Author: Wired Magazine

China Miéville Writes a Secret Novel With the Internet’s Boyfriend (It’s Keanu Reeves)

**SPOILERS AHEAD**!!!!!! As the fictional Freud writes of his own approaching death, he foresees the death of his sister Dolfi (who will die three years later in historical time, on the way to the camps). To put it mildly, death is everywhere. “Pain will be with me until I take my final leave,” Freud/Miéville/Reeves writes.… Continue reading China Miéville Writes a Secret Novel With the Internet’s Boyfriend (It’s Keanu Reeves)

TikTok Hack Targets ‘High-Profile’ Users via DMs

TikTok says it’s currently taking steps to mitigate a cyberattack that’s targeting a number of high-profile users through direct messages, in an attempt to hijack their accounts. “We have taken measures to stop this attack and prevent it from happening in the future. We’re working directly with affected account owners to restore access, if needed,”… Continue reading TikTok Hack Targets ‘High-Profile’ Users via DMs

Google Cut Back AI Overviews in Search Even Before Its ‘Pizza Glue’ Fiasco

As anyone who so much as glanced at the internet in the past few weeks probably noticed, Google’s sweeping AI upgrade to its search engine had a rocky start. Within days of the company launching AI-generated answers to search queries called AI Overviews, the feature was widely mocked for producing wrong and sometimes bonkers answers,… Continue reading Google Cut Back AI Overviews in Search Even Before Its ‘Pizza Glue’ Fiasco

The Uncanny Rise of the World’s First AI Beauty Pageant

What makes an AI pageant different, Friedman asserts, is that Fanvue’s contestants are products of their creators. “They’re drawing on all these stereotypes that we have about what a ‘beautiful woman’ is,” she says, “and people who tend to use AI might have a different idea of what an attractive woman might be. She might… Continue reading The Uncanny Rise of the World’s First AI Beauty Pageant

A Former President’s Daughter Used X to Bombard South Africa With Conspiracy Theories

On March 9, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma, tweeted a video that purported to show former US president Donald Trump encouraging “all South Africans to vote for uMkhonto WeSizwe,” her father’s party, in the country’s May 29 elections. In another post, just days before the elections, Zuma-Sambudla, who has more… Continue reading A Former President’s Daughter Used X to Bombard South Africa With Conspiracy Theories

Woman Who Received Pig Kidney Transplant Has It Removed

Surgeons in New York have removed a pig kidney less than two months after transplanting it into Lisa Pisano, a 54-year-old woman with kidney failure who also needed a mechanical heart pump. The team behind the transplant says there were problems with the heart pump, not the pig kidney, and that the patient is in… Continue reading Woman Who Received Pig Kidney Transplant Has It Removed

11 Best Bookshelf Speakers (2024): Active, Passive, and Hi-Fi

Active (aka “powered”) speakers do not require a separate amplifier or receiver. Instead, they have amplification (which is what makes the sound loud enough to play through speakers) built in. These amps are often customized for their specific drivers and cabinetry, which can deliver performance benefits. Modern powered speakers also have other perks, like fully… Continue reading 11 Best Bookshelf Speakers (2024): Active, Passive, and Hi-Fi

HMD Vibe Review: OK Performance, Meh Everything Else

HMD, the Finnish company that has been licensing the Nokia brand name to make cheapo and midrange Android phones for more than 7 years, is finally striking it out on its own. Now you’ll start seeing cheapo and midrange phones with the branding “HMD,” which stands for Human Mobile Devices. (The company says it plans… Continue reading HMD Vibe Review: OK Performance, Meh Everything Else

Google’s AI Overviews Will Always Be Broken. That’s How AI Works

A week after its algorithms advised people to eat rocks and put glue on pizza, Google admitted Thursday that it needed to make adjustments to its bold new generative AI search feature. The episode highlights the risks of Google’s aggressive drive to commercialize generative AI—and also the treacherous and fundamental limitations of that technology. Google’s… Continue reading Google’s AI Overviews Will Always Be Broken. That’s How AI Works