Once upon a time, all you needed for a tricked-out ride were some wire wheels, bucket seats and whitewall tires. Welcome to the age of gadgetry, when even economy cars sport cool tech, and supercars are decked out in gear that runs the gamut from the sublime to the ridiculous. The options can be overwhelming, so I wrote this article to help you narrow your wish list.
Category Archives: Consumer
Island vacations that feel so fine you can’t control your brain
Island vacationers don’t just want to get away from it all. They want to get far, far away from anything resembling it all—preferably in some idyllic spot that offers natural beauty, soothing surf and diverse diversions when needed. In this article, I’ll break down my picks for the 10 best island options, taking into account factors such as fun, history, access, privacy, cost, popularity, beauty, climate, amenities and, of course, that elusive “wow factor.”
Moving jerkily and loving it
Strictly speaking, hiking does not require special gear. However, because it takes more of a physical toll than walking, you might want a little extra help on those rocky paths, unstable hills and steep climbs. The more you exert yourself or push on into hostile terrain, the more you’ll need the right equipment. That goes double for rock climbing, scrambling or mountaineering. In this article, I go over some of at the gear you’ll need to get the most out of your hike.
Now you’re cooking with science
Induction cooktops are faster than electrics, as responsive as gas, and safer and easier to clean than glass-and-ceramic-top stoves. Unlike these other approaches, which heat food indirectly, induction cooktops use electromagnetism to heat the cookware itself. In this article, I’ll show you how the same power-producing principle that drives Hoover Dam’s giant generators is being used to cook dinner in a kitchen near you.
How induction cooktops work
Spin control: reading the quantum bit
Some days, I feel like I’m living in the future. Then I remember that I don’t have a flying car, a hyperintelligent monkey sidekick or a quantum computer. Granted, I’ve always suspected a flying car would be a terrible idea (and the less said about the monkey, the better), but I still want my iQuantum. So, what’s the hold up?
Quantum computing is one of those ideas that has enormous potential but is so cutting-edge that even its most basic aspects, like storing and reading data, require a large assortment of people with advanced degrees. Recently, two researchers worked out a way to read quantum states using entanglement, the “spooky action at a distance” that links two quantum particles under certain conditions. The method, which they hit upon while exploring electron-electron interactions, could solve the problem of reading quantum bits (aka “qubits”) once and for all.