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March 01, 2013

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5:03 PM | Megapixels: A Wind Turbine That Can Power 6,000 Households
Bigger, Better Blades Courtesy SiemensThe world's largest wind turbine has rotator blades the size of an Airbus. Last fall in Østerild, Denmark, the German company Siemens built the world's largest wind turbine. Each of its three rotor blades measures 246 feet-nearly the wingspan of an Airbus A380. While most turbine manufacturers make blades in two separate pieces, from molds, Siemens casts them in one piece. Because the process eliminates the need for glue, the balsa-based blades are up to […]
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General Science

February 12, 2013

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6:00 PM | BigPic: An Aircraft-Fire Simulator Goes Up In Smoke
Flame On! The NASA Ames Fire Department practiced with Kellogg Community College's training plane last fall. Courtesy NASAOn command, Daddy's Girl Rose Etta II burns down--and burns through 800 gallons of propane. From the outside, Daddy's Girl Rose Etta II looks like an ordinary Beechcraft 1900 plane. But commercial aircraft don't come equipped with 14 pilot lights that engulf them in flames on command. Named after a World War II B-17 bomber, Daddy's Girl Rose Etta II became the first […]
Popular Science
General Science

November 29, 2012

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2:58 PM | Turn Your Favorite Mitts Into Gadget-Compatible Manipulators
Magic Touch Greg MaxsonFour steps to texting without freezing. Winter gloves and gadgets don't mix. Most touchscreens use capacitive sensing to complete a weak electrical circuit through skin and locate our tapping. And while wool, cotton, and leather gloves insulate hands from the cold, they block the body's ability to shuttle electrons. Strategic stitching with conductive thread, however, can prevent essential electronics from becoming unresponsive bricks the moment you bundle up. 1. Order […]
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