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September 2010
Energyland
The road to clean energy is full of enticing opportunities – and perilous pitfalls. Picking the best path requires avoiding both starry-eyed hype and cynical fatalism. In this special report, PM debunks 10 of the most pernicious myths that could derail our progress.
Myth No 1
Nuclear power isn’t a safe solution

In a recent US poll, nearly three-quarters of respondents expressed concern about potential accidents at nuclear power plants. Some... |more|
August 2010
Zeppelin 101
Piloting a Zeppelin Airship is a rare privilege – and harder than it looks.
Floating through the air 60 metres above the ground, i glide past a cluster of buildings, a stand of trees, the shoreline of a shimmering bay. A golf driving range drifts into view. four men stop... |more|
The Popular Mechanics Inventor’s Handbook
The five steps of invention, from inspiration to a market-ready product.
- By Jim Gorman
The metaphorical lightbulb above Tim Leatherman’s head clicked on while he was touring Eastern Europe on the cheap in 1975. Desperate for a way to turn a stripped radiator handle in his freezing... |more|
July 2010
Backyard flamethrower
Blasting innocent vegetables in the name of science.
It’s a beautiful day for... a flamethrower ...or a catapult or a spud gun - any day works for bill gurstelle, mad scientist of Minneapolis.

A crowd gathers in the parking lot of the Susan B... |more|

Ideas unlimited
Far-out engineering concepts.
In this, our latest look at the creations of unfettered minds, we showcase an ‘urban waterfall’ in the sky, a ‘hyper-submersible’ with excellent underwater manners and the world’s first... |more|
Expired patents can be treasure chests for those seeking to weather the stormy economic climate
Theo du Preez
The enormous rate at which information and knowledge is being created, distributed and disseminated renders it crucial that minds creating them enjoy protection and... |more|
The man in the black flying suit
Fear junkie pushes the limits
Up in the sky: a black dot, like a speck of pepper on a white tablecloth, hurtling through the air. I was plummeting at more than 150 km/h myself, the jet roar of wind blasting by, but the speck was... |more|
June 2010
Putting the fun back into flying
Air travel is awful. But next-generation air taxis could help remake the skies.
When I was a kid, I travelled a lot, and I loved to fly. Nowadays, I travel less, and I also enjoy flying less. I don’t think it’s me. I think it’s that flying has become a lot worse – and slower.... |more|
Welcome to the Brooklyn Academy of Mechanical Arts...and Ballistic Sciences
For the mechanical pranksters of New York’s Madagascar Institute, there’s nothing that can’t be improved by adding a fire-spewing pulse jet.
Chris Hackett’s face and broad hands are marked by scars, the evidence of a dozen years of explosions and scrapes. Some are thin, flat lines, while others are deeply grooved or as thick as callouses... |more|
Unpacking the physics of soccer
Without ability, all the science and scholarly research in the world won’t produce a top-class soccer player. However, the skilled player exploits basic physics every time his boot touches the ball – usually without realising it.
Bill Shankly, former manager of Liverpool football club, once said: “Football is not about life or death.

It is more important than that.” This month, as South Africa prepares for the start of the... |more|

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