For some people—roughly 170,000 of us—the new year doesn’t really begin until we descend upon Las Vegas for CES. WIRED’S editors and writers will be at the annual consumer tech trade show all week seeking out the latest trends, products, services, oddities, and absurdities that will help set the tone for technology in 2020.As usual,…
Your router is perhaps the most important gadget in your home. It checks all incoming and outgoing traffic, acting as a sentry to make sure that nothing dangerous comes in and nothing sensitive goes out. It controls access to your home Wi-Fi network and through that all of your phones, tablets, laptops, and more. If…
Tuesday’s attack by Iran-backed Shiite militia supporters on the US Embassy in Baghdad, followed by Friday’s US killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, sparked fears of an intense escalation of hostilities in the region.Analysts say US embassies and consulates are prime targets in the wake of these events, and personnel could be in jeopardy.…
Warning: If you start playing with fractals, it can get addicting. I don’t know why, but it’s stupid fun to make these things. Actually, I first started looking at fractals as part of the #TeamTrees challenge—a project to raise enough money by 2020 to plant 20 million trees. (We made our goal!)What do fractals have…
For years, US tensions with Iran have held to a kind of brinksmanship. But the drone assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, widely understood to be the second most powerful figure in Iran, has dangerously escalated tensions. The world now awaits Iran’s response, which seems likely to make new use of a tool that the…
When the clock ticked past midnight on December 31, California’s controversial Assembly Bill 5 went into effect. The bill, already the subject of sturm, drang, and a $110 million campaign for a state ballot initiative funded by the companies it targets, is meant to transform the hundreds of thousands of contractors in the state working…
SALT LAKE CITY — A California lawsuit filed Dec. 26 details eight alleged instances of Amazon Ring security devices being hacked by strangers who taunted children, yelled racist obscenities or threatened to kill device owners via the two-way speaker system. John Baker Orange from Jefferson County Alabama, who filed the class action suit against the…
If you want to gaze into the hellish future of human existence on Earth, look to Australia. Huge bushfires have torched 14.5 million acres since September, killing at least 18. Vast plumes of smoke are pouring into major cities along the east coast, imposing a dire respiratory health hazard on millions of people. And Australia’s…
The Galaxy S11 (or is it S20?) is fast-approaching, and Samsung always announces its new S-series flagship phones in February or March. Now we know when this year’s devices will be revealed: February 11th. The below promotional video was accidentally uploaded early to a Samsung press video channel, and was discovered by Max Weinbach (of…
Every month, scientists gather at conferences around the world. The topics range from climate change to big data to microorganisms and their role in plant, animal, and human health, but they are equally dull, dated, and drill-like. Invariably, there’s a series of talks and poster presentations, a few plenary sessions by prominent scientists, several workshops,…
