Popular Mechanics (November 2005)

Citation preview

Scramjets! Bio Energy! 20 Inventions That Will Change the World

CHAIN SAW FACEOFF

TECHNOLOGY

SCIENCE

AUTOMOTIVE

FLY THIS PLANE

OUTDOORS

HOME

Fast, Fun, Affordable Plus: THE NEW “SPORT PILOT” LICENSE YOU CAN EARN IN A WEEK!

Decoding Your Car’s Clunks and Rattles Surprising Carbon Monoxide Dangers pg 109

SEDAN TEST

HOW TO

INSTALL SKYLIGHTS BUILD A CLASSIC BLANKET CHEST REPLACE SHOCK ABSORBERS KEEP YOUR WATER HEATER SAFE ASSEMBLE A HARD DRIVE SPECIAL

DODGE CHARGER, TOYOTA AVALON,

And More …

JAY LENO

Salutes the Great American Gearhead

November 2005 $3.99 US $4.95 CANADA/FOREIGN

CONTENTS

VOLUME 182 NO. 11

66 Planes for

the People

Out of the nearly 3000 show planes at this year’s Oshkosh air show, 13 caught our eye—because almost anyone can fly them, including PM’s intrepid reporter Jeff Wise. How the new light-sport planes and pilot licensing rules are making it easier to take to the skies.

COVER ILLUSTRATION BY JEREMY COOK; HOME DEPOT COVER BY BRIAN BERMAN; PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL EDWARDS (THIS PAGE)

82 Room to Move SUVs aren’t winning any fans at the pump, and carmakers are bringing new life to, yes, the sedan. We took four major new models, ran them around the track, then stuffed them with people and luggage for an on-road workout. Here’s the result.

86 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 When a building has to go, contractors call in the special forces: controlled demolition squads. We tag along with one of America’s top crews to learn more about the science and art of blowing stuff up.

90 What’s That Sound?

Breakthrough Awards 2005 PM salutes 10 innovations that promise to shape the future—transforming energy production, empowering the disabled and opening new realms of exploration. Plus: 10 true benchmark products.

Thump, thump. Did you hear that? Thump. There it is again! Identify (and decode) your car’s cries for help with our special guide—and find out how long you can go before making the repair.

High-tech prosthetics, developed by Breakthrough Award winner Hugh Herr, are helping amputees lead more active lives. Popular Mechanics (ISSN 0032-4558) is published monthly by Hearst Communications, Inc., a unit of the Hearst Corporation, 959 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10019, U.S.A. Victor F. Ganzi, President, Chief Executive Officer; George R. Hearst Jr., Chairman; Frank A. Bennack Jr., Vice Chairman; Catherine A. Bostron, Secretary; Ronald J. Doerfler, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Hearst Magazines Division: Cathleen Black, President; Mark F. Miller, Executive Vice President; George J. Green, Executive Vice President; Raymond J. Petersen, Executive Vice President; John A. Rohan Jr., Vice President and Group Controller. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Canada Post International Publications Mail Product (Canadian Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 40012499. Send returns to Quebecor World, P.O. Box 875, Windsor, ON N9A 6P2. CANADA BN NBR 10231 0943 RT. Registered as second-matter at the Post Office at Mexico D.F., Mexico, June 20, 1950, © 2005 by Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Popular Mechanics, P.O. Box 7170, Red Oak, IA 51591. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE: Popular Mechanics will, upon receipt from its reader of a completely new or renewal subscription order, undertake fulfillment of that order so as to provide the firstcopy delivery either to the Postal Service or alternate carriers within 6 to 12 weeks. If for some reason this cannot be done, you will be notified promptly of the issue date that will begin your subscription, with a request for any further instructions you may have concerning your order. Please address all such orders to us at Popular Mechanics, P.O. Box 7170, Red Oak, IA 51591. Should you have any problem with your subscription, please write Joan Harris, Customer Service Department, Popular Mechanics, P.O. Box 7170, Red Oak, IA 51591 or call toll-free 1-800-333-4948. Please enclose your mailing label when writing to us or renewing your subscription. Subscription prices: United States and possessions, $24.00 for one year; $42.00 for two years. Canada and all other countries add $16.00 for each year. MAILING LISTS: From time to time we make our subscriber list available to companies who sell goods and services by mail that we believe would interest our readers. If you would rather not receive such mailings, please send your current mailing label or exact copy to: Popular Mechanics, Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 7024, Red Oak, IA 51591-0024.

•

•

We cannot be responsible for loss of unsolicited queries, manuscripts or photos. For return, they must be accompanied by adequate postage. AS A SERVICE TO READERS, Popular Mechanics publishes newsworthy products, techniques and scientific and technological developments. Due to possible variance in the quality and condition of materials and workmanship, Popular Mechanics cannot assume responsibility for proper application of techniques or proper and safe functioning of manufactured products or reader-built projects resulting from information published in this magazine.

P O PU L A R M EC H A N I CS • N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 5

5

PM

PM

CONTENTS

N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 5 / VO LU M E 1 8 2 N O. 1 1

T E C H

W A T C H

22 Ready, Wet, Go!

An American company builds a groundbreaking aqua car.

U P G R A D E

33 Will It Break?

We drop and dunk a brandnew Sony PSP to see if it lives.

C O L U M N S

42 Shock Therapy

Do defibrillators operated by amateurs really save lives?

47 New Cars

Honda Civic’s four new flavors, Mitsubishi’s first midsize truck, and Jeep’s new Commander (third-row seats are back!).

55 Jay Leno Special

Jay fires up the Boss Hoss, fires off automotive wit and wisdom, and supports auto restoration craftsmen.

H O M E

J O U R N A L

93 Heavens Above

96 Blanket Coverage

Pullout plans for a Colonialstyle wooden blanket chest.

100 Homeowners Clinic

Adjusting water heaters safely; carbon monoxide dangers from home generators.

C A R

C A R E

113 Saturday Mechanic Replacing worn-out shock absorbers (the right way).

118 Auto Clinic

What to do about finicky fans and water in the gas tank. Plus: transmission fluid roulette.

T E C H N O L O G Y

122 Tech DIY M O N T H LY

14 EDITOR’S NOTES 18 LETTERS 20 TIME MACHINE

106 KEEP IN TOUCH 108 READER PROJECT 136 THIS IS MY JOB

How to assemble your own external hard drive.

124 Tech Q&A

Are digital pictures really gone forever after “Delete All”?

8

N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 5 • P O PU L A R M EC H A N I CS

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MONTE ISOM (HYDRA SPYDER), BRIAN BERMAN (BLANKET CHEST), JOHN LAMM (JAY LENO)

Choosing the right kind of skylight—whether you go the DIY route or call in a pro.

James B. Meigs EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

David Dunbar

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

DEPUTY EDITOR

Jerry Beilinson

DESIGN DIRECTOR Michael Lawton MANAGING EDITOR Sarah Deem

AUTOMOTIVE

Don Chaikin DETROIT EDITOR Jim Dunne SENIOR EDITOR Mike Allen WEST COAST EDITOR Ben Stewart CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Jay Leno, Joe Oldham, Jim McCraw EDITOR

ART SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Peter Herbert ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Michael Friel

PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Allyson Torrisi ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR Alison Unterreiner

PRODUCTION HOME

Roy Berendsohn, Thomas Klenck CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Neal Barrett, Norman Becker, Merle Henkenius, Joe Provey, Joe Truini SENIOR EDITORS

SCIENCE

Jennifer Bogo CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Leslie Sabbagh, Logan Ward, Fred Mackerodt SENIOR EDITOR

TECHNOLOGY

Glenn Derene Rebecca Day, Joel Johnson, Greg Sewell

SENIOR EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

OUTDOORS CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Rich Taylor

Erik Sofge RESEARCHERS Benjamin Chertoff, Davin Coburn ASSOCIATE EDITOR

COPY CHIEF Kim Sipes COPY EDITOR James Ross ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Greig O’Brien PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Steven Baker PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE Jatniel Delgado

IMAGING DIGITAL IMAGING SPECIALIST

Anthony Verducci E D I T O R I A L A D M I N I S T R AT I O N ASST. TO THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tracy Saelinger BUSINESS ASSOCIATE Wendy Logroño EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Ines Kolanovic

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Natasha Carlos, Lucy Shanik, Tyghe Trimble, Geoffrey Wowk POPULARMECHANICS.COM ONLINE EDITOR Ken Juran ONLINE MANAGER Angela Diegel

SUBSCRIPTIONS

800/333-4948

Bill Congdon PUBLISHER

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Jane Wladar

GENERAL MANAGER

Bruce A. Mitnick

EXEC. MARKETING DIRECTOR Mike Kresch SR. MARKETING MANAGER Kim A. Boknoski MARKETING ART DIRECTOR Glen Fuenmayor ONLINE ADVERTISING MANAGER Ted Smith MARKETING MANAGER Chad Meany MARKETING COORDINATOR Andrea Sibilia MARKETING COORDINATOR Claire Rottino PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Carole L. Hartman PRODUCTION MANAGER Liliana M. Ruiz

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Alec Casey ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Jessica Chiola

ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES NEW YORK CHICAGO ACCOUNT MANAGER Matt Bondlow 212/649-2902 ACCOUNT MANAGER Julie Berend 212/649-2876

LOS ANGELES MANAGER Dennis Driscoll 310/664-2921 SALES ASSISTANT Dalia Anaya 310/664-2922

SAN FRANCISCO MANAGER

Marc Yasuda 415/362-7797, ext 236 Hartle Media

MANAGER Spencer J. Huffman 312/984-5191 SR. ACCOUNT MANAGER

Richard T. Weithas 312/984-5195 ACCOUNT MANAGER Luke McEvilly 312/251-5355 SALES ASSISTANT Lisa Havey 312/984-5196 DETROIT MANAGER Laurence E. Lantzy 248/614-6010 SALES ASSISTANT Toni Starrs 248/614-6011

Hearst Magazines Sales, Inc.

DIRECT RESPONSE ADVERTISING

Angela Hronopoulos 212/649-2930 Matthew Schwagerl 212/649-2929 C L A S S I F I E D A DV E R T I S I N G R E P R E S E N TAT I V E

Jamie Mejzak 215/321-9662, ext 48 McNeill Group, Inc., 385 Oxford Valley Rd., Suite 420, Yardley, PA 19067

AB

P U B L I S H E D B Y T H E H E A R S T C O R P O R AT I O N

Victor F. Ganzi

George R. Hearst Jr.

Frank A. Bennack Jr.

PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

CHAIRMAN

VICE CHAIRMAN

HEARST MAGAZINES DIVISION

Cathleen Black

Mark F. Miller

Michael Clinton

PRESIDENT

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER & GROUP PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

Richard E. Deems

Gilbert C. Maurer

PUBLISHING CONSULTANT

PUBLISHING CONSULTANT

PUBLISHED AT 810 SEVENTH AVE., 6TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019 212/649-2000, WWW.POPULARMECHANICS.COM

PM

EDITOR'S NOTES

CONTRIBUTORS

Breakthrough Patrol

B

James Meigs

14

N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 5 • P O PU L A R M EC H A N I CS

There might actually be more thrilling spectacles than watching a demolition crew detonate 372 pounds of explosives inside a building, at least according to writer ERIK SOFGE. “You expect destruction, when, in fact, it is a surgical strike,” he said after witnessing the “graceful” collapse of part of a Memphis hospital complex for this month’s story “5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1” (page 86). Sofge, who also contributed to our March story “9/11: Debunking the Myths,” joins the PM staff this month as associate editor. In stark contrast to the carnival on the ground at the Oshkosh air show, photographer KYLE CHRISTY found the skies above it to be quite tame. “You jump in a plane, talk to the tower and go on up,” Christy says, reflecting on the experience of his inaugural sport plane flight for our story “Planes for the People” (page 66). The lack of speed limit signs and dotted lines particularly intrigued the Los Angeles commuter. “You have the freedom to go wherever you want,” he says. “It felt like a look into the future.” Cabot, Vt., is home to the famous creamery, long, cold winters and BEN HEWITT, writer of this month’s story “Making the Cut” (page 40). With 45 acres of land to call his own, Hewitt counters 200 in. of snowfall each year by feeding his wood stove, his home’s primary source of heat. When cutting his 6- to 24.-in. logs, he can appreciate the convenience of a powerful chain saw. “When the world runs out of fossil fuel,” Hewitt says, “maybe then I’ll cut wood the old-fashioned way.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY ALYSON ALIANO (JAMES MEIGS)

Back in 1912, Popular Mechanics polled scientists around the globe to help identify the most important advances of the day. As noted in Time Machine (page 20), the group’s choices included “wireless” (or radio), the telephone, the airplane, radium and the X-ray. Even today, that list is pretty hard to beat. PM has always been devoted to highlighting innovations that have the potential to improve our lives and expand our horizons. In CUTTING EDGE: Logan Ward interviewed PM’s Breakthrough Award winners. this issue we continue that tradition with the inauguration of the Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards (page 72). To help select today’s most important advances, we put together an advisory panel of leading scientists, thinkers and engineers. And we turned to contributing editor Logan Ward to manage the project. Ward tabulated the votes of our panelists and PM editors, and then interviewed the winners. “I’ve spent the last few months talking to some of this country’s smartest people,” Ward says. “What a privilege.” Our winners include everything from NASA’s revolutionary scramjet to a high-school student’s science project. But every one of them has the potential to make the world a better place. To make sure our awards include the technology of today, and not just tomorrow, we also selected 10 Breakthrough products—the year’s best technological innovations you can own right now. Both groups of Breakthrough Award winners will be feted at an event at New York’s American Museum of Natural History. Go to www.popularmechanics .com to see pictures from the event and to learn more about the winners. Do awards like these really make a difference in the larger scheme of things? I like to think they do. Like everyone else, we at PM watched the post-Katrina calamity in New Orleans in dismay and shock. What we saw was a human tragedy, but also a series of technological failures: the failure to deploy evacuation vehicles; the failure of antiquated levees; the failure of communications equipment; and more. Here at PM we’re dedicated to the idea that the enlightened use of technology can enhance—and protect— human life. It is high time that we as a country learn again to appreciate the importance of basic science and technology. Our effort to honor the scientists and engineers who are making a difference is just a small part of that process. But it is a part.

PM LETTERS PM TIME MACHINE

Busting MPG Boosters =JBPN
HKB
B