From Cameras to Kayaks, All the Stuff We Loved This Month

Plus: The all-new Mac Pro, Instant Pot's ace blender, and even a bidet.

source https://www.wired.com/gallery/things-we-loved-june-2019

Bike-Friendly Cities, a New Urbanism, and More Car News This Week

Copenhagenize Design published its list of the world's top 20 cities for cyclists, and Sidewalk Labs unveiled a plan to remake part of Toronto.

source https://www.wired.com/story/bike-friendly-cities-new-urbanism-more-car-news

The Democratic Debates Top This Week's Internet News Roundup

A friendly reminder: The 2020 election is still 17 months away.

source https://www.wired.com/story/internet-week-227

Greed Is to Blame for the Radicalization of YouTube and Facebook

Opinion: Social media has become the modern-day version of conspiracy-theorizing supermarket tabloids. When will these platforms be held accountable?

source https://www.wired.com/story/greed-is-to-blame-for-the-radicalization-of-social-media

A ‘Sonic Black Hole' Could Help Solve a Cosmic Paradox

If a sound-trapping fluid on Earth really does behave like a black hole, its behavior could offer insight into the famous information paradox.

source https://www.wired.com/story/a-sonic-black-hole-could-help-solve-a-cosmic-paradox

Microsoft's Ebook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM

Microsoft has closed its ebook store—and will soon make their customers' libraries disappear along with it.

source https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-ebook-apocalypse-drm

What Boeing’s 737 MAX Has to Do With Cars: Software

Investigators believe faulty software contributed to two fatal crashes. A newly discovered fault will likely will keep the 737 MAX grounded until the fall.

source https://www.wired.com/story/boeings-737-max-cars-software

There's a Petition to Cancel *Good Omens*, But Who Cares?

The show doesn't take itself too seriously—and neither should viewers.

source https://www.wired.com/2019/06/geeks-guide-good-omens

Myspace Employees Used to Spy on Users

Robert Mueller will testify, malware wrecks IoT, and more of the week's top security news.

source https://www.wired.com/story/myspace-overlord-iot-robert-mueller-security-roundup

Space Photos of the Week: Here Comes the Sun

Plus, photobombing asteroids, rainbow galaxies, and more.

source https://www.wired.com/story/space-photos-of-the-week-here-comes-the-sun

How the iPhone Helped Save the Planet

Over the last 12 years, smartphones have helped dematerialize our consumption of countless other products.

source https://www.wired.com/story/iphone-environment-consumption

Transit Agencies Turn to Uber for the Last Mile

Transit systems worry about losing passengers to ride-hail services. But some agencies are also testing using Uber in place of low-ridership lines.

source https://www.wired.com/story/transit-agencies-turn-uber-last-mile

All ThinkGeek Items Are 75% Off, Google Speakers on Sale Now

From a wood burning stove to the Bob Ross blanket, we scoured the web for the best deals this weekend.

source https://www.wired.com/story/weekend-deals-thinkgeek-shut-down-google-sale

Gadget Lab Podcast: Rebalancing Our Relationship With Tech

A conversation with Aza Raskin of the Center for Humane Technology. Also, we discuss Jony Ive’s departure from Apple.

source https://www.wired.com/story/gadget-lab-podcast-412

A New and Terrifying Tick, a 3D-Printed Shoe Sole, and More News

Catch up on the most important news from today in two minutes or less.

source https://www.wired.com/story/asian-longhorn-tick-bites-new-balance-3d-printing

Man Found Guilty in a Murder Mystery Cracked By Cousins’ DNA

The trial of William Earl Talbott II hinged on a lead from a genealogy site. The verdict will shape the future of crime-fighting and genetic privacy.

source https://www.wired.com/story/man-found-guilty-in-a-murder-mystery-cracked-by-cousins-dna

Big Data Supercharged Gerrymandering. It Could Help Stop It, Too

The Supreme Court decided Thursday it doesn't want to address partisan gerrymandering—but there are lots of other ways to fight it.

source https://www.wired.com/story/big-data-supercharged-gerrymandering-supreme-court

The Infrastructure Mess Causing Countless Internet Outages

You may not have heard of the Border Gateway Protocol, but you definitely know when it goes wrong.

source https://www.wired.com/story/bgp-route-leak-internet-outage

Horror for Dummies: The 9 Best Killer Doll Movies to Stream Right Now

There's a new 'Child's Play' and a new 'Annabelle' film currently in theaters. But you don't have to leave the house for scary dolls.

source https://www.wired.com/story/doll-horror-movies-streaming

How to Stream the 2019 Women's World Cup for Free

The US Women's National Team is defending their World Cup title, and you're going to want to watch.

source https://www.wired.com/story/stream-2019-womens-world-cup-free

Welp, We Might Be Getting a 'Final Fantasy XIV' TV Show

Hopefully it'll turn out better than the game itself.

source https://www.wired.com/story/final-fantasy-tv-show

A New Approach to Treat Mental Illness: Electrical Engineering

Opinion: An electrical device has the potential to treat Alzheimer’s, PTSD, and other brain disorders. But do the risks outweigh the potential?

source https://www.wired.com/story/a-new-approach-to-treat-mental-illness-electrical-engineering

New Balance's Latest Shoes Come With 3D-Printed Soles

3D printing has other benefits besides personalization. It keeps manufacturing in the United States.

source https://www.wired.com/story/new-balance-triplecell-3d-printed-shoe

WIRED Book of the Month: *Fall; or, Dodge in Hell* by Neal Stephenson

In Fall; or, Dodge in Hell, the sci-fi author tracks our inevitable descent into AR-enabled filter bubbles—only to leave it all behind.

source https://www.wired.com/story/neal-stephenson-fall-or-dodge-in-hell-book-review

Taser Maker Says It Won't Use Facial Recognition in Bodycams

Axon, the maker of Tasers and police bodycams, said it won't deploy facial recognition systems, after a company ethics board recommended against it.

source https://www.wired.com/story/taser-maker-wont-use-facial-recognition-bodycams

Want Your Kid to Play Pro Soccer? Sign Her Up for Basketball

Elite athletes are specializing in their sports earlier and earlier, but some sports medicine experts say that won't help you make it to the pros.

source https://www.wired.com/story/want-your-kid-to-play-pro-soccer-sign-her-up-for-basketball

5 Queer People on How They Found Their Chosen Families

Whether online or IRL, here's how five LGBTQ+ people found their community.

source https://www.wired.com/story/queer-chosen-families

Senators Try—Again—to Solve the Nuclear Waste Debacle

A bipartisan group is trying to find a place, or perhaps many places, to bury nuclear waste by making it harder for everyone to say no.

source https://www.wired.com/story/senators-tryagainto-solve-the-nuclear-waste-debacle

The Terrifying Unknowns of an Exotic Invasive Tick

The Asian longhorned tick showed up in the US last year and has flourished in unexpected places. And it's biting humans.

source https://www.wired.com/story/the-terrifying-unknowns-of-the-asian-longhorned-tick

Steven Levy on Jony Ive’s Design Legacy

Apple’s lead designer, who retired from the company, changed the expectations not just of technology design, but the role of design in consumer products.

source https://www.wired.com/story/a-reminiscence-of-jony-ives-design-legacy

Jony Ive's Leaving Apple, Twitter's Policing Politicians, and More News

Catch up on the most important news from today in two minutes or less.

source https://www.wired.com/story/jony-ive-leaves-apple-twitter-politicians-todays-news

Jony Ive Is Leaving Apple

The legendary designer is starting a new creative agency and signing Apple as its client.

source https://www.wired.com/story/jony-ive-leaves-apple

The Quiet Force of YouTuber Etika's Gaze

We will never know for certain what more Desmond Amofah wanted to communicate—but we can hazard a guess.

source https://www.wired.com/story/depth-of-field-etika

NASA Will Send a Helicopter to Hunt for Life on Saturn's Biggest Moon

The Dragonfly mission will spend two years flying around the surface of Titan, studying the moon’s composition and searching for signs of life.

source https://www.wired.com/story/nasa-will-send-a-helicopter-to-hunt-for-life-on-saturns-moon-titan

Twitter Will Quarantine Politicians’ Tweets If They Violate Rules—Finally

The company has been criticized for ignoring when tweets by government officials, namely President Trump, appear to violate its policies on hateful conduct.

source https://www.wired.com/story/twitter-quarantine-politicians-tweets-violate-rules

The New 'Charlie's Angels' Trailer Is Here

Kristen Stewart should have probably been playing a spy this whole time.

source https://www.wired.com/story/new-charlies-angels-trailer

That Viral 'Gyro Drop' Ride Was Fake. Here's How You Can Tell

A popular video about an amusement park ride with a crazy drop turned out to be fake. This physics analysis spells it out.

source https://www.wired.com/story/that-viral-gyro-drop-ride-was-fake-heres-how-you-can-tell

The 20 Most Bike-Friendly Cities on the Planet

The 2019 Copenhagenize Index ranks the world's urban hubs on how much they're doing to promote life on two wheels.

source https://www.wired.com/story/most-bike-friendly-cities-2019-copenhagenize-design-index

8 Essential Books in the Queer Comics Canon

Want more comics with LGBTQ+ characters? Start here.

source https://www.wired.com/story/8-essential-books-queer-comics-canon

Repour Wine Saver Review: A Cheap Way to Keep Your Wine from Spoiling

This simple gadget keeps a bottle of wine tasting fresh for days on end.

source https://www.wired.com/review/repour-wine-saver

Desalination Is Booming as Cities Run out of Water

In California alone there are 11 desalination plants, with 10 more proposed. But there are big downsides to making seawater drinkable.

source https://www.wired.com/story/desalination-is-booming-as-cities-run-out-of-water

Acer Swift 7 Laptop Review (2019): Mostly Wonderful

The new Acer ultrabook is ultrathin, ultralight, and gets all-day battery life. It's a road warriors dream.

source https://www.wired.com/review/acer-swift-7-2019

The Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke May Last a Lifetime

Emerging research suggests exposure to wildfire smoke may alter the immune system for years.

source https://www.wired.com/story/the-health-effects-of-wildfire-smoke-may-last-a-lifetime

The Cypherpunks Tapping Bitcoin via Ham Radio

For a small group of bitcoin enthusiasts, the internet is a vulnerability. They're using satellites, ham radios, and mesh networks to stay current on the cryptocurrency.

source https://www.wired.com/story/cypherpunks-bitcoin-ham-radio

#KimOhNo: Be Grateful That Kim Kardashian Is Bad at Puns

She's calling her new shapewear line "Kimono"—which is both terrible and terribly useful.

source https://www.wired.com/story/kim-kardashian-kimono-cultural-appropriation

How Hackers Turn Microsoft Excel's Own Features Against It

A pair of recent findings show how hackers can compromise Excel users without any fancy exploits.

source https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-excel-hacking-power-query-macros

What Facebook Privacy? Candidates’ Tough Talk Is Just That

More than 50 percent of US lawmakers use Facebook tracking technology known as a pixel—including some of Facebook's biggest critics.

source https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-privacy-candidates-pixel-campaigning

Zuckerberg Defends Free Speech, Even When the Speech is False

Limit the reach of falsehoods without stifling speech, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the Aspen Ideas Festival.

source https://www.wired.com/story/zuckerberg-defends-free-speech-even-when-speech-false

YouTube Is Giving You More Control Over Video Recommendations

You can now block certain channels from showing up in your “Up Next” list.

source https://www.wired.com/story/youtube-video-recommendations-changes

Wayfair Walkout, Facebook Data Value, and More News

Catch up on the most important news from today in 2 minutes or less.

source https://www.wired.com/story/wayfair-walkout-facebook-data-value-and-more-news

Hackers Are Poking at a MacOS Gatekeeper Flaw Apple Left Unfixed

The clock's ticking to fix a Gatekeeper bug that would let hackers slip malware onto your computer undetected.

source https://www.wired.com/story/macos-gatekeeper-vulnerability

The Importance of Photographing Women in Sports

Alana Paterson documents the young female hockey players defying gender expectations.

source https://www.wired.com/story/female-hockey-players-photo-gallery

Netflix Could Never Make Its Own 'Office'

Long-running shows with 20-episode-plus seasons are not a specialty of streaming services.

source https://www.wired.com/story/netflix-the-office-streaming-wars

Wayfair Employees Are Walking Out. Here's Why

Workers are protesting the ecommerce company's business with a government contractor that manages children's detention camps at the southern border.

source https://www.wired.com/story/wayfair-walking-out-border-detention

To Really 'Disrupt,' Tech Needs to Listen to Actual Researchers

Opinion: Silicon Valley culture often reveals the optimism of organized ignorance. Rather than lauding "new" experts, we need to respect, sustain, and strengthen the ones we already have.

source https://www.wired.com/story/tech-needs-to-listen-to-actual-researchers

The Psychological Impact of Seeing YouTubers Spend Millions

Flexing on video has become incredibly popular. But their excess consumerism could be harming their viewers' well-being.

source https://www.wired.com/story/youtube-flexing-psychology

What Could Possibly Be Cooler Than RoboBee? RoboBee X-Wing

The new RoboBee is the lightest aerial vehicle to manage sustained untethered flight. One day that could make it ideal for navigating tight, sensitive spaces.

source https://www.wired.com/story/robobee-x-wing

I Scraped Millions of Venmo Payments. Your Data Is at Risk

Opinion: Venmo makes sending and receiving money a social affair. But those emoji-laden payment descriptions leave you exposed to cyberattacks.

source https://www.wired.com/story/i-scraped-millions-of-venmo-payments-your-data-is-at-risk

Google's Matías Duarte on the History of Smartphone Notifications

A conversation with Matías Duarte, one of the designers of Android, about how notifications grew from an idea to a relentless buzz.

source https://www.wired.com/story/history-of-notifications

The AI-Fueled, Anxious Hopefulness of Disney's 'Smart House'

Twenty years ago the Disney Channel original film presented a world where humans were far less afraid of digital assistants than we are now.

source https://www.wired.com/story/disney-channel-smart-house-20-years-later

Facebook’s Libra Cryptocurrency Betrays the Company’s True Ambitions

The social network wants to enable easy, inexpensive global commerce, sure. But its ultimate goals are a little more … geopolitical.

source https://www.wired.com/story/facebooks-libra-cryptocurrency-betrays-companys-true-ambitions

Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition 2019 Review: Good for Tiny Hands

Worry-free tablets like the 2019 Fire 7 are great for small, sticky hands. Read our full review of it, and FreeTime Unlimited.

source https://www.wired.com/review/amazon-fire-7-kids-edition-2019

Senators Want Facebook to Put a Price on Your Data. Is That Possible?

A bill introduced by senators Mark Warner and Josh Hawley would require big tech companies to disclose the data they collect and value it for each user.

source https://www.wired.com/story/senators-want-facebook-price-data-possible

The Democratic Debates Will Be About Climate—Disguised as Other Issues

Every issue the presidential hopefuls will debate this week is deeply tied to climate change. The question is what the candidates will do about it.

source https://www.wired.com/story/democratic-debates-climate-change-election-2020

How to Watch the 2020 Democratic Primary Debate Wednesday and Thursday

Twenty candidates. Two nights. A bunch of 60-second answers. Probably at least one meme. Here's how to watch.

source https://www.wired.com/story/watch-democratic-primary-debate-wednesday-thursday-miami

One Boy’s Dream Vacation to Bauma, a Festival of Giant Construction Equipment

The author brought his 5-year-old son to the world’s largest building industry expo. “Hi, Dad,” he says from the seat of a hulking dump truck. “I’m ginormous!”

source https://www.wired.com/story/one-boys-dream-vacation-to-see-giant-construction-equipment

Arnold Schwarzenegger Stars in a New Ad Plugging Electric Cars

The former Terminator and California governor poses as a sleazy car salesman and makes patently ridiculous arguments against going electric.

source https://www.wired.com/story/arnold-schwarzenegger-stars-new-ad-plugging-electric-cars

These Cities Will Track Scooters to Get a Handle on Regulation

The cities, which include New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, will use the same tool to keep track of where scooters go, and where they are parked.

source https://www.wired.com/story/these-cities-will-track-scooters-handle-regulation

Apple’s New iOS 13, a Mars Survival Course, and More News

Catch up on the most important news from today in two minutes or less.

source https://www.wired.com/story/apple-ios-13-mars-space-camp-todays-news

The Mueller Report, Live: How Hollywood Tried to Save America

If only a staged performance were the answer to the country's problems.

source https://www.wired.com/story/mueller-report-hollywood-live-reading

Fitted With Sensors, Antarctic Seals Track Water Temperatures

Scientists have outfitted an army of Antarctic pinnipeds with trackers to monitor warming oceans.

source https://www.wired.com/story/seals-sensors-antarctica-tracking-water-temperatures

'Spider-Man: Far From Home' Star Tom Holland Found Out He Was Peter Parker on Instagram

He thought it was a result of the Sony hack.

source https://www.wired.com/story/spider-man-tom-holland-instagram

Physics Tricks to Make Steph Curry's Golf Show More Extreme

*Holey Moley* forces mini-golfers to surmount an obstacle course to win. But the options for physics-inspired golf stunts are endless—here are a few ideas.

source https://www.wired.com/story/physics-tricks-to-make-steph-curry-holey-moley-golf-show-more-extreme

The Challenge of Helping Blind People Navigate Indoors

The very existence of Indoor Explorer, which uses Bluetooth beacons to map public indoor spaces, has profound implications for the debate over the role of giant tech platforms.

source https://www.wired.com/story/challenge-helping-blind-people-navigate-indoors

A New Kind of Space Camp Teaches the Art of Martian Medicine

Enrollees—mainly engineers and health workers—pretend to live on Mars, wear spacesuits, and ride in ATVs as medical disasters crop up around them.

source https://www.wired.com/story/a-new-kind-of-space-camp-teaches-the-art-of-martian-medicine

Inside the Room Where They Control the Weather Satellites

Low Earth orbit satellites spin around the earth, slurping up temperature and humidity data, and feeding the numbers to supercomputer weather models.

source https://www.wired.com/story/inside-room-where-they-control-the-weather-satellites

'Harry Potter: Wizards Unite' Isn’t the Next 'Pokémon Go.' Good

'Wizards Unite' is bloated and overly complex—but at least it's something different.

source https://www.wired.com/story/harry-potter-wizards-unite-review

Spiff Up Your Real-World Skills With Old Timey YouTube

YouTube is full of channels for learning how people survived centuries ago. They might be the nicest places on the internet.

source https://www.wired.com/story/historical-youtube

The Best Features of iOS 13: Maps, Photos, Privacy, Health

Apple's next mobile operating system is now available as a public beta. Here's what you need to know about iOS 13.

source https://www.wired.com/story/ios-13-top-features

Schools and Phone Companies Face Off Over Wireless Spectrum

The FCC proposes to auction a portion of spectrum reserved decades ago for educational uses. Some education advocates aren't happy.

source https://www.wired.com/story/schools-phone-companies-face-off-wireless-spectrum

A Device to Detect 'Aggression' in Schools Often Misfires

Screams by high schoolers didn't trigger the detector, but some coughs did. So did cheers for pizza.

source https://www.wired.com/story/device-detect-aggression-schools-often-misfires

A Likely Chinese Hacker Crew Targeted 10 Phone Carriers to Steal Metadata

In one case, they stole the location and call record data of 20 specific individuals.

source https://www.wired.com/story/chinese-hackers-carrier-metadata

Alphabet's Plan for Toronto Depends on Huge Amounts of Data

Google sister company Sidewalk Labs outlines a plan for a 12-acre lot with affordable housing, a pneumatic tube for garbage, and room for autonomous vehicles.

source https://www.wired.com/story/alphabets-plan-toronto-depends-huge-amounts-data

Is Mars's Methane Spike a Sign of Life? Here’s How We’ll Know

The Curiosity rover detected a high concentration of methane on the red planet. Two Mars orbiters may soon clarify what that sighting really means.

source https://www.wired.com/story/is-marss-methane-spike-a-sign-of-life-heres-how-well-know

Space X's Launch Tonight, An Illegal Airbnb Empire, and More News

Catch up on the most important news from today in two minutes or less.

source https://www.wired.com/story/spacex-launch-falcon-heavy-airbnb-new-york-todays-news

Shopkeepers Around the World, Photographed With Their Wares

Canadian photographer Vladimir Antaki captures proprietors in the midst of their life's work, documenting what he calls "urban temples."

source https://www.wired.com/story/shopkeepers-photo-gallery