Hurricanes, earthquakes, elected officials—there are plenty of legitimate reasons to prepare for the end of civilization as we know it, and if the world’s supply of batteries ever runs out, you’ll be glad you had this emergency LED lamp tucked away in your doomsday shelter.
Your phone can entertain you, inform you, and keep you connected to the people that matter the most—but it can also be a help in times of emergency. Whether you find yourself in a genuine life-and-death situation or just an awkward social encounter, your phone can help you escape. These are the apps you should keep…
With the right knowledge and a little bit of forethought, the first person on the scene at a motorcycle accident can make the difference between life and death. I just wish I’d thought about this stuff before I found a rider down, trapped under his own bike on a desolate road. Here’s what happened.
As I sit here, in my calm, non-snowpocalpysed city reading Twitter, there's one definite theme emerging from blizzard-bound New Yorkers: alcohol is a good coping mechanism! But also, everyone is getting unsolicited alerts about the weather on their phones. Here's why.
Some bad decisions were made while backpacking The Lost Coast and a buddy ended up alone, in a storm, after dark, fording whitewater and climbing cliffs with no gear. I should have known better, but at least we got a good story out of it. — Ed.
It would appear that we've finally reached the phase of UAV development where researchers get tired of coming up with new ideas and say, "You know what? Lets just smash a few of the ones we've already got together and see what happens." The result is, well, this ungainly mechanization but it's one that could save your…
While GPS has enabled a degree of autonomous function in many modern maritime vessels, ships are very much unable to steer themselves upon the high seas—or even navigate out of the harbor. But, like a naval Knight Rider, this new "smart" search and rescue boat could soon be patrolling your local shores, all by itself.…
As more and more cities battle urban sprawl by building taller and more densely-packed buildings, threats from fire, terrorism, or similar calamities become more pronounced, especially for people living and working on the upper floors where the designated exits are their only options. But this lifesaving device aims…
Just this past Friday, the FCC voted to require all mobile carriers and "interconnected text providers" (i.e. iMessage) to allow their customers to text 911 by by next year. Which would be great except for one, itty-bitty little problem: The FCC can't do actually anything about it.
BioLite's line of twig-burning, gadget-powering stoves has already cemented the brand as every wilderness geek's best friend. But now, the brilliant minds behind the CampStove are giving you off-grid power and potable water, both indoors and out. Say hello to the KettleCharge.
Before the 1960s, the United States didn't have one universal phone number for Americans to call if they needed help from the police or fire department. Callers simply had to know the phone number for each department in the area they were currently in.
A Boeing 767-300 had to abort its landing at Barcelona airport when an Airbus A340 suddenly crossed the runway as it was a few feet from touch down. It would have been a disaster comparable to the accident at Los Rodeos, in Tenerife, when two 747s collided on the runway killing 583 people.
This is US Air Force Captain Mark Gongol and his usual ride, a B-1B Lancer. But on December 30, 2013, Gongol wasn't flying his four-engine supersonic strategic nuclear bomber. He was just one of the 151 passengers inside United Flight 1637 but, when the pilot had a cardiac problem, he knew he had to step in.
When firefighters have to enter a burning building, much of their job still involves blindly feeling their way through dense plumes of toxic fumes in search of those trapped inside. However, a novel new helmet design could one day give firefighters the ability to see through the smoke and hear beyond the roar of the…
If it's not birds, it's cows. Over the weekend, 390 cows were being transported by Boeing 747. As the plane was somewhere over the Irish Sea, a fire alarm went off, and the pilot was forced to give a mayday call and make an unscheduled landing.
You've heard the cautionary tales about dialing 911 on your cell phone. A call about missing children in Illinois gets routed to Canada. A stroke victim in New York is only located after a grueling eight-hour search. Locating 911 calls in 2014 is a byzantine process that involves generating a fake phone number—but a…
On Wednesday, a sudden gas explosion leveled two buildings in Harlem, killing at least seven people. Hordes of reporters arrived within minutes to cover the story, as did a random guy with a quadcopter. And, with apologies for the autoplay, this is the footage he captured in the immediate aftermath of the collapse:
New Yorkers were shocked on Wednesday morning when reports of a building collapse in Harlem hit the wires. It didn't take long for smartphone cameras to fill up everyone's social media feeds. But wait. In that one… Is that… a drone? (Update: Yep! It's some random guy's DJI Phantom 2.)
Starchitects don't build 'em like they used to—and now one's getting sued for it. Chris Christie remains in troubled waters over a bridge. And if you thought the Polar Vortex was bad, how about the looming Emergency Drought? It's all this week in What's Ruining Our Cities.
With the East Coast inundated with rain, sleet, and snow—and the West Coast not faring much better—now would be a good time to make sure your cold weather emergency kit is topped off with fresh supplies. Wait—you don't have a cold weather go-bag? Here's what you'll need to make it through the winter without shivering…
