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The best Kindles

Popular Science

Amazon's eReaders are best-in-class, and offer a legitimate opportunity for distraction-free reading. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. The right Kindle will reignite your love of reading. Using a Kindle may seem unnecessary in a world where reading books, articles, and any other text on a phone or tablet is easy. Carrying around a dedicated mono-tasking device will add weight to your load, and it's another gadget to keep track of and charge. Yet Kindles remain popular because they only have one job and do it very well: let you carry and consume the stories that captivate you. A Kindle's e-ink screen won't reflect the sun when reading outdoors, unlike the reflective LCD displays used on phones and tablets.


7 Kindle settings you should change

Popular Science

Make sure your e-reader is set up exactly the way you want it. There are plenty of ways to tweak how your Kindle works. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. All of the Amazon Kindle models are intentionally designed to be straightforward to use. Grab your Kindle, tap the power button, and you're back reading from the place you left off (it's almost as simple as opening a real book).


The world's oldest wild bird has a new grandchick

Popular Science

Environment Animals Wildlife Birds The world's oldest wild bird has a new grandchick Biologists have been tracking Wisdom, the roughly 75-year-old Laysan albatross, since the 1950s. Albatross chicks are getting stronger. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is shining a light on a new member of a famous feathered family--that of the world's oldest known breeding bird, a Laysan albatross called Wisdom. The agency posted a video on social media featuring a scruffy looking hatchling seemingly yawning as it hangs out in the sand in close contact with a giant bird --presumably one of its parents.


Autonomous firefighting robot can drive straight into a 1,000 degree blaze

Popular Science

The tank-like vehicle is already being tested in South Korea. The robot sprays itself with water to stay cool and uses thermal cameras to see through smoke. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Firefighters in South Korea will soon start deploying alongside a massive, six-wheeled, self-cooling autonomous robot that could help keep them safe. Hyundai recently revealed the new, driverless ground drone, built atop a chassis initially intended for military use and looking like something out of a sci-fi film.


How to stop your soda from exploding, according to science

Popular Science

You don't want a soda bath. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Picture this: You're at a picnic on a hot day and grab a cold Coke out of the cooler. It's wet, you drop it, but think "eh, it's fine." You pop the can open and SPLASH--there's soda all over white shirt.


'Pokémon Go' players have been unknowingly training delivery robots

Popular Science

Technology Robots'Pokémon Go' players have been unknowingly training delivery robots The massive crowdsourcing effort could use real-world to help robots deliver pizza. A woman holds up her cell phone as she plays the Pokémon Go game in Lafayette Park in front of the White House in Washington, DC on July 12, 2016. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Nearly a decade ago, turned the real world into a digital scavenger hunt, with virtual creatures hiding in plain sight. The early augmented reality smartphone app prompted hundreds of millions of players to wander into parks, parking lots, and even dimly lit alleyways, peering through their phone cameras in search of Pikachus and Charizards that the app superimposed onto their surroundings.


World's largest steam locomotive heads out on tour

Popular Science

Technology Engineering World's largest steam locomotive heads out on tour Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 will travel coast-to-coast in commemoration of the semiquincentennial. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The world's largest operating steam locomotive is hitting the road--or tracks . Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 is heading out on its first coast-to-coast steam tour to celebrate the United States' 250th anniversary . The first leg begins on March 29, when Big Boy and other historical passenger cars from Union Pacific's Heritage Fleet will travel from the locomotive's home base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, west towards California.


Scammers use AI-generated images of lost dogs to target pet owners

Popular Science

A scammer took a real image of a this German shepherd and used AI to make it seem like it was injured. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Increasingly realistic, easy-to-make AI-generated images are a major asset for online scammers looking to trick unsuspecting victims. While past AI-generated scams have tried to deceive people with fake celebrities or potential love interests, attackers increasingly have a new target: distraught pet owners searching for their lost companions . Over the past few months, numerous reports have surfaced following a similar pattern.


The CIA once trained cats to be Cold War spies

Popular Science

Project Acoustic Kitty went about as well as you'd expect. The CIA tried to train cat spies. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Here's the scene: A man wearing a trench coat and a fedora sits on a park bench, looking up frequently from his newspaper to cast furtive glances at passersby. A stray cat wanders by.


11 wild photos show the Amazon River in its glory

Popular Science

New photography book takes readers on a journey down the world's longest river. Magnificent frigate birds (Fregata magnificens) make long foraging trips far over the Atlantic Ocean. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The vital Amazon River is a lifeline for flora and fauna alike. The mighty river is celebrated in a new book, .