Free Republic

Toilets of America welcome men's faces en masse. Because the sports fans of America - who each week watch their mailboxes for updates on the NFL, Major League Baseball and NASCAR - know the one thing they're missing is the opportunity to look at a 66-year-old dude who's trying to look like a woman. Sports Illustrated started losing me more than 25 years ago when it decided in its self-importance that it needed to dive into environmental activism. It sealed the deal with this monstrosity, which was easily the worst piece of sports journalism in the history of the world....

For his new book, The Wright Brothers, ­Pulitzer Prize winner David ­McCullough pored over newspaper articles, photographs, and more than 1,000 letters to create a gripping account of Wilbur and Orville's quest to fly.

Movies and TV shows would have us believe aliens would look a bit like us, only with a big (bald) head, green skin, and crazy eyes. But we weren't satisfied with that old cliche. So we decided to ask sci-fi authors, science experts, and ET buffs what they think a real alien might look like.

The Popular Mechanics article shows that it understands technology much better than the New York Times or the Washington Post.  This isn't too surprising, given the politics of the the two prominent newspapers, but it was not always so. The Article sums it up nicely: So, should we be afraid to live in a world where anyone can afford the equipment to manufacture a gun in his or her basement? I hope not—because that's the world we live in now. Guns are comparatively simple devices. In fact, plenty of custom firearms are manufactured today using equipment that wouldn't be...

If there was ever a man who could ace the Popular Mechanics DIY quiz and perfect each of our "100 Skills Every Man Should Know," it'd be MacGyver. And while television's master of the clever homemade fix may not actually be a real man, actor Richard Dean Anderson still has plenty of his character in him to this day. At the launch event for Geek Squad's Black Tie Protection service this week, we chatted with the man behind the Mac—about building his own house, giving ammunition to the MythBusters and why he absolutely hates instruction manuals. —Seth Porges We hear...

If there's one thing we can appreciate here at Popular Mechanics, it's geeks willing to embarrass themselves in the name of science communication. So hats off to Kate McAlpine and crew, who took to the tunnels under CERN to bring us the most entertaining explanation of physics we've seen since Schoolhouse Rock.

Give Americans a chance and they'll transform the world. These links go to two articles and video clips about some problems and the Americans that are solving them. Pretty cool stuff. Windbelt Stoves for the Refugees

For PM's third annual innovation celebration, we honor eight bold inventors (with video from the lab) and 10 cutting-edge products with one big, IQ-packed party and three important discussions for our future. * PLUS: 10 Most Brilliant Gadgets of 2007 * UPDATE: Where Are Past Winners Now? Some neat stuff and interesting links: vibrational wind generator, do-it-yourself 3-D 'inkjet' printer prototyper, length morphing helicopter rotor, etc. http://www.popularmechanics.com/breakthrough07Enjoy

JIM MEIGS AND DAVID DUNBAR OF POPULAR MECHANICS appeared on PBS to debate the Loose Change folks regarding 9/11 conspiracy theories. You can see the Video HERE

(New book from Popular Mechanics just released August 15, 2006) Introduction The first conspiracy theories about 9/11 began to emerge while the wreckage was still smoldering. As evidence accumulated that conclusively linked the hijackings to Al Qaeda, some self-proclaimed skeptics searched for alternative explanations. Many seemed driven to find a way to blame the United States for somehow abetting, or even orchestrating, the tragedy. In the years since the attacks, these assertions have grown progressively more lurid and pervasive. If you search the phrase “9/11 conspiracy” on the Internet, you will discover more than 800,000 Web pages. A few skeptics...

I need advice from a motorcycle freeper bud on how to get the inaccessible battery charged without taking the leftside cowling off. Weather is warm in Missouri and I have much to do besides getting at the damn battery to charge it after winter storage. Is there an easy way to get this battery charged. Can the battery be charged by the accessory sockets?????????

PM examines the evidence and consults the experts to refute the most persistent conspiracy theories of September 11. For background on this investigative feature, please click here. FROM THE MOMENT the first airplane crashed into the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001, the world has asked one simple and compelling question: How could it happen? Three and a half years later, not everyone is convinced we know the truth. Go to Google.com, type in the search phrase "World Trade Center conspiracy" and you'll get links to an estimated 628,000 Web sites. More than 3000 books on...

Michael Tuohey sobbed with grief after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He also felt guilt. A U.S. Airways ticket agent at the time, Tuohey had handed boarding passes to Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz Alomari that morning as they rushed to make their flight at Portland International Jetport. In the days after Atta and his fellow suicide hijackers killed close to 3,000 people at the World Trade Center, Tuohey held himself at least partly responsible. He was suspicious of them, he said, but did nothing. Later, as he watched news reports of the towers crumbling, of people jumping from...

November 4, 2002 Different Face for Cover of Popular MechanicsBy DAVID CARR n the universe of male subjects for magazine covers, there are only a few sure things. Ben Affleck is a winner, and George Clooney is always a good bet to do well on the newsstand. But few can anchor a magazine like Jesus, a cover subject who brings them back year after year, particularly for news magazines like Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. Now the appeal of Jesus has found a surprisingly new home — the cover of Popular Mechanics. The December issue of...