Hackers Can Hijack Emergency Sirens With a Radio
More than 100 emergency sirens blanket the City of San Francisco, ready to warn locals in the event of a flood, a fire,…
Salt Water Is All You Need to Power This Lamp for 80 Hours
Hurricanes, earthquakes, elected officials—there are plenty of legitimate reasons to prepare for the end of…
The Best Survivalist Apps To Get You Out of Tight Situations
Your phone can entertain you, inform you, and keep you connected to the people that matter the most—but it can also be…
A Brief History Of Emergency Alerts On Your Phone
As I sit here, in my calm, non-snowpocalpysed city reading Twitter, there's one definite theme emerging from…
The Time Wes Siler Almost Killed Me
Some bad decisions were made while backpacking The Lost Coast and a buddy ended up alone, in a storm, after dark,…
Smushing Three Robots Together Could Save Your Life
It would appear that we've finally reached the phase of UAV development where researchers get tired of coming up with…
This Emergency Smartboat Won't Need Sailors to Help It Navigate
While GPS has enabled a degree of autonomous function in many modern maritime vessels, ships are very much unable to…
Jump Safely from Burning Buildings Wearing This Window Escape Pack
As more and more cities battle urban sprawl by building taller and more densely-packed buildings, threats from fire,…
Why You Still Can't Text 911
Just this past Friday, the FCC voted to require all mobile carriers and "interconnected text providers" (i.e. iMessage)…
BioLite KettleCharge: Charge Your iPad With Boiling Hot Water
BioLite's line of twig-burning, gadget-powering stoves has already cemented the brand as every wilderness geek's best…
How 911 Became the Emergency Call Number
Before the 1960s, the United States didn't have one universal phone number for Americans to call if they needed help…
Video: Boeing 767 pilot avoids crash with Airbus A340 crossing runway
A Boeing 767-300 had to abort its landing at Barcelona airport when an Airbus A340 suddenly crossed the runway as it…
Bomber pilot saves the day in Boeing 737 emergency landing
This is US Air Force Captain Mark Gongol and his usual ride, a B-1B Lancer. But on December 30, 2013, Gongol wasn't…
This Sci-Fi Helmet Could Give Firefighters Predator Thermal Vision
When firefighters have to enter a burning building, much of their job still involves blindly feeling their way through…
Cows Force Plane To Make An Emergency Landing
If it's not birds, it's cows. Over the weekend, 390 cows were being transported by Boeing 747. As the plane was…
Why Locating 911 Calls Is So Hard—And How To Make It Better
You've heard the cautionary tales about dialing 911 on your cell phone. A call about missing children in Illinois gets…
Watch This Harrowing Drone Footage of the Building Collapse in Harlem
On Wednesday, a sudden gas explosion leveled two buildings in Harlem, killing at least seven people. Hordes of…
Is There a Drone Flying Around the Harlem Building Collapse? (Updated)
New Yorkers were shocked on Wednesday morning when reports of a building collapse in Harlem hit the wires. It didn't…
Starchitects, Bridges, Drought: What's Ruining Our Cities This Week
Starchitects don't build 'em like they used to—and now one's getting sued for it. Chris Christie remains in troubled…
Show Old Man Winter Who's Boss With a Winter Emergency Kit
With the East Coast inundated with rain, sleet, and snow—and the West Coast not faring much better—now would be a good…