I’ve always liked going fast, but I’m keenly aware of the consequences. When I was a child on the ski slopes, I’d spear my way down the mountain on my runs, eating more than my share of snow between the lift lines. As an adult, who more coherently understands mortality, I impose limits on my…
Google Maps is used by more than a billion people every month. And those people send in more than 20 million suggested updates each day. Better directions for you, more data for Google.WIRED UKThis story originally appeared on WIRED UK.There are reasons why so many people use Google Maps: It’s arguably the easiest mapping service…
Hi, all. With Labor Day behind us, we are now facing treacherous autumn. At least you will have Plaintext by your side, though only if you subscribe to WIRED. But laggards take heart. We recently promised (threatened?) to limit this newsletter to paying customers, beginning with this edition. But some technical changes have temporarily delayed…
A vaccine for the coronavirus is coming. The vaccine will almost certainly be authorized on an emergency basis, and not through the usual approval process at the Food and Drug Administration. That authorization will be subject to some nonzero level of political influence. It is not a question of whether these things will happen, but…
For years, the lidar business has had a lot of hype but not a lot of hard numbers. Dozens of lidar startups have touted their impressive technology, but until recently it wasn’t clear who, if anyone, was actually gaining traction with customers.ARS TECHNICAThis story originally appeared on Ars Technica, a trusted source for technology news,…
So far, 2020 has made the future seem scary, if not unimaginable. But it’s still possible to feel excited about what comes next, and this year’s WIRED25 honorees are here to pave the way. During a normal WIRED25 celebration of our annual list, we would gather in San Francisco to hear from CEOs, activists, scientists,…
In August, the Food and Drug Administration broadened its emergency use authorization (EUA) for convalescent plasma, which uses the antibodies in recovered Covid-19 patients’ blood to treat those still suffering from the disease. In a press release, agency officials called the blood product a “potential and promising Covid-19 treatment,” expanding access so any doctor can…
In order to tease the next World of Warcraft expansion, Shadowlands, Blizzard has been airing a series of animated shorts called Afterlives. Each short covers one of the four zones and factions we’ll be dealing with in Shadowlands, and previews the prime conflict for players. Now, World of Warcraft lore is always weird, and an…
The world’s top Fortnite streamer — Ninja — is returning to Amazon’s Twitch platform in an exclusive multiyear deal.If the gaming industry were the music industry, the 29-year-old, whose legal name is Tyler Blevins, would be comparable to a top-earning artist like Drake.VIDEO GAMING IS THRIVING UNDER CORONAVIRUS CONDITIONSUp in the ranks with YouTube-popular OG…
Google appears to have a new Nest Thermostat in the works, according to new FCC documentation. It could be equipped with Google’s Project Soli radar motion controls, in what would be a first for the company’s home products, as spotted by Droid Life. There’s very little to go by in the current crop of documents,…
