Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2019 i Popular Mechanics South Africa

MOST DAYS AT my desk, come about 12:07 pm, I feel the disappointment rising in me. That’s because I know what’s waiting for me in my lunch bag. Seven times out of ten, the contents aren’t going to satisfy my hunger, and it’s really all my own doing. Every week I have bold hopes, dreams and aspirations of preparing tasty, nutritious and filling lunches for the week ahead on a Sunday afternoon, but by the time Sunday rolls around, I’m way too lazy to get stuck in in the kitchen. Actually, it’s usually around 10:30 am each weekday when I start to hear my stomach complaining. Yeah, yeah, the question has been asked and answered: I do eat a proper breakfast, usually including eggs, toast, fruit and coffee. This issue…

AS I WATCHED the guy unpack his Phantom 4 drone in the middle of a gorgeous valley in Mongolia, I thought: Part of the reason I blew out my savings account on this trip was to get away from people like this. Here we were, far from LTE reception, watching wild horses run. Beautiful stuff. Then the dude’s propellers started their power-tool whine and his drone was whipping around the sky so he could pretend to be David Attenborough for his Instagram followers. I’m saying, I kind of get why the US Federal Aviation Administration and Congress are changing the rules for drone operation. The literature is a mess of initialisms (FAA, AMA, DHS) and legislation (Bill S.2836, Section 336, Part 107), but the proposals all come down to restricting…

NINTENDO LABO VR If Nintendo Switch is something with which you’re au fait, then you’ve likely also heard of Labo. It’s Nintendo’s cardboard-based interactive modules that bring a new way of interacting with the popular console. The latest addition to the range – Labo VR – takes it one step further by not only giving you the tools to build your own VR headset, but also by letting you build and create the objects that you will be using in your VR games. If you have a Switch, then the Labo VR kit is a must-have – it truly takes VR to mind-blowing new levels. R1 399 (full Labo VR kit; Switch not included) nintendo.co.za…

Desperate measures THE CASE THAT brought phage therapy into the media spotlight involves Tom Patterson, a 72-year-old professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine. While on holiday in Egypt in 2015, he was brought down by severe pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). When local doctors couldn’t help him, he was moved to a hospital in Germany. It turned out that he was infected with a multidrug-resistant strain of Acinetobacter baumannii, a potentially deadly pathogen that is common in the Middle East. He was treated with various different antibiotics – including colistin, known as a ‘drug of last resort’ because of its potential to cause kidney damage – and transferred back home to the US. When Patterson arrived at the university hospital in La Jolla, California, it was…

CTEK CT5 ‘TIME TO GO’ CHARGER Look after your lead batteries. Five-amp charging rate. takealot.com R2 220 TEKU BAMBOO BILTONG SLICER When he really needs that snack. Super sharp stainless steel. capeunionmart.co.za R399 STANLEY CLASSIC TRIGGER-ACTION MUG For a hot- or cold drink while on the go. Double-wall vacuum insulation. capeunionmart.co.za R499 WALLET NINJA A handy tool in his wallet. 10 different functions. capeunionmart.co.za R199 K-WAY HARLOW DOWN JACKET Great for the weekend hike. Waterproof and insulated. capeunionmart.co.za R1 999 MALKIN L1000R FLASHLIGHT A gift that will light up his face. Charged via USB. capeunionmart.co.za R699 CAPE UNION 530 LUMEN SPOT/LANTERN Perfect for load shedding. Beam reaches up to 500 metres. capeunionmart.co.za R499 K-WAY EDGE SHOE Trek on any terrain (just about). Windproof and waterproof. capeunionmart.co.za R1 199 RED-E RSP80 4 PANEL POWER BANK A power source wherever…

THE SPORT OF ICE CLIMBING, in its truest expression, traverses the frozen waterfalls of Hyalite Canyon outside Bozeman, Montana, or the face of Mount Pisgah overlooking Lake Willoughby in Vermont: Climbers use crampons and ice axes to ascend forms sculpted by precipitation, wind, gravity, and various other natural phenomena. But for competition, nature is far too unpredictable. So for the world championships held in Denver this year, the American Alpine Club built the largest ice-climbing structure ever made in the US. It measures 14 metres high and 25 metres wide, and supports two types of climbing routes. Lead routes, which use angles and overhangs to test technical ability, ascend to the structure’s high point. They’re made mainly of plywood, covered sparingly with handholds like those at a climbing gym. But…

I’VE SAID IT BEFORE The real working part of any chisel or blade is the meeting of two facets of a piece of steel. The keener that this meeting is, the sharper the instrument, and the easier the chisel will be to control. Japanese chisels, or nomi, have an unfounded reputation for only being suitable for softwoods. Although traditional Japanese woodwork is generally done using softwoods, these wonderful chisels work in any woods, the same as their Western counterparts. Japanese chisels come in a variety of styles, usually based on their intended use. Most are tanged and have a tapered ferrule where the tang enters the handle. If a chisel has a hoop, ring or ferrule (sagariwa) on top of the handle, it can be struck with a steel-headed Japanese…

DISASSEMBLY REPORT MODEL: FACEBOOK PORTAL+ PRODUCED: CHINA TIME TO DISASSEMBLE: 3 HOURS, 7 MINUTES NUMBER OF PARTS: 115 NOTES: In Infinite Jest, his prescient 1996 novel, David Foster Wallace discussed the rapid rise and fall, within the book’s world, of ‘videophony,’ which turned out to add a kind of social pressure that telephony never did: ‘Good old traditional audio-only phone conversations allowed you to presume that the person on the other end was paying complete attention to you while also permitting you not to have to pay anything even close to complete attention to her.’ Fourteen years later, thanks to FaceTime, the depth of this insight was clear to pretty much everyone with an iPhone: It was kind of a drag to have to give undivided attention to the person…

YOU SEE THINGS – a tennis ball flying at your racket, a lion at the zoo, a funny video – because your eye is absorbing the light in front of it. All of that light goes through a part of your eyeball right near the middle called the lens, where it’s slowed down and bent in a process called refraction, then passed on to the part of your eye called the retina. Your retina is at the back of the eye. It translates the light into information your brain can understand, and your brain tells you what you’re seeing. Here’s a fun experiment you can do with jelly that shows you how refraction works. It uses lasers, which can be dangerous if you look directly at them, so get an…

Master Lock Aluminium Combination Padlock: Has a 20 mm-wide aluminium body with a brass finish, a 3 mm-diameter brass-plated steel shackle that fits most luggage zips, and a 3-digit set-your-own combination. (Limited lifetime warranty.) Master Lock Tower Combination Lock: Has a 37 mm-wide zinc body for strength and durability. The 7 mm diameter shackle is 22 mm long, and made from hardened steel. The 4-dial combination offers keyless convenience. (Limited lifetime warranty.) Master Lock M1 Excell Padlock: Features a tough boron-alloy body that’s 50% stronger than standard padlocks, and a 45 mm laminated steel core with a titaniumreinforced outer body. The octagonal boron-carbide shackle provides maximum cut resistance. Master Lock Solid Brass Padlock: Features a 50 mm-wide solid brass body that’s durable and corrosion resistant. The 8 mm-diameter hardened steel…

WINNING LETTER DRAIN SURGERY I had some major drain gully surgery done, which involved replacing a kitchen area gully that had five pipes draining into it. The gully had been broken down on one side at some stage, to accept additional pipes from a second bathroom. A second gully was installed to accommodate the pipes from the second bathroom, and reduce congestion in the aforementioned gully. To complete the job, I then adapted some standard drain covers to cover all my drains. The kitchen drain cover, which has a garden tap above it, now has a plastic funnel recessed into the cover to allow the tap to drain into it without splashing. The other drains have custom-shaped covers cut to accept the various pipes. I also installed new plastic filter…

ARE WE LIVING in the Matrix’s digital simulation? Why haven’t aliens found us yet? Will robots take over the world? For sci-fi movie buffs, general-knowledge geeks and those who just have big questions, Science(ish) – The Peculiar Science Behind the Movies is a whirlwind journey through popular science. From space, neuroscience and psychology, to artificial intelligence, genetics and even botany, it’s popular science told through the lens of popular movies. Each chapter of Science(ish) is devoted to a classic sci-fi flick, and the book’s authors provide answers that are genuinely funny and engaging, but also in-depth and academically researched. Science(ish) has two authors – Rick Edwards, who has a degree in natural sciences from Pembroke College, Cambridge, and Dr Michael Brooks, who received a PhD in quantum physics. From 28…

NO MATTER IF YOU’RE addicted to Angry Birds, mad about Mobile Strike or simply cannot get enough of Candy Crush, mobile games are here to stay. What’s more is that they’re actually the biggest player in the video game market. Last year, according to Newzoo’s Global Games Market Report, mobile games made up more than half of the entire video-game-revenue segment, making more money than both PC and console games combined. THE APP ECONOMY This is the app economy and mobile gaming is evolving as rapidly as the smartphones on to which the games are being downloaded. Don’t know where to start? Wondering what everyone else is busy playing? Here’s what the Popular Mechanics team can’t put down: • Fortnite (iOS, Android) The best thing about Epic Games’ free-to-play online…

Learning the elementary skills of mountain climbing, schoolchildren in Kent, England, practise holds and techniques on a portable wooden device called an ‘instant mountain.’ Made of plywood and stringers, the 6-metre climbing board can be dismantled into two sections and is easily carried by four men. Blocks of wood in various shapes and sizes duplicating hand- and footholds found on real mountains are then attached to the plywood surface. A separation between the two sections simulates a rock shelf, and the surface of the upper section is divided to simulate a crevice for practising counterpressure holds.…

For the budding metallurgists out there, let me delve a little deeper into the topic of steels used in Japanese tools. Shirogami (white paper steel) is used to make tools that can be sharpened to an excellent edge using good quality natural stones or fired ceramic stones. It is a carbon steel with only very small amounts of impurities such as phosphorus and sulphur. It has a very narrow range of temperatures for hardening and thus requires the blacksmith to be extremely skilled. There are three forms of white paper steel, each with a different carbon content: 1) 1.2–1.4 per cent carbon; 2) 1.0–1.2 per cent carbon; and 3) 0.8–0.9 per cent carbon. Aogami (blue paper steel) also contains very little phosphorus and sulphur, but tungsten and chromium are added…

Is there any way to repair a hollow-core raised-panel door? Jim S Bad news: You can buy replacement door skins for smooth slab doors, but not for a door like yours. You could repair the hole, I suppose, if it’s in the centre of one of the raised panels. In that case, glue some thin plywood over it and do the same to the surrounding panels. My advice, however, is to go ahead and replace it. It’s a simple project, and inexpensive. The replacement door will cost you about R500. Use the existing door as a template to locate the knob and hinge positions on the replacement door. From there, you’ll need a hole saw to make the knob cut-out and a chisel to cut the hinge mortises. That’s pretty…

TOYOTA PRIUS – Thank Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio for making these the must-have hybrid, even though they weren’t particularly good. BUGATTI VEYRON/CHIRON – It did the impossible by being the first production car to break 400 km/h. Makes you forget what a financial disaster it was. LITTLE TIKES COZY COUPE – The first kids’ car sold in 1979 and referred to by The New York Times in 1998 as the best-selling ‘car’ of the decade. This is where many of us got a taste for driving at a young age. CITROËN TRACTION AVANT – We can’t leave the French out entirely. So here’s the first car to use fully independent suspension and a monocoque construction.…

THE EVERYWHERE CHAIR In 1998, Tim and Donna Swenson’s son Jeff was paralysed in a car accident. Soon after, Tim decided to design an outdoor wheelchair for him. In 2009, that hobby turned into a fully fledged manufacturing operation in Marshall, Minnesota that has since expanded to a 25-employee operation that’s built more than 3 000 all-terrain chairs. Action Trackchairs are electric, with a 16 km range – or more, if you hook up an optional 1 000-watt generator – and some models have a power-tilting seat to compensate for steep slopes. The chairs can tow up to 70 kg, meaning that hunters can get their game back to camp. A Trackchair can handle many water crossings. There are even two types of tracks: one that gives a smoother ride,…

I ASKED HIM, the chief technology officer of a private equity firm that manages hundreds of billions of dollars, about his job. About the people he hires, the success of Slack, building systems that work with such sensitive data. At the end of our conversation, an admission: ‘I haven’t turned on the Gmail two-factor authentication,’ he said, referring to the feature in which you sign into your Gmail or Apple or Dropbox account from a new device and have to enter a code that Google or Apple or Dropbox sends you. ‘I should. I know I should. It’s just. Ugh.’ Of all people, an industry-top CTO should understand the importance of digital security, and be motivated to put up with the annoying bits. But like all of us who’ve had…

UNDER ARMOUR RUSH It’s in that moment, late in your workout when you’re drenched in sweat, straining for extra oxygen, that it probably won’t occur to you that one per cent extra effort might make all the difference. Yes, it’s a colossal task, but you now have Under Armour’s new Rush range of workout gear to help you. Partnering with Celliant, a brand name in synthetic polymer fibres, the Rush range is constructed from mineral-infused fabric that is designed to enhance athletic performance. It provides the same benefits as an infrared sauna by recycling your body’s energy. (Well, that’s what we’re told, anyway.) Sadly, you won’t end up with a suit quite as impressive as Black Panther’s, but the premise is the same – recycle potentially wasted energy, and look…

IMAGINE YOU WORKED for an airport security company and a mechanical engineer (and fluid dynamicist) said to you, ‘You should stick this dog nose that I made on a 3D printer on to the front of your bomb detector.’ If the engineer in question was Matthew Staymates, of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the US, you would do well to accept his offer. Staymates and his collaborators have synthesised an artificial dog nose that improved the odorant-detection capability of a commercially available explosives detector 16-fold when used in ‘active sniffing’ mode. So, this remarkably effective change in design was based not only on the structure of a dog’s nose, but also on how it uses it. This example beautifully illustrates the youngish design philosophy and approach known…

SO YOU WANT TO BE A GAME DEV? Meet Geoff Burrows, local mobile-game developer and founder of Zero Degree Games. POPULAR MECHANICS: What do you love the most about mobile? Geoff Burrows: The accessibility of mobile games gives the platform a constant presence – your phone is in your pocket, bag, hand, or right next to you while you’re chilling on the couch. As someone who’s always identified as a gamer, this platform is a part of my most beloved hobby, and it liberates gaming from its technical confines by inviting people who would otherwise be unable to play digital games. And more people playing games, sharing this hobby with me, makes me happy. PM: What’s currently getting the most playtime on your phone? GB: I play a mix of…

IF YOU’RE SOMEONE who still considers gaming as just something for kids and nerds, you have a lot of catching up to do. Not only has gaming soared past its humble beginnings to become a multibillion- dollar industry, but it has also established itself as a professional sport. Certain countries, including South Korea, have embraced the evolution. Their stadiums get filled to the brim for e-sports tournaments, and their government continues to build even more venues to keep up with the demand. Let’s also not forget the numerous young American and European millionaires who’ve made substantial fortunes playing and streaming games. Back here in South Africa, the picture is a bit different, but the situation is steadily improving. THE LOCAL SCENE The appetite to both play and view competitive gaming…

WOW! WE’VE visited many South African wineries, but we’ve never experienced such generosity, both in the range of fine wine on offer and the amount of food on the platters.’ The words of our friends visiting from the UK perfectly summed up what a visit is like to our local award-winning winery called Stettyn, about 16 km north of Villiersdorp on the R43 to Worcester. But living close by, we’re spoilt – so it’s good to be reminded. Stettyn is clearly special, but I wanted to know a little more about the actual winemaking process. Stettyn Cellar is the winemaking facility for a group of farms situated in a wide valley south of Worcester and north of Villiersdorp, in the Western Cape. These farms – Stettyn Vineyards, Stettyn Estates, Jonkersrivier,…

a/ Using a metre-long piece of string (or butcher’s twine), align the two drumsticks in the centre of the piece of string. b/ Pull the string up and over the top of the drumsticks. Pull the right-hand piece of string underneath the left drumstick, and do the same with the left-hand piece of string, creating a figure-eight. c/ Pull the string tight, drawing the drumsticks together. d/ Next, pull the string taut towards the top (neck) of the chicken, and flip it over. e/ Tie the string tight around the wings of the chicken, forming a knot, and trim off any excess string. f/ Flip the chicken over again to prepare it for cooking… It’s not going anywhere!…

IF YOU THINK THAT pocket-hole joinery is a modern marvel, you’re mistaken. This method of joinery was in fact invented by the ancient Egyptians, thousands of years ago Artisans would clamp two workpieces together and bore a hole at an angle from one of the items into the other. They then inserted a dowel, along with a little hot hide glue, and cut the dowel off flush with the surface, which resulted in a sturdy and neat finish. Fast-forward to the 20th century, and the technique has effectively evolved into two joinery methods: Dowelling, and more recently, pocket-hole joinery using metal screws. During the 1980s, the modern pocket-hole joint grew in popularity with the advent of the self-tapping screw. It eliminated the need to drill into the second workpiece altogether…

SNOW! HOW IT WORKS: IGLOOS YOU MIGHT HAVE MADE snow angels and snowmen. Perhaps you’ve even had a snowball fight. But have you ever built an igloo? Originally used by Inuit, the native people of Canada and Greenland, igloos are domes of snow that get warm inside using body heat. In fact, the inside of an igloo can be as warm as 15.5°C, even when it’s -45°C outside! Inuit have long knives called snow knives that they use to cut blocks from the snow on the ground. Each block is about 30 cm wide, 60 cm long, and 45 cm deep. With each new row, the blocks lean in a little more, eventually coming together at the top. The most important thing about making an igloo is that the blocks…

‘My latest favourite gadget is my new Apple Watch Series 4. I’ve been focusing a lot on health and fitness this year and it’s been so amazing to track my workouts and see actual progress from when I first started! You can now send competition requests to your friends in the latest Watch OS 5 update, so you can all help motivate each other to reach your fitness goals.’…