Stop fumbling for cables in the dark. These WIRED-tested stands and pads will take the hassle out of recharging your iPhone or Android phone.
The Most Complete Simulation of a Cell Probes Life’s Hidden Rules
A 3D digital model of a “minimal cell” leads scientists closer to understanding the barest requirements for life.
The Balldo Made Me Rethink Sex in the Most Absurd Way Possible
The “world’s first ball-dildo” is less of an erotic toy, more of a dadaist interrogation of the very concept of pleasure.
Activision Blizzard and Epic Games suspend sales of their games in Russia; Activision Blizzard will also pause offering in-game microtransactions in the country (Igor Bonifacic/Engadget)
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget: Activision Blizzard and Epic Games suspend sales of their games in Russia; Activision Blizzard will also pause offering in-game microtransactions in the country — Activision Blizzard and Epic Games have joined a growing list of publishers suspending sales of their games in Russia due to the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Netflix says it is shutting down its service in Russia, which operates through a joint venture with the country’s National Media Group, and has 1M+ subscribers (Brent Lang/Variety)
Brent Lang / Variety: Netflix says it is shutting down its service in Russia, which operates through a joint venture with the country’s National Media Group, and has 1M+ subscribers — Netflix has suspended its service in Russia to protest the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
TikTok suspends livestreaming and new content uploads in Russia in response to the country’s new law that would impose prison terms for spreading “fake news” (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg: TikTok suspends livestreaming and new content uploads in Russia in response to the country’s new law that would impose prison terms for spreading “fake news” — TikTok says it’s suspending livestreaming in Russia amid the country’s new “fake news” law that’s aimed at silencing dissent …
The Benefits of Gaming As a Couple—or Even With Your Kid
Playing It Takes Two with my partner was challenging, eye-opening, and also proved that playing games cooperatively is good for all relationships.
The Best Meal Kit Delivery Services for Every Kind of Cook
From Blue Apron to Dinnerly, I’ve spent a couple years cooking with boxed ingredients shipped to my door.
How Alibaba, which has a joint venture in Russia and significant sales in Ukraine, navigates challenges caused by Russia’s invasion and international sanctions (Zeyi Yang/Protocol)
Zeyi Yang / Protocol: How Alibaba, which has a joint venture in Russia and significant sales in Ukraine, navigates challenges caused by Russia’s invasion and international sanctions — The day before bombs started raining down on Kyiv, Dmytro Romashko streamed for three hours on AliExpress, Alibaba’s global ecommerce platform.
Swiss investment management firm Partners Group buys Forterro, a provider of resource planning software and services for SMBs, from Battery Ventures for €1B (Silicon Canals)
Silicon Canals: Swiss investment management firm Partners Group buys Forterro, a provider of resource planning software and services for SMBs, from Battery Ventures for €1B — Partners Group, a Swiss investment management firm, announced that it has acquired Forterro from Battery Ventures at an enterprise value of €1B.
TikTok plans to start labeling videos from some state-controlled media outlets “over the coming days”, expediting its policy due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (Mitchell Clark/The Verge)
Mitchell Clark / The Verge: TikTok plans to start labeling videos from some state-controlled media outlets “over the coming days”, expediting its policy due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — It’s part of a broader state media policy — TikTok has announced that it’ll start putting labels on videos from …
Why ICANN Won’t Revoke Russian Internet Domains
The organization says cutting the country off would have “devastating” effects on the global internet system.
A Major Internet Backbone Company Cuts Off Russia
Plus: A ransomware gang leak, an Nvidia hack, and more of the week’s top security news.
Our 5 Favorite Electric Kick Scooters
These WIRED-tested e-scooters will help you scoot scoot scoot around town.
Washington state passes the Silenced No More Act, becoming the second state to ban NDAs preventing workers from discussing harassment, wage violations, and more (Issie Lapowsky/Protocol)
Issie Lapowsky / Protocol: Washington state passes the Silenced No More Act, becoming the second state to ban NDAs preventing workers from discussing harassment, wage violations, and more — Washington state became the second in the nation to pass the Silenced No More Act on Thursday.
Lapsus$ says if Nvidia doesn’t remove crypto mining limits on its graphic cards and open source its GPU drivers, the group will release the source code it stole (Dan Goodin/Ars Technica)
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica: Lapsus$ says if Nvidia doesn’t remove crypto mining limits on its graphic cards and open source its GPU drivers, the group will release the source code it stole — Chipmaker has until Friday to comply or see its crown-jewel source code released. — Data extortionists who stole up to 1 […]
For some right-wing libertarian-minded coiners, the right to freely trade crypto takes precedence over opposing a Russian invasion of a sovereign nation (Jacob Silverman/New Republic)
Jacob Silverman / New Republic: For some right-wing libertarian-minded coiners, the right to freely trade crypto takes precedence over opposing a Russian invasion of a sovereign nation — Last month, a non-fungible token, or NFT, collector who goes by the pseudonymous Twitter handle @punk6529 posted a 56-part Twitter thread …
The underwater sea farm that’s like a space station
This underwater sea farm uses biospheres 10 metres under the water to find sustainable ways of growing vegetables and herbs
17 Great Deals on Outdoors Gear, Home Office, and Smartphones
If you’re itching to get outdoors at the first sign of spring, now is the time to restock your camping and hiking gear.
12 Rapid At-Home Covid-19 Tests—and Where to Find Them
How accurate are rapid at-home tests? Does your insurance cover them? We have answers.
You Should Still Test Yourself for Covid. Here’ When
Even if you’re vaccinated, there are still scenarios where you should get tested and use your results to make smart, empathetic choices.
PayPal suspends its services in Russia, including its money transfer service Xoom; Wise and Remitly have also suspended some services in Russia (Paresh Dave/Reuters)
Paresh Dave / Reuters: PayPal suspends its services in Russia, including its money transfer service Xoom; Wise and Remitly have also suspended some services in Russia — Payments company PayPal Holdings Inc (PYPL.O) shut down its services early on Saturday in Russia, citing “the current circumstances,” …
A look at volunteer hackers in the Russia-Ukraine war, many scattered globally with unverifiable identities, as both sides recruit them to launch cyberattacks (New York Times)
New York Times: A look at volunteer hackers in the Russia-Ukraine war, many scattered globally with unverifiable identities, as both sides recruit them to launch cyberattacks — The hackers have claimed a number of disruptions over the past week, blurring the lines between amateurs and groups linked to governments.
Software AG, a developer of business and application integration software, acquires DataOps software developer StreamSets for €524M (Rick Whiting/CRN)
Rick Whiting / CRN: Software AG, a developer of business and application integration software, acquires DataOps software developer StreamSets for €524M — Software AG says StreamSets’ technology is complementary to its application integration product portfolio and will provide a boost to the company’s Helix transformation initiative.
31 Awesome Gear Deals From Winter Clearance Sales
Retailers are clearing out cold-weather stock—while temps are still low. Buy now, use now, and shred some gnar.
Russia Blocks Facebook and Twitter in a Propaganda Standoff
The Kremlin’s latest escalation shows the stark choices ahead if US platforms want to keep operating in Russia.
It’s Not Easy Running a Geeky Business—but It Can Be Easier
Carol Pinchefsky’s book Turn Your Fandom Into Cash helps people monetize their hobbies.
Source: Samsung has suspended all product shipments to Russia, including chips, smartphones, and electronics; Samsung has a 30%+ market share in Russia (Sohee Kim/Bloomberg)
Sohee Kim / Bloomberg: Source: Samsung has suspended all product shipments to Russia, including chips, smartphones, and electronics; Samsung has a 30%+ market share in Russia — Samsung Electronics Co. said product shipments to Russia have been suspended due to current geopolitical developments …
Twitter has banned 100+ accounts that pushed the #IStandWithPutin hashtag for “coordinated inauthentic behavior”, days after it trended on Twitter (NBC News)
NBC News: Twitter has banned 100+ accounts that pushed the #IStandWithPutin hashtag for “coordinated inauthentic behavior”, days after it trended on Twitter — Twitter has banned more than 100 accounts that pushed the pro-Russian hashtag #IStandWithPutin for participating in …
Activision Blizzard is sued by the family of an employee who died by suicide, alleging that sexual harassment was a “significant factor” leading to her death (Washington Post)
Washington Post: Activision Blizzard is sued by the family of an employee who died by suicide, alleging that sexual harassment was a “significant factor” leading to her death — Activision Blizzard, the embattled gaming giant that Microsoft recently agreed to buy for nearly $69 billion …
Will bitcoin help or hinder Ukraine’s fight against Russian invasion?
Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are being used to raise funds to buy weapons for Ukraine, help refugees swiftly carry money across borders and potentially even aid Russians in evading sanctions
Silkworms fed quantum dots make silk that glows in the dark
Nanometre-sized semiconductors extracted from mulberry leaves make silkworms and their silk emit a strong red glow
Robotic ships could inspect underwater pipelines without a crew
Autonomous ships that can deploy uncrewed underwater vehicles could be used to inspect pipelines, cables and seabed drilling activity
Q&A: Climate Grand Challenges finalists on building equity and fairness into climate solutions
Note: This is the first in a four-part interview series that will highlight the work of the Climate Grand Challenges finalists, ahead of the April announcement of several multiyear, flagship projects. The finalists in MIT’s first-ever Climate Grand Challenges competition each received $100,000 to develop bold, interdisciplinary research and innovation plans designed to attack some of […]
Keith Ferrazzi on How the Pandemic Taught Organizations to Be “Crisis Agile”
Post-pandemic, companies need to, above all, be ready to adapt to a new world of work.
Video Quick Take: Operative’s Glen Ceniza on Driving the Future of Media Advertising – SPONSOR CONTENT FROM PERSISTENT SYSTEMS
Sponsor content from Persistent Systems.
How to Scale AI in Your Organization
Tech-savvy companies have started to adopt a new discipline: machine learning operations, or MLOps.
In Ukraine, Online Gig Workers Keep Coding Through the War
The country is a large supplier of contract labor through platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr. The ongoing crisis with Russia exposes weaknesses in that system.
Turmoil Over Ukraine Could Debilitate Russia’s Space Program
In response to international sanctions, Russia’s space agency is distancing itself from its former partners and risks losing its role as a major space power.
Garmin’s Fenix 7S Solar Is Our New Favorite Outdoor Fitness Watch
The company’s latest update to its high-end adventure fitness tracker has an improved touchscreen and looks better than ever.
Amid a trial in India, researchers say blocking Sci-Hub would benefit wealthy North American and European universities that can pay to access published papers (Meaghan Tobin/Rest of World)
Meaghan Tobin / Rest of World: Amid a trial in India, researchers say blocking Sci-Hub would benefit wealthy North American and European universities that can pay to access published papers — Dozens of Indian academics say blocking the site would have catastrophic consequences. — The doctoral researchers …
Founders Fund raises $5B+ in two new funds across early and late-stage investing, increasing the assets under its management to $11B (Katie Roof/Bloomberg)
Katie Roof / Bloomberg: Founders Fund raises $5B+ in two new funds across early and late-stage investing, increasing the assets under its management to $11B — Founders Fund said that it has closed more than $5 billion in two new funds across both early and late-stage investing, increasing the assets under its management to $11 […]
CEO Brian Chesky says Airbnb is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus (The Economic Times)
The Economic Times: CEO Brian Chesky says Airbnb is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus — Home rental company Airbnb Inc is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus, chief executive officer Brian Chesky said in a tweet on Thursday. … Earlier this week, Airbnb said it is offering free short-term housing …
Finding joy through art and advocacy
In February 2018, standing in front of local press and his high school’s leaders, student council president Tanner Bonner argued his case for a school walkout in response to the recent Parkland shooting. On behalf of his fellow students, Bonner wanted to organize a day dedicated to speaking about gun violence and mental health. The […]
Hacktivists Stoke Pandemonium Amid Russia’s War in Ukraine
A wave of cyberattacks meant to make a statement and particularly buoy Ukraine could have unintended consequences.
Iceland Bets on Herd Immunity
The island nation’s government joins several other European countries in dropping Covid restrictions—but not everyone is sure the timing’s right.
Our 10 Favorite Gaming Headsets for Every System
A simple wired headset will lend depth and drama to your gameplay, no matter what device you have.
US surgeon general formally requests Big Tech turn over information about the scale of COVID-19 misinformation on their platforms before May 2 (Davey Alba/New York Times)
Davey Alba / New York Times: US surgeon general formally requests Big Tech turn over information about the scale of COVID-19 misinformation on their platforms before May 2 — Dr. Vivek Murthy also demanded information from the platforms about the major sources of Covid-19 misinformation. Companies have until May 2 to submit the data.
Sources: automation software startup Hyperscience, last valued at $1.65B, laid off 100 staff after missing FY financial targets; CEO Peter Brodsky stepped down (Kate Clark/The Information)
Kate Clark / The Information: Sources: automation software startup Hyperscience, last valued at $1.65B, laid off 100 staff after missing FY financial targets; CEO Peter Brodsky stepped down — In December, automation-software startup Hyperscience said it raised $100 million in venture capital from Tiger Global Management …