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Popular Science (April 2005) PDF

132 Pages·2005·12.48 MB·English
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BONUS FOLDOUT! HOW TO BUILD A TERROR-PROOF SKYSCRAPER WHAT’S NEW 3399 ➤ HHOOTT ➤ pp..1133 PPRROODDUUCCTTSS LL AA UU TT RR YY II .. VV TT SS LL II VV AA EE RR UU OO NN YY ++ AA CC +++ TT EE DLDL LLII FFTTFFHHEE ERER EE00NN CC EE —— ?? AATT 1155 MM PP HH CCaaBBrryyrr eePPororaarrss ccGGhhTeTe LLLLIIIIFFFFEEEE AAAAFFFFTTTTEEEERRRR HHHHUUUUBBBBBBBBLLLLEEEE aanndd MMiiccrroossoofftt US$3.99 CAN $4.99 1100TTTTEEEELLLLEEEESSSSCCCCOOOOPPPPEEEESSSS TTTTHHHHAAAATTTT WWWWIIIILLLLLLLL APRIL 2005 POPSCI.COM 04> RRRROOOOCCCCKKKK YYYYOOOOUUUURRRR UUUUNNNNIIIIVVVVEEEERRRRSSSSEEEE WWIINNGGEEDD CCOOLLOOSSSSUUSS OOFF AAIIRRBBUUSS BBEEHHIINNDD TTHHEE SSCCEENNEESS AATT TTHHEE AA338800 UUNNVVEEIILLIINNGG 0 92567 10855 8 T VOLUME 266 #4 CONTENTS APRIL 2005 Pulse pounding,you hit the brakes and crank the wheel,but it’s too late: You slam into the wall at 150. And then? You stand up,go to the kitchen,and FOUNDED IN1872 grab some more cheese puffs and a soda. tech RACE AGAINST REALITY,p.46 13|What’s New Superpowerful cordless bandsaw. Cam- eras attached to all kinds of gadgets. Remote-controlled toys for the grown-up kid. Jeep’s new off-road concept vehicle. 83|How2.0 GEEK GUIDEMastering astrophotography. YOU BUILT WHAT?!A teeny tiny guitar amp. GRAY MATTER Old-school flash powder. TECH SUPPORTMake your own mash-up. HL news and views A D N O 29|Headlines GR A SPACE TECHSatellite-hunting robots. K NETT; MI OALCTEERANNAOTIGVREA FPUHEYLWSeialfliloe oNr elalsbo ngo’se bs ioondliiensee.l. 46 CAR MEDICINEA new bone glue for fractures. B. N OH 40|Soapbox HIERLITZ; J PspLUaGmG’sE Ds cINouSrwgei.t cBhy iCnogr yso Dfotwctoarroew can stop M SC SCIENCE FRICTIONA young scientist’s un- NEILL; TO lsikteolyr ciheamspion: cartoons. By Gregory Mone 72 C A N M 46|Race Against Reality We hit the H O racetrack with six hot cars,two pro drivers OS; J and one videogame. How does Xbox’s DI G STU Forzacompare to the real deal? By Joe Brown N AMI 56|Birth of a TitanAt last! Airbus rolls G OS. OFT its first A380 out of the hangar. Take a 65 13 UDIOS visual tour of the world’s biggest passen- G STMICR ger aircraft. By Bill Sweetman OFT GAMINCOURTESY 6el5ev|aTtohres ,Lreofwug-Re aisreka sH aingdh o-Rthiesre iFninreo-vsaa-fe CROSNETT/ tions: How safe will the Freedom Tower ON THE COVER: JOHN B. CARNETT/COURTESY MITHIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: JOHN B. CAR 16tst7db8eh0oe2lFCeere?Lr o |se otpABAcnotmytont tesr ap Ltristtnaabsehrru.us eoocr t tintobEeoir docs Gsce imitoorcomvleyrda .m’ etsB,oa yNfrn ryW oea mbxni19ldult2i 5 a HrS4BmiFaue iYL ngdbSoId bpoTdeelkreehe iG’endsipn gosW l gudbBescmeaeclTacdeokneswn- 56 T FROM THE EDITOR Editorial Director Scott Mowbray EditorMark Jannot Art Director Nathalie Kirsheh Executive Editor, Features Emily Laber-Warren Science Editor Dawn Stover Senior Technology Editor Suzanne Kantra Kirschner Senior Editor, What’s New Eric Hagerman Aviation & Automotive Editor Eric Adams Senior Editors Michael Moyer, Kalee Thompson Managing Editor Jill C.Shomer Senior Associate Editor Nicole Dyer Gentlemen, Copy Chief Rina Bander Associate Editors Jenny Everett, Mike Haney, Martha Harbison Assistant Editor Rena Marie Pacella Start Your Assistant Editor, Best of What’s New Joe Brown Deputy Art Director Christopher Chew DesignerApril Bell Photo Editor Kristine LaManna Physics Staff PhotographerJohn B.Carnett Editorial Assistant Barbara Caraher Web Producer Peter Noah Engines Contributing Design EditorChee Pearlman Contributing Automotive EditorStephan Wilkinson Contributing Editors Cory Doctorow, Theodore Gray, Joseph Hooper, Preston Lerner, Gregory Mone, Jeffrey Rothfeder, Jessica Snyder Sachs, Rebecca Skloot, Bill Sweetman, Phillip Torrone, James Vlahos, Charles Wardell, William Speed Weed MY SEVEN-YEAR-OLD SON REX HAS FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THE Contributing TroubadourJonathan Coulton video arcade at the local ESPN Zone,and so have I. Our standard drill involves Contributing FuturistAndrew Zolli Contributing Artists Mika Grondahl, Jason Lee, John loading up a gamecard with $20 worth of credits,quickly and relentlessly MacNeill, Garry Marshall, Stephen Rountree, Bob Sauls squandering that recreational bounty,and (after a token show of parental Editorial InternAmanda MacMillan resistance) re-upping for another helping. Every machine is a sport simulator POPULAR SCIENCE PROPERTIES of one kind or another,many with total-body engagement. There’s the clutch- PublisherGregg R. Hano the-bar hang glider,the fully prone street luge,the hobbyhorse Kentucky Advertising Director John Tebeau Derby. And of course,there is every imaginable networked challenge-your-pals General Manager Robert Novick Executive Assistant Chandra Dwhaj racing sim,from snowmobile to hydroplane to Formula One. Northeast Advertising Office: Manager Howard S. Mittman Most of these games seem carefully designed to stave off user frustra- (212) 779-5112, Jill Schiffman (212) 779-5007, Mike Schoenbrun (212) 779-5148, tion by amply rewarding incompetence,every reckless 150mph collision Mike Saperstein(212) 779-5030 triggering a favorable course correction and little loss of time. Still,the phys- Ad Assistant Christopher Graves Midwest Advertising Office: ManagerJohn Marquardt icality of the play got me wondering: Is there any possibility Rex is learning (312) 832-0626, Megan Williams (312) 832-0624 Ad AssistantSindy Sonshine something on these machines? He’d gotten particularly adept at a skate- Los Angeles Advertising Office: ManagerDana Hess boarding game,maintaining balance while shifting his weight side to side to (310) 268-7484, Ad AssistantMary Infantino Detroit Advertising Office: ManagerDonna Christensen steer. Any chance these skills would translate in the real,untethered world? (248) 988-7723,Ad AssistantDiane Pahl My curiosity about the blurring line between videogame simulation San Francisco Advertising Office: ManagerAmy Cacciatore (415) 434-5276,Ad AssistantCarly Petrone and reality was piqued again when POPSCIautomotive editor Eric Adams Southern Regional Advertising Office: ManagerDave and assistant editor/game junkie Joe Brown mentioned the impending re- Hady (404) 364-4090,Ad Assistant Christy Chapman Classified Advertising Sales Joan Orth (212) 779-5555 lease of Microsoft’s Forza Motorsport. This game has a sophisticated physics Direct Response SalesMarie Isabelle (800) 280-2069 Business ManagerJacqueline L. Pappas engine that subjects its virtual supercars to real-world racing conditions with Director of Brand & Business Development hyperrealistic fidelity. Iwondered:By the time Rex turns 16,will we be LS.a Dleesn Dneetvt eRloobpemrtesnotn Managers Daniel Vaughan UP; sending him straight from the sim to the highway—or,better yet,to the Senior Manager, Events and Promotions O R American Le Mans course at Road Atlanta? CCrheriasttyiv Ce hSaeprivni cEellisn gDeersigner MaryMcGann R iG Eric and Joe proposed an audacious test. We’d gather two high-end Marketing CoordinatorEshonda Caraway FO gaming rigs,two expert drivers,one racetrack,and six hot real-world cars ACodnvseurmtiseinr gM Caorkoerdtiinnga tDoirreEcvteolyrnB Narebgarroan Venturelli GLIA RTEL that also exist in Forza’s virtual reality,and we’d see just how well the game Senior Planning ManagerMargerita Catwell CEMA r(tbadnhenrrpaoeidvltat i e rcktterhaon’ates eelm istcetw ykedth n o?haet-aPcd iasocra conioytnuub tdcnaahhelbte ea rl dloayblc ef lb iinnntnehogcgdeteo .e mfcxaAaapdiesmte vh irfmee ioone orpnft f rucRPfee.ro seA.e srxI issto,vc inydehsloe yeapus Ctpat’hlrgliai itbedrneru i .4e shtWcre6iao s,ti v oltGvlhe tsTirahdi mtweeo olwdhsig nueunaenolemt ’ sirbym eroePe tuar“swtte oetrseuulatyeriro nncnsneiu ntfvHpougip lreJ,n”tlonaueehnnsa’esst)l CSPPPPerurrooeenbnppdilsoirruuceercim tsstPyisseor MorDMn d iMaarAuennasccaasrttikigogoseeretnatrr RinDnoHJotgibarsS yeéMllhnic eaM taK owDneornaedeL agpiaGnkpeuatlorreeesrlnl nAKduranmid eFseifer, Kristen Shue OMING BY MICHELLE HEL FOR STOCKLAND OC still falls off his skateboard just like any other kid starting out. I’m certainly PresidentMark P. Ford GRUE nMmoaArtRk Kc.jal JinmAnNobtN@inOtigmT ei4n.tcoo ma car with him until he gets some real-world experience. SVEDCFcuodeiUicrsrnieStt too2iocTotrmO4ro riM/r aeM,V 7rlC. sEi DceosRSereriarpv SrePuvioEccreirRecetaroeVhsYt,reioIo dC pfSCuefEl,c eon cAoamSatstsNttnme e J MDva auuemnlosSsnieoUwec Sa soBcb htuSaiFrou.arCl nl r:EyWeR sl8I sPSe0eTab,0Im O -s2aiNt8reaS9: -Fp9ao3rpb9se9cr iM.ocroo mwrm/raiter to: N BAKER/REDUX; YLING BY NAILA R Popular Science P.O. Box 62456 Tampa, FL 33662-4568 BEST 6 POPULAR SCIENCE APRIL 2005 T CONTRIBUTORS YOUR GUIDE TO THIS MONTH’S POPSCI From “astrophotography”to “zaps” ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY PAGE 83 BANDSAW, CORDLESS 13 BELUGA JETS 59 BENNY GOODMAN 83 CARS, PLASTIC 124 CHEESE PUFFS 48 CHERENKOV LIGHT 79 CYBERCOPS, OVERTAXED 40 DIABESITY 96 DIAGRID STRUCTURE 65 ECLIPSE, HYBRID 32 Carving through the hype surrounding the Freedom Tower, the new skyscraper earmarked ELEVATORS, FIRE SAFE 66 for the World Trade Center site, required the crafty bad-cop/good-cop approach of reporter FIRST-CLASS DOUBLE BEDS 58 LAURIE GOLDMAN[left] and her dad, SANDER[center], a New York City–based construction consultant.Together they made the rounds with architects and engineers, teasing out the tech- FRICTION COEFFICIENTS 48 nical details of what proponents have called “the safest building in the world.” (Guess what? GEORGE CARLIN 58 It’s not.) “It’s a gift to work with your father on a project,” says the younger Goldman. “Peo- GRAVITATIONAL WAVES 73 ple would let down their guard and talk to my dad, one construction veteran to another.” Taking the architectural drawings and making them informative was a breeze for POPSCIcon- HOLY HEISENBERG! 44 tributing artist MIKA GRONDAHL[right], who is finishing a master’s degree in architecture. HYDROPHONE 31 “It is interesting trying to guess in the design of the Freedom Tower where Daniel Libeskind’s influence ends and David Childs’s takes over,” he says. See “Low-Risk High-Rise,” page 65. INTERFEROMETER 78 LABORATORY, UNDERWATER 30 PhotographerTOM SCHIERLITZbuilds wood furniture as LAGRANGE POINT 2 75 NETT M51, WHIRLPOOL GALAXY 84 R a hobby, so he knew a thing or two about saws before he shot CA the cordless bandsaw featured on page 13. Schierlitz likens MAGNESIUM POWDER 90 B. N his photography day job to furniture design. “It’s mostly about MASS, DISTRIBUTION OF 98 OH geometry and patience,” he explains. “You look at the item you Y J NEUTRINOS, COSMIC 79 B need to photograph—or pick up a couple pieces of wood— D E and then you create something with it.” OFF-ROAD SEGWAY 25 PH A R POPSCIassistant editorJOE BROWN’s fascination with cars started PARASITIC SATELLITES 30 OTOG early—he was reprimanded for constantly doodling them in 6th PERFORMANCES, DISMAL 38 H P grade, and indulged in illegal street racing as a college student. PORSCHE CARRERA GT 48 AN Tdhriivs emr oanntdh ,a hne ewxprieterst iambpoourt tt-cwuos toramciiznegr —afiwcihoon atedsot sM—icar opsroof tr’as cecar QUIET DISHWASHER 16 WEETM Puoltrrascrehae liisntcicluFdoerdz)a avti dtheeo gRoaamde Aatglaanintast ttrhaec kr e[apla dgeea 4l 6(s]u.perhot RRAEFYULEGIGE HR OWOAMVES 16072 E; BILL S U Q Artist ROB KELLY, who has made portraits of our columnists [pages SEISMOMETER, AFFORDABLE 101 ES V 40 and 42], as well as our Headlines from the Future gurus [page SPAM-FIGHTERS, AMATEUR 40 R LE 38], got the portraiture bug a decade ago when he made a cut- E F paper image of Orson Welles. “The cut paper gave a look I’d never SPECTRA, ABSORPTION 77 NNI E seen before. When I woke up the next morning and looked at it THE ESSES 51 Y J again, I thought ‘Wow!’” Kelly created this year’s NBA All-Star TITANIUM SHEETS, MOLDED 62 ED B Game poster. His work has appeared in The American Prospect. H P ‘TOON-WATCHING BINGE 44 RA G What was the first thing that popped into contributing editor O TUBE GUITAR AMP, TINY 86 OT BILL SWEETMAN’s head on seeing Airbus’s latest aircraft, the H mammoth A380? “Moby Dick!” he says. “It’s not just the aircraft VERTICAL AXIS 20 N P A that’s big. Everything on it—from the engines to the landing gear— VIBRATION TESTS 59 DM is huge.” Sweetman traveled with POPSCIstaff photographer John B. OL VITRIFICATION 34 G Carnett to Toulouse, France, to chronicle the unveiling of the 550- E RI plus-seater, complete with a fold-out cocktail bar [see page 56]. ZAPS 54 U A L 8 POPULAR SCIENCE APRIL 2005

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