WIRED

The Wired mission is to tell the world something they've never heard before in a way they've never seen before. It's about turning new ideas into everyday reality. It's about seeding our community of influencers with the ideas that will shape and transform our collective future. Wired readers want to know how technology is changing the world, and they're interested in big, relevant ideas, even if those ideas challenge their assumptions—or blow their minds.

RANTS AND RAVES

“I Fell in Love With Microphones” • Glenn Gould proved that an existence heavily mediated by technology is not nonexistence.

CHARTGEIST

All In on the Fight Over Crypto • People will always bicker about Bitcoin and NFTs and future blockchain thingies. That’s because the fight is (actually) about fandom.

Crystal Light • A new book captures the hidden beauty of the matter that surrounds us.

Missing Peace • Cut off from his Minecraft community and thwarted by the graphics card shortage, my pandemic-weary preteen lost his way. And I lost a window into his world.

Money Talks • With the Shark Tank–like show Angelhouse, the venture capital scene on Clubhouse is getting frothy.

Clear Cache • Remember when you could see inside a gaming console?

The Rise of the Zoom Town • People who fled big urban centers will likely continue to work remotely a lot. That creates opportunities for small cities.

READOUT • The world, quantified.

Trigger Warning • The US military is inching toward letting AI control weapons—and even deploy deadly force.

DEAR CLOUD SUPPORT: Should I Use an App to Slow Myself Down?

Pedal Power • Whether you’re hitting the trails or taking the kids to the pool, an electric bike lets you get in more summer miles with less of the sweating.

WIRED RECOMMENDS • The latest picks from our reviews team.

FEATURES

“GET THAT MONEY!” • Jeffrey Fang was a ride-hailing legend, a top earner with relentless hustle. He thought he had outfoxed the gig economy. Then his minivan was carjacked—with his kids in the back seat.

THE FULL STORY OF THE STUNNING RSA HACK CAN (FINALLY) BE TOLD • In 2011, Chinese spies stole the crown jewels of cybersecurity—stripping protections from firms and governments worldwide. The hack was a harbinger of our future.

FATAL FLAW • ALL PANDEMIC LONG, SCIENTISTS BRAWLED OVER HOW THE CORONAVIRUS SPREADS. DROPLETS! NO, AEROSOLS! AT THE HEART OF THE FIGHT WAS A TEENSY, DECADES-OLD SCREW UP THAT HELPED COVID KILL. A TEAM OF EXPERTS FINALLY TRACKED THE VIRAL ERROR BACK TO ITS SOURCE.

One Man’s Journey to the Center of the Bowling Bowling Ball • Mo Pinel spent a career reshaping the ball’s inner core to harness the power of physics. He revolutionized the sport—and spared no critics along the way.

“IT’S JUST A GAME”

REVEL’S BUMPY RIDE • When the startup’s electric mopeds hit the streets, people went wild over the coolest new thing in micro-mobility. Then came the crashes. And the lawsuits. Now the company is trying to prove it can be cool and safe—and exactly what cities need.

THE MAN HAT TAN PROJECT • IN A QUIET COLLEGE TOWN ON THE GREAT PLAINS, AMID THE CORN AND COWS, A CONCRETE BEHEMOTH IS TAKING SHAPE. IT’S A TORNADO-PROOFED LAB FOR STUDYING THE SCARIEST ANIMAL PATHOGENS ON EARTH. WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

The Exile • Timnit Gebru came up through Big Tech. When she switched careers from building AI to examining how it can spread racism and inequality, the giants kept courting her. Then she crossed an invisible line, and Google forced her out. Is Silicon Valley’s system of in-house ethics really going to protect us from the industry’s favorite toys?

GRAVITY WAS A CONSENSUAL, SHARED ILLUSION