Video

Downloading the Olympics

Microsoft is promoting "Olympics on the Go," downloadable coverage that only works on Windows Vista

Bill Gates is taking over the Olympics. The supposedly retired CEO of Microsoft has taken his antitrust antics to new heights with the launch of NBC Olympics on the Go. Using a dedicated video player provided by TVTonic, users can specify their viewing preferences and events will download automatically when they're available. Commuters taking public transit can even watch saved video without an internet connection.

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The Breakdown

International Experiments In Relative Motion

Watch a dedicated Japanese research team fire a ball from a speeding pickup truck — all in the name of science

While the principle is fairly straightforward, this video is such an endearing representation of the concept of relative motion that we had to share it. Who wouldn't appreciate the lengths they went to do the demonstration, not to mention the dramatic atmosphere of the video!

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Gray Matter

Let Burning Metals Lie

There’s not much you can do to put out a magnesium fire. Douse it with water or spray it with a fire extinguisher, and the results can even be explosive


If you ever see a large industrial metal fire (yes, they happen) on the news, you may be surprised at what the firefighters do to extinguish it: nothing. Several metals, including lithium, sodium and magnesium, can burn easily, and from time to time large amounts catch fire in factories. But even heaps of burning metal need not cause immediate panic. They don’t blow up; instead they tend to build up ash that chokes off their oxygen supply, so they slowly burn out.

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PopSci 5-Minute Project: Gadget Charging Station

Clear the clutter without losing power


World of wires got you down? Clear the clutter with your very own fire-proof gadget charging station. Editor Mike Haney shows how a power drill and some tape can transform a bread box into a pint-size panic room just for chargers.

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When Le Mans Racecars Fly

Should sports-car racing's top dogs be grounded for safety?


The run-up to the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race is always a nail-biting enterprise for race teams. Naturally, techs are most concerned with assuring cars' ability to sustain the day-night race, which is the ultimate test for GT cars and sportscar prototypes that will wind through the Circuit of the Sarthe -- on a combination of racetrack and public roads -- in Le Mans, Sarthe, France. This year there's an added kink keeping teams up nights. It appears the gods of aerodynamics have been sending LeMans prototype-class racecars into the ether with a cosmic finger flick.

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The Breakdown

Extreme Ski Jumping

Our physics expert explains how these skiers launch themselves off cliffs without getting a scratch—and why you shouldn't try



Skiing off of a 245 foot vertical cliff–looks like fun. It also looks like an insurance disaster in the making. And yet the skiers make it to the other side with nary a scratch. As you doubtless intuitively suspect, they end up ok because of the relatively “soft” snowy landing. As long as the acceleration involved in coming to a stop during impact is not beyond a certain threshold they can survive the fall. According to Newton’s Second Law (F = ma) if you extend the time of impact you reduce the acceleration (a = Δv/Δt) and therefore the force acting on a crazy extreme sport adrenaline junkie. The snow increases both the time and distance over which the collision occurs giving these guys a reasonable chance of walking away alive and without serious internal injuries. So let’s estimate how deep the snow needs to be for a safe landing.

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The Breakdown

Fun With Standing Waves

Our physics expert explains the science behind a trippy party trick


In this video, we see a dramatic demonstration of standing waves patterns, which form when travelling waves constructively and destructively interfere as they pass through one other.

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PopSci 5-Minute Project: Disc Doctor

The prescription for a sick CD? Toothpaste, MSG and wood polish, of course

About to chuck that busted CD? Not so fast, young grasshopper. Web editor Megan Miller demonstrates three ways to resurrect those scratched discs using stuff you probably already have sitting on your shelf.

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Die Neue Zero to Sixty

With the help of YouTube, a lap around the legendary (and publicly accessible) Nürburgring in Germany is becoming a new gold standard of auto performance

Back in 1946, Mechanix Illustrated writer "Uncle" Tom McCahill began measuring cars' performance by how quickly he could launch them from a standing start to 60 miles per hour. That measure, evocative in its simplicity, quickly became the standard for judging a passenger car's performance, and a perfect proxy for advertisers to capture the excitement of driving in a single phrase. Zero to 60 in a scorching 5.5 seconds!

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Marine Metropolis

Tens of millions of starfish-like creatures live side by side on an underwater mountain.



Scientists surveying the submerged Macquarie Ridge, which stretches from New Zealand almost to the Antarctic Circle, have discovered a water world teeming with life. Tens of millions of starfish-like creatures live on an underwater mountain dubbed "Brittlestar City," whose unique shape and location make it possible for these animals to survive in such crowded conditions.

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POPSCI'S 21ST ANNUAL BEST OF WHAT'S NEW


Every year, PopSci honors the top 100 innovations in categories such as consumer products, medical tech and engineering.

Learn more and submit your product or technology today at popsci.com/enter.

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