People around the world are rallying to subvert Iran’s internet shutdown, but actually pulling it off is proving difficult and risky.
Bot Hunting Is All About the Vibes
At the heart of every bot-detection tool is a human’s gut feeling—and all the messiness that comes with it.
The Best USB Flash Drives for Ultra-Portable Storage
These WIRED-tested memory sticks are a virtual filing cabinet in your pocket.
NYC-based Grow Therapy, which offers tools for mental health providers to set up virtual practices, raised a $75M Series B, bringing its total funding to $90M (Jessica Hagen/MobiHealthNews)
Jessica Hagen / MobiHealthNews: NYC-based Grow Therapy, which offers tools for mental health providers to set up virtual practices, raised a $75M Series B, bringing its total funding to $90M — The new allocation will help the company expand its insurance coverage, including Medicare and Medicaid, across the U.S.
Japan says it will provide Micron a subsidy of up to ~$322M to help the company produce advanced memory chips at a Hiroshima factory (Mari Yamaguchi/Associated Press)
Mari Yamaguchi / Associated Press: Japan says it will provide Micron a subsidy of up to ~$322M to help the company produce advanced memory chips at a Hiroshima factory — Japan is providing a major U.S. chipmaker a subsidy of up to 46.6 billion yen ($322 million) to support its plan to produce advanced memory […]
SEC filing: Intel’s self-driving car unit Mobileye files for an IPO and reports a H1 2022 revenue of $854M, up 21% from H1 2021 (Reuters)
Reuters: SEC filing: Intel’s self-driving car unit Mobileye files for an IPO and reports a H1 2022 revenue of $854M, up 21% from H1 2021 — Mobileye, Intel Corp’s (INTC.O) self-driving unit, on Friday filed for an initial public offering in the United States, revealing a 21% jump in revenue for the first half of […]
Computer made from swirly magnets can recognise handwritten digits
A prototype computer built using a magnetic material called a skyrmion has been programmed to recognise handwritten digits. The approach could be particularly energy-efficient
Stealth rubber coating could make submarines nearly invisible to sonar
Computer simulations found that a material made from three layers of rubber could absorb most frequencies used for sonar, which if affixed to a submarine would make it difficult to detect
People trust AI to make big decisions – as long as a human checks them
Artificial intelligences are increasingly making important decisions that affect our lives, but people consider the calls made to be fairer and more acceptable if a human is in the loop too
Professor Emeritus Richard “Dick” Eckaus, who specialized in development economics, dies at 96
Richard “Dick” Eckaus, Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics, emeritus, in the Department of Economics, died on Sept. 11 in Boston. He was 96 years old. Eckaus was born in Kansas City, Missouri on April 30, 1926, the youngest of three children to parents who had emigrated from Lithuania. His father, Julius Eckaus, was a […]
Making each vote count
Graduate student Jacob Jaffe wants to improve the administration of American elections. To do that, he is posing “questions in political science that we haven’t been asking enough,” he says, “and solving them with methods we haven’t been using enough.” Considerable research has been devoted to understanding “who votes, and what makes people vote or […]
How to Intervene When You Witness a Microaggression
Allies play a crucial role in mitigating the harm caused by microaggressions.
Transforming a Family Business in Turbulent Times
Surviving, let alone succeeding, requires constant adaptation.
Setting Career Goals When You Feel Overwhelmed
You can grow out of your slump.
Go Update iOS, Chrome, and HP Computers to Fix Serious Flaws
Plus: WhatsApp plugs holes that could be used for remote execution attacks, Microsoft patches a zero-day vulnerability, and more.
Sofia, the Airplane-Borne Telescope, Lands for the Last Time
Astronomers mourn the end of an infrared observatory that flew aboard a jumbo jet. It was expensive, but it saw what Earth-based telescopes can’t.
The Future of Climate Activism Is Intergenerational—and on TikTok
At RE:WIRED Green, scientist Sylvia Earle and climate activist Sophia Kianni discussed ways younger and older generations can work together to face the crisis.
In a closely watched case, a UK coroner rules 14-year-old Molly Russell died by suicide after consuming extensive self-harm material on Instagram and Pinterest (Dan Milmo/The Guardian)
Dan Milmo / The Guardian: In a closely watched case, a UK coroner rules 14-year-old Molly Russell died by suicide after consuming extensive self-harm material on Instagram and Pinterest — Inquest told 14-year-old took her own life while suffering from depression and had interacted with harmful social media content
Amazon rolls out its QVC-style livestream service Amazon Live in India, running ~15 per day hosted by 150+ creators from 10am-1am, covering electronics and more (TechCrunch)
TechCrunch: Amazon rolls out its QVC-style livestream service Amazon Live in India, running ~15 per day hosted by 150+ creators from 10am-1am, covering electronics and more — Amazon has launched a QVC-style livestream shopping in India, the company said Friday, broadening its offerings in the key overseas market …
Bloomberg Intelligence: Apple moving just 10% of its production capacity out of China, where ~98% of iPhones are made, would take around eight years (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg: Bloomberg Intelligence: Apple moving just 10% of its production capacity out of China, where ~98% of iPhones are made, would take around eight years — Supply Lines is a daily newsletter that tracks Covid-19’s impact on trade. Sign up here, and — American companies have had a growing list …
“Whoever you are, this is your place.” Reimagined MIT Museum encourages visitors to join MIT’s community
The atmosphere of discovery generated by MIT’s research and innovation activities has been described as magic by many. But that magic can sometimes seem obscure or even intimidating to outsiders. Now the MIT Museum, which opens to the public on Oct. 2, is inviting everyone to take part in MIT’s magic with a new 56,000-square-foot […]
Colette Pichon Battle’s Plea for Climate Justice From the US Gulf
In the closing session of Re:WIRED GREEN, the Louisiana lawyer urged the audience to join the front lines of climate activism.
It’s Time to Reframe the Story of Climate Inequity
At RE:WIRED Green, actress Regina Hall and Sarah Shanley Hope of The Solutions Project spoke about the work being done by communities hardest hit by crisis.
Alan Ahn Says Nuclear Is Still the Carbon-Free Fuel of the Future
The RE:WIRED Green speaker explains how smaller, more efficient reactors will be the bedrock of energy independence.
Microsoft says the Lazarus group is weaponizing open-source software such as PuTTY, KiTTY, TightVNC, and Sumatra PDF Reader, compromising numerous organizations (Dan Goodin/Ars Technica)
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica: Microsoft says the Lazarus group is weaponizing open-source software such as PuTTY, KiTTY, TightVNC, and Sumatra PDF Reader, compromising numerous organizations — PuTTY, KiTTY, TightVNC, Sumatra PDF Reader, and muPDF/Subliminal Recording all targeted. — Hackers backed by the North Korean government …
How angel investing became a pastime and a way of socializing in Silicon Valley, with investors betting small amounts in friends’ startups (Ellen Huet/Bloomberg)
Ellen Huet / Bloomberg: How angel investing became a pastime and a way of socializing in Silicon Valley, with investors betting small amounts in friends’ startups — Maia Bittner is an angel investor, and she has a lot of friends who’ve founded startups. Sometimes they ask her if she wants to put money into their […]
Court filing: in March, Jack Dorsey told Elon Musk he tried to add Musk to Twitter’s board, but felt the rest of the board was too “risk averse” (Lauren Feiner/CNBC)
Lauren Feiner / CNBC: Court filing: in March, Jack Dorsey told Elon Musk he tried to add Musk to Twitter’s board, but felt the rest of the board was too “risk averse” — – Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey wanted Elon Musk on the board of the social media company, but felt the rest of […]
Emissions from mining a single bitcoin have increased 126-fold
Between 2016 and 2021, the carbon emissions associated with mining bitcoin have increased from 0.9 tonnes to 113 tonnes per coin
Sci-fi author Neal Stephenson wants to build a metaverse open to all
Lamina1 was contacted for comment. Neal Stephenson was contacted for comment. Facebook did not respond to a request for comment on the standards underpinning its own metaverse, and whether it might consider making it interoperable with open source standards.
Providing new pathways for neuroscience research and education
Payton Dupuis’s interest in biology research began where it does for many future scientists — witnessing a relative struggling with an incurable medical condition. For Dupuis, that family member was her uncle, who suffered from complications from diabetes. Dupuis, a senior at Montana State University, says that diabetes is prominent on the Flathead Reservation in […]
Processing waste biomass to reduce airborne emissions
To prepare fields for planting, farmers the world over often burn corn stalks, rice husks, hay, straw, and other waste left behind from the previous harvest. In many places, the practice creates huge seasonal clouds of smog, contributing to air pollution that kills 7 million people globally a year, according to the World Health Organization. […]
MIT AgeLab awards five scholarships to students who further intergenerational connections
Since 2015, the MIT AgeLab has awarded scholarships to high school students who developed intergenerational programs — initiatives that bring together younger and older people for knowledge-sharing and social connection — in their communities. On Sept. 9, five $5,000 OMEGA scholarships were given to high school students across the United States, supported by the sponsorship […]
4 Business Ideas That Changed the World: Trailer
A series of conversations on influential management ideas from HBR’s first 100 years.
3 Types of Meetings — and How to Do Each One Well
Before playing calendar Tetris, start thinking about when, where, and why you need to come together.
Wrestling with Legacy in a Family Business
Strong traditions can provide a sense of identity, inspiration, and direction — but they can also hold your company back.
The State of the Smart Kitchen
This week, we discuss guided cooking apps, connected appliances, and all things smart (and not so smart) on our countertops.
How to Pick the Right Roku for Your TV
The company has a dizzying array of streaming sticks, boxes, and soundbars to choose from, but don’t worry—these are the ones to buy.
Our 5 Favorite Electric Kettles to Get the Water Going
We made tons of coffee, tea, and ramen to test these gadgets—and boiled it down to these top picks.
An Apple support document and compliance page reference an “iPhone 14 Max”, suggesting Apple chose the iPhone 14 Plus name at short notice (Sami Fathi/MacRumors)
Sami Fathi / MacRumors: An Apple support document and compliance page reference an “iPhone 14 Max”, suggesting Apple chose the iPhone 14 Plus name at short notice — Newly discovered references to the iPhone 14 Plus as “iPhone 14 Max” on Apple’s website suggest this was the name originally intended …
Researchers detail Chaos, a new cross-platform malware that infected a wide range of Linux and Windows devices, including routers, FreeBSD boxes, and servers (Dan Goodin/Ars Technica)
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica: Researchers detail Chaos, a new cross-platform malware that infected a wide range of Linux and Windows devices, including routers, FreeBSD boxes, and servers — Small office routers? FreeBSD machines? Enterprise servers? Chaos infects them all. — Researchers have revealed a never …
A look at Botometer, which claims to identify the likelihood that a Twitter account is a bot and has been cited by Elon Musk’s lawyers in the Twitter lawsuit (Morgan Meaker/Wired)
Morgan Meaker / Wired: A look at Botometer, which claims to identify the likelihood that a Twitter account is a bot and has been cited by Elon Musk’s lawyers in the Twitter lawsuit — In the battle over Twitter’s future, the number of bots on the platform is a key issue. Problem is, nobody knows […]
Robotic pill that delivers drugs to gut could end insulin injections
A drug-carrying capsule with a motor protects medicines from stomach acid and enzymes before releasing them in the small intestine
The Race to Find the Nord Stream Saboteurs
Damage to the pipeline that runs between Russia and Germany is being treated as deliberate. Finding out what happened may not be straightforward.
Google Borrows From TikTok to Keep Gen Z Searching
Younger people seek answers on TikTok and Instagram—Google hopes to lure them back with more visual, infinite scrolling search results.
Everything Amazon Announced at Its Annual Hardware Event
Yes, we saw the usual spate of Echo speakers, but there’s also a brand-new stylus-powered Kindle you can doodle on.
Google announces new shopping features in the US, including a display of products with complementary pieces, 3D images, trending items, and more personalization (Sarah Perez/TechCrunch)
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: Google announces new shopping features in the US, including a display of products with complementary pieces, 3D images, trending items, and more personalization — At its Search On event this afternoon, Google announced a number of shopping-related changes and new features across areas …
New Jersey-based Sitetracker, which offers a cloud service to manage critical infrastructure projects, raised a $96M Series D, $66M in equity and $30M in debt (Maria Deutscher/SiliconANGLE)
Maria Deutscher / SiliconANGLE: New Jersey-based Sitetracker, which offers a cloud service to manage critical infrastructure projects, raised a $96M Series D, $66M in equity and $30M in debt — Startup Sitetracker Inc. today announced that it has secured $96 million in financing to broaden the adoption of its namesake cloud platform …
Pornhub is testing a chatbot that redirects users searching for CSAM to a service where they can get help; the bot intervened ~174K times during the first month (Matt Burgess/Wired)
Matt Burgess / Wired: Pornhub is testing a chatbot that redirects users searching for CSAM to a service where they can get help; the bot intervened ~174K times during the first month — Pornhub is trialing a new automated tool that pushes CSAM-searchers to seek help for their online behavior. Will it work?
Bitcoin has emitted 200 million tonnes of CO2 since its launch
Bitcoin’s demand for electricity has led to huge carbon emissions, but a slump in the cryptocurrency’s price and rising energy costs have slowed its energy use, at least temporarily
Breaking through the mucus barrier
One reason that it’s so difficult to deliver large protein drugs orally is that these drugs can’t pass through the mucus barrier that lines the digestive tract. This means that insulin and most other “biologic drugs” — drugs consisting of proteins or nucleic acids — have to be injected or administered in a hospital. A […]