For example, maybe make the
fourth letter of your password the
Picking a Password automatically try every word in the dic- same as the la letter of the Web site
Your password is your r and only tionary as a potential password. is is you are using.
line of defense again snoopers, so why the be passwords utilize a mix
youd better make it a good one. at of letters (preferably both upper and Securing Your Queions
means avoiding any words that can be lower case), numbers and symbols (if Although security queions arent as
found in a diionary. One hacker tech- your service allows them). As dicult obvious as they once were (mostly
nique involves using programs that as it is to remember a dozen dierent gone are the days of Whats your
120 APRIL 2009 | POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM I L LU S T R AT I O N BY G A B R I E L S I LV E I R A

mothers maiden name?), queions One la point: Web-mail services and when it regiers on the screen.
such as What is the name of your can keep users logged in for a very long Whats going on here?
favorite book? (currently oered by time after you quit the browser. Mo high-denition TVs (with CRT TVs
Yahoo Mail) can still be cracked by Sometimes weeks. So make absolutely being a notable exception) have a xed
somebody with initiative and an Inter- sure you log out of your e-mail when resolutionthat is, they always display
net conneion. e answer may even you are doneespecially if you are the same number of pixels, no matter
be in your Facebook prole. And if you using a public or shared computer. what source they are outputting from.
happen to be a high-prole personality, To be sure you are logged out, browse Of course, not every DVD, video game
the answers are oen little more than back to your Web-mail log-in page. and TV channel matches this so-called
a Google or Wikipedia search away And even though mo Web browsers native resolution, which means TVs
(this is how the hacker broke into allow you to store your user name sometimes have to convert video to
Sarah Palins account). ats why you and password in a keychain that the proper resolution before it can be
should never, ever, answer these ques- automatically inserts displayed. Older game
tions truthfully. And if you can, write them when you return 7qs?4Ls?jU syems, such as the
your own security queion (mo of to the site, be wary of PlayStation 2, have a
WHDI
the free Web-mail services give you this. Even if you are (a new andard for native resolution of
this option), and make sure its some- the only person who wireless high-denition) 480i for mo games.
thing that cant be found by looking at uses your computer, Because this matches
Nobody likes cables.
your high school yearbook. laptops can get lost ats why TV manufac- the native resolution
or olenand if that turers are looking to of a standard-defini-
Raising the Security Level happens your log-in build TVs that can tion TV, it works per-
receive high-denition
Of the three mo popular Web mail info will go with it. fectly. But because
video from computers
services, Gmail has the be security and cable boxes without HDTVs typically have
its the only one that gives you the Broadca using wires. In an native resolutions of
option to encrypt all of your mail using TiVo attempt to ave o a
wireless HD format war,
720p or higher, they
a andard called Hypertext Transfer I recently canceled major TV makers such mu convert the out-
Protocol Secure (or https). However, my cable. Can I ill as Sony, Samsung, LG put before they can
this encryption, which makes it dicult use TiVo to save and Sharp have lined up show it. is process
behind one andard:
for digital snoopers to intercept your over-the-air Wireless Home Digital
is quick, but it is not
messages from open Wi-Fi hotspots, television? Interface, or WHDI, and inant, and you may
is turned o by default. To switch it on, You sure can, but, are looking to build it notice a lagparticu-
click Settings on the top of your Gmail thanks to the coun- into TVs this year. WHDI larly with games such
can ream data at 3 GB
page. On the General tab, scroll down trys coming conver- per secondmore than as Guitar Hero that
to where it says Browser conneion sion to digital TV, enough for 1080p video. rely on split-second
and sele Always use https. Alterna- owners of older TiVos timing.
tively, you can ju type https://www will need some addi- Video-game devel-
.gmail.com (notice the s) into your tional hardware. If youve got a newer opers have begun to recognize this
address bar to bring up a secure ver- Series3 TiVo, all youll need to record problem and have taken eps to x it.
sion of the site. is encryption may live broadcasincluding over-the-air Most PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
cause Gmail to load a bit slower, but it high-definition channels is an games allow gamers to choose the out-
is worth it, especially if you are using a antenna. If you have an older Series2 put resolution that matches their TV.
public hotspot. TiVo, youll also need an external digi- ese syems will also output Play-
Hotmail and Yahoo Mail also oer tal recorder box (the same sort older Station 2 and original Xbox games at
https encryption, but only for the user TVs will need to receive over-the-air the resolution of your choice. And while
name and password in your log-in broadcas aer the digital TV transi- there are some additional eps you
pageyour aual messages are ill tion), and you wont be able to record can take to diminish this problemtry
vulnerable. In Yahoo Mail, this setting in HD. Either way, ju because you are setting the TV to Game Mode (if it has
is always on. For Hotmail, you can turn living without cable doesnt mean you one) to speed up the scaling the be
it on by clicking the button that says need to live without the convenience solution may be to pull the old tube TV
Use enhanced security below where of a decent DVR. out of the closet. FC
you enter your password.
If security is a serious concern for Playing HAVE A TECHNOLOGY PROBLEM? Ask Seth
you, consider using the Hushmail Web- Catch-Up about it. Send your questions to
mail service, which uses more I have a PlayStation 2. It works ne pmdigitalclinic@hearst.com or to
Digital Clinic, Popular Mechanics, 300
advanced encryption. The services through a andard-denition TV.
W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019-5899.
free accounts limit you to ju 2 MB of However, when I play it through an While we cannot answer every question
orage, with larger (and more useful) HDTV, there appears to be a small individually, problems of general interest
accounts coing about $35 per year. lag between when I press a button will be discussed in the column.

For advertising rates call Angela Hronopoulos (212) 649-2930, fax: (646) 280-2930, or Tim Fountain (212) 649-2929, fax: (646) 280-2929.
THIS
IS
MY
JOB
FISHERMAN
> JEFF WHITE

> LOCATION: YORK HARBOR, ME
> AGE: 38
> YEARS ON JOB: 20
1. Boat White built the

Jacquie Andi Nicole (named
for his three daughters)
in his driveway in 2004. It
5 has a 40 x 15 berglass
hull and is powered by a John
4
Deere 235-hp six-cylinder
diesel engine.
2. Lobster Trap In the

spring and summer White
uses a pairtwo 13 x 21 x
48in. traps attached to one
buoyto colle his lober
haul. e traps are usually set
about 60 apart, baited with
3 salted herring and checked
once a week. To colle
ground sh, which live on the
2 ocean oor, White uses two
6.5-in. and-up gillnets made
of diamond-shaped mesh.
3. Hydraulic Haulers
Two hydraulic haulers hoi the
lober traps and nets lled
with sh from the water to the
boats deck. Traps are lied
from the arboard side and
1
the gillnets are lied from port.
4. Plotter White uses two

GPS-driven plotters, a Simrad
and a Si-Tex, as guides while
shing. e units use elec-
tronic charts to dete rocks
and shoals, sounding an alarm
if the boat gets too close.
5. Underwater Surveil-
lance (inside cabin) White
uses radar with a 48-mile
range and a 10-in. video screen
to look for other boats and
buoys. A 10-in. video sounder
helps him predi where the
sh will be. Still, It only
e happie two days of Je Whites life were when the parts shows where theyve been,
to build his 40- lober boat arrived at his houseand when not where theyre going, he
says. Its not an ATM card.
they nally le as a completed cra seven months later. e independent sherman You dont get something out
lls traps with lobers and gillnets with ground sh such as pollock, cod or monksh. Now every time you use it.
38 years old, he began shing as a child with his father and took to the water alone at 13,
fetching lober traps during the summer. White and his one-man crew are on the water
each day from 5 am to midaernoon, as far as 15 miles from shore. Fundamentally, its a
huntergatherer thing, he says. You cant do this if you dont love it. ALLIE TOWNSEND
126 APRIL 2009 | POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM PHOTOGRAPH BY GINA LEVAY

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62 e Smarter 76 Weapon of 82 Maers 90 Finding Your

86 e Fa and the Frugal Sensible vehicles dont have

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ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES

how to E-Mail popularmechanics@hearst.com. Mail Popular Mechanics, 300 W. 57th St.,

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EDITORS UPDATE: Since our

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Tankless water heaters cost

up to 60% less to operate

How Propane Tankless Water Save Energy

Easily installed, propane tankless water heaters efciently

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Looking Beyond Via

Register and be automatically Navigation e new

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tainting tributaries. through days of wading.

30 APRIL 2009 | POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM PHOTOGRAPH BY J MUCKLE

advanced features. Take the Kodak Zx1 ($150) :

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32 APRIL 2009 | POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM

designs or nonintuitive interfaces. So

the iPhone, the Pre has a slide-out

users to wirelessly charge the phone by

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POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM | APRIL 2009 37

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid 2 0 0 9 Toyota Highlander

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38 APRIL 2009 | POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM

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Spine Tingler Machismo Redened HOT CHOPPER

40 APRIL 2009 | POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM

e all-new, third-generation Prius was

42 APRIL 2009 | POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM

ink of this concept as the upscale

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46 APRIL 2009 | POPUL ARMECHANICS.COM

The freewatt home energy system provides

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