Inside China's Secret Arsenal | Popular Science

Inside China's Secret Arsenal | Popular Science: "In a single generation, China has transformed itself from a largely agrarian country into a global manufacturing and trading powerhouse. China’s economy is 20 times bigger than it was two decades ago and is on track to surpass the United States’ as the world’s largest. But perhaps most startling has been the growth of China’s ambitious and increasingly powerful military"

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Q+A: Cody Wilson Of The Wiki Weapon Project On The 3-D Printed Future of Firearms | Popular Science

Q+A: Cody Wilson Of The Wiki Weapon Project On The 3-D Printed Future of Firearms | Popular Science: "While many call for tighter firearm restrictions in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, the Wiki Weapon project believes technology is about to make such regulation irrelevant--and that that's a good thing."

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NASA's NEXT ion thruster clocks up continuous operation world record

NASA's NEXT ion thruster clocks up continuous operation world record: "NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) ion engine has set a new world record by clocking up 43,000 hours of continuous operation at NASA’s Glenn Research Center’s Electric Propulsion Laboratory. The seven-kilowatt thruster is intended to propel future NASA deep space probes on missions where chemical rockets aren't a practical option."

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Low-Cost Tools That Every Techie Needs

Low-Cost Tools That Every Techie Needs: "It’s been ten years since I took my first IT job, and in that time I’ve collected a bunch of tools that have proved invaluable to me in resolving issues with computers, hard disk drives, printers and other corporate hardware. While I work purely freelance these days, I still maintain a collection of devices and gadgets that can be used to assist with quickly resolving problems that might arise."

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Create Stunning Gorgeous Maps Of Any Location With Map To Image

Create Stunning Gorgeous Maps Of Any Location With Map To Image: "Create beautiful maps of your favorite places, then download high-resolution copies of them. Whether you want a water colour outline of the city you recently visited or a detailed grid of your hometown, CityTracking.org‘s Map To Image is a simple web-app allowing you to turn your favorite places into art."

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The Fire Bolt Stun Gun Flashlight - YouTube

The Fire Bolt Stun Gun Flashlight - YouTube: ""

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Stanford University researchers create peel-and-stick solar cells

Stanford University researchers create peel-and-stick solar cells: "Traditionally, thin-film solar cells are made with rigid glass substrates, limiting their potential applications. Flexible versions do exist, although they require special production techniques and/or materials. Now, however, scientists from Stanford University have created thin, flexible solar cells that are made from standard materials – and they can applied to just about any surface, like a sticker."

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Armadillo Aerospace has precision landings down pat

Armadillo Aerospace has precision landings down pat: "Armadillo Aerospace has taken some major strides with its FAA-approved suborbital rocket, the STIG-B. Despite encountering difficulties reaching design altitude during testing, the company appears to have mastered the landing side of the equation using a self-guided ramair parachute system. A flight on December 6 returned the rocket to within 55 meters (180 ft) of the intended recovery point."

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NASA puts Orion spacecraft's backup parachutes to the test

NASA puts Orion spacecraft's backup parachutes to the test: "With NASA's Orion spacecraft intended to carry crews to the moon, an asteroid and Mars, it will be taking human beings farther into space than ever before. Hopefully, it will also be bringing them back, with the distance of the return trips seeing the spacecraft picking up a lot of speed and reentering the Earth’s atmosphere faster than any previous spacecraft. In the latest in a series of tests that bring the spacecraft another step towards a planned first test flight in 2014, NASA has verified the capsule will safely make it back to terra firma even if one of its drogue parachutes fails to open."

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Top 10 concept vehicles of 2012

Top 10 concept vehicles of 2012: "Doomsday has passed without a gasp, so it looks like humanity still has a future. If the concept cars we saw during the past year are any indication, that future looks very bright. As we prepare to roll the calendars over to 2013, it's time to celebrate the finest concepts that 2012 bestowed upon the world. From voluptuous supercars, to green fuel misers, to the downright abstract and outlandish, it was a big year for concepts and design studies."

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Disposable Lighter Pyrotechnics - YouTube

Disposable Lighter Pyrotechnics - YouTube: ""

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Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo glides towards first powered flight

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo glides towards first powered flight: "After returning to the air earlier this year following a nearly nine-month long break which saw the integration of rocket motor systems, Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo completed its 23rd guide flight this week. The significance of this flight is that it was the spaceplane’s first glide in powered flight configuration."

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