Popular Mechanics South Africa

sky’s the limit

THERE’S A FINE line between adrenaline-induced thrills and panic-stricken fear, and the position of that line shifts. A lot. There’s a stimulation spectrum, and we all sit somewhere on it. Some might reach a state of uncontrollable angst during a board game with friends when they realise they’re a few moves away from victory – or total failure. For others, it’s as you’re about to step off the platform of a 200-metre-high bungee jump.One of my favourite things to do is sport rock climbing – the type where you climb up rock that’s fitted with built-in bolts at different intervals. I wish I could say I’ve honed my abilities over 20 years, but I only discovered this sport three years ago. While out climbing, certain moves or sections of the…

popular mechanics

Editor Mark Samuel • Assistant Editor Brendon Peterson • Chief Copy Editor Rhynhardt Krynauw • Senior Copy Editor Roshaan Patel • Copy Editors Lauren Endrody, Shaneen Noble, Nicole van der Scholtz • Junior Copy Editors Geraldine Amoko, Arlin Bantam, Chenai Nyakunengwa • Art Director Tauriq Loofer • Designer Leigh Taylor • Junior Designer Mhlanguli Gcobo • RSA Contributors Nafisa Akabor, Tiana Cline, Ray Leathern, Tobias Lochner, Evan Samuel, Grant Spolander • DIGITAL: Digital Group Web Developer Cicero Joseph • Webmaster Lizelle Leonard SALES: Sales Director Ryan Nicolle (ryan@ramsaymedia.co.za) • Account Managers Kenneth Wiid, Mark Geyer • Buyers’ Guide Joanne Thompson, Patrick Kennedy, Lindi van den Heever • Debtors Manager Sharon Maneveld • MARKETING, EVENTS AND CIRCULATION: Commercial Director for Shows and Events Stephan Herman • Group Events Nasreen Abrahams •…

letters

HEALTHY FLOW FIXI read, with some interest, the article entitled ‘How to be handy-er’, in the recent December issue. There was some really good advice, on a range of subjects, but I found the insert called ‘The sink keeps clogging’ most disturbing. The use of Powafix was advocated to clear a blocked drain.In my view, this is really bad advice, as it’s promoting the use of caustic soda, a toxic and dangerous chemical, especially in inexperienced hands. Also, it destroys PVC piping and any natural bacteria in septic tanks, which is quite a common setup in South Africa.My advice would be to avoid toxic chemicals, and use bio enzymes instead. We need to start advocating as many ‘green’ solutions as we can, because our environment can’t take any more abuse.If…

calendar

SUNDAY7Show your mettle at the Ironman African Championships, taking place at Hobie Beach in Port Elizabeth.141912: The RMS Titanic, with 2 224 people on board, sinks in the North Atlantic Ocean after striking an iceberg. More than 1 500 people died.21Easter Sunday281945: Benito Mussolini, Italian dictator and leader of the National Fascist Party, is executed after being captured while trying to flee to Switzerland.MONDAY11944: The Swiss city of Schaffhausen is accidentally bombed by the Americans due to navigation inaccuracies.(It’s also April Fool’s Day.)81869: Dr Harvey Cushing, the man credited as being the father of modern neurosurgery, is born in Cleveland, Ohio. He died at age 70.152013: Three people are killed, and hundreds wounded in the Boston Marathon bombing. Some 23 000 people participated in the 117th edition of the race.22Family…

time machine

1 APRIL 1939300-Mile Railway to Carry Ships is Planned This month, 80 years ago, we reported on the planned construction of a ship-carrying railway, to be built by French engineers to move vessels 300 miles (482 km) over land from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. The intention was to eliminate a 1 200 mile (1 930 km) trip by water between the same ports.2 APRIL 1946Folding Paper is Fun For EveryoneThe timeless art of origami, or paper folding, filled three and a half pages of this edition. We presented a range of paper-folding projects, including instructions and detailed diagrams on creating a bird with flapping wings, and a frog that hops.3 APRIL 1953Stolen – $19 000 000Car theft, it seems, was already a big problem in the 1950s, with an…

large photo of the month

The sport of wingsuiting, or wingsuit flying, evolved from skydiving. Instead of dropping straight down, the pilots use specially designed suits that allow them to harness the airflow and fly forwards, covering significant distances too. Depending on the angle of the torso, shoulders, hips and knees, pilots turn and bank, and, at times, can achieve a glide ratio of 3:1.Flights are undertaken either from an aircraft, such as a plane or helicopter, or a fixed location, called a base-jump exit point.The Red Bull Air Force pilots (pictured) are masters in this field. This jump took place above Table Mountain in Cape Town (look carefully and you can see the upper cableway station), during their recent trip to South Africa. They were here for the filming of Barrier of Spears, a…