For many decades, a fantasy among space enthusiasts has been to invent a device that produces a net thrust in one direction, without any need for reaction mass. Of course, a reactionless space drive of this type is impossible. Or is it? By Charles Platt

Charles Platt shows you how to build a noise-detecting siren that stuns rude shouters into silence.

Barstow, California, once a shining oasis along the sweltering asphalt of Route 66, is now but a relic of times nearly forgotten. A photo gallery by Charles Platt.

"John Mulholland was a brilliant stage magician who revealed his best secrets shortly before he died in 1970," says Charles Platt. "His mind-reading trick has always been my favorite."

Charles Platt presents a science demonstration involving magnets that will interest juggalos and non-juggalos alike.