In an Army Corps of Engineers press release, details on the astounding rate at which workers are draining water from New York's subway and transit tunnels: "To date, the USACE has used about 50 pumps of various sizes to remove 64 million gallons of water from the New York City mass transit system. Operations are ongoing at six sites, with pumps removing about 116,000 gallons per minute. The 696,000 gallons the pumps are draining each minute exceeds the amount of water in one Olympic-size swimming pool (660,000 gallons). There were roughly 600 million gallons in the tunnels when pumping operations began on Thursday, Nov. 1." (via Noah Shachtman).
In post-Sandy "dewatering" mission, Army engineers drain one Olympic-sized pool's worth of water per minute
Here's why a tippe top will spin on its narrow end
Matthias Wandel explains how this self-inverting spinning top will flip over when spun quickly enough. If you have a lathe, Matthias shows you how to make your own: If you don't have a lathe, you can buy plastic ones and even fancy metal ones, spelled variously as tippie tops or tippy tops. Image: YouTube /… READ THE REST
This company makes windows that convert to balconies
HofmanDujardin makes Bloomframe windows that work like a Murphy bed, opening up into a balcony. The only disconcerting part might be the pane of glass that doubles as a floor. That might trigger guests' vertigo, and walking around on it seeks it might scuff or scratch it. I would cut a piece of carpet for… READ THE REST
Could we actually build a space elevator?
Real Engineering takes a look at the feasibility of space elevators, and the short answer is, yes it is possible. It is primarily a materials challenge; namely, a tensile strength challenge for the cable that engineers would need to solve. Any space elevator would have to be situated on the equator, and we would first… READ THE REST
Create, edit, and produce dynamic videos and music with the help of these training classes
When we pick up our phones to shoot a video, most of us aren't looking to craft "The Godfather." We just want something that looks reasonably decent that won't be an embarrassment when it gets posted to YouTube or social media. But while not every video needs to reach Spielbergian levels of production, you might… READ THE REST
The UniLid is a one-size-fits-all cover that'll guarantee you never buy plastic wrap again
Be honest. How many plastic lids are stashed away in your kitchen? No, seriously…how many? Go ahead and check that black hole of a cupboard down there and find out. We'll wait… Was the number up over 20? Over 30? More? Now the second question is…could you even guess at which containers actually fit half… READ THE REST
Pianu Pro turns learning the piano into a game and it's on sale for over 40% off
Music is hugely liberating. And whether you love rock, classical, country, rap or any other genre, there's a real sense of accomplishment when you can sit down in front of a keyboard and hammer out a note-perfect version of a favorite tune. Of course, the only way to get to that point is usually after… READ THE REST
