Popular Mech. 2015

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FEBRUARY 2015RSA: R34,90 Other countries: R30,61 excl VAT

TECH SCIENCE WHEELS HOME OUTSIDE

BUT WHICH ONES SHOULD WE WORRY ABOUT?

TOXIC SHOCKERSWEVE MADE 150 000 NEW CHEMICALS.WE TOUCH THEM. WE WEAR THEM. WE EAT THEM.

GREAT STUFF

LOCAL ARTISTS 3D-PRINTED WEARABLE ART

SA ROBOTIC EXOSKELETON PROJECT BOOST FOR PARALYSIS REHAB

+UPGRADE: COOL TECH

THE GADGETBROTHERS

TESTED Jabra Sp

ortbuds

Astraphobe

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Dashcam

SKILLSMAKE A HOT RODDERS TOOLBOX DESIGN YOUR OWN APP

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SMART TECHNOLOGY SYNC with Bluetooth and voice control Dual Zone Climate Control Cruise Control Steering Wheel Audio Controls

6 6 1 5 5 d t p Wi l d _ P M - L - 1 2 0 1 4 - 1 2 - 1 5 T 1 0 : 3 7 : 5 7 + 0 2 : 0 0

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Cover caption: Even the most innocent, obvious objects and substances hold hidden dangers. This page: Our homemade diamond-plate hot rodders toolbox is hardy and easy to clean. Plus, it will add a dash of Mad Max to any car project.

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FEBRUARY 2015RSA: R34,90 Other countries: R30,61 excl VAT

TECH SCIENCE WHEELS HOME OUTSIDE

BUT WHICH ONES SHOULD WE WORRY ABOUT?

TOXIC SHOCKERSWEVE MADE 150 000 NEW CHEMICALS.WE TOUCH THEM. WE WEAR THEM. WE EAT THEM.

GREAT STUFF

LOCAL ARTISTS 3D-PRINTED WEARABLE ART

SA ROBOTIC EXOSKELETON PROJECT BOOST FOR PARALYSIS REHAB

+UPGRADE: COOL TECH

THE GADGETBROTHERS

TESTED Jabra Sp

ortbuds

Astraphobe

lightning detector

Dashcam

SKILLSMAKE A HOT RODDERS TOOLBOX DESIGN YOUR OWN APP

SUBSCRIBE, SAVE 25%AND GETa Dash 7 Quick Change Multi Bit Screwdriver worth R110 free!

How Your World Works12 High-speed photography: faster than a speeding bullet SA-designed anti-ram barrier: stopping baddies in their tracks Microdots: protect your own Books: demystifying the Dark Net, science and safari guides

Science24 Toxic shockers These everyday substances are all around us. Should we be worried?

37 Stand tall SA scientists dream of a homegrown robotic exoskeleton for paralysis victims

Tech30 The Gadget Brothers Meet the master tinkerers whose innovations are helping change the way we think

46 High tech meets high art Local artists 3D-printed wearable designs make waves

52 Burning bright Energy-efficient lighting that celebrates democracy

Upgrade74 Thunderstruck: next-gen aircraft Panono panoramic camera: all-round view

Wheels56 How autonomous drive impacts interiors SYM brings on the heavies Lamborghini Huracan driven SsangYong rebirth continues Hyundai hits the spot Audi revives S1 moniker GS-911 BMW scan tool

Features66 Loud and clear New-wave hearing aids help make more sense of sound

72 A beautiful thing Lifes a grind for this refurbed coffee roaster

86 Confessional in the palm of your hand: anonymous social networking

Tested42 Jabra Sport Pulse Wireless: work out to the beat of your heart, that is Astraphobe Lightning Protection system: advance warning DOD VRH3 Dash Cam: silent witness

Skills80 Project: Hot rodders toolbox Make an app Seal that gap PM Workshop challenge

Monthly4 Contact us6 Editors notes8 Letters10 Time machine18 Great Stuff100 Do it your way

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The high-tech innards of Panonos throwable Panoramic Ball Camera, which looks set to make capturing panoramic images much less hassle than in the past.

EDITOR: Anthony Doman GROUP PUBLISHER: Neil Piper

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FOR OUR CURRENT SUBSCRIPTION RATES, SEE INSIDE BACK COVER Published and distributed by RamsayMedia (Pty) Ltd by permission of Hearst Communications Inc, New York, New York, United States of America.

We cannot be responsible for loss of unsolicited queries, manuscripts or photos. For return, they must be accompanied by adequate postage. As a service to readers, PoPular Mechanics publishes newsworthy products, techniques and scientific and technological developments. Due to possible variance in the quality and condition of materials and workmanship, PoPular Mechanics cannot assume responsibility for proper application of techniques or proper and safe functioning of manufactured products or reader-built projects resulting from information published in this magazine.

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E D I T O R ' S N O T E S

YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST LAMBORGHINI.

For me, that moment was 15 years ago in Sardinia. Just the other day, when I levered myself into the new Lamborghini Huracan (picture left; see Wheels, page 56), the memories came flooding back.

My first was a Diablo, which as you may know means Devil. The track-ori-ented rear-wheel-drive Diablo GT was to be the last and greatest of the line (though the 4wd VT released later ultimately had the honour of being last). It was arguably the greatest, with its V12 stroked out to 6 litres, taking outputs to 429 kW and 639 N.m. Just 80 GTs were made.

As the only South African on the world launch I travelled alone; for 30 hours, from memory. I was pretty wiped out on arrival and the prospect of even a hotel bed seemed quite invit-ing. But my hosts insisted I go out for a drive with one of their own.

So I squeezed in alongside wiry, thirtysomething, personable Antonio Leandro. There was the hint of a swagger in his manner: you know, I drive karts for fun and Lambos for a living.

We drove quite briskly up the free-way and back, before we exited to a secondary road. Sideways, in a perfectly executed power slide.

We were, as they say, proceeding at a speed in excess of the islands nomi-nal 80 km/h limit when up the road a uniformed figure stepped out, palm upraised. Antonio jumped on the brakes. I didnt understand much about the animated discussion with the carabinieri that ensued, though I did recognise pri-mavera and nuovo. By now the speed gun was forgotten. Under the raised bonnet, heads nodded gravely, lower lips protruded. Eventually, reluctantly, they waved us on with something that sounded like it might have been the local equivalent of Go with God.

At about the same time, a woman driver, the local equivalent of a soccer mom in a hurry, was brusquely waved down. It looked like she was in trouble. She was driving only a station wagon, after all.

By the way, the GT was said to be the first Lamborghini capable of more than 200 miles per hour, or in metric terms 320 km/h. I cant vouch for that, but I

do recall having seen 310 on the speedo-meter.

So it went for an hour or two, until, now thoroughly awake but considerably more tired out, I returned to the hotel for my overdue nap.

Later that evening, when I headed into the foyer for dinner it was obvious some-thing was wrong. Havent you heard? one of the other visiting journalists hissed. One of their guys got killed.

Antonio.Hed been taking a prospective cus-

tomer out and, at fatally high speed, rear-ended a vehicle that moved out in front of him. The Diablo was a burnt-out wreck, the passenger miraculously alive. Antonio didnt make it.

Was it really worth going on? Shouldnt we just pack it in and go home?

We stayed. On a sunny Sardinian morning, a

twisty mountain road, the clack-clack of the gearshift lever through the gleam-ing gate with its awkward dogleg to First, made doubly awkward for some-one accustomed to right-hand drive. The bodys daunting width. The almost complete absence of rearward visibility, forcing the then-new idea of a rear-view camera. (Without that camera, Id probably still be making a 374-point turn on that gravel side road we took by mistake.)

And, of course, the sheer brutal drama of it all. The explosion of sound at start-up, the spine-tingling bellow under acceleration, the thundering performance.

The words came easily when the time arrived to write up my memories of the drive. And I chose to focus on life, not death.

It was when I came to choosing pic-tures I felt a sudden chill. My press kit showed a Diablo GT in that distinctive Lamborghini orange. In various poses; some driving, some static. There was something terribly familiar about the person at the wheel, though. Irony of ironies: it was Antonio.

For one reason and another, you never do forget your first Lamborghini.

[email protected]

COMPETITION WINNERS... Details online at www.popularmechanics.co.za

DEVIL IN THE DETAIL

Diablo GT: Unforgettable.

TOYOTA HILUX COMPETITIONMore than 1 700 readers entered our Where2Next win-a-Toyota Hilux competition, run in conjunction with Toyota South Africa and our sister publications Getaway and Leisure Wheels.

Weve chosen nine finalists three from each publication. They are Whitney Warstler, Anitha Regnard, David Middleton, Quintin Beukes, Sisasenkosi Sibanda, Jeremy Farquharson, Mike Murray, Mark Liprini and Linton Schoenst. The winner will be chosen by an independent judge in January 2015. Watch this space!

30981 CSIR_StarProfiles_Angelap.indd 1 2014/12/17 2:16 PM


L E T T E R S / WH AT S O N Y O U R M I N D ?

barring the steering pivot bolt, had no screws or nails to secure its assembly. Simple mortise and tenon joints and generous applications of cold glue were all it took to maintain a sturdy structure. Both the front and rear wheel axles simply fitted through holes drilled into the supports.

The main design features were cuta-ways for the drivers elbows, grab-holes for the assistant, a footrest and steering rope brackets that governed the turning circle. The brake option was not fitted.

The plan was drawn directly on the sheet of marine ply as the project evolved from the idea in mind. Firstly, the base was sized to leave just enough material for required sections such as the front steering beam and two rope brackets, the footrest, the seat, its front support and backrest, plus the two side supports. A strip of hardboard formed the curved section glued from the nose up to the footrest. This supplied the slender chassis boom with more strength.

Materials required were a 1-metre square of marine ply and a litre of cold glue. The parts list comprised items such as the steering rope, pivot bolt, nut and washers, and two axles plus washers and split-pins for the four wheels. Plastic garden hose offcuts were used to space the wheels away from the wooden structure. Finally, a wood primer followed by two finishing coats of paint protected the wood for the many years of fun and joy.

How about a constructors champion-ship competition of your own aimed at bringing loungers closer to their children, with the children forming the adjudica-tion panel?

Unfortunately I will not be taking part in the DIY Challenge as I have no drawings. My project was built some 20 years ago and the F1 Go-Kart has long since gone. All that remains are the photos, which is a pity, but it was fun anyway.

ROB SCHWARTZBY EMAIL

War is not inevitableDespite the common knowledge that war has been the number one technological booster, particularly in the past century, I find it disturbing that the author of the December 2014 winning letter has embraced the inevitable notion of war-fare. Yes, we have been killing each other for millions of years and it is still happening randomly in greedy, unedu-cated and obsessed parts of our planet. But its definitely not nave to think that we will eventually evolve [as our faces clearly did!].

Send your letter to: Popular Mechanics, PO Box 180, Howard Place 7450, or e-mail [email protected] Please keep it short and to the point. Regrettably, prizes can be awarded only to South African residents.

Write to us, engage in debate and you could win a cool prize. This months best letter wins a Timex watch from the Expedition range, valued at R2 999. Timex has been keeping track of time since 1854 and exudes a sense of heritage and classic style that merges impeccably with its advanced technology. There is a watch to suit every facet of your lifestyle: for the athletic, the Sport category includes watches suitable for running, gym or Ironman; for men who enjoy the great outdoors, this category features Expedition watches, which wont miss a beat when it comes to rugged adventures. For the trendy lot, Weekender merges iconic style and fashion forward design that suits both men and women.

This months Timex prize features Indiglo night light, distinct fourth indicator hand, an accurate digital compass with analogue display and adjustable decli-nation angle for accuracy. Its also water-resistant to 100 metres. Price points for the range start with everyday basics at R549 and go up to R3 499. For your nearest stockist contact [email protected]. www.timex.com.

FIXING CERTAINLY WORKS FOR MEI can vouch for the article written by Kyle Wiens, Why we fix (July 2014). Back in the 1950s, my late father, Bob Apsey, used to bring home copies of PM and scrapped mechanical and electrical assemblies scrounged from overhauled production machinery. PM taught me to read. Stripping down, and sometimes fixing, old machine assem-blies taught me to think: What was the purpose of this thing? and to develop dexterity in using tools.

Like Kyle says: Making something whole again expresses what it means to be human: a demonstration of our capacity to be resourceful, meet challenges and solve problems.

My first investment in tools included a mini-lathe and an oscilloscope. Now, when I come home from work at night and drive into the garage I am greeted by the wagging tails of the dogs and an array of all kinds of tools and gadgets winking at me to come and fix something. And they have all paid for themselves in saved repair or replacement bills; some tools have paid for themselves many times over.

If you find the concept of a mini-mill in your garage boring, you can always convert it to CNC with a few stepper motors and sell it to your neighbour.

Its an interesting mental journey, worth the price of a plane ticket, and you can get most of your money back.

NIGEL APSEYCENTURION

Winning

letter

Have plywood, will createObserving the Backyard Lounger project in October 2014 set me reflecting on pro-jects I had done.

One particular moment of pride was seeing our very own F1 go-kart roll off the assembly line. Photos (see left) are all that remain of this once favoured win-ner of the constructors championship.

Point of interest is that it was fashioned from a metre sheet of marine ply and,

PM

Persisting with the view of war as a natural human condition is problem number one. War is the symptom, not the cause. To make war you need a crowd of obtuse individuals to execute it for you. It is evident in the countries largely free from warfare where the focus lies: education, health and the quest to prolong life not to end it.

PoPular Mechanics is a great mag, but I must admit that I also generally [out of lack of interest, not ethics] skip the parts concerned with [primarily American] war tech.

HUGOCAPE TOWN

Safety or looks?Would you consider doing an article on roll bars on bakkies? I read in a car mag-azine that roll bars are just cosmetic and there is no way they can protect the occu-pants. Accompanying the article were photos of a bakkie that had rolled. The bar was just one tangled mess.

Most of us, the public, are under the impression that the roll bar is there for protection and that it will prevent the cab from collapsing in a roll-over.

If this is not so, it will save lives if the truth is told and then a real bar may be designed that will protect us as we believe it should.

ANDR PIENAARBRACKENFELL

Programming for pleasure and profitI am 13 years old. My interests are pro-gramming, mainly C++ and Python, and computers in general. I find it really hard to learn to code as a child, so I would like to encourage other kids to start programming.

Parents always worry about their children sitting in front of a screen playing com-puter games, but the computer actually does have some educational purposes. Programming may sound very threaten-ing, but it is actually quite simple and it helps with school as well. It is basically algebra, so it will help schoolchildren in Grade 7 and upwards.

There are some special programs for younger children who may want to try to

www.popularmechanics.co.za FEBRUARY 2015 9

create their own games. The great thing about it is that you are learning while you are having fun.

I would suggest starting with some-thing like Scratch, which is dragging and dropping blocks of simple code to form a single program. Its good fun; you can make crazy animations or entertaining games. Scratch is perfect for those with little Maths knowledge and teaches the structure of programming.

Older children who are rather knowl-edgeable and want to dive straight into programming should try something such as Python. It is a simple yet powerful lan-guage and it is very versatile. Python has special plugins, such as Pygame, for mak-ing games. It is a fully featured coding language and is in fact used in Android. Python is also often used in the game Battlefield 2 in modding, etc.

The website www.codecademy.org has interactive tutorials for several languages such as Python, HTML and Ruby. All of these are done through your browser. Its free, too, so all you have to do is create an account, choose your tutorial and get started. Scratch is made by the MIT Kinder-garten Lab and is free to download. There are also many projects made by other users available for download.

Programming is very important and we need coders in many businesses. Think of banking: if there are no coders, security cant be updated, thus making the system vulnerable to attack. Millions will probably be stolen.

As you can see, programming is vital in many aspects of business and it is rather easy to get started. So, next time your children ask to play video games, think of introducing them to coding. You never know; they might become the next Bill Gates!

NICHOLAS WELLSBY EMAIL

Check your water regularlyWe had a persistent, very slight hissing sound of water running in our bathroom for a couple of weeks.

With the help of a local leak detection firm and our regular plumber we now have the source of the hissing found and repaired.

It was a minute crack in the poly pipe incoming feed, caused by a tile discarded by a past builder 800 mm below ground level. We were able to hear the hissing only because the leak was spraying on to our sewage outlet pipe, which in turn transmitted the noise to the bathroom. It occurred to me that, had the leak not

been spraying on to the sewer pipe, we would never have been aware of the loss of water.

My suggestion is that, once a week, it would be a good idea to turn off all taps and check the meter to ensure that the dial is completely stationary.

NIGEL G SWEETEDGEMEAD

Hope for the wheelchair-bound Id like to contact your contributor John Phillips (Keep on triking, November 2014) to compare notes. The reason for my interest is twofold.

My late Dad, as a Mountain Club mem-ber, had been reduced to a wheelchair in his latter year or so and I used to take him up the Newlands Forestry tracks to get a change of scenery. This taught me that wheelchairs do have a natural insta-bility once off the flat.

I also have a work colleague who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis some 31 years ago. He is now reduced to a mere ghost of his former self, but is hanging in there gamely.

NAME WITHHELD BY EMAIL

Its amazing what computers can doI enjoyed the letter from HB Waterman of Durban in which he mentioned his aunt getting a ZX Spectrum to com-municate with family.

For your information, this can also be done with a device a lot newer, namely a Raspberry Pi. In fact, this email is coming to you via a Raspberry Pi B+!

The ZX Spectrum was the first home computer I played with, more years ago than I wish to remember. But it did start me on a career in programming.

ALF STOCKTONVIA EMAIL

WIKIPEDIA


T IM E M A C H I N E / I T M A D E P E R F E C T S E N S E A T T H E T I M E

1929

1948To those two certainties of life death

and taxes cyclists would definitely add a third: punctures. Its become fashionable to re-inflate tyres using CO2 bombs ostensibly because they are more convenient than pumps, If pressed, racer dudes would argue that pumps are a little old-fashioned. Would it surprise them, then, to learn that gas cartridges were being used for exactly this purpose back in 1948. Whos old-fashioned now? PM

Age of the Aerial Monsters, PM USAs June 1938 cover story, recorded the dawning of a new aviation epoch founded on powerful new engines. A single

new engine, we reported, bettered the total power output of a trimotor transport from just a decade earlier. Different times, different standards, though: it seems odd, in the Airbus A380 era, to see the description giant applied to that aerial jug-gernaut, the 42-passenger 5-crew Douglas DC-4.

With all the fuss about autono-mous cars, you would think this kind of thing had never been

done before. Well, you would be wrong. Back in November 1971, PM reported that a driverless car had been operating at the Road Research Laboratory, Crowthorne, England. Buried just below the road surface was a cable energised by alternating current. Two sensors on the front of the car picked up the signal, determining, by signal strength, whether the car was veering right or left. Corrections were made using an electric motor that turned the steering wheel. From photographs taken during test-ing it appears that (1) the car is a Ford Cortina Mk 2 and (2) the back seat driver was a known phenomenon, even in 1971.

1971

Many of todays cars feature headlights that help the driver see around corners by illuminating to the side, as well as the

front, when the steering wheel is turned. But way back in Great Depression days a New Zealand inven-tor had created an attachment that connected the headlights to the front wheels so that they swivelled into the curves. Sadly, even this novel idea wasnt sufficient to enable investors to see, just around the corner, the Great Crash of Wall Street.

1938

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This is a simple o-ring. Almost as big as your thumb. Seemingly insignificant.On January 28, 1986, a single faulty o-ring brought down an entire space shuttle, mid takeoff. In a complicated chain, it takes only one part that isnt as sophisticated and meticulously crafted to compromise the whole machine. Dont take chances.Insist on BMW Original Parts, because without genuine parts, its simply not a BMW anymore. For more information visit www.bmw.co.za/originalparts

76899 POPMECHAN.indd 1 2014/12/09 3:14 PM


The sequence involving Robert Downey Jr escaping through the woods amid exploding trees in the movie Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is arguably the best slow-motion action footage ever seen on a cinematic screen. It was shot on a Phantom ultra high-speed camera. The latest variant to leave manufacturer Vision Researchs US production plant, the upgraded Phantom Flex4K, is now availa-ble locally to tease our home-grown advertising and movie industries with thoughts of another beguiling option to help boost their visual creativity and woo audiences..

As you can imagine, operating the Phantom Flex4K is nothing like filming with your average family handicam. Costing around R1,8 million (depending on the exchange rate), this is one serious piece of kit. We met up with Falk Eggert from High Speed Worx, the proud owner of the first Flex4K camera to land in the country, as he and his colleague Johan Horjus underwent certified training under the watchful gaze of Vision Researchs Nick Long.

From what I could tell, the two-day training session seemed more like fun than training. Exercises included the two guys slapping each other in the face, sing stuff in the swimming pool and smashing fruit and vegetables to bits with a hammer. For me, watching the playback of Horjus catch a flat hand on his chops was the most illuminating sequence. Captured at 2000 frames per second, and filling a whopping 64 GB of data for the 5-second clip, it showed in minute, pin-sharp slow-motion detail how the skin on his cheek then nose folded, buckled and rippled as the force of the strike followed through. I honestly didnt think facial skin could exhibit such fluid dexterity it looked hilarious.

Underneath all the laddish shenanigans, there was a serious side. Phantoms local agent, DVISs Werner Grundlingh, explains: All the Phantom cameras operate basically the same, but the Flex4K has so many extra features. When a clients spending millions on a project, youve got to get the footage right first time.

Capable of capturing 4K footage at 1000 fps, and even faster 2K clips at 2000 fps, the Phantom Flex4K boasts up to 64 GB of internal RAM. Its CineMag IV storage system can be kitted out with two 1 TB flash drives (allowing one to be removed and content downloaded while youre busy filling the other). At 4K resolution the camera offers super-35 mm depth of field. The cus-tom 10 megapixel sensor captures intricate detail with impressive

HOW YOUR WORLD WORKSA S T E R O I D S I R O N D O M E G E N I U S E S R E S T O R I N G A R T A U D I O G R E AT U N K N O W N S

LIGHTS, CAMERA, (SLOW-MO) ACTION! Meet the Phantom Flex4K the worlds most advanced high-speed cinematic camera.BY SE AN WOODS

dynamic range and low noise which translates into excellent image quality and low-light performance. Capture, trigger, playback and save controls can be found on both sides of the camera in order to provide a seamless workflow for different environments. Connectivity options include Bluetooth (range: up to 100 metres), Ethernet port and a 4-pin Hirose output for a monitor. And, for the first time on a Phantom, the camera can be set to write either RAW or compressed files directly to the CineMag. For more information visit www.highspeedworx.com

This sequence of images, showing an airgun pellet shattering an egg in minute detail as it passes through, is just one example of the kind of assignment Vision Researchs Phantom Flex4K high-speed cinematic camera can handle.


PHANTOM FLEX4K SPECIFICATIONS PIXEL SIZE: 6,75 micronSENSOR SIZE: 27,7 x 15,5 mmLENS MOUNT: PL (standard), Canon EOS, Nikon F/GINTERNAL RAM: Up to 64 GBRECORDING MEDIA: Phantom CineMag IV (up to 2 TB)SIZE (L X W X H): 29,2 x 14 x 12,7 cm WEIGHT: 5,33 kg

MOVIES


HOW YOUR WORLD WORKS

CRIME

STOPPING BADDIES IN THEIR TRACKSMall robberies showed a sharp spike towards the end of 2014. Hardest hit was the Western Cape. Conclusion: we need to get smarter about many aspects of crime, from predicting to prevention and deterrence. And, not least, stopping the bad guys from making a getaway.

There cant be a more security-conscious nation than South Africa. A sad fact of life in this country is that dealing with crime is an inevitable and often burdensome drain on the household budget.

But the focus was taken away from domestic crime towards the end of 2014 by a minor plague of heists at shopping malls and commercial centres. One man believes he has the answer.

Dean Lazarus, below, is the man behind a novel barrier idea devel-oped by his company, Spider Wire. Lazarus, who has a security back-ground in both Australia and South Africa, moved back here around 5 years ago.

He noticed most mall attacks had common features: A vehicle would be used to carry out the attack or robbery In the case of a robbery, the criminals would escape in one or more vehicles.

I began a conscious effort to look out for the security measures at shopping centre access and exit points, Lazarus says. Without excep-tion, not one shopping centre had any real means of stopping a vehicle travelling at high speed from either entering or exiting the premises.

What most facilities had was a simple arm barrier. Its a type of bar-rier designed not to stop vehicles, but merely to deter someone from not paying for their parking. During one mall robbery in Centurion, the criminals just drove straight through the arm barrier.

So what about those fancy spike barriers, then?Well, I hate to break this to anyone who has installed them: they


are not designed to stop any vehicles. They are merely designed to puncture someones tyres.

On regular tyres, he says, you should be able to drive up to 5 km on deflated tyres that have been punctured by spike barriers. Thats ample time to be able to reach another getaway car.

If you have run-flat tyres, you will be able to travel in excess of 50 km on your tyres after they have been punctured. In other words, they are just as ineffective as those standard arm barriers.

He began to research products from all over the world and was drawn to a type of barrier referred to in the security industry as an anti-ram barrier or road-blocker. To give you an idea of just how impres-sive these barriers are, their testing involves smashing vehicles of different sizes into the barrier at up to 80 km/h. The barriers would stop the vehicle dead in its tracks. Understandably, he got excited.

That was before he found out what building them involved and what they cost. All of them, he discovered, use either hydraulics, pneumatics or electro-mechanical systems. That means they are complex, expensive to build and expensive to repair.

The companies I approached had barriers starting from around R600 000 all the way to over R1 million per barrier system. Of course, these companies could state that they had tested their product under an international standard known as PAS 68. What exactly is PAS 68? In short, it is a test in which a vehicle of a certain size (depending upon which test the company chooses to do) is rammed into a barrier at the aforementioned 80 km/h. If the barrier stops the vehicle, the company gets a certificate and flaunting rights.

Theres one catch: the test costs the equivalent of about half a million rand.

Lazarus hit on the idea of saving costs by using a standard design of a vehicle-mounted winch to pull up the barrier. He commissioned the work to an engineer (now his colleague). The significant advan-tages of the patented design that emerged are, he says, threefold:

1. No expensive mechanical, pneumatic and electro-mechanical systems2. Minimal repair costs.3. Simple installation. The design has its own reinforcing built in. It needs little more than a 360 mm trench, filled with concrete.

How well does it work? In the absence of a budget for a PAS 68

test, they designed their own. Admittedly, it took place at a makeshift test site in Heidelberg, Gauteng. Admittedly, it lacked sophistication. But by all accounts it was a blast.

They hooked up a late 1980s Toyota Cressida to a remote control. Between 1,7 and 2 tons of vintage Toyota, with none of todays sophisticated crumple zones, it was effectively a piece of solid steel travelling at speed. At 70 km/h, it slammed into the barrier.

Says Lazarus: The results were amaz-ing. The barrier stopped the vehicle dead in its tracks. It was what we in the security industry call zero penetration. The engine block was squashed and pushed into the front seats.

Practical implementation of the barrier would make life easier for everybody except the bad guys, he says.

Lazarus envisages the control room operator pressing a single button to activate barriers at all exit and

entrance points. Nobody could leave or enter. By vehicle, anyway.

Whereas the barrier would normally be flat or closed at shopping malls, security areas such as embassies would use the barrier in the normally Up position, and lower it using access control, he says.

With steel in many parts of the barrier up to 30 mm thick, it could also act as an effective shield for security personnel in the event of armed attack.

Lazarus dreams of having his barriers at every shop-ping centre or high-security facility in the country.

The other advantage to our winch-operated design is that its flexible and interfaces easily with other systems. Best of all, the system they have devised should, he says, cost no more than about R200 000. To find out more, visit spiderwire.co.za

Irresistible force meets immovable object. Immovable object wins

Instead of the complex hydraulics, pneumatics or electromechanical actuation

used by sophisticated, expensive barrier systems developed overseas, this design

uses a simple winch.



ON THE DOTMicrodots, standard on all new cars and popular as a security measure on house-hold items, are the newest recruit to the war on rhino poaching.

This March, a new weapon will be enlisted in the war on rhino poaching: the microdot. Already in common use on new cars (its legislated), livestock and big-ticket household goods, microdots will provide an investigative tool that may help curb this scourge.

Microdots on animals are not new. They are widely used on livestock, where it is applied to their horns and hooves using non-toxic adhesive.

We would use 3 000 to 5 000 dots per animal, says Recoveri Microdots Philip Opperman. Although the dots wont necessarily stop the rhino slaughter, they will allow investigators to track back to specific herds or localities and provide evidence that might help clamp down on criminal activity.

Dotting has had a marked effect on theft of motor vehicles and motorcycles, Opperman says. Theres been a downward tend since 2006; in the three years before 2012/13 an average annual decrease of 9,2 per cent was recorded.

With criminals and syndicates using sophisticated technology to assist their crimes for example, remote signal blocking devices to disable electronic car locking systems asset protection has become as important as private security companies and sophisticated alarm systems, says Opperman. Asset tagging can be employed on most movable objects such as cars, motorbikes, cycling bikes, laptops and electronic goods. The tiny tags around 1 mm in diameter and up to 15 000 per item are hard to see with the naked eye (a UV light is needed to read them) and almost impossible to remove. Each dot contains 9 lines of data that includes such information a unique Asset Identity Number (AIN). This enables a stolen item to be linked to its rightful owner through a comprehensive asset register. That means less risk and, ultimately, cheaper insurance.

Opperman says he has seen a massive increase in the uptake of microdotting in the past 18 months. Dots can even be used to mark copper cable at factory level. In fact, they form part of the con-ductor design by etching an alphanumeric number sequence on the cable at intervals. Its possible to identify as little as a metre of stolen cable.

Unfortunately, as crime in some sectors has decreased, in other areas it has gone up. Theres

CRIME

been a major upswing in truck hijackings and yellow metal thefts, he explains. The latter refers to big earthmoving and construction equipment. These guys come along with flatbeds after the construction site closes at 3 on a Friday afternoon. They have a whole weekend. In two days they can be in Zimbabwe, Mozambique or Namibia. With entry level price for these machines about R600 000, you see the extent of the problem. To combat this, the big machines are dotted using welded-on tags and are stencilled all over.

A domestic kit for the average household, covering the 5 typical big assets (flatscreen TV, computers and so on). The Big 5 account for 80 per cent of insurance claims, Opperman says. This kit, in DIY form, costs R199 and contains 1 000 dots. Larger kits are available.

Aftermarket application of dots for older vehicles costs R499 and is done at accredited fitment centres. The dots, in solution, are sprayed on. As a proactive means of preventing theft, a warning sign is supplied, Opperman adds. www.recoveri.net

Microdots are available in a range of packages to suit appli-cations ranging from automotive (sprayed on at accredited fitment centres) to household items and now, even rhino.


BOOKS


THE SCIENCE BOOKPublisher: Dorling KindersleyPrice: R350Neatly packaged into bite-sized chapters that retain the essentials without dumb-ing down unnecessarily, The Science Book takes a historical view of the subject from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia and Greece around 600 BCE.

Its bright, engaging layout is copiously illustrated and nice touches include In context sidebars and boxes listing rele-vant historical information by date. Where necessary, and in larger chapters, a particular individuals contribution may be detailed: for example, Murray Gell-Mans work in particle physics.

This is a worthy addition to the curious minds bookshelf. Its logically laid out, clear in its approach and comprehensive in its scope. If there is a quibble, its that some might argue that it doesnt shed sufficient light on contributions to sci-ence from the East, notably China.

THE DARK NETBy Jamie BartlettWilliam HeinemannPrice: R465In the early 1990s, the cyberphunk mailing list acquired a new member by the name of Proff. It didnt take long for Proff to become adept at the insults, critiques and political intrigue that characterised this home of what Bartlett describes as rugged libertarians. In real life and well have cause to revisit that term Proff was a gifted young Australian programmer, Julian Assange, whom we now know as the man behind WikiLeaks.

Thats just one of the countless titbits contained in Bartletts exploration of the Dark Net, those behind-the-curtain zones of cyberspace whose hallmarks are secrecy, deception and not a little anarchy. In his quest to understand the shadowy interstices between the vast slabs of the common

or garden Net, Bartlett consults hackers, trolls, anarchists, political activists, online sex peddlers, Bitcoiners seeking a new economy or a new world order more or less, the kind of people parents warn us about.

Its origins are not all in shadowy cabals, though. Some emerged from perfectly respectable, if radically minded, individuals in the IT industry and academia. The common thread: they were mostly very smart indeed.

Bartletts efforts to dig deeper into the Dark Net do require him to dwell on his interactions with some of its denizens, but this can sometimes overshadow his attempt at explanation of the phenomenon. After all, one can take only so much personal involvement with people who frankly dont have a life (I will probably be trolled and bombed online now).

The scary implication is that, to many of its denizens, the Dark Net has become more real than real life. Bartlett asserts that, in the end, it comes down to free-dom to choose and its up to the individual to make the right choices. But he confesses to the uneasy feeling that its all too easy to get sucked into the dark depths of cyberspace. Approach with care, then.

A guide can make or break the safari experience, says veteran tour operator Cazenove. And legend-ary is perhaps the appropriate word to describe some of the rugged, colourful characters brought to life in these pages. Clearly in love with her subject, Cazenove has updated her previous book on guides to chart the changing face of safaris in sub-Saharan Africa, tracing its origins and develop-ment from the rather crude early days when train-ing involved being plied with drink and then having to work with a hangover the next day, or shooting an impala and bringing it back unaided. By her telling, that certainly reflected the work hard, play hard ethic at Londolozi. Yet when she draws her word pictures of these distinctive individuals and she really is able to draw sto-ries out of them their deep attachment to the wild is evident.

She has plenty of anecdotes of her own, too. One in particular had me smiling at the thought of her watching Nelson Mandelas release from prison, on a generator-driven TV set at a Skeleton Coast guest farm, while perched in the family living room between two cheetahs and Elvis, a large male baboon.

Not content with a mere praise song to Africas enchanting beauty and a homage to its safari guide legends, Cazenove also weighs on the topi-cal issues of poaching, hunting, transfrontier

parks, as do her interview subjects. Judging by their endlessly fascinating tales and wealth of knowledge and passion, if youve ever been left unmoved by your experience of African wildlife, perhaps you just werent in the right hands. AD PM

LEGENDARY SAFARI GUIDESSuzie CazenoveBookstormPrice: R212


MYKRONOZ ZESPLASH SMARTWATCH Smart arm candy Wearable tech is the current big thing. That said, if you want to get up to speed with the latest gadget trend, we suggest you check out the Swiss-designed smartwatch from MyKronoz, the ZeSplash. Connecting to iOS and Android handsets via Bluetooth, this water-resistant smartwatch boasts a capacitive colour touchscreen, along with an integrated microphone and speaker giving it the ability to act as a wireless dialler and allowing users to handle calls directly from their wrists.

You can also listen to music stored on your mobile device via its built-in speaker, remotely voice-command your phone and take voice memos with its recording feature. And, when your phones out of range, this nifty little device gently vibrates. Oh, it also features a built-in pedometer that tracks daily steps and calories burned. Price: about R3 000. Contact Gammatek on 011-201 0800 or visit www.gammatek.co.za

GREAT STUFFH E R E S T H E N E W E S T G E A R Y O U L L W A N T T O O W N C O M P I L E D B Y S E A N W O O D S S E A N W @ R A M S A Y M E D I A . C O . Z A

Editors

choice


WD MY CLOUD MIRROR Safe and accessible Storing content on multiple devices such as laptops, PCs, smartphones and tablets can be a frustrating exercise. How many of us have lost count of where weve stored our photos, music and movies? Fortunately, WDs My Cloud Mirror featuring dual drives that provide up to 12 TB of capacity provides one centralised storage point for all your familys digital content, allowing you to store, share, access and upload files from any location using WDs My Cloud app for iOS and Android mobile devices.

With Mirror Mode (RAID 1), all files are automatically duplicated on to the second drive for extra peace of mind. Alternately, you can opt for RAID 0, spanning or JBOD modes for faster performance and maximum capacity. WD SmartWare Pro offers options for how, when and where you back up your files. Plus you can transfer files between your personal cloud, Dropbox and other public cloud accounts via the free mobile app. Prices range from around R4 800 for 4 TB up to about R9 000 for 12 TB. Visit www.wd.com

ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL

SEA-DWELLER 4000 Man, thats deep

You can tell a lot about someone by the bling that adorns his wrist. For example, if hes wearing Rolexs all-new Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller 4000 you can pretty much assume that he is financially secure and strongly believes in meticulously designed precision.

This 40 mm technical divers watch is waterproof to a depth of 1 220 metres and

features the latest in Rolex innovation Cerachrom bezel insert in ceramic, long-lasting Chromalight luminescence, paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring, Oysterlock safety clasp and Glidelock bracelet extension system. Most importantly, it features the helium escape valve patented by Rolex back in 1967. This ingenious safety deice releases helium from the watch case as the gas expands during the decompression phases of deep-water saturation dives, while preserving waterproofness. As youd expect, it comes with a high-precision self-winding mechanical movement. Price: about R111 300. Visit www.rolex.com

CASIO G-SHOCK GPW1000 Stay in sync Seasoned long-haul travellers know only too well the feeling of missing a connecting flight because you hadnt adjusted to local time. Casios latest G-Shock GPW1000 watch not only boasts the same level of toughness as previous models, but also features a decidedly new tech twist: the ability to adjust automatically to local time zones. This is done by combining Multiband 6 capability (to receive any one of six time calibration signals transmitted from different locations around the globe) with a receiver that acquires position and time information from GPS satellites. While flying, this can be disabled by switching to Flight mode.

The moulded fine resin frame underpins its legendary good looks and tough exterior; its waterproof down to 200 metres. A solar charging system converts a range of light sources into usable power.

Price: about R19 000. Contact James Ralph on 011-314 8888 or visit www.jamesralph.co.za


GARMIN VECTOR S POWER SENSOR Power it up Power-measuring devices have become de rigueur for seriously competitive cyclists, who agonise over such minutiae as watts per kilogram in an effort to maximise their workouts. Typically these devices measure the force exerted on the rear hub or calculate power output based on chain deflection. Garmins Vector S power sensor pedal instead directly measures the power put into each pedal stroke by looking at the force on cyclists left pedals. First, it measures the deflection in the pedal spindle as cyclists pedal. Then, by comparing that measured deflection to a factory calibration, it can deter-mine how much force cyclists are applying to the pedal. Measurements are taken hundreds of times per second, and the force sensor and related electronics are permanently and securely sealed within the left pedal spindle.

Measuring total power and cadence, it sends all data to compatible Edge cycling computers or other ANT+ enabled devices. The system includes the left pedal with embedded power meter, a right pedal with-out sensor, pedal pod and related hardware. And, with additional arm clearance (in thickness and width), it fits almost any bike. Price: about R13 000. Contact Garmin on 011-251 9999 or visit www.garmin.co.za

LOCKLATCH SECURITY LATCH Open, but secure Necessity is without a doubt the mother of invention. If youve ever struggled to balance our need for security with our need for fresh air, youll understand why the LockLatch came about. Its designed to allow free-flowing air into your home without compromising security by securing open doors and windows in position. And get this: it was invented as a result of a Brazilian experience by a South African, Anthony Bairos. Having fallen victim to a spate of burglaries while sailing along the coast of Brazil, Bairos devised this latching system.

As its name indicates, LockLatch is simply a lockable latch that allows you to adjust the gap from 8 to 16 cm to provide small pet and air access. Made from stainless steel with a satin finish, it fits all doors, windows and hatches horizontally and vertically. Oh, and it works for baboons, too. Prices range from about R300 to R330 depending on the size you go for. Contact LockLatch on 082 447 2809 or visit www.locklatch.co.za

CANON POWERSHOT G7 X Serious snapper Dont let the small form factor of Canons new PowerShot G7 X lull you into thinking its only good for happy snaps this is one serious shooter that, in many respects, offers an experience comparable to that of DSLRs. From professional- looking portraits to macro close-ups, its quality 24 mm wide-angle and bright f/1.8 2.8 4.2 x optical zoom lens with 9-blade aperture allows creative types to achieve beautiful background blur. When combined with its large 1.0-type sensor this pocket-sized camera excels in low light providing users with the flexibility to capture images confidently with vividly realistic colours and low noise, even at ISO 12800. And, thanks to the responsiveness and superior speed of DIGIC 6, Canons most powerful image processor to date, it has a continuous shooting rate of 6,5 fps.

Its fast autofocus system includes 31 focus points that can be conveniently changed via the cameras large rear tilt-up touchscreen. Other cool features include 5-axis intelligent image stabilisation, Full HD video capture, Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity and a customisable Lens Control Ring to control critical photographic settings. Price: about R6 000. Contact Canon on 011-251 2400 or visit www.canon.co.za

GREAT STUFF

HUAWEI HG532F ADSL ROUTER WITH 3G Stay connected Remaining online when your ADSL goes down is a cinch when you have Huaweis latest ADSL router, the HG532f with 3G. Thanks to this nifty device, next time your neighbourhood has been pillaged by cable thieves youll still able to enjoy YouTube or get some work done all you need to is plug in a 3G dongle and carry on as normal.

Specwise, this wireless ADSL 2+ router delivers ultra-stable and reliable connectivity with high-speed, high-performance wireless transmissions of up to 300 Megabits per second. Its also said to offer excellent wireless coverage and increased range thanks to its powerful external antenna, as well as wired connectivity with four 10/100 M adaptive Ethernet interfaces. Other features include Wi-Fi Protected Access support, encryption and a built-in firewall for an extra layer of security. Price: about R550. Contact distributor Drive Control Corporation on 011-201 8927 or visit www.drivecon.net

MOTOMIA TERRA 250 Bush whacker Do you like the look of MotoMias motard-styled, dual-purpose terra-strada TS 250, but would prefer a bike with more dedicated off-road capabilities? If so, youre in luck. According to MotoMia, numerous requests have been received from customers interested in spoked rims for more serious off-road work. Their solution: their all-new terra 250. Like the terra-strada, it features mono-shock rear suspension, upside down front forks, powerful disk brakes up front and on the rear, 249 cm3 four-stroke motor with an output of 14 kW (at 7 000 r/min) as well as a 10-litre fuel tank. In fact, its almost identical bike to the TS, except for spoked rims, the larger 21-inch front wheel and more off-road oriented knobbly tyres, that is. It also features analogue instruments (unlike the digital console on the terra-strada). Price: about R17 500. Contact MotoMia on 0861 668 664 or visit www.motomia.com


SONY MDR-XB950T BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES All about the bass Party animals who like to shake it up, even when theyre not in a club, should check out Sonys new MDR-XB950BT headphones the first Bluetooth model in their Extra Bass (XB) range. Their big 40 mm driver units feature high mag-netic density neodymium magnets for effortless reproduction of the deepest sub-bass wobble. Want it to go lower still? Then just activate the Electro Bass Booster and instantly accentuate lows to club-like levels. Plus, the Advanced Direct Vibe Structure seals space between the driver unit and eardrum to ensure tightly focused direct reproduction of sub-bass sounds.

Ergonomics are taken seriously, too. The ear pads are crafted with new soft-touch cushions that nestle comfortably around a wide range of head shapes and the around-ear cavity allows the outer ear to keep its natural shape while delivering full-range sound directly to your eardrum. The built-in Li-Ion rechargeable battery is said to be good for up to 20 hours of play. Price: about R2 500. Visit www.incredible.co.za


SWISS MOBILITY RUGGED POWER PACK Power to go Looking for a mobile charger that can take a bruising? Then look no further. Swiss Mobilitys Rugged Power Pack is both dust- and water-resistant, making it the ideal gadget companion to take along on your next adventure. And, if thats not enough for you, its shock-resistant shell boasts military-grade MIL STD 810G drop protection, too.

Its 6 000 mAh lithium-ion battery pack will comfortably charge smartphones, tablets, cameras and the like. It comes with two separate USB rapid charging ports (1 amp and 2,1 amp) to accommodate tablets and phones. It can also charge two devices at once and features dual LED safety lights, along with a battery life indicator. Price: about R660. Contact Mantality on 011-462 5482 or visit www.mantality.co.za

BRYTON RIDER 60T GPS Know where youre at Whether you want audible route guidance while ped-alling your way to an unfamiliar destination, or a reliable monitor of fitness levels while training for the Cape Town Cycle Tour, Brytons Rider 60T GPS for cyclists has you covered.

Its turn-by-turn voice guidance system, delivered via a wireless Bluetooth headset, ensures you never end up facing a hill you hadnt planned on tackling. Preloaded tests and workouts (it comes with eight customisable data screens), assist with training. Other features include a runtime of 16 hours, real-time altitude chart, baro-meter, preloaded Road Explorer maps and seven heart rate zones. Weighing just 106 grams, its also water-proof and comes with a bike mount, along with a heart rate monitor and speed sensor. Even better, no installation or activation is required; just switch it on and go. Price: about R5 700. Contact Action Gear on 011-781 1323 or visit www.actiongear.co.za

STAR TREK PHASER REMOTE CONTROL Beam me up Scotty Granted, the battle for ultimate control of the telly remote can become quite heated, but that doesnt mean we have to take things too seriously on the home front. The Star Trek Phaser Remote Control is a case in point it lets you explore strange new channels, seek out old Star Trek reruns and boldly watch TV like no mans ever watched before. Painstakingly 3D scanned from the last remaining Phaser prop in existence, used nearly 50 years ago by William Shatner in his role as Captain James T Kirk, this ridiculously detailed 1:1 scale screen-accurate replica is as close as it gets to wielding the real thing.

Happily, its not just a fine collectable model to proudly display on a shelf. Its also a fully programmable gesture-based universal remote control using advanced infra-red technology to control everything from TVs and DVD players to stereos and iPod docks. The only thing it cant do is actually vaporise alien life forms or family members with terrible viewing tastes. Price: about R3 700. Contact Yuppie Gadgets on 021-593 0000 or visit www.yuppiegadgets.com PM

GREAT STUFF

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TOXIC SHOCKERS

AKE a bite out of a fresh apple: theres nothing as healthy or natural. The problem is that science tells us otherwise: sensitive tests reveal that

pretty much everything in the modern world fresh fruit included comes with a cocktail of chemical extras. Some of these extras are welcome, but others are not.

Consider that apple. In a study by the US Department of Agriculture, almost every apple tested contained residues of insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. Look hard enough and it is much the same story whichever food you examine. Nor is it just our eating habits that expose us to these pollutants we pick up tiny doses from cosmetics and paper, from the cushions and fabrics we sit on, the water we drink and the air we breathe.

Before you choke on your snack, bear in mind that most of these doses fall well below the levels considered harmful by regulators; others dont have any discernible effect on the human body. But there are a few whose safety is disputed both by experts and in the popular press. Over the next five pages, we explain what we know about nine of the most frequently suspected substances.

T

Our food, furniture and frankly everything else are contaminated with industrial compounds but how harmful are they?

HOW HARMFUL ARE THEY?


Want to keep your mouth fresh, armpits smelling sweet and feet fungus-free? Triclosans antimicrobial clout has a wide reach: it is added to many products including soap, toothpaste and cosmetics. But, in 1998, a report suggested that triclosan might be contributing to antibiotic resistance. Then, in 2007, concerns emerged that the antimicrobial might alter hormone regulation in rats.

Triclosan has since been scrutinised closely by reg-ulatory bodies and scientists globally. The concern in the rat studies was that triclosan disrupted the endocrine system in particular thyroid function when the rats were fed high doses of the stuff.

Animal models dont necessarily translate to humans. However, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is keeping a close eye on triclosans potential health effects: it has brought forward its scheduled review by 10 years. The EPA reports that there is a low-level risk to some aquatic life, particu-larly algae, from water that has triclosan in it. There are even indications that triclosan may not make hand-washing more effective a number of manu-facturers, among them Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble, have decided to eliminate the ingredient from their products.

This year, Minnesota became the first US state to legally restrict its use. In Europe, the question of antibiotic resistance is still being investigated. The European Commissions Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety says that triclosan is still safe to use, but admits there are gaps in knowledge.

Theres no direct evidence that triclosan dam-ages human health, but its under close scrutiny. Katharine Sanderson

Of 5,7 million tons of pollutants released in North America: n 1,8 million tons considered persistent, bioaccumulative or toxic n 970 000 tons known or suspected carcinogens n 857 000 tons considered reproductive or developmental toxicantsUNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME

First produced industrially in the 1940s, these substances are mar-vellous at repelling grease and water, but a number of studies show that we all carry traces of them in our blood. Two of the most common PFCs found in humans and the environment are perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).

Thanks to their long molecular backbones and super-strong car-bon-fluorine bonds, these chemi-cals are remarkably difficult to break down and so they persist in the environment for years. Animal studies suggest that long-chain PFCs may alter hormone levels and cause cancer. Human studies suggest that these chemi-cals may lead to thyroid disease and raised cholesterol levels among other things.

In 2009, PFOS was added tothe list of chemicals bannedunder an international environmental treaty called the Stockholm Convention onPersistent Organic Pollutants. Eight major manufacturers have signed upto a US Environmental Protection Agency programmeto eliminate theuse of PFOA by 2015.

Manufacturers have switched to shorter-chain PFCs, which should degrade more easily. Yet these chemicals are also a cause for concern. Take perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS). This is broken down in our bodies in days, so experts had not expected it to

accumulate inside us. Yet a 2012 Swedish study found that the concentration of PFBS is increasing dramatically in our blood, doubling every six years although concentrations remain relatively low.

There are other mysteries to solve. While the levels of PFOS and PFOA in blood are falling, PFOA concentrations have not declined as much as predicted. Scott Mabury at the University of Toronto in Canada suggests that might be because other fluorinated chemicals are con-verted to PFOA in our bodies. Chemicals called polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters, widely used in greaseproof food wrappers, could be one source, he says. These chemicals have been detected in human blood, and animal studies suggest they can transfer from pack-aging into food.

Worse, Mabury says that tests on blood reveal a number of organofluorine compounds of which almost half cannot be identified. This suggests there are new chemicals on the market that we have not measured yet.

A widespread, persistent fam-ily of chemicals with evidence of impact on human health. Emma Davies

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In 2004, journalists and consumers got in a spin over chemical preservatives called parabens, when a study suggested that parabens were present in 20 breast cancer tissue samples, and linked the disease to cosmetics such as deodorants (Journal of Applied Toxicology, vol 24, p 5). This sparked a long-running debate about the safety of parabens.

But evidence that links them to breast cancer has been elusive. Regulatory bodies, including the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Unions Scientific Committee on Con-sumer Safety, maintain that, although parabens are thought to disrupt the endocrine system, the low doses in cosmetics are safe. Whats more, most underarm deodorants dont contain parabens.

In 2012, another study into a possible link between parabens and breast cancer from the same researchers prompted UK charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer to speak out. This research has serious flaws and provides no proof to suggest that women should be concerned about parabens. Alan Boobis, director of the Public Health England Toxicology Unit

at Imperial College London, agrees: Parabens really arent very harmful, he says. Animals exposed to really quite high levels experience no adverse effects, he says. That is a consistent finding.

Despite a lack of pressure from regu-latory bodies, cosmetics companies have started to remove parabens and other chemicals from their products. Its because of public pressure, says Boobis.

Theres no convincing evidence that parabens in cosmetics damage human health. KS

Phthalates are often added to plastics to increase their flexibility, but also turn up in a huge variety of other places, from pill coatings to printing inks. As a result, low levels of this group of chemicals are found in almost all of the people tested by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Bad news? They have been identified as possible disrupters of the human endocrine system, but their health effects at low concentrations are unclear. Exposure at high levels is linked to lower sperm count and anatomical deformities in new-borns, although this link has also been seen in groups exposed to regular levels of phthalates.

Our knowledge of phthalates largely comes from animal studies, says Laura Vandenberg at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Phthalates effects on human health are unclear. They are so widespread that they are difficult to avoid. ED

Making furniture and fabrics resistant to fire seems like a no-brainer. Yet many flame-retardant chemicals pose a serious risk to health. One group the polybromi-nated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) comes in hundreds of forms, from penta- to deca-brominated diphenyl ethers.

Until recently, these substances were used in a vast array of products, from electronics to bedding. Many have now been banned or withdrawn in the EU and the US over concerns about reduced fertility and im-paired development in children. However, concentrations of PBDEs in people in North America have doubled every few years since the 1970s, and relatively high levels are found in house dust.

How the chemicals escape from furniture is still a big unknown, says Heather Stapleton, an expert on flame retardants at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. They may get into air pockets in cushions, she says, and enter the air when someone sits down. Foam can also rub off to form dust, she adds.

Linda Birnbaum, director of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in North Carolina, is particularly worried by another chemical called tetra-bromobisphenol A (TBBPA), which has largely fallen under the radar despite being used in phenomenal quantities worldwide. Research from the US National Toxicology Programme showed that TBBPA causes cancer in rodents.

There is also evidence that the chemical is an endocrine disrupter, affecting both thyroid hormones and oestrogen signalling, says Birnbaum. She has found that TBBPA can inhibit an enzyme that metabolises oestrogen, leading to elevated levels of the hormone in the body. TBBPA is often used as a substitute for the banned deca-BDE, primarily in electronics, but too little is known about the new chemicals replacing banned retardants, says Birnbaum. For some of the chemicals, what little infor-mation we have is very concerning, she says. Take chlorinated tris (TDCPP), which was banned from use in childrens pyjamas in the 1970s after it was found to cause cancer in animals. This chemical is still used in furniture, often as a replacement for penta-BDE.

Harmful retardants remain widespread. New ones may need more testing. ED

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There might be no lead in vehicle fumes nowadays, but it is still getting into our bodies. Lead is re-emerging as a problem, says Alan Boobis, director of the Public Health England Toxicology Unit at Imperial College London. Lead exposure has dropped dramatically since the 1970s, especially in the EU after it was banned in petrol and regulated in pipes and paints.

But all the lead that has been released over the years has made it into the soil, and so we end up eating it in our food. The main culprits are cereals, with vegetables and tap water also contributing.

Avoiding lead is virtually impossible. In 2010, the European Food Safety

Authority (EFSA) reduced its recommended threshold for lead in the body, and concluded that a measure that used to be called a provisional tolerable weekly intake was no longer appro-priate. There is no safe blood lead level, says Boobis. Even at low levels, lead seems to be associated with lower IQ, he says. Babies and children are most at risk.

Mercury too, remains a concern. Unlike lead, mercury accumulates in the food chain and top-predator fish are our main dietary source. Too much mercury can result in devel-opmental damage in babies and small children. A new study shows that mercury levels have tripled in surface

waters, especially around Iceland and Antarctica, yet this represents just a quarter of the amount released by industry. The rest, re-searchers suggest, is proba-bly in ocean sediments.

The one place where mercury is closest to us is possibly the place where we should fear it least: mercury amalgam tooth fillings. The amount of mercury that comes out is so low it has little effect, says Boobis.

Guilty as charged. Mercury intake can be reduced by avoiding predatory fish. KS

Many pesticides are designed to poison nervous systems, but toxicologist Rudy Richardson at the University of Michi-gan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor says we shouldnt worry too much: these neurotoxins are not wantonly sprayed on our food. These compounds are probably the most strictly regulated of all types of chemi-cal substances. Yet even regulators dont always agree on risks the her-bicide atrazine, for example, is banned in the EU, but widely used in the US.

Traces of pesticides are now wide-spread in the environment. The US Centres for Disease Control and Pre-vention has shown that most Ameri-cans have very low concentrations of organophosphate pesticides in their urine, and surveys by the US Depart-ment of Agriculture have found that many kinds of fruit and vegetables contain tiny amounts of pesticide residues. Although these are below levels deemed dangerous by regula-tors, pesticide use is on the up. This worries environmental scientist Laura Vandenberg at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Pesticides are designed to be biologically active, she notes.

Studies link exposure to organophos-phate pesticides in pregnancy to delays in childhood development and autism, and suggest they may also play a role in cardiovascular disease. A review of epidemiological studies published in Lancet Neurology suggests that a common organophosphate pesticide, chlorpyrifos, can damage human brain development (Vol 13, p 330). And according to Linda Birnbaum, director of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in North Carolina, there is evidence that pesticide exposure may increase the risk of developing diabetes and obesity.

In 2012, the EU completed a review of 1 000 pesticides that led to the with-drawal of about 700 older chemicals from the market. The US Environmental Protection Agency has a programme to speed up the registration of new, safer alternatives to older pesticides.

Pesticides can be harmful. Despite tight controls, they do get into food. KS

Tests showed 12 000 out of 77 000 samples from 500 differ-ent foods con-tained pesticide levels exceeding European legal limitsEUROPEAN FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY

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In 2002, Swedish researchers reported that acrylamide, a chemical linked to cancer in rodents, is present in some cooked foods at surprisingly high levels. Acrylamide forms when plant-based foods rich in carbohydrates are baked, fried or roasted at high temper-atures. The chemical is created as part of a browning reaction involving sugars and an amino acid called asparagine, and adds to a foods appeal by creating flavour and colour.

Since acrylamide is highly water-soluble, it is absorbed from the gut and then dis-tributed to tissues. Animal studies suggest that acrylamide has the potential to cause cancer, possibly by forming a substance called glycidamide in the body, which is widely distributed into tissues.

According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain which has pored over vast numbers of studies foods such as chips, breakfast cereals, biscuits and breads all contain acrylamide. Its draft report, released for consultation in July 2014, states that eating acrylamide potentially increases the risk of developing cancer and reveals that coffee and fried or roast potatoes are the worst offenders.

Some research also links the chemical to effects on the nervous and reproductive system in rodents. A recent study by a collaboration between the Norwegian

Institute of Public Health and Stockholm University suggests that pregnant women exposed to higher levels of acrylamide had smaller babies. Yet the EFSA makes it clear that studies have not demonstrated acrylamide to be a human carcinogen.

That hasnt prevented a lawsuit in the US claiming that food manufacturers had failed to warn consumers about the dan-gers of acrylamide. As a result, acrylamide must be labelled in consumer products in California and some manufacturers have agreed to reduce levels of the chemical in their foods.

Unfortunately, acrylamide is nigh on impossible to avoid if you enjoy tasty, starch-rich foods. But there are ways to limit consumption. Toast can be eaten golden rather than darker brown, and research has shown that a short espresso has less acrylamide than a lungo, which takes twice as long to prepare.

For now, the EFSA recommends avoiding overcooking and excessive crisping. Dont burn it, lightly brown it, goes the advice.

Despite lingering concerns, acryla-mide in food is not a confirmed carcinogen in humans. ED

Packaging and till receipts (including credit card machines and ATMs) contain the com-pound bisphenol-A. After tests by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention found BPA in more than 90 per cent of Americans, and the US National Toxicology Programme expressed concern over its effects on the brains and behaviour of young children, the Food and Drug Administration banned the chemical from babies bottles in 2012.

In Europe, a similar ban came into force in 2011, and the committee for risk assess-ment at the European Chemicals Agency, which advises EU regu-lators, announced that BPA is a presumed human reproductive

toxicant. Yet although BPAs impact has been confirmed in animals, its action is hard to prove in humans, in part because our bodies rapidly convert it to a form that exhibits no oestrogen-like activity.

While some researchers and campaigners argue that current safety levels are not stringent enough, attention is turning to BPAs replacement, bisphenol S. This has a similar structure and one study says it may also act like oestrogen. BPA is just one of many potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals we are exposed to.

In 2013, 85scientists signed a document demanding tougher regulation in Europe. The Berlaymont Declaration on

Endocrine Disrupters pointed to rising levels of cancer, plus brain, thyroid and reproductive problems, and suggested that the rate of increase in endocrine-related diseases cannot be ex-plained by genetics or lifestyle alone.

BPA may be just one of many endocrine disrupters damaging human health. KS

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20 kilograms of pharmaceuticals flow down Italys Po River dailyMARIO NEGRI INSTITUTE FOR PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH


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Understanding the risks posed by additives and contaminants seems like a mission impossible. For a start, most chemicals are only tested in animals, and then at high doses, so their impact on humans isnt clear. At the same time, industries make and use synthetic chemicals in so many different forms that, without a step change in the way we assess them, there is little chance of quantifying the risks they pose, says Julian Cribb, an Australian journalist and author of Poisoned Planet.

Even the exact number of chemicals marketed globally is unknown, Cribb says. One guide is the number registered with the EU which stands at around 144 000. Of these, roughly a third are thought to be harmful, says Cribb, but the vast majority have not been assessed for human or environmental safety.

There are other challenges. The chemicals industry is set to triple in size by 2050, with manufacturing shifting from North America and Europe to nations in Asia and South America. Many of these places currently lack robust safety regulations.

There have been some suc-cesses in the long-term clean-up of our environment. Many countries no longer use asbes-tos or tetraethyl lead, and the Stockholm Conven-tion lists 25 nasties that are banned or being eliminated from use, including DDT, dioxins and PCBs.

Others are under review. Yet this list represents just a few pixels in a megapixel image of global toxicity, Cribb warns. At the current rate it will take around 50 000 years to assess the remainder.

Scientists have begun to plot a course of action to tackle this task more swiftly. In the US, for instance, the Toxicology in the 21st Century (Tox21) pro-gramme aims to make testing faster and cheaper. Created by the National Institutes of

Health, the Environ-mental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration, Tox21 aims to examine how 10 000 different chemicals affect human health.

To do this, it will use high-throughput screening made possible by robotics and power-ful computers to run huge numbers of chemical tests. Computers can then seek patterns that reveal how chemicals disrupt pathways in human cells, and gauge their impact on human health. This will allow us to make decisions without extensive animal testing, says Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environ-mental Health Sciences in North Carolina.

This strategy offers another benefit. It could reveal if tiny amounts of toxic chemicals interact with each other to make us ill the so-called cocktail effect. This question has troubled experts for many years. Conventional tests exam-ine one chemical at a time, but in the real world we face mix-tures of chemicals at doses below those usually thought damaging, such as in vehicle exhausts and cosmetics. Yet there is good evidence for an additive effect in which minute amounts of, say, endocrine disrupters can act together to do harm.

The European Commission is in the process of identifying which combinations should be assessed as a priority. Along with high-throughput screening, this may finally offer a way to navigate the complexities of chemical safety.

My hope is that within 10 years well be able to make decisions based on Tox21, says Birnbaum.

UP TO OUR NECKS IN CHEMICALS

In 2004, 4,9 million deaths were attributable to exposure to selected chemicalsWHO

Emma Davies and Katharine Sanderson are science journalists based in the UK. (c) 2014 Reed Business Information UK. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC PM


Mike (left) and Dan Dubno in Mikes home shop in New York City, with the robot he built 30 years ago.



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DALE MAY

Mike and Dan Dubno are master tinkerers whose innovations have altered global finance and television news. But their greatest creation is Gadgetoff a chaotic festival where technologys biggest names gather to flaunt prototypes, blow stuff up, and peer straight into the future.

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A DOZEN YEARS AGO, when Mike Dubno was looking for a home on Manhattans Upper West Side, a realtor showed him a six-storey brownstone on a serene cross street not far from Central Park. The building was nice enough, but what really seduced Dubno was something the engineering inspector mentioned. He noted that a previous owner had divided the building into multi-family dwellings, and in so doing had installed 400-amp electrical service. You know, the engineer said, you could run a machine shop in here.

One of Dubnos priorities after moving in was to excavate a quarter-million kilograms of bedrock to convert his dim, 19th-century grotto of a base-ment into an 83-square-metre workshop roughly the size and shape of a railroad apartment. Dubno then installed a Smithy lathe and milling machine he would control by a computer he built from scratch. He has a Jet drill press capable of 5 000 r/min, which he concedes is a ludicrous drill press for an individual to have. He has an Epilog laser cutter and a Maker-Bot 3D printer. He has a TIG (tungsten inert gas) welder and a MIG (metal inert gas) welder and a Hypertherm torch with a 30000-degree beam of ionised plasma. An industrial-grade air-filtration system with a 1-micron filter sucks stuff the superfine particulate dust that results from matter thats been cut by a plasma torch, say out of the air. When he fires up the Oneida vacuum that powers the system (This is overkill by a lot), it emits a rising, multipitched whoosh not unlike the sound effect used for death rays in B movies.

On the rooms several benches are motherboards

in varying stages of deconstruction, a Short Circuit-esque robot Dubno built 30 years ago when he was 20, powerful magnets that if not stored prop-erly will suck large metal things across the room, a length of copper pipe to be used in a magic trick (Dubno sometimes helps his friend, the magician Michael Chaut, build devices for shows), and an Antikythera mechanism an ancient Greek device sometimes called humanitys first computer. Dubno fashioned one of the only accurate working models in existence out of Lucite using his laser cutter.

Dubno, now 52, is a college dropout and auto-didact software programmer who rose to become the chief technology officer of Goldman Sachs. Depending on whom you ask, he is slightly more or less intense about various forms of gadgetry than his brother, Dan, 55, a former CBS News pro-ducer. In 1998, Dan came across a speech given by Al Gore in which the then-vice president mused about a satellite-based photo- and data-collection system that could render every centimetre of the Earth into a vast digital online map. Dan, who had used technology to enhance the news since arriving at CBS in 1989, was intrigued. What I wanted was the ability to zoom in from outer space to any area in the world, Dan recalls. Say an earthquake happened, or whatever terrible thing it was I wanted all this metadata and real data so we could illustrate what was going on before our cameras could even get to a place.

He discovered an obscure startup called Keyhole, which was developing software that could create a Web-based map of Earth composed of high-reso-lution satellite images. He also found satellite-imagery companies actually taking such photographs. He merged the two technologies and used the result on the CBS Evening News in 2003 when the United States invaded Iraq, showing Saddam Husseins strongholds and targets of bombing raids well before the networks competitors had such capabilities. As the first person to bring data-visu-alisation technologies like 3D graphics, touchscreens and high-resolution satellite imagery to television, he transformed the news. He later introduced Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page to Keyholes technology. Not long after that the com-pany bought it and turned it into Google Earth.

The Dubnos have fashioned and hacked and fabricated and tinkered with many remarkable things, and have imagined many more. But the most amazing thing theyve ever built is some-thing you cannot touch at all.

THE WHOLE THING STARTED more than a decade ago, when Mike introduced his brother to Greg Harper, a technology consultant then doing work for Goldman Sachs. Both men were serious gadget heads, and competitive about it. When they first met in Mikes office at Goldman, each strove to outdo the other by pulling yet newer or still more

From top: Robotocist Helen Greiner; a Gadgetoff- guest in a virtual-reality sphere; artist and fabricator Neal Ormond makes bananas flamb with a flamethrower.

g r e at m o m e n t s at g a d g e t o f f


exotic gizmos from his pocket or briefcase, like the knife, gun, cannon, missile, nuke sequence in a Tom and Jerry cartoon. You might think Dan would have had the advantage, being a network-news producer with a big-time journalists access to technology companies and government labs. He was known at CBS as such a keen technologist that he wound up on camera as Digital Dan, reviewing the newest gadgets on two of the netwo

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