* Illustration: Jason Lee * The good news: Australian pro skateboarder Jake Brown pulled off a 720-degree midair rotation. The bad news: He lost control and sailed off the end of the Big Air Ramp at this year's X Games, held in Los Angeles. His board flew out from under him, and he plummeted 45 feet, slamming into the ground so hard that his shoes flew off! Brown lay motionless for a few minutes, then stood up and, to wild cheers, walked off with arms raised. He'd fractured a vertebrae and both wrists, lacerated his liver, and suffered whiplash, but he was alive. And you know what? Next time you fall four stories without a parachute, you could survive, too. Just follow these rules. 1. Don't panic. As Brown says, "Gravity does what gravity does, you know?" 2. Pick a good landing spot. Trained BASE jumpers and skydivers can survive free falls of 100 feet, if they hit mud or a slope. If you're falling from less than 100 feet, you can aim for water (any higher and surface tension makes hitting water feel like slamming into concrete). 3. Spread the impact. Brown turned in midair and absorbed the impact with his feet, then rolled across his back. Such a maneuver is the best way to turn vertical momentum horizontal. 4. Be tough as nails, lucky, or Australian. From a height of 50 feet, you quickly accelerate to 30 miles per hour — so fast, as one expert puts it, you're lucky if your internal organs stay in place on impact. Maybe Vegemite has special powers, mate.
Illustration: Jason Lee...Rip Better MP3s
By Mark McClusky
MP3s ripped with iTunes sound like crap. Don't think so? Listen closer — with decent headphones. To get more out of your music (with only a small increase in file size), opt for a better MP3 encoder, like LAME. The audio geeks behind LAME continually fine-tune their compression algorithms so cymbals don't crunch like garbage-can lids, and screaming guitars don't sound like squeaking Fisher-Price toys. Don't take our word for it; try it yourself. Download a copy of iLAS if you're a Mac, Exact Audio Copy if you're a PC.
Illustration: Jason Lee...Deal With Your Mild Autism
By Erik Malinowski
Einstein likely had it. Mozart, too. Even BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen. No wonder Asperger's — a mild form of autism — is known as the geek syndrome. If you feel awkward in social situations, have obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and are overly sensitive, you may have it as well. Although therapy is the best treatment, there are a few tricks for keeping your weirdness in check.
1. Interrupt party chatter
Crowded social settings can be tough. If you're having a hard time following a conversation at a noisy party, speak up and ask for some clarification. Friends will understand.
2. Time yourself
People with Asperger's tend to obsess, spending hours or days on a single project. Use a timer or some auditory signal to let you know when to move on.
3. Be honest at work
If you're upfront with superiors, it will reduce stress and make your work life easier. And if your company health plan covers professional psychotherapy, take advantage of it.
4. Look 'em in the eye
People with Asperger's tend to look down when talking with others. Try to keep your head up and maintain eye contact. This will keep you and your conversation-partner more engaged with one another.
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