New Atlas

AUTOMOTIVE Keep on truckin' – Pickups and SUVs of SEMA 2016 The 2016 SEMA Show wrapped up in Las Vegas on Friday, leaving in its wake piles and piles of photos of wild custom cars, trucks and wheeled vehicles best described simply as "other". We've sorted through to bring you some of the best in show.   Read more MOBILE TECHNOLOGY Lenovo Yoga Book review: Less than the sum of its parts There’s an analogy to be made between the Lenovo Yoga Book and its namesake practice. Done well, yoga provides functional fitness for any task at hand. When poorly executed, it’s frustrating and injurious. The Yoga Book lands somewhere in between.   Read more MUSIC Learning sleeve sheds light on guitar-playing basics ​Learning to play the guitar is tough. Tuition videos, online tab and music books are all good, but having to constantly look from guitar to teaching aid and back again can be frustrating. FretX uses LEDs embedded in a low profile learning sleeve that shows the player fretting finger positions.   Read more MOBILE TECHNOLOGY Oak dock puts augmented reality on the table  Augmented reality has already proven useful for handy car owners and first responders, but its value extends well beyond practical applications. ToneTree has created an iPhone dock designed to turn tabletops into an AR playground, for gamers or budding musicians on the road.   Read more OUTDOORS Retractable spikes make Gripforce boots ice- and floor-friendly ​Ice cleats may be good for preventing falls on ice and snow, but they aren't good indoors. To cut back on swapping shoes, a Swedish inventor has developed Gripforce, winter boots with retractable spikes in the soles that quickly swap between cleats and regular boots at the flip of a switch.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Start your engines – Sports cars of SEMA 2016 SEMA serves as a launchpad for modified cars pushing the limits of performance and design, from both big players and relatively small tuning houses. Check out the best low-slung sports cars and racers from this year's show.   Read more GAMES Noses on with South Park: The Fractured But Whole's Nosulus Rift Ubisoft and South Park might be too committed to fart jokes with the Nosulus Rift, a bad-taste gag of a peripheral. We played the first 15 minutes of South Park: The Fractured But Whole at PAX Australia this weekend, with the handicap of having every in-game fart blasted directly into our faces.  Read more SCIENCE "Beaver moon" to be the biggest supermoon since 1949 A "beaver supermoon" is coming this month. There won't actually be any rodents involved, but our biggest satellite will become full within hours of reaching its closest point to Earth and, as a result, appear the largest it has for several decades.   Read more COLLECTIBLES The world's most expensive piece of clothing goes back to auction Marilyn Monroe's star power is never more evident than when her memorabilia items cross the auction block. Will her "Happy Birthday Mr President" dress break records at auction on 17 November?   Read more AIRCRAFT GE Aviation fires up engine made from 35 percent printed parts 3D printing has come a long way since it was big news when a single printed part was certified for use in an aircraft ... but there's much more to come.   Read more COLLECTIBLES The world's most expensive piece of clothing goes to auction, again Marilyn Monroe's star power is never more evident than when her memorabilia items cross the auction block. Will her "Happy birthday Mr President" dress break records at auction on 17 November?   Read more AIRCRAFT Changing the shape of wing design using "digital materials" MIT and NASA researchers are developing a new type of "morphing" wing that, rather than using conventional flaps, changes its shape. Made up of overlapping strips that could be assembled by small robots, resulting aircraft would be simpler to build, use less fuel, and boast improved agility.   Read more AROUND THE HOME This new home security system is centered around a flying camera drone The Sunflower Home Awareness System makes use of "smart lights" that work in concert with a flying camera drone to keep an eye on your property.​   Read more GOOD THINKING LED wearable makes concert-goers part of an interactive light show ​Fans attending the recent Country Music Awards became part of the show when they were illuminated based on their support for vets or their military status thanks to a LED wearable called PIXL.   Read more GOOD THINKING Adidas brings its ocean plastic footwear to the masses Adidas has some short-term plans to put some of the debris in the ocean to use. The sportswear manufacturer has today announced that its footwear made from recycled plastic waste will be available to buy this month.   Read more ENVIRONMENT UN: Climate refugees and avoidable human tragedy on tap unless we go beyond Paris Agreement Just as the Paris Agreement on climate change enters into force today, the UN has declared the need to go above and beyond the commitments made, with the projected carbon emissions for the year 2030 leaving us little chance of keeping warming to safe levels.​   Read more BIOLOGY 5 viruses, 1 metal and 1 solvent tagged as new cancer causers in US agency report There are 248 different substances in the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) just-released 14th annual Report on Carcinogens (ROC) that are believed to lead to malignant tumors in human beings. And seven of those were just added this year.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Audi A5 Cabriolet mixes sharp design with wind-in-the-hair thrills Audi has heeded the call of avid tanning enthusiasts with the new A5 Cabriolet. Based on the coupe launched in June this year, it mixes the same high-tech cabin and sharp exterior with a whole lot more opportunity to spend time in the sun.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Modded Mini wobbles to two-wheel Nordschleife lap record The Nordschleife has grabbed plenty of attention lately, with a glut of records ​for front-drive cars, but none of the record attempts can match Han Yue's latest lap. Yue used a modified Mini to lap the Nordschleife on two wheels, completing the lap in just over 45 minutes.   Read more MILITARY Northop Grumman to build laser beam control system for future aircraft Northrop Grumman has announced it will help the US Air Force to develop a new defensive weapon to be installed in existing and future aircraft.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Stations at Nissan R&D hub can charge cars or suck their battery power back to grid Nissan has installed eight vehicle-to-grid (V2G) chargers at its Nissan Technical Centre Europe research and development center in Cranfield, UK. The technology makes it possible to both charge electric vehicles (EVs) and to draw energy from their batteries back to the grid when required.  Read more SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR NEW ATLAS READERS Take Your Soundtrack into the Great Outdoors with the HomeSpot Bluetooth Speaker — 62% Off This rugged, weather-proof speaker was built to keep up with your adventures. It deflects dust, dirt, and water - and is coated with a rubberized surface that you'll feel comfortable bringing camping, rafting, and beyond. Best of all, this speaker truly delivers powerful sound that will fill even outdoor spaces with impressive audio.  Read more