Wired

Most of the other features and settings are accessible with the bar’s remote and onboard display, but it’s usually easier to use the SmartThings app. The basic layout lets you choose the sound mode (I generally stick to Standard), adjust the EQ, engage enhancements like Active Voice Amplifier, and set channel levels.I appreciate Samsung’s inclusion of channel levels for most of the bar’s gazillion audio channels, but getting the levels locked in was the most onerous part of my evaluation....

about 8 hours ago

Wired

Mesh routers promise dependable Wi-Fi throughout your home, and most of them follow through, so it's not surprising to see them growing popular. Instead of a single router to wash your home in Wi-Fi connectivity, a mesh system combines the main router with one or more nodes that appear as a unified Wi-Fi network. Your devices will connect to the nearest option automatically to get the best speeds.Most of us are stuck with placing a router in a less than...

about 8 hours ago

Wired

Irrational self-belief is one of the reasons villains deeply resonate across culture, says Kevin Wynter, a professor of media studies at Pomona College. “In a repressive society such as ours that champions conformity to better cultivate consumers, characters who actively reject the trappings of capitalist fantasia or who operate by the codes of a self-fashioned morality in opposition to the dominant society will inevitably be appealing in ways we may not all wish to openly admit,” he says.Today, traditional notions...

about 9 hours ago

Wired

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIREDIn 2019, the future of vegan meat looked rosy. Beyond Meat was on the verge of going public and the media could not get enough of juicy, bleeding, plant-based burgers that would make lentil pucks a thing of the past and convince a whole generation of meat-eaters to try vegan fare. Things were so...

about 9 hours ago

Wired

In the spring, the US saw what was likely its first AI candidate. In a brief campaign for the mayor of Wyoming, virtual integrated citizen (VIC), a ChatGPT-based bot created by real human Victor Miller, promised to govern entirely by AI.At the outset of 2024, many suggested that even if not winning office, generative AI would play a pivotal role in—and pose significant risks to—democratic elections, as more than 2 billion people voted in more than 60 countries. But now,...

about 10 hours ago

Wired

Every year has its own mix of digital security debacles, from the absurd to the sinister, but 2024 was particularly marked by hacking sprees in which cybercriminals and state-backed espionage groups repeatedly exploited the same weakness or type of target to fuel their frenzy. For attackers, the approach is ruthlessly efficient, but for compromised institutions—and the individuals they serve—the malicious rampages had very real consequences for people's privacy, safety, and security.As political turmoil and social unrest intensify around the world,...

about 10 hours ago

Wired

Love it or hate it, you have to admit Temu had a banger year. Launched in late 2022, the Chinese-owned ecommerce site, known for selling a vast array of astonishingly affordable goods, took only two years to become a household name in the US. Over the past 12 months, it has topped download charts, surpassing other viral apps like ChatGPT and Threads, and now operates in dozens of countries around the world. Even its biggest rival, Amazon, recently introduced a...

about 11 hours ago

Wired

In 2025, there will be a course correction in AI and geopolitics, as world leaders increasingly understand that their national interests are best served through the promise of a more positive and cooperative future.The post-ChatGPT years in AI discourse could be characterized as somewhere between a gold rush and a moral panic. In 2023, at the same time as there was record investment in AI, tech experts, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, published an open letter calling for a...

about 12 hours ago

Wired

Smart lighting may be the quickest and easiest way to transform a space. We at WIRED have been writing about it more and more recently because it can spruce up your home decor and bring a futuristic feel, enhance your entertainment with synced lights, or just change the vibe of a space for less than a total home renovation. Lighting brand Govee has quickly become one of our favorite brands for smart lighting because of their versatile and affordable range....

about 13 hours ago

Wired

Dyson's vacuums are top-tier for various reasons. They're powerful, easy to maneuver, bagless, lightweight, and more. But a majority of these vacs are also very expensive. If you've been waiting for one to go on sale, you're in luck. Right now (until December 31), you can get up to $200 off of one of its cordless models on the Dyson website—a majority of which are listed as our top picks in our guide to The Best Dyson Vacuums.How To Use...

about 14 hours ago

Wired

Philips Series 9000 Prestige BT 9810The Philips BT 9810 is a self-consciously styled luxury beard trimmer. Where lots of similarly high-price models are made of plastic, because a soft touch or rubberized plastic is practical and has a nice texture, this one has a brushed metal outer. You’ll appreciate the Philips if you like the feel of a good stiff shaft in your hand. That’s right, this is also one of the most obviously phallic beard trimmers out there. Feeling...

1 day ago

Wired

I received three different Macy's beauty boxes to get a feel for what the service might be like. And reader, it ran the freakin' gamut. One of my boxes contained a crinkly orange makeup bag that immediately gave me sensory issues, and there were also tiny single-use facial cleansers and unbranded oil rollers that will prove useless for my dry skin. You can't see what you're getting ahead of time.But then another box was full of nothing but Kylie Cosmetics...

1 day ago

Wired

Dracula, to put it gently, has been done. Not just Bram Stoker’s bloodsucker, but vampires of all varieties seem to be on a carousel of pop cultural relevance. Just as soon as they dance out of view—so long, Twilight—they come back. From Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula to the novels of Anne Rice (and their many cinematic and televised interpretations) to even campier fare like True Blood and What We Do in the Shadows, they’re constantly resurrecting.Writer-director Robert Eggers’...

1 day ago

Wired

Scammers are out of control. Every year, fraudsters and cybercriminals make billions by tricking people into parting with their cash. Romance fraud, business email compromise, investment scams, sextortion—the list of ways criminals prey on people is virtually endless and constantly changing.Add to that impersonation scams, where a criminal pretends to be someone known to their target and extracts money. There have been increasing calls for people, and particularly families, to create passphrases or passwords with each other. At the start...

1 day ago

Wired

Next year will mark a turning point when people worldwide finally recognize that their health is not only physical and mental, but also social. Social health focuses on relationships; it is the dimension of your overall health and wellbeing that comes from connection with family, friends, coworkers, and community.The focus on social health has accelerated in recent years. In particular, the Covid-19 pandemic brought attention to our social lives and their decline.  According to a Meta-Gallup survey, 24 percent of...

1 day ago

Wired

Traveling can be complicated, especially if you’re planning a last-minute trip. Hotels.com has hotel deals at thousands of hotels around the world, plus special members-only pricing when you join the free OneKey rewards program. You can save on flights, too. It’s easy to find a place to stay—and save some cash in the process, especially with this Hotels.com coupon.Save Big, With Or Without a Hotels.com Promo CodeRight now, Hotels.com OneKey members can get up to 30% off their stay with...

1 day ago

Wired

Although the details remain in flux, the transition team reviewing NASA and its activities has begun to draft potential executive orders for changes to space policy under the Trump Administration.Sources familiar with the five people on the team, who have spent the last six weeks assessing the space agency and its exploration plans, were careful to note that such teams are advisory in nature. They do not formally set policy nor is their work always indicative of the direction an...

2 days ago

Wired

“It’s a helpful approach to monitor the pressure drop across the filter—this is a good way to know when it's the right time to change the filter because otherwise, there is a lot of guessing work,” Li says. She says the typical three-month replacement recommendation is based on the assumption of a 20 percent runtime of your HVAC system (about five hours a day). Much of this depends on your climate, but Li says a recent study found the median...

2 days ago

Wired

While the accommodations vary greatly from couch to couch, one thing is always certain: there typically isn’t a photo of where you’ll be sleeping. Instead, the descriptions written by hosts usually give a sense of what to expect—whether it’s a private room, a couch, or sometimes even sharing a bed with the host. This lack of certainty makes each couch stay feel like its own unique experience, shaped by the host and the space they offer.Each photo in the series...

2 days ago

Wired

It was the summer of 2013 when a group of teenagers decided to take matters into their own hands.Disney had just announced the company was going to shutter Toontown Online, a massively multiplayer online game for children and families in which players become cartoon animals tasked with defending their colorful world from gray, no-fun-allowed business robots.The prospect of Toontown’s impending shutdown was nothing short of devastating for the thousands of kids who had spent nearly a decade of their lives...

2 days ago

Wired

To fix that, several startups launched niche dating apps—some puzzling, others entirely predictable—designed to satisfy unique needs, with many of them built around the promise of AI. Volar, created by a former product director at Snap, uses a chatbot to message back and forth with potential daters on your behalf. There’s also Rizz, Iris, and Elate, all of which leverage AI to find your soulmate by helping users maneuver first impressions and awkward conversations. For singles interested in other, let’s...

2 days ago

Wired

In 2024, wealth concentration rose to an all-time high. According to Forbes’ Billionaires List, not only are there more billionaires than ever—2,781—but those billionaires are also richer than ever, with an aggregate worth of $14.2 trillion. This is a trend that looks set to continue unabated. A recent report from the financial data company Altrata estimated that about 1.2 million individuals who are worth more than $5 million will pass on a collective wealth of almost $31 trillion over the...

2 days ago

Wired

Samsung makes everything from gaming monitors to dishwashers. WIRED often reviews the South Korean company’s products—especially Samsung’s vast lineup of Galaxy smartphones. WIRED is also always looking for a sale, finding the best promo codes and coupons to help you save big on your most important tech purchases.Refer a friend and get $100Sign up for Promo Codes and DiscountsRight now, one of the hottest Samsung promo codes is a whopping 30% discount for government employees and educators. Samsung also has...

3 days ago

Wired

‘Twas the night before the night before Christmas, and a certain somebody still has shopping to do. Fear not. We’ve managed to rustle up some super last-minute discounts on WIRED-approved gadgets and gizmos that you can purchase on sale and pick up in time to save the holidays. Everything listed below has stock available for pickup or next-day shipping. If none of these will do, check out our list of digital gifts and extremely last-minute gifts.Note that your mileage may...

3 days ago

Wired

Buttu, who regularly travels to the city of Ramallah in the West Bank from her home in Haifa, Israel for work and to visit friends, says Google Maps has led her astray many times in recent years. “I’ve been told to drive right into a wall that’s been up since 2003,” she says.Others have encountered the same wall near the Qalandia checkpoint separating Jerusalem from the West Bank, and almost driving into it has become something of a rite of...

3 days ago

Wired

There are two types of great television shows: the kind millions of people are watching and talking about and the ones that never quite break into the larger cultural conversation. In the case of the latter, it’s not for lack of worthiness. It’s just that not every great TV series finds its fandom.So you’d be forgiven for missing one—if not all—of the best series that premiered in the past year. After all, with countless networks in various formats (broadcast, cable,...

3 days ago

Wired

“I think he realized that what Big Tech companies spent decades concerned about, which is essentially how to moderate or how to organize speech on this crazy scale, is that's not a problem,” says Magalhaes. “That's an opportunity for him.”Since the election, Musk has not faded into the shadows, content with backroom meetings and covert influence. Instead, he has joined calls with foreign leaders, weighed in on staffing picks for the new administration, and threatened to use the America PAC...

3 days ago

Wired

From Inside Out 2 to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, all but one of the 10 highest-grossing movies of 2024 were sequels (Wicked was the only outlier). Which really shouldn’t surprise anyone. For decades, the top of the box office has been ruled by sequels, prequels, reboots, and reimaginings. But since when has a movie’s total haul been indicative of its quality?The fact is that in 2024, as in most years, some of the most compelling films to be released are titles you...

3 days ago

Wired

QAnon—the conspiracy movement that claims Donald Trump is waging a secret war against the Deep State, which is protecting a group of Satan-worshipping pedophile elites who run Hollywood and the Democratic Party—has never been stronger.Despite silence from the eponymous Q, a supposed government insider, for more than four years—there were several purported Q posts in 2022, but there is significant reason to question their authenticity—QAnon beliefs are now more widespread in American society than when Q posted their last unquestionably...

3 days ago

Wired

Many security cameras support local storage, enabling you to record videos on the camera or a linked hub. A few hubs have built-in storage, and some provide slots for hard drives, but most rely on MicroSD cards. Here are some details on what to look for (and a few recommendations).The MicroSD card you choose should have fast read and write speeds so that you can record high-quality video and play it back without delay. We recommend going for Class 10...

3 days ago

Wired

My old fan was loud and cranky, but the new one on its highest fan setting offers a reasonable whir. (It's rated for 80 or 110 cubic feet per minute, or CFM.) It's powered by Home Depot's smart home platform, Hubspace, which I've previously not had a good experience with (I was never able to add a Defiant smart lock I was testing to the Hubspace app). Thankfully, this fan immediately connected to my phone via Bluetooth and my Wi-Fi...

3 days ago

Wired

The question is whether every local authority is willing to chip in where federal funding might fall short. “The next 10 years [in EV charging] is all about the urban environment, cities, middle- and lower-income folks,” says Reig. In a world where electric vehicles become a political lightning rod, those places might see the most charger action.EV Charging as BipartisanPlenty of people would prefer it if EVs—and their chargers—could avoid the culture wars altogether. Joe Sacks is the executive director...

3 days ago

Wired

Deshawn “DJ” Chow waited a year to receive a treatment that could change his life. The 19-year-old was born with sickle cell disease, which makes his red blood cells crescent-shaped and sticky. The misshapen cells build up and block blood vessels, cutting off oxygen to parts of the body and causing episodes of excruciating pain. The condition affects about 100,000 people in the United States, most of them Black.The pain came more and more frequently for Chow in high school,...

3 days ago

Wired

Above the bar at a small brewpub in Užupis, a hip neighborhood in Vilnius, Lithuania, hangs a portrait of a Madonna-like saint cradling a weapon—something between a rifle, a bazooka, and a 5G antenna.The caption below reads: “Saint EDM4S.”EDM4S—or Electronic Drone Mitigation 4 System—is a portable electronic-warfare weapon from Lithuania. Point the EDM4S at a hovering uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) and pull the trigger: The drone should lose contact with its operator and fall inertly from the sky.Hundreds of EDM4S...

3 days ago

Wired

In 2025, it will be commonplace to talk with a personal AI agent that knows your schedule, your circle of friends, the places you go. This will be sold as a convenience equivalent to having a personal, unpaid assistant. These anthropomorphic agents are designed to support and charm us so that we fold them into every part of our lives, giving them deep access to our thoughts and actions. With voice-enabled interaction, that intimacy will feel even closer.That sense of...

3 days ago

Wired

Since its conception, the handheld hair dryer has been the not-so-silent saboteur of healthy hair. They’re almost too efficient, leaving the hair and scalp dried out to a crisp. Aside from the added safety measures that ensure you don’t die if you drop it in the bathtub, and the arrival of ionic and ceramic dryers, the basic design hasn’t evolved that much. L'Oréal Professionnel's AirLight Pro, however, combines near-infrared light, wind speed, and controlled heat to dry the surface of...

4 days ago

Wired

Skip to main contentThe humble French press is affordable, effective, and hard to mess up. Here are our favorites to make your morning cup of coffee.The French press is a humble piece of coffee-making equipment. It doesn’t require electricity, yet experts agree that it can brew a richer and more full-bodied cup of joe in comparison to its more technologically advanced peers. For example, natural oils that would otherwise be filtered out in a drip coffee maker remain fully intact,...

4 days ago

Wired

Part of the reason Google decided to start developing its own Chrome browser—all the way back in 2008—was to funnel people toward all of its web apps, from Google Docs to Gmail to Google Maps. And of course, Chrome has Google’s search engine built right in.However, if you love Google Chrome but you've decided you've had enough of Google search, you can change the default search engine in the browser. You can switch to Bing, DuckDuckGo, or whichever alternative search...

4 days ago

Wired

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIREDThe original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine.Ten years ago, the European Space Agency’s Rosetta probe pulled up alongside a dusty, icy lump the size of a mountain. The probe would follow its quarry, a comet called 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, for two years as onboard instruments caught and analyzed the dust and gas streaming...

4 days ago

Wired

However, while Sony's own specifications for accessing the feature cite a 5-Mbps minimum connection speed to establish a cloud session, 7 Mbps to stream a game at 720p resolution, and 13 Mbps to stream at 1080p full HD—the max resolution of the Portal's screen—these numbers seem to greatly underestimate what's actually required to play anything from the cloud.In the coffee shop environment, getting the slowest overall speed but still meeting the stated threshold for a 720p stream, even connecting to...

4 days ago

Wired

In 2025 we will see AI and machine learning leveraged to make real progress in understanding animal communication, answering a question that has puzzled humans as long as we have existed: “What are animals saying to each other?” The recent Coller-Dolittle Prize, offering cash prizes up to half-a-million dollars for scientists who “crack the code” is an indication of a bullish confidence that recent technological developments in machine learning and large language models (LLMs) are placing this goal within our...

4 days ago

Wired

Buying a new planner gives me an endorphin rush like no other, whether it’s for a new school semester, work year, or a much-needed fresh start. A good one should help you stay on track without overwhelming you. Some folks on WIRED's Gear team prefer paper planners over digital tools. Plus, writing things down has the added benefit of improving retention.There's no such thing as the best paper planner, but I've grilled WIRED staff for their favorites and have tested...

5 days ago

Wired

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIREDThe all-electric Ford Explorer has had a tough time of it. Back in 2022, WIRED was invited to a secret look at the Europe-only, all-electric Explorer which the company had been working on for some time. In March of 2023, the wraps were finally taken off, and it was announced that the US might...

5 days ago

Wired

If Google’s generative AI Gemini Assistant chatbot is to surpass OpenAI’s ChatGPT in popularity in the coming years, it may have to do so without some of the promotional partnerships that helped thrust Google search front and center into Americans’ lives.In a US federal court filing on Friday, Google proposed a series of restrictions that for three years would bar the company from requiring its device manufacturer, browser, and wireless carrier licensees to distribute Gemini to their US users. Google...

5 days ago

Wired

Rocker? Last? Drop? What do these terms mean? Here's a quick rundown of some common running terms that you might come across, both in this piece and on the roads and trails.Midsole rocker: Many shoes now feature a rocker where the midsole slopes upward at the toe, heel, or both. Rockers encourage a smooth rolling motion for more efficient transitions from heel strike to toe-off, and can help improve both your running economy and comfort.Carbon/nylon plates: In recent years, we’ve...

5 days ago

Wired

As someone who has painted walls in almost every apartment I've lived in as an adult, let me say that painting sucks. I've learned tricks over the years to finish the job quicker (I even own a set of paint tools!), but it's still a long, annoying process that can suck up more time than you'd expect.Last year I was privileged to become a homeowner, and naturally the Great Algorithm noticed and began shoving all sorts of home makeover projects,...

5 days ago

Wired

This story originally appeared on High Country News and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration.In Southern California, December wildfires are somewhat uncommon but not completely out of the norm. And this year, extremely dry conditions and strong Santa Ana winds created the perfect recipe for dangerous late-year fires.On the night of December 9, the Franklin Fire sparked in the hills above Malibu, tearing through about 3,000 acres in just 24 hours. As of midday December 12, the fire was...

5 days ago

Wired

THIS ARTICLE IS republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.Christmas can be a time of togetherness, fun, and relaxation. Yet, it can also bring unique challenges—particularly for those who may struggle with food anxiety, weight concerns, or an eating disorder.There are many reasons why the holidays can be such a difficult time for people struggling with eating concerns. Holidays can often magnify feelings such as stress, anxiety, isolation, and grief.Hence, some people may turn to food for comfort...

5 days ago

Wired

Over the past year or so, Netflix and Apple TV+ have been duking it out to have the most prestigious film offerings (congrats, CODA!), but that doesn’t mean some of the best movies aren't on Amazon Prime. The streamer was one of the first to go around picking up film festival darlings and other lovable favorites, and they’re all still there in the library, so if they flew under your radar the first time, now is the perfect time to...

5 days ago

Wired

The agencies said that the FBI has received more than 5,000 tips about reported drone sightings in recent weeks that have generated about 100 leads investigated by local, state, and federal officials. None have proved to be problematic or concerning. The mass hysteria is itself creating dangerous conditions, though. The FAA warned on Wednesday that there has been a significant uptick in people pointing lasers at aircraft, which is illegal because it can be dangerous and distracting for pilots.Google U-Turn...

5 days ago

Wired

Almost no one ever writes about the Parker Solar Probe anymore.Sure, the spacecraft got some attention when it launched.  It is, after all, the fastest-moving object that humans have ever built. At its maximum speed, goosed by the gravitational pull of the sun, the probe reaches a velocity of 430,000 miles per hour, or more than one-sixth of 1 percent the speed of light. That kind of speed would get you from New York City to Tokyo in less than...

5 days ago

Wired

Microbes in our gut can have a profound impact on our health, but research is showing that those surrounding us in our environment—what’s known as the natural environmental microbiome—can have a big impact too. This suggests that we should all spend a lot more time interacting with nature, both outdoors and indoors.I was first introduced to this emerging area of science by Professor Gretchen Daily from Stanford University. She mentioned a Finnish research project that showed how letting kindergarten-aged children...

5 days ago

Wired

The birth of ChatGPT brought a collection of anxieties regarding how large language models allow users to quickly subvert processes that once required human time, effort, passion, and understanding. And further, the tech sector’s often stormy relationship with regulation and ethical oversight have left many fearful for a future where artificial intelligence replaces humans at work and stymies human creativity.While much of this alarm is well founded, we should also consider the possibility that human creativity can blossom in the...

5 days ago

Wired

In the midst of our reporting on Nike’s turbulent year, we failed to emphasize one fact: Even as Nike’s corporate leadership flails in a post-Covid world, the company’s shoes and athletic apparel still make up a huge market segment and are still the leading performance models in the industry. Every marathon shoe is just a copy of the iconic Nike Vaporfly, and the Air Force 1 is still one of the top-selling sneakers in the world. You can restock on...

6 days ago

Wired

Design Within Reach has some of the best and coolest home decor you can find, from modern couches to fantastic office chairs and fun designers like Herman Miller and Dusen Dusen. It’s not a cheap store to shop at, though, which is what makes these coupons something to jump on. Right now, you can get 20% off Design Within Reach’s sale section with our code EXTRA20. Design Within Reach carries some of our favorite office chairs, plus some other fantastic...

6 days ago

Wired

KitchenAid’s strategy is one that maybe we should all live by—if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Remaining nearly unchanged since its introduction in 1914, KitchenAid’s stand mixer has become such a legendary kitchen staple that we called it an “everlasting” kitchen must-have and put it on our Buy It For Life guide. Right now (until October 1st), you can get 15% off major appliances such as dishwashers, microwaves, ovens, cooktops, refrigeration, and ventilation systems on the KitchenAid website using...

6 days ago

Wired

Games with Black leads and characters were derided as forced. Female characters deemed unattractive or masculine were suffering from “DEI chin.” Dragon Age: The Veilguard, was criticized by far-right trolls for its customization options, which allow players to create characters with top surgery scars or play with a nonbinary companion. After reviews were released, conspiracists latched onto clichéd phrases or other language as proof that studio BioWare was instructing reviewers how to talk about their game.Even not-yet-released titles faced bombardment....

6 days ago

Wired

outbreaks of Oropouche virus have flared up in the Amazon for decades, but historically the pathogen has little troubled the rest of the world. But this seems to be changing. In 2024, the virus showed that it can travel.Most of this year’s 11,000-plus cases occurred in Brazil and Peru, where the virus is an old acquaintance, but it has also been found in 2024 in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, and Cuba—the latter reporting 603 cases as well as in-country...

6 days ago

Wired

OpenAI today announced an improved version of its most capable artificial intelligence model to date—one that takes even more time to deliberate over questions—just a day after Google announced its first model of this type.OpenAI’s new model, called o3, replaces o1, which the company introduced in September. Like o1, the new model spends time ruminating over a problem in order to deliver better answers to questions that require step-by-step logical reasoning.The o3 model scores much higher on several measures than...

6 days ago

Wired

In its initial responses, ChatGPT didn’t provide any links to products. But it easily supplied them when I asked, and while I didn’t click on every single one, none appeared to be hallucinations. Claude, on the other hand, apologized and said that it “cannot actually link to websites or products directly.” Anthropic hasn’t released a web search feature for Claude yet, but the company says it’s working on it.That technically made Claude the least useful chatbot I tested for shopping....

6 days ago

Wired

It's the last flight of the day and the plane is pretty empty. So you’re thinking maaaybe you’ll just move up a few rows, where there's a nice window seat with a view that's not obstructed by the wing.Not so fast. The flight attendant says that's a no-go. You have to stay in your assigned seat or you will mess up the weight distribution of the plane. Really? Would moving one normal-size human make a difference? Yeah, you know where...

6 days ago

Wired

In games, as in film, Indiana Jones has had a rough patch. The intrepid archaeologist's recent big-screen exploits have met with lukewarm reception at best, with 2008's The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and 2023's The Dial of Destiny both failing to reignite the excitement enjoyed by the original 1980s trilogy; so, too, have his gaming excursions struggled. A defunct Facebook game, a handful of mobile efforts, and a couple of Lego outings over the last 15 years are all...

6 days ago

Wired

Skip to main contentDec 16, 2023 10:00 AMSweet dreams are made of these, from special lamps to noise machines.Between anxiety and insomnia, I've always had trouble sleeping, and I'm not alone. Chances are, you or someone you know is not getting enough sleep, and that can have a serious impact on your health. In the last few years, a few of us on the Gear Team have worked tirelessly to transform our bedrooms into the comfiest, coziest places possible to...

6 days ago

Wired

There's a tendency for VR games to be seen as gimmicks; forgettable spin-offs of better-known franchises. Indeed, the last attempt at Batman Arkham VR was exactly that—little more than a vaguely interactive movie. That's not the case here though—Arkham Shadow is an ambitious, full-length outing (expect 10-15 hours playtime) with a satisfyingly layered and twisting narrative. It has time and space to flesh out its world, giving players a chance to spend as much time out of the Batsuit as...

6 days ago

Wired

No matter if you're working from home full-time or just a few days a week, it's important to carve out a space that separates your work and personal lives. It's equally vital that your workstation is kitted out with the right gear and accessories to make the day more bearable and comfortable. Since 2020, we've been testing standing desks, office chairs, monitors, USB docks, keyboards, and tons of other work-from-home gear in our own lives. These are our favorites.Updated December...

6 days ago

Wired

Shark FlexStyle Drying & Styling SystemHot-air brushes are becoming more popular for at-home blowouts. They cause less heat damage than flat irons and might take less time depending on your hair type. We've tried a bunch, but Shark's FlexStyle is a great option if you also want to curl and diffuse your hair at other times too. It's a perfect dupe of Dyson's Airwrap for several hundred dollars less.★ Another Alternative: T3's Airebrush Duo ($190) is a solid option too...

6 days ago

Wired

In 2022, the winter solstice for the northern hemisphere happens on December 21. While not as dramatic as 2020’s conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, the longest night of the year is a significant turning point. Astronomical winter begins, and the days gradually get longer again.Curious why this happens? WIRED spoke with Tansu Daylan, a former Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) postdoctoral associate at MIT, to better understand the winter solstice and our planet’s relationship with the sun.To picture what is happening in space during a...

6 days ago

Wired

A wooded area. A roaring fire. A bit of gently falling snow. This is my happy place. Except, it’s not out my window; it’s on TikTok.For months I have “taught” TikTok to serve me this content: people, usually dudes, building shelters by hand in the wilderness. Most of them are ultra-sped-up timelapses that start with a hole in the ground, an axe, and a pile of wood. Once, I watched a guy build a hobbit hole that looked like the,...

6 days ago

Wired

Not every chair is a winner. Here are a few others we like enough to recommend, but they're not as good as our top picks above.Knoll Newson Task Chair for $1,350: This minimalist chair looks best in the graphite and petal colors; it's a bit drab in black and umber. It's nice that I didn't have to fuss with any levers or knobs much—it's comfy out of the box and decently adjustable if you need to make some tweaks—and it...

6 days ago

Wired

2024 was a big year for spatial computing, bookended by the release of two major virtual reality headsets: the powerful but expensive Apple Vision Pro and the more affordable Meta Quest 3S. While these devices transport their users to vast, strange digital realms, they can also feel limiting, because they reduce—or even sever—the wearer’s connection to the real world.That’s where their lighter, more (um) wearable cousins come in: smart glasses. Turns out, lots of people like a device that you...

6 days ago

Wired

Zerocam is available for free for Android and iOS, though you are limited to five photos a day unless you subscribe: That costs $2 a month or $13 a year. There's also a monochrome version available, but that's only for iOS for the time being.HalideHalide offers plenty of options from its capture screen. David NieldHalide is a much more comprehensive phone photography app for professionals and enthusiasts, which means it's stacked with options and settings. It does also offer a...

6 days ago

Wired

Generative AI took the world by storm in November 2022, with the release of OpenAI’s service ChatGPT. One hundred million people started using it, practically overnight. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, became a household name. And at least half a dozen companies raced OpenAI in an effort to build a better system. OpenAI itself sought to outdo GPT-4, its flagship model, introduced in March 2023, with a successor, presumably to be called GPT-5. Virtually...

6 days ago

Wired

Long before we had Amazon or Facebook marketplace, or thousands of other online retailers, we had eBay. And now, we have an eBay coupon to help you save on basics like vacuums and phones, to even your most niche need—because eBay has everything from haunted objects to ironic landline phones to retro gaming consoles. One of the first and most enduring online shopping platforms, eBay has stood the test of time, providing us with the old-school feel of estate sales,...

7 days ago

Wired

In the game known as the streaming wars, Disney+ came out swinging, bringing with it a massive library of the best movies and TV shows—with new ones being added all the time. Watched everything on Netflix? Disney+ has a seemingly endless selection of Marvel movies and plenty of Star Wars and Pixar fare too. Problem is, there’s so much stuff, it’s hard to know where to begin. WIRED is here to help. Below are our picks for the best films...

7 days ago

Wired

For example, instead of a ribbon, use compostable twine or string with a cutting—a sprig of holly, a clipping of eucalyptus, or the branch of a fir—tucked into it. It's a rustic look that will hold up even if you wrap things well in advance. Alternatively, slip in something less hardy, like flowers or berries, just before you dish out the gifts.Don’t Forget Tape!The last thing you want to do is to make all these adjustments and ruin it by...

7 days ago

Wired

Within 24 hours of centibillionaire Elon Musk using his X platform to upend a congressional funding bill and push the federal government to the brink of a shutdown, three GOP lawmakers are now calling for him to be named Speaker of the House.On Thursday, Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, was the first to float the idea, in a post on Musk’s own X platform. “The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress,” Paul wrote. “Nothing...

7 days ago

Wired

In May 2020, the media and technology conglomerate Thomson Reuters sued a small legal AI startup called Ross Intelligence, alleging that it had violated US copyright law by reproducing materials from Westlaw, Thomson Reuters’ legal research platform. As the pandemic raged, the lawsuit hardly registered outside the small world of nerds obsessed with copyright rules. But it’s now clear that the case—filed more than two years before the generative AI boom began—was the first strike in a much larger war...

7 days ago

Wired

Craig Wright, the computer scientist ruled to have lied “extensively and repeatedly” about being the inventor of Bitcoin, has been given a one-year prison sentence by a UK judge after being found in contempt of court. The sentence is suspended for two years, meaning that Wright will only face prison if he reoffends during that period.At a hearing Thursday in the UK High Court, Justice James Edward Mellor ruled that Wright—in bringing a $1.15 trillion lawsuit in October against Bitcoin...

7 days ago

Wired

Thousands of Amazon workers at seven warehouses are striking on Thursday, just days before Christmas and the start of the holiday season.The strike, which was organized by unions affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, comes at an extremely busy time for the company. Last year, 29 percent of all online orders in the two weeks before Christmas were placed through Amazon.Workers say the strikes come after the company missed a deadline of December 15 to begin negotiating their union...

7 days ago

Wired

There is a latent sweetness, humility, and sense of humor in competition barbecue pitmaster Moe Cason's book that you don't usually get from barbecue cookbooks. He opens by praising his family, particularly the support of his wife and grandmother, and recounts boyhood efforts at cooking, coming up with "concoctions" as he slowly learned to cook, emphasis on the slow, saying "you gotta burn some crap before you get it right."Flash forward and he eventually swaps from a Navy career to...

7 days ago

Wired

Skip to main contentDec 12, 2023 10:00 AMFrom monsters to kittens to strategy games, these sets will liven things up on nights when everyone is tired of screens.It’s good to take a break from screens every now and then. The great outdoors has plenty to offer, but there are times when you’re stuck inside for one reason or another. Board games are a fun way to gather everyone around the table to engage in some group escapism.My family has had...

7 days ago

Wired

In Bumps, photographers Lola & Pani deliver a raw and visually striking exploration of the "tumultuous and euphoric facets inherent in the experience of youth.” With their unfiltered approach, the duo captures young adulthood as a continuous cycle of uncertainty, renewal, and fragility.Portraits of broken skin and blank stares reveal a quiet vulnerability while scenes of nature and landscapes show beauty and stillness. Bumps balances intimacy, alienation, and belonging. The duo do an amazing job making sure the viewer feels...

7 days ago

Wired

SlimFold Micro Soft Shell Thin WalletLike a good set of sheets or your first tools, a wallet is a gift that you only get excited about when you're almost an adult. SlimFold makes great gear. My partner has used this wallet daily for over eight years, and it's still going strong. It has just enough room for cash and cards, preventing it from becoming bulky or obtrusive (or leaving a wear mark on pants pockets). The material is durable, stretchy,...

7 days ago

Wired

Skip to main contentIf your Christmas tree is missing a present, these gifts will keep you on the nice list.If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. Learn more.December is nearly over and you haven't finished your holiday shopping. It’s OK—you’re not alone. Reader, I myself have not yet started in earnest despite my phone reminding me to start shopping every week since July. Whether you forgot to pick something up or you succumbed...

7 days ago

Wired

As we stumble out of our third Japanese arcade and onto the glowing sidewalks of Tokyo’s Akihabara ward, I catch eyes with my partner and laugh. In this perfect moment together, we’re equally content but exhausted from a day of vigorous gaming. Holding hands as we squat outside on a slender metal railing and chug melon sodas from a nearby vending machine, I promise the next game center will be our last stop in today’s marathon.Popular in Japan since the...

7 days ago

Wired

Wearable tech, self-driving cars, and AI mishaps. There were a lot of new product launches this year—some more successful than others. This week on Uncanny Valley, we talk about the tech out there that we are most excited about and the tech that has us most terrified for the coming year. Plus, we share our gifting recommendations.You can follow Michael Calore on Bluesky at @snackfight, Lauren Goode on Bluesky at @laurengoode, and Zoë Schiffer on Threads at @reporterzoe. Write to...

7 days ago

Wired

Photograph: Henri RobbinsBeflo Tenon Premium for $3,636: While incredibly expensive (and heavy!), this hardwood smart desk is both sturdy and well designed. Assembly was straightforward, and once the desk was up and running, I found all of the features (touchscreen controls, a built-in power strip, audio passthrough, and LED lighting) to work well, and placed in convenient locations. The touchscreen controls are intuitive (iOS-like), and features like a sit/stand timer and phone connectivity provide additional functionality. The desk supports over...

7 days ago

Wired

Big Mama doesn’t make it a secret that people who use its VPN will have other traffic routed through their networks. Within the app it says it “may transport other customer’s traffic through” the device that’s connected to the VPN, while it is also mentioned in the terms of use and on a FAQ page about how the app is free.The Big Mama Network page advertises its proxies as being available to be used for ad verification, buying online tickets,...

7 days ago

Wired

Inevitably, more of these situations will pop up under the Trump administration, and I’m curious to see if any of Musk’s supporters end up jumping ship.Drop-shippersThe act of drop-shipping—third-party sellers filling retail orders—exploded in popularity in the late 2010s, becoming a quintessential part of online hustle culture. With the introduction of the TikTok Shop, drop-shipping has entered a renaissance of sorts, with more and more people using the app to make quick cash that can scale.Placing tough tariffs on Chinese...

7 days ago

Wired

I played poker professionally before I ever wrote about politics or built an election model. What really fascinates me about gambling is the mindset that drives this behavior—a way of thinking that unites a cohort I call “the River.”The River is a sprawling ecosystem of like-minded people that includes everyone from low-stakes poker pros to crypto kings and VC billionaires. It is a way of thinking—analytical, abstract, competitive, contrarian—and a mode of life. Most “Riverians” aren’t rich and powerful, but...

7 days ago

Wired

NASA has again postponed the return to Earth of Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, the astronauts stranded on the International Space Station after Boeing's Starliner capsule malfunctioned in the middle of this year.The crew of the spacecraft arrived at the ISS in June. The objective was to test the Starliner’s comprehensive capabilities, including launch, docking, and return systems. The mission was scheduled to last one week. Five of the capsule’s 28 thrusters failed to function before docking with the ISS....

8 days ago

Wired

The US Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Wednesday after congressional leaders earlier this month stripped the bill of provisions designed to safeguard against excessive government surveillance. The “must-pass” legislation now heads to president Joe Biden for his expected signature.The Senate’s 85-14 vote cements a major expansion of a controversial US surveillance program, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Biden’s signature will ensure that the Trump administration opens with the newfound power to force...

8 days ago

Wired

The United States has now seen dozens of human bird flu cases this year, all of them mild—until now.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Wednesday that a patient in Louisiana has been hospitalized with a severe case of avian influenza caused by the H5N1 virus. This marks the first instance of severe illness linked to the virus in the US.The virus has decimated poultry flocks and wild birds across the country and has infected more than 800 dairy...

8 days ago

Wired

It’s an interesting idea, and it is fun to see the idea of an AI agent explored within the relatively benign realm of artistic expression.That said, Botto still poses some ethical conundrums. Many working artists rightly worry about the impact AI is having on their profession, as models trained on millions of copyrighted works are used to generate infinite knock-offs on demand.Perhaps Botto is something altogether different. Klingemann is an early adopter of AI in art, using neural networks as...

8 days ago

Wired

Skip to main contentStart Christmas morning off on the right foot with these excellent, tiny gifts.If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. Learn more.If you're gifting to someone who's into flashlights or the everyday carry community, they probably know Olight, the cult-favorite flashlight maker. The baby of the Olight line—in both size and age—is the new Baton Turbo. This is a tiny but shockingly powerful 1,000-lumen flashlight ideal for tucking into your pocket...

8 days ago

Wired

“One of the best producers in Burgundy was asking us if they could use our labels on all their bottles. Then we can create an additional step so that when you buy the bottle, let's say from the distributor in the UK or in the US, you can add the bottle into your wallet," he says. “But now, the idea is that you take out the bottle only when you want to drink the wine. Otherwise it doesn't make sense...

8 days ago

Wired

Screenshots courtesy of Molly HigginsWhen the box is first set up, you get a free trial of Premium Petkit Care+, which essentially lets you watch the entirety of playback when your cat uses it (without it, you can only see stills of the times your pet appears). The free trial of the premium plan lasts 30 days from setup, and has three tiers of subscription plans, starting at $4 a month for Basic and going up to $12 a month...

8 days ago

Wired

Skip to main contentScore a great gift for everyone on your list without breaking the bank. Every one of these gifts comes WIRED-recommended.Gift shopping on a budget is stressful. Prices sometimes soar around the holidays, making it tough to find genuine bargains. To help, we spent countless hours testing all manner of gizmos and gadgets to bring you expert advice on what is worth buying. These gifts are sure to bring a smile to your loved ones’ faces without breaking...

8 days ago

Wired

Skip to main contentOct 21, 2024 10:02 AMYou see them every single day (almost). Our curated guide features personalized gifts for every office personality, from the foodies to the minimalists.Photograph: Amazon; Getty ImagesIf you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. Learn more.Every office is a microcosm of personalities, making the quest for the perfect gifts for coworkers both exciting and baffling. You’ve got the snack lover, whose bottomless drawer of treats resembles a mini...

8 days ago

Wired

There is a glaring issue with the exterior, however: the lidar hump at the top of the windscreen. Volvo knows this is a problem, and I know this for two reasons. First, if you look at the raft of official press images of the car you'll see many shots of the EX90 for nearly every angle possible expect in profile. I did find one profile shot, but the car is so far in the background that the hump is tiny,...

8 days ago