FIRE

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO HUMAN KIND’S GREATEST TOOL

Single-Seater Pod To Solve City Congestion

The world is becoming increasingly automated as more manufacturers mull over independently functioning designs for their products, all in the name of making the lives of humans easier. This includes vehicle makers, as the push for driverless cars takes hold. In fact, mega tech companies, such as Google, have already been producing autonomous cars for some time, and the tech is only becoming more advanced.

Part Three The Sharpest Tools In The Shed

The final part of our series on sharpening woodworking hand tools focuses on the various commonly used hand planes and their blades.

Why Your Brewer's Favourite Beer Is Lager (Seriously)

Walk into a brewery taproom today and it’s no surprise the menu is littered with IPAs. The hop bombs keep the lights on. But look to the corner of the beer list and you’ll likely see a humble lager. Order it. It’s the most carefully brewed beer on tap. While loud and bold IPAs are brewed for the consumer, subtle and highly drinkable lagers are brewed for the brewer.

UNSTOPPABLE FORCE MEETS IMMOVABLE OBJECT

The notion of driving around in bulletproof vehicles might seem like the stuff of popes, political dignitaries, and the movies. But think again – a proudly home grown company is creating world-class armoured-vehicle solutions for anyone who is interested.

This Technics turntable powered hip-hop's early sound

THIS CHANGED EVERYTHING

THE BBC'S NEW EYES IN THE SKY

The scale at which you can capture the majesty of an elephant, the pace of a cheetah, a sprawling penguin colony in the Antarctic, or the immense lakes and rivers in Africa is near limitless if you have cameras that can fly.

Scientists finally figured out why grapes spark in the microwave

Cut a grape part of the way through, leaving two halves that are still connected by a small piece of skin. When placed in the microwave, the radiation causes the grape to increasingly spark from the middle.

Hyundai

/ Venue 1.0 TGDI Glide DCT

Fly your bike safely

HOW YOUR WORLD WORKS

An ancient concept for a futuristic wind turbine

With the threat of Eskom load-shedding ever-present, and a growing need to shift to renewable energy sources, investing in an Archimedes Windmill for your home might just be the solution you need.

The Future Of Urban Mobility

You’ll carpool a lot more in the coming decades, or ride a bike to work. Either way, you probably won’t consider a car as your first option for the daily commute.

The Truth Is in the Muck

An environmentally conscious chef eschews conventional sushi in favour of the undiscovered pleasures of strange, invasive species. A man who lost his eyesight refuses to pity himself and instead becomes, of all things, a travel writer. Together, they dig their hands into the dark ocean mud in search of enlightenment.

your driverless ride is arriving

uber thinks its self-driving taxis could change the way millions of people get around. but autonomous vehicles aren’t anywhere near to being ready for the roads.

sawdust & sweat & sunshine & music

matt artinger was put on this earth to design and build some of the sweetest-sounding guitars ever crafted. and when a man figures out what he was put on this earth to do, he is fortunate indeed. 

Entry-Level Welders

Wire-feed welders let you conquer the world of metal, whether you’re reattaching the feet to a fireplace grate or fixing the broken axle on a trailer.

To A T

Restoring classic cars to pristine beauty isn’t a labour of love. Actually, it’s more of a labour. But you gotta love it, says hobbyist restorer Paul Koski.

Isuzu KB 300 D-TEQ LX 4x4 - Rugged Efficiency

I didn’t see them coming.

Bring Back The Muscle

Why the world needs this naturally aspirated Wisconsin-built V8.

Tiny Satellites Explore Universe

Small spacecraft, shaped by the forces that shrunk your cellphone, are changing the way we observe space and understand our home.

A Humongous Rocket That Just Might Work

If Elon Musk wants to get to Mars, SpaceX will have to combine three rockets into one mammoth engine. will it work? An expert weighs in.

The New Science Of Hops

Brewers, engineers and researchers push the boundaries of hoppy beer.

Great Unknowns

WOULD A 1960'S-ERA DESIGNATED FALLOUT SHELTER HELP ME IN A NUCLEAR ATTACK TODAY?

Trust The Bike

A lifelong minimalist embraces the equipment-intensive sport of gravel cycling.

Ask Roy

Popular mechanics’ senior home editor solves your most pressing problems.

The Right Way To Sharpen Kitchen Knives

PEOPLE HAVE the wrong ideas about knives. A knife doesn’t cut like a razor or a plane iron on the push stroke. It’s somewhat like a saw with teeth that cuts in a sliding motion as it’s pushed or pulled. A properly sharpened knife is honed to a fine edge, yet has an appropriate roughness so that it has bite, or an ability to sink into the cut.

The Phoenix Saga*

Ford’s new Kuga swoops in to replace the uncanny previous model, but does it do enough to win back customers who got burnt on the last one? They handed us one for a long-term review so we can find out.

Thrifty Head-Turner

MERCEDES-BENZ E220D COUPÉ

Turning Clicks Into Cash

Globally, YouTubers are coining it. Big money can be made from YouTube ads and the more hits and subscribers, the better.

The Story Teller

Around the world, 18,9 million subscribers watch DanTDM’s YouTube channels, and his videos have been viewed 10,6 billion times. What does he do in these videos? He plays video games. What does he do in his new live show that is selling out theatres on three continents? We went to find out.