Can you imagine riding a train that goes more than 350 miles per hour? That's faster than current high-speed trains, and a cheaper ride than in an airplane (think about the money you save if you don't have to check in a bag or pay for peanuts).

What's so great about these, you ask? Well for starters ... they FLOAT (yes, float!) on tracks and use magnets to guide them along, creating less friction which makes for a faster ride. How can you not get excited about that?

There are three magnetically levitating trains (or maglevs) in existence, but only China has the first working system. The other two are either a test track or still in planning phase (as evidenced in the photo above).

As for the United States, there are several proposed routes in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and even Atlanta. There was even a proposed route in Florida back in the late 1990s, linking Port Canaveral to the Kennedy Space Center and eventually to Orlando, but the project is stalled due to a lack of fundraising.

And finally, there's even a site dedicated to putting a maglev in the country.

But the problem is they cost so much to build — try billions of dollars — because of new tracks. But we may be closer to getting our first maglev, since a proposed Los Angeles-Las Vegas route got a huge federal grant this summer.

Take a look at this Sunday's News Illustrated to find out more about how maglevs work and where these routes could take place.

Meanwhile, to wet your appetite, check out this wire graphic that compares maglevs to other existing high-speed trains.

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Scientists are waiting in anticipation - one more day.

Plans are set for the Large Hadron Collider, a multibillion-dollar particle accelerator, to produce its first beam. It will be seven times more energetic than any previous machine. The collider will be used to search for signs of invisible "dark matter" and "dark energy" and undiscovered particles thought to give matter mass. Some people fear that the collider may destoy the world but the scientific community has assured us that it would never happen.

If you would like to follow the news on the event, or read about the final testing at CERN, the Europ0ean Organization for Nuclear Research.

We live in a fascinating time.

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The Navy along with the Coast Guard finished their surveillance test of the Florida Straits using a blimp. You might be wondering "what good is a slow moving blimp." Well, this was not just any blimp advertising your favorite energy drink. This was a custom fitted "Skyship 600," equipped with a special infrared camera, a powerful radar, two Porsche engines and a large gondola with enough room to fit special equipment.

The main advantage of the blimp is that it can remain airborne for extended periods of time which helps to save on fuel dollars. During its 6-week test the blimp produce great results and actually helped officials spot migrants on two different occasions.

The blimp could possibly be used to patrol the Straits and help protect the U.S. borders in the future.

You can download the News Illustrated page here.

Learn more about the blimp at Airship Management Services, Inc or check out airshipoperations.com.

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Technology is constantly changing and the trend seems to be having one device that can do everything. I think that sounds great and if I wanted to shell out the money, I'd probably have something like an iPhone too. I mean let's face it, I'm so ahead of the times that in high school, I had games like Tetris on my graphing calculator that I'd play during math class - I'm all for combining.

Given that cell phones are starting to be used more for their built in technologies than for actually making phone calls (check out the chart below), I think it's a great idea to do what this article is talking about. If I could wave my cell phone like a magic wand to purchase something, I'd shop even more than I already do. I never have cash as it is and that pesky plastic needs to go.

The only question that leaves me with is: What if I loose my cell phone? I already feel lost without it, and I really only use it for making phone calls...

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High-powered lasers are dangerous and can cause severe eye injury. This image from the FAA shows eye damage from lasers. Even Class IIIa, laser pointers can cause temporary visual effects causing short-term blinding and disorientation.

The high-powered pointer below was listed for sale online. The Class IIIb laser has 50 milliwatts of output power, 45 milliwatts above the legal limit of 5 milliwatts, for a laser pointer.

HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A DEVICE
Contact the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health at (240) 276-0326. Some laser pointers purchased online do not meet federal safety guidelines. They may have lasers too powerful. The FDA has more information.

CLASSIFICATION OF LASERS
Green lasers are used in:
Class I: CD players
Class II: Bar code scanners
Class IIIa, less than 5 milliwatts: Laser pointers and some gun targets
Class IIIb and IV, more than 5 milliwatts to 500 milliwatts: laser light shows, industrial lasers, research lasers.

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Laser correction surgery could be your ticket to perfect vision.

Click here to check out a video of how the procedure is done, provided by Millennium Laser Eye Centers.
UPDATE: You can download the News Illustrated graphic to learn more.

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Technology can come from anywhere.

The bombardier beetle‘s backside is being studied by scientist to advance spray technology and preserve the environment.

This tiny beetle can shoot super hot spray at up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit which will ward off any opposing enemy.

Learn more about the way this beetle defends itself at the National Academy of Sciences.

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So here it is, Hiram Henriquez's last News Illustrated page. It's a
good graphic explaining how our staff makes 3-D illustrations. The
only problem is that Hiram finished this page a year ago before
leaving to work at National Geographic.

So why did we wait so long?

Sometimes, the topics we pick don't need to run for some time. Other
topics, such as voting, need to coincide with major events and
anniversaries or they accompany other stories in the
paper. So Hiram's page didn't run for a year because the topic was
something we could run at any time. And as it happened, we just didn't
have an opening until this weekend.

So we hope you enjoy this and at least learn a little something about
how we do what we do best.

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If you got a flexible fuel car or alternative fuel car, click here to find the closest fuel site available in the U.S.

Learn more about ethanol fuel in our News Illustrated page.

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What's not to like.

WELL ... THE KEY DIFFERENCE
The card can't be moved from car to car. The card adheres to the windshield to the side of the rearview mirror. Once removed the card will no longer work, can't be reattached. This may be an issue for some users.

Find out more at Sunpass or read about the SunPass Mini.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

CRACKDOWN ON TOLL CHEATERS

Don't ignore violation warnings. SunPass customers can face hefty fines and lose their driver's license for skipping only a few tolls. Here's a graphic from our archive that shows how state troopers are alerted to transponders that aren't working.

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So we're trying something new. We're offering up some of our graphics as widgets you can add to your web site, Facebook, MySpace, etc. First one out of the gate is a small version of the Crist-O-Meter, a graphic we posted a little while back. Editors monitor news stories and update Charlie's chances of being McCain's running mate.

To get it, click on the "get and share" button on the bottom of the graphic. All the necessary code will be provided.

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General Motors has announced that it may discontinue the Hummer because of a drop in sales and the need for more cost-efficient options. In turn, the GM board has approved production of the Chevy Volt which could hit the market in late 2010.

Photo courtesy of General Motors

Price: Initial cars may be close to $40,000 but the goal is to be less than $30,000.
How it runs: It runs on electric power until the battery runs down. Then and only then does the internal combustion engine run to work an onboard generator that propels the car. Batteries can be recharged by plugging into your home electrical outlets.
Distance: It will run about 40 miles on electric and up to 400 miles with a full tank of gas.
MPG: No gas is used for the first 40 miles. Miles driven after will get an equivalent of 50 mpg.

Read more at Edmunds Inside Line and at the Chevy Volt Concept Site.

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If you didn't see Sunday's New Illustrated page on hurricane buoys, you can download it here. The page explains how the buoys help forecasters predict storms by measuring air temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction and wave data.

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Hurricane season starts Sunday. So with that in mind, this week's News Illustrated page in the Sun-Sentinel takes a look at weather buoys, which give us information to predict the weather. Sensors placed on the buoy help scientist measure air temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction and wave data. These measurements help forecasters predict storms and, in turn, helps us prepare for them.

But weather buoys can also be use for lounging:

Also this Sunday, the Sun-Sentinel is chock-full of hurricane coverage, including our annual hurricane guide. Don't forget to pick it up.

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The new $5 dollar bill has been in circulation since March. You can protect yourself from counterfeits by learning its security features. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has put together the interactive graphic below showing what the new $5 bill looks like. To see the $10, $20, and $50, go to the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing site.

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If you didn't see Sunday's New Illustrated page on the Air Force's "Airborne Laser," you can download it here. The page explains how the plane shoots down ballistic missiles and gives an in-depth view on how its nose turret and chemical laser works.

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Ok so you may have been wondering when was the guy with the “flat head” ever going to do a post? Well here it is...

This video shows how the "nose turret" on an Air Force's Airborne Laser works, The ABL fires its powerful chemical laser through this turret to shoot down ballistic missiles in their boost phase.

Looks Sci-fi huh? Well guess what, it may become reality in a couple of years.

The ABL will be part of a missile defense system intended to protect U.S. territory from missile attacks. Contractors are currently working on this weapon which has so far totaled $4.3 billion. You can learn more about it in this Sundays News Illustrated page.

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For those suffering through poor cable and satellite broadcasts, the impending switch to mandated digital broadcasts over the airwaves has resulted HD being available in many areas throughout South Florida.

Find out which stations broadcast digital signals at antennaweb.org. Select "Choose an antenna" and enter your address for the best results. The site will tell you what stations are available and the type of antenna you need to receive them. You can also view a map that shows you where to point your antenna for the best reception.

Apply for a coupon for digital-to-analog converter box: The government is issuing $40 coupons toward specific converter boxes for older, analog television sets at www.dtv2009.gov.

The News Illustrated page: To see if you need a converter box or to learn the differences between analog and digital signals, download a pdf.

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Found two graphics on the wires today that explains the inspections on the American Airlines MD-80 planes. Turns out the problem is in wire bundlings inside the wheel wells. But this isn't the first time an airline grounded the plane for the same problem. Read on:

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With the recent construction crane accident in Miami, we thought a page created last July by former graphics reporter Hiram Henriquez would be informative. It explains how construction cranes lift, how much they cost, and how they are constructed.

To download the News Illustrated page, click here.

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Back in September, 2005, a News Illustrated page introduced the use of unmanned drones to allow hurricane hunters to safely study the lower regions of tropical cyclones. It explained how the aerosondes are flown into the storm where stongest winds are found and save data and measurements every 10 seconds on the plane's hard drive. It also explained how it communicates with a ground station to complete flight plans. To download the News Illustrated page, click here.

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