Assembly lines are mesmerizing to watch. Components large and small enter a factory and flow together into the main production line where, step-by-step, they become finished products. While it is a process similar to the course of a river, the flow is powered by human energy and ingenuity. Like a river, an assembly line is…
One of the first things a teenager learns when they get their driver’s license is how to change a tire. Loosen the lug nuts, raise the car, remove the lug nuts, and replace the tire with the spare. Tighten a lug nut, then tighten the one that is diagonally opposite to ensure the tire is…
Archimedes famously said that given a long enough lever and a place to stand, he could move the world. Contrary to Archimedes’ expectations, much of the machinery that moves the world isn’t large but small. And for most, the challenge isn’t finding a large enough lever but rather one that is correctly sized and precise…
In 2017, the International Organization for Standards (ISO) updated its guidelines for the accuracy and calibration of hand torque tools, previously modified in 2003. It was a comprehensive update that split the standard into two parts. The first part, ISO 6789-1:2017, lays out requirements for the design and testing of torque tools to ensure they…
Scuba diving can be a wonderful experience. Whether witnessing the multiplicity of ocean life in the reefs and kelp forests or mapping hidden caves in mountain lakes, scuba divers experience an element unknown to those of us who walk above. But with that comes an element of danger. Scuba divers—from coastal tourists to scientists to…
Modern farming is a capital-intensive industry. The large machines that family farms and corporate farming operations employ to seed, weed, tend, and harvest can represent sizeable portions of multiple years worth of revenue. In order for the farm to succeed, these tractors, combines, harvesters, and other large pieces of equipment must do enough work to…
Bad news from the backcountry. After two weeks of waiting for the right weather conditions, a local extreme skier lifted off in a light helicopter this morning to drop into fresh powder on a technical slope at 13,000 ft, hoping to shoot some high-quality action footage. The flight and the drop went okay—just not the…
When Van Halen toured, they included in their contract a singular technical demand: bowls of M&M’s backstage, with all the brown ones removed. Rock star arrogance and capriciousness? Actually, no. The shows they put on were complex and technical, involving excessively heavy staging and sometimes explosive pyrotechnics. So when David Lee Roth would find brown…
Roller coasters are thrilling. Riders soar and dive and flip upside down. They get blasted out of tunnels and splashed down through ponds. It’s an experience that causes people to grip their handrails, white-knuckled, to scream in terror, to pant for breath, and, when it’s over, to laugh. The intended effect is to expose riders…
For some areas in the United States, winter isn’t the end of the year; winter is the year. Winter is when the ponds ice over for fishing, the falls freeze for climbing, and the snow covers the ground for skiing. It’s when the hockey sticks come out of the closet, the snowshoes get tightened, and…