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[ad_1] Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. Popular Science may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. Copyright © 2019 Popular Science. A Bonnier Corporation Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. [ad_2] Written By Alex Schwartz

[ad_1] Pokémon Go's augmented reality feature made a big splash, but the technology is good for even more than gaming. (John Kennedy/) Augmented reality, or AR, is making big strides on mobile. Looking through your phone's camera to see a bit of the digital world blended with the real one is exactly the kind of thing that makes us feel like we're living in the future. But AR is not only about cute filters that give you doggy ears and tracking Pokémon as you try to catch 'em all at the park. Apple, Google, and a growing list of companies and developers are all busy pushing the current limits of AR technology, so if you're wondering how you can find new, practical uses for AR on your devices, you’ve come to the right place. Measuring the world around you Modern phones give a whole new new meaning to "drop a line." (Google/) Whether you're wondering about the height of a tree or the size of your kitchen, AR can help you assess length, height, width, and v...

[ad_1] iPad screen sizes are getting out of control. The water-proofing really has come a long way, though. (Stan Horaczek/) It’s Labor Day here in the United States, which means summer is officially over and we’re headed into the heart of new gadget season. You can expect heaps of new devices appearing between now and the Consumer Electronics Show in January, including the new iPhone and some other, more surprising gadgets. But, even though the temptation of a true long weekend is strong, we couldn’t keep ourselves away from the studio microphones. So, we present you with this bonus episode of Techathlon, which consists only of the 10-question Decathlon. We’ll be back next week with a full episode of the show, but this week you can expect to learn about upcoming smartphones, self-driving cars, and a new era of Chromebooks. You can listen in the player above, check us out on Stitcher, follow us on Anchor, subscribe via iTunes, or add the show on Spotify. You can...

[ad_1] "Bright suns, traveler." As you wander through the winding streets of Batuu, a remote outpost on the edge of the galaxy, you'll be greeted with this popular saying. The Batuuans, the inhabitants of this planet, are eager to meet new travelers and, of course, eager to entice them to spend some credits, the money of the realm, in their shops. The second iteration of Disney's expansive and immersive new theme park land, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, opened on Thursday in Orlando, Florida. The 14-acre expansion to the Hollywood Studios park has a similar layout to the one that opened in Anaheim, California in May, save for a few small details. Whether you plan on visiting Batuu in California or Florida, you're going to need a plan to make the most of your trip to a galaxy far, far away. The sun rises on the spires on Batuu at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge in Anaheim, California. Sarah Whitten Even before you enter the park, if you want to experience Oga's C...

[ad_1] Sure, nuclear explosions are terrifying, but you're more likely to be exposed to radiation through more mundane means. (U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency/) On Aug. 8, residents of Severodvinsk, Russia, witnessed a tremendous explosion. Experts across the world are still trying to piece together exactly what happened—and Russian media outlets are demanding answers from the Kremlin—but it seems clear the explosion came from somewhere close to the Russian Navy's nearby missile-testing range. The current theory is that the blast, which killed five scientists and blanketed the immediate region with a still-unknown amount of radiation, most likely involved a missile equipped with a miniature nuclear reactor. Though the incident doesn’t seem to have involved a live nuclear warhead, submarines armed with such weapons are a key component of Russia’s nuclear deterrence strategy—same as in the United States. And following the collapse earlier this year o...

[ad_1] It may not seem very woodsy, but for the sake of convenience, it's hard to beat a gas fire pit. They're self-contained, can be placed just about anywhere from the front porch to a back deck, and light up with the press of button. On those late-winter or spring nights, a full tank of propane is all you need for hours of toasty reflection. [ad_2] Written By by The Editors at Outdoor Life

[ad_1] The movement to ban miniature toiletries isn’t likely to make a dent in the global plastic crisis. (vaidehi shah/Flickr, CC BY/) InterContinental Hotels Group will replace mini-shampoos and conditioners with bulk products by the year 2021. Marriott Hotels recently followed suit, vowing to ban miniature toiletries by next year. But environmental activists shouldn't rejoice just yet. These announcements are yet another example—such as banning plastic straws, false sustainability claims, and corporate commitments that are far in the future—that seem to be more of a PR exercise than real attempts to move the needle. I'm a professor of engineering and the director of the MIT Center of Transportation and Logistics. As I argue in my book *Balancing Green: When to Embrace Sustainability in a Business (And When Not To*), announcements of these kinds distract us from legitimate—and more challenging—measures we need to put in place to avoid environmental catast...

[ad_1] Kick the coffee habit without losing the boost entirely. (Joanna Kosinka via Unsplash/) There has been an endless debate on whether coffee is good for you. For some, not even the coffee's science-backed association with longevity can overcome the downsides, like restless sleep, jitters, and withdrawal headaches. No matter where you stand on the 'is coffee good or bad' issue, coffee shortages are coming due to climate change. The good news is that there are plenty of healthy coffee alternatives out there for your morning (or afternoon) pick-me-up. Here are our favorites. It’s a gooey black substance that packs a punch of energy. (Amazon/) Shilajit is a resin formed by the decomposition of nutrient-dense plants that’s reputed to boost energy levels. For the people of Nepal and northern India, shilajit is a traditional breakfast staple, taken with milk in the mornings. Sherpas claim it as their secret for strength and longevity, but we like to drink it mixed in with tea...

[ad_1] A blurred background means a ton of likes. (Allef Vinicius via Unsplash/) Portrait mode photos are everywhere these days. Some shots look great, others… don’t. So if you want your pics to really stand out, there are certain techniques you need to know. Since it was introduced with the iPhone 7 Plus in September 2016, some kind of portrait mode has been available on most flagship phones, including the iPhone XS, Samsung S10, and Google Pixel 3. Either the phone has two cameras and uses the slight differences between the images to determine how far everything is from the camera (like the S10 and iPhone XS) or it uses a single camera, some technical trickery, and a lot of machine learning to figure out what's the subject and what's not (like the Pixel 3). No matter the method, the purpose is the same: to replicate the blurry background look of a portrait taken with a wide-aperture lens on a professional camera, like the photo below. An actual portrait from a 30-year old ...

[ad_1] Your pantry either looks like this or like the place where expired food goes to die. Which one is it? (monicore via Pixabay/) There are basically two kinds of people in the world: those who fervently abide by expiration dates, and those who don’t. The pantries of the former usually look more like a grocery store—neat and tidy. Those of the latter, however, are filled with stuff that could be exhibited in a museum, hoarded from time immemorial. Deciding who’s right and who’s wrong depends on what type of person you are, but we’re here to tell you there is a scientific answer to the burning question: Is this ok to eat? Spoilage vs. safety All food can be classified in three large groups: perishables, semi-perishables and non-perishables. The first category has a limited shelf life and must be stored in a temperature-controlled environment. Foods such as meat, milk, vegetables, and some cheeses fall into this category. Semi-perishables, once opened, can...

[ad_1] Geography is one of the first factors students consider when deciding where to go to college. Do they want the charm of a quaint college town? The bustle of a big city? Something in-between? For students with their minds set on studying in a big city, the next factor to consider is cost. The elevated cost of living can make going to college in a city a challenge for many students, but when CNBC Make It compared hundreds of colleges and universities across the country to create our first list of the U.S. colleges that pay off the most, we found that many of the top-ranking schools located in major cities were able to keep costs low for students and graduate high-earning alumni. To develop our list of the top colleges that pay off, we identified the true net cost of each college for the typical American student — including tuition, fees, books, supplies and other expenses — after subtracting scholarships and grants. Using data from Tuition Tracker, we looked at the net ...

[ad_1] The Sony Dolby Vision-enabled players provide more than just the ability to play 4K Blu-ray discs (which, yes, you do need a dedicated player for—they will not play on standard Blu-ray machines). They also provide a hub for an upgraded all-around entertainment system. The player improves contrast and color even when connected to a non-HDR TV, can internally stream Netflix, Hulu, and other platforms through a wireless connection, and comes equipped with Dolby Atmos immersive digital surround sound. It’s pretty much everything you’d want, unless you’re a gamer. [ad_2] Written By PopSci Commerce Team

[ad_1] Greta Thunberg aboard the Malizia II. Her journey from Portsmouth, England, The teen set sail from England on August 14 and arrived in New York City on August 28. (Greta Thunberg Media Handout/EPA/) I have travelled from Plymouth, England, to the UN headquarters in New York many times, often to discuss how to protect the oceans from climate change. The deeply uncomfortable irony was that the carbon emitted on my fossil fuel-powered journey directly contributed to the problem I was there to solve. Greta Thunberg's decision to travel the exact same journey to the UN Climate Action Summit on state-of-the-art sailing boat Malizia II shows that there are principled alternatives. But is there a way for the rest of us to cross the Atlantic without taking to the skies? Thunberg's 14-day voyage was significantly faster than the typical sail time of three to four weeks, but that's still not for anyone in a rush. Speed comes at the cost of comfort, too. Pictures from inside Mal...