I Think You
Should Know...
There’s almost nothing
that you can’t accomplish.
And if you’re truly lost,
there’s always a YouTube
video. My most rewarding
DIY moments came after
hours of frustration try-
ing to figure something out
that I didn’t understand
and finally having a break-
through—often aided by
following what someone
else had already done.MY
CURIOUS
KIDS
We’re very much a STEAM
family. My wife teaches
STEAM at our local
elementary school, and our
kids have grown up learning
programming, robotics, and
how to use tools. Legos are
everywhere in our house—
they’re a perfect learning
toy—and we use our Cricut
Maker all the time, too.Variety is the
spice of life.Intel Analyst /
St. Albans, VTZACK BORST, 38
I’m
Obsessed With
Science fiction that’s
scientifically accurate.
The Martian was my
stepping stone, and I’ve
recently read three of The
Expanse books. I’m also a
huge comedy nerd—
Tig Notaro’s podcasts
and Storytime with Seth
Rogen are favorites.POP RECOMMENDS
Lift Every Voice: A Celebration of
Black Lives collects 54 interviews
with barrier-breaking Black elders,
including Guion “Guy” Bluford, the
first Black astronaut to fly to space.
In 1983, he made history as a crew
member aboard the Challenger
when it launched from Kennedy
Space Station on its third mission.Paul Collins
VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLISHER
William Upton VP Sales
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New England Sales Director, ian.
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East Coast Automotive Director, kyle.
[email protected]; Stacey Lakind
Southern California & Midwest Sales
Director, [email protected];
Andrew Kramer, Northwest Sales
Director, andrew@kramermedia.
biz; Anne Rethmeyer West Coast
Automotive Director, anne.rethmeyer@
hearst.com; Sam Shanahan
Midwest Automotive Director, sam.
[email protected]; Patty Rudolph
Southwest Sales Director; patty@
PR40media.com; Celia Mollica Hearst
Direct Media Sales Manager, celia.
[email protected]
MARKETING
Sarah Hemstock Director of
Marketing; Emma Sklarin Associate
Marketing Manager; Dana
Marecheau, Marketing Coordinator
HEARST MEDIA SOLUTIONS
To m K i r w a n SVP, Chief Revenue
Officer; Todd Haskell SVP, Chief
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VP, Marketing; Morgan Sheff VP,
Marketing; Christine Hall VP, Hearst
Direct Media; Chris Tosti Group
Finance Director
William Carter Executive Director,
Consumer Marketing; Peter Davis
Research Manager; Anouska Best
Public Relations Coordinator; Chris
Hertwig Production Manager, chris.
[email protected]; Stacie
Premdas Associate Manager, Ad
Services
PUBLISHED BY HEARST
Steven R. Swartz President and
Chief Executive Officer; William
R. Hearst III Chairman; Frank
A. Bennack, Jr. Executive Vice
Chairman; Mark E. Aldam Chief
Operating Officer
HEARST MAGAZINES, INC.
Debi Chirichella President and
Tre a s u re r ; Kate Lewis Chief Content
Officer; Kristen M. O’Hara Chief
Business Officer; Catherine A.
Bostron Secretary
Gilbert C. Maurer, Mark F. Miller
Publishing Consultants
300 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
HOW TO REACH US: Customer
Care Visit Online POPCustServ@
CDSFulfillment.com; Phone 800-333-4948; Mail Customer Care
Service Dept. Popular Mechanics,
PO Box 6000, Harlan, IA 51593-0128.LICENSING AND REPRINTS:Contact Wyndell Hamilton, Wright’s
Media, at 877-652-5295 ext. 102
or [email protected].MY BOURBON-
FUELED BUILD
Necessity is the mother
of invention, and when
you’re surrounded by loose
headphones, you reach a point
where you build something
to get them out of the way. In
my case, that was a half-baked
headphone rack (see photo at
right) that I put together after
a few bourbons. At the end of
the day, it’s not pretty, but it
functions perfectly—don’t let
perfection get in the way of
good enough. I also like that
it’s all scrap wood from other
projects. Waste not, want not.The Tool That
Changed My Life
When I got my first good drill,
a DeWalt DCD771, I suddenly
became an adult. I went from
feeling like I lived in a house to
feeling like I owned the house.
I put up shelves, assembled
things, and tightened loose
screws that were making
weird noises. Now I look at
every problem and think,
How can I fix this?Gear That Sounds Great
My dad is obsessed with music and had the best stereo system
of anyone I know, so I grew up with music always playing in our
house, which instilled an appreciation for high-quality audio
from a young age. As my own family grew and their tolerance for
my music waned, I
began to invest in
headphones. I love
almost anything from
Audio Technica, but
my favorite head-
phones are Koss Porta
Pros—the best value
you can get, at $49.PLUSMay/June 2022 91
// EXPERT HACKS, GEAR RECS & LIFE-TESTED WISDOM FROM OUR MEMBERS //My Pop Life
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