A collection of free, easy-to-understand articles, covering how things work, cutting-edge science, cool gadgets, and computers. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/index.html Tue, 13 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT What's so special about organic food? Is it really better for you? And what's the deal with organic clothes? How does that work? If you've confused about exactly what "organic" means, what the benefits are, and whether it's worth paying the extra, you've come to the right place. In this handy 101 guide, we'll give you a short introduction to the subject and lots of links so you can explore all sides of the issue in more detail. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/organic101.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/organic101.html Mon, 12 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT It's not bulletproof and it's not (entirely) glass, but it's still pretty handy if you're a president or a Pope driving through city streets. We take a quick look at how bulletproof glass works. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/bulletproofglass.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/bulletproofglass.html Thu, 8 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT Tiny particles called electrons control everything from the airbag in your car to the computer on your desk--but how, exactly? Here's a quick introduction to the amazing world of electronics. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/electronics.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/electronics.html Wed, 7 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT Brakes make all the difference between life and death. But how do they bring you so quickly and effectively to a stop? http://www.explainthatstuff.com/brakes.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/brakes.html Tue, 6 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT Plastics can take 500 years or more to break down. Public pressure to clean up has produced bioplastics and biodegradable plastics that seem to be more environmentally friendly. But are they all they're cracked up to be? http://www.explainthatstuff.com/bioplastics.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/bioplastics.html Mon, 5 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT Where will all our cars get their fuel from when oil runs out (or becomes too expensive to extract)? One solution may be to switch vehicles over from gasoline and diesel engines to electric fuel cells, which are a bit like batteries powered by hydrogen gas that never run flat. Silent and pollution free, they're among the cleanest and greenest power sources yet developed. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/fuelcells.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/fuelcells.html Fri, 2 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT How serious is the problem of pollution? According to the environmental campaign organization WWF: "Pollution from toxic chemicals threatens life on this planet. Every ocean and every continent, from the tropics to the once-pristine polar regions, is contaminated." Let's look at pollution, what causes it, and how we can solve it. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/waterpollution.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/waterpollution.html Fri, 2 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT With the possible exception of water, soap seems like the simplest thing in the world. Just splash it on your face and it gets rid of the dirt, right? In fact, it's quite a cunning chemical and it works in a really interesting way. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/detergents.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/detergents.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:00:00 GMT How do Blu-ray discs store so much more information than DVDs and CDs? By using precise blue lasers. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/bluray.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/bluray.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:00:00 GMT How do you test a plane without risking a flight in the air? In a wind tunnel--a giant pipe with air whistling round it at up to 50 times the speed of a hurricane. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/windtunnel.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/windtunnel.html Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:00:00 GMT Light is vitally important to us, but we don't always take the trouble to understand it. Why does it make some things appear to be different colours from others? Does it travel as particles or as waves? Why does it travel so quickly? let's take a closer look at some of these questions--let's shed some light on light! http://www.explainthatstuff.com/light.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/light.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:00:00 GMT Are you stuck with hundreds of old cassette tapes and LPs you can no longer play? There's an easy way to convert them into MP3 files with a neat gadget called a Griffin iMic (an external stereo sound card for your PC or Mac). http://www.explainthatstuff.com/tapetomp3.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/tapetomp3.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:00:00 GMT Have you ever wondered what those amazing suits are that race-car drivers wear to protect themselves in a fire? They made of a synthetic textile Nomex, similar to Kevlar. We take a closer look. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/nomex.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/nomex.html Mon, 7 Apr 2008 10:00:00 GMT Freshly made bread is totally delicious, but making it can be a real chore. Three cheers, then, for breadmaking machines that do the whole thing for you. Let's take a look at how they work. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/breadmaker.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/breadmaker.html Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:00:00 GMT You love the speed of broadband, but you want the convenience of a cellphone you can take anywhere. So it's three cheers for HSDPA mobile broadband that lets you use a laptop with a cellphone connection at broadband speeds. We give a quick overview of mobile broadband, then show how HSDPA works and how it evolved from earlier cellphone networks. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/mobilebroadband.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/mobilebroadband.html Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:00:00 GMT Bats see with ultrasound - high-frequency sound that helps us see unborn babies inside their mothers. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/ultrasound.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/ultrasound.html Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:00:00 GMT How do camcorders capture the things going on in the world around us? http://www.explainthatstuff.com/camcorders.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/camcorders.html