Popular Mechanics July 2015 - August 2015

Welp, that was fast. It’s been a year since I got here. This year was a big deal for me, of course. But for Popular Mechanics? My first year was its 113th. I’m just the latest lucky sonofagun to be entrusted with a piece of its existence. We’ve done our best with this issue to continue its long tradition of explaining the secrets of the universe, and in fact (as you may have noticed on the cover) we’re loosely calling this the “Secrets of the Universe Revealed” issue. Holograms (page 62), electricity (page 86), pirates’ treasure (page 56), the science behind everyday products (page 88)—these are topics that could have been covered in almost any era, which is kind of cool. Still, I’ve been thinking about what it means to…

FRI 7/3 THE MOVIE RECOMMENDATION: CARTEL LAND Matthew Heineman’s documentary covers the vigilante movement on both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border. The movie follows a small-town physician in Michoacán leading a civilian fight against an infiltrating cartel, and a self-appointed border-patrol unit in Arizona on the lookout for human trafficking coyotes. It’s a harrowing account of enforcing law in lawless land, and Heineman went under fire—filming through shoot-outs in Mexico—to show us. SAT 8/8 HOW TO PAINT OUTSIDE IN MID-AUGUST Try and do it on an overcast day, since direct sunlight dries paint too quickly, leading to blistering. If it’s a bright day, start in the morning and follow the sun around the garage, painting in the shade where the sun has just been and won’t be coming back. SAT…

Mike Fobes originally wanted a new Harley. He hadn’t had a street bike since before his kids were born and now they were nearly grown. But his wife would not abide it. Rather than get into a drawn-out argument, he relented. He wouldn’t buy a motorcycle. But he never said he wouldn’t build one. And as a further concession to his wife’s safety concerns, he decided he wouldn’t even build a bike. Technically. Rather, his chopper would have four wheels. The 55-year-old master mechanic and auto-tech instructor looted a rotary engine from an old Mazda RX-7, put in a two-speed circle-track racing transmission, and attached two independent front wheels and two Avon 250 tires in the back. For something that looks like it’s straight out of hell, Fobes’s bike is…

Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@popularmechanics.com. Include your full name and address. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. CUSTOMER SERVICE/SUBSCRIPTIONS online: service.popularmechanics.com, email: popcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com, mail: Popular Mechanics, P.O. Box 6000, Harlan, IA 51593, subscribe: subscribe.popularmechanics.com. FROM A FELLOW FAN OF THUNDERSNOW You’ve given me yet another reason to renew my subscription. The Jim Cantore article (“The Storm Chaser,” May) was outstanding. I thought I was the only person who was transfixed by thundersnow. Now, I’m sure that someone will complain about Jim’s language and about the torn-up parking ticket, but to me, both of those elements helped to make one fascinating story. Readers met the real Jim Cantore, the guy we’ve been watching ever since he had hair. In addition to the meteorologist, we got…

01 STROMER S ELECTRIC BIKE The ST2 is the moped of the twenty-first century, except it can go almost 30 miles per hour, has a range of more than 90 miles, and won’t embarrass you when a friend sees you riding it. The digital display lets you regulate motor output and shows your speed and battery life, and you can use the app on your phone to track the bike or lock the wheels if you think it’s been stolen. $6,990 02 DYSON CINETIC BIG BALL VACUUM Traditional cyclonic vacuums use centrifugal force to expel most dirt particles into a collection bin. Everything else is trapped in a filter. For the new Cinetic Big Ball, however, Dyson added a series of smaller, more powerful cyclones that remove all of the…

TO QUICKLY HEAT CHARCOAL for a small camp grill, improvise a chimney from a paperboard milk carton: Dry it out, cut off the top, and cut ventilation holes around the bottom. Stuffin paper scraps, then pour self-starting charcoal on top. Light the paper. For an easy-to-pack fire starter for picnics, fill the egg cups of a cardboard egg carton with charcoal. When ready to grill, put lighter fluid on the carton and light it. EASY WAYS TO DO HARD THINGS Wooden Spoon Solves Kitchen Quandaries Without a thermometer, how can you know when fry oil has reached the required temperature? Inserting the handle of a wooden spoon into the heated oil provides an indication: Slow-rising bubbles around the handle mean the oil is ready. When making pasta, a busy chef…