Featured Story

Bomb-Resistant Buildings: Engineering Reinforcements

What does a company that makes pickup truck bed liners know about bombproofing buildings? After Friday's attack on the U.S. embassy in Athens, the Pentagon probably sure is happy it does.

Previous Military & Law Enforcement Stories

North Korea's Biochemical Threat While its nuclear test spurs outrage, North Korea has grown a vast biochemical weapons arsenal in secrecy. We investigate Kim Jong Il's deception, plus his rogue nation's human trials and its deadly harvest's terror potential. (Published in the February 2007 issue)
North Korea's Suspected Biochemical Weapons: Breakdown Compared to nukes, biological and chemical agents offer mass destruction "on the cheap," argues Michael Stebbins of the Federation of American Scientists. Inside, a sampling of Kim Jong Il's toxic arsenal. (Published in the February 2007 issue)
Combating Satellite Terrorism, DIY Style As the Bush administration warns about threats from terrorists and other nations against U.S. satellites, PM offers a window into an Air Force program that's protecting our military satellites (and their vulnerabilities) with store-bought gear and old-fashioned sleuthing.
Tech Watch: Radar Goliath (Published in the January 2007 issue)
Hypersonic Cruise Missile: America's New Global Strike Weapon The mission: Attack anywhere in the world in less than an hour. But is the Pentagon's bold program a critical new weapon for hitting elusive targets, or a good way to set off a nuclear war? (Published in the January 2007 issue)
SWAT Overkill: The Danger of a Paramilitary Police Force In a guest editorial, law professor and instapundit.com blogger Glenn Reynolds argues that overagressive tactics and surplus military gear have turned some police units into a dangerous menace.
Tech Watch: Forecasting Pain Forget lasers, phasers and other beam weapons — radiofrequency devices are here, and they’re set to “sting.” (Published in the December 2006 issue)
Rumsfeld Reaction: 4 Policy Battles That Could Shape Our Military In the wake of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation, veteran military journalist and Popular Mechanics contributor Noah Shachtman analyzes a possible sea change in priorities looming at the Pentagon
North Korea: The Bigger (Non-Nuclear) Threat With a U.N. resolution condemning North Korea's nuclear test, all eyes are on Pyongyang's atomic capabilities. But according to PM contributing editor Simon Cooper, we might be blind to a bigger threat: North Korea's highly developed chemical and biological warfare program.
Flying Blind in Iraq: U.S. Helicopters Navigate Real Desert Storms With billowing sand clouds crashing its BlackHawks at an alarming rate, the U.S. military is turning to digital cameras to fight the War on Terror. Iraq correspondent Leslie Sabbagh takes you inside the world of brown outs in a PopularMechanics.com exclusive.
View Full Technology: Military & Law Enforcement Archive

Technology

CES 2007

Get hands-on with the newest innovations from PM's tech team: 24 videos, live blogging from Instapundit Glenn Reynolds, podcasting and a cheaper iPhone.

Industry

Movies 2.0: Digital Magic

PM goes to Hollywood to explain the revolution in digital cinema. Plus, the top 10 F/X scenes ever, podcasts with industry insiders, video of hot new flicks and more.

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Reviews

Culled from a half-century of Popular Mechanics issues (make that the first half of last century), The Boy Mechanic represents an age when imagination could conquer far more than the checkbook — when solving a problem was more satisfying than paying to have it go away.