What are these sleeping pads you speak of? When I was young, all hiking was uphill both ways and everyone slept on the ground in sleeping bags with only a half-inch of thin closed-cell foam between us and every pebble. We also filtered our water with our teeth and ate mainly raw meat and foraged… Continue reading 7 Best Sleeping Pads (2024): For Camping, Backpacking, and Travel
Author: Wired Magazine
Tesla Autopilot Was Uniquely Risky—and May Still Be
A federal report published today found that Tesla’s Autopilot system was involved in at least 13 fatal crashes in which drivers misused the system in ways the automaker should have foreseen—and done more to prevent. Not only that, but the report called out Tesla as an “industry outlier” because its driver assistance features lacked some… Continue reading Tesla Autopilot Was Uniquely Risky—and May Still Be
Net Neutrality Returns to a Very Different Internet
The Federal Communications Commission has voted—once again—to assert its power to oversee and regulate the activities of the broadband industry in the United States. In a 3-2 vote, the agency reinstated net neutrality rules that had been abandoned during the height of the Trump administration’s deregulatory blitz. “Broadband is now an essential service,” FCC chair… Continue reading Net Neutrality Returns to a Very Different Internet
Somehow This $10,000 Flame-Thrower Robot Dog Is Completely Legal in 48 States
If you’ve been wondering when you’ll be able to order the flame-throwing robot that Ohio-based Throwflame first announced last summer, that day has finally arrived. The Thermonator, what Throwflame bills as “the first-ever flamethrower-wielding robot dog” is now available for purchase. The price? $9,420. Thermonator is a quadruped robot with an ARC flamethrower mounted to… Continue reading Somehow This $10,000 Flame-Thrower Robot Dog Is Completely Legal in 48 States
How NASA Repaired Voyager 1 From 15 Billion Miles Away
Throughout the five months of troubleshooting, Voyager’s ground team continued to receive signals indicating the spacecraft was still alive. But until Saturday, they lacked insight into specific details about the status of Voyager 1. “It’s pretty much just the way we left it,” Spilker said. “We’re still in the initial phases of analyzing all of… Continue reading How NASA Repaired Voyager 1 From 15 Billion Miles Away
Can the First Amendment Save TikTok?
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed a law that could effectively ban TikTok if the company does not divest from ByteDance, its Chinese owner, in the next 12 months. But the law, which sped through the House and Senate, could face a significant uphill battle in US courts for potentially violating the First Amendment rights… Continue reading Can the First Amendment Save TikTok?
‘ArcaneDoor’ Cyberspies Hacked Cisco Firewalls to Access Government Networks
Network security appliances like firewalls are meant to keep hackers out. Instead, digital intruders are increasingly targeting them as the weak link that lets them pillage the very systems those devices are meant to protect. In the case of one hacking campaign over recent months, Cisco is now revealing that its firewalls served as beachheads… Continue reading ‘ArcaneDoor’ Cyberspies Hacked Cisco Firewalls to Access Government Networks
This Is the Beginning of the End of TikTok
On Tuesday, the Senate passed a massive foreign aid package that included an ultimatum for TikTok: Divest or be banned from operating within the US. The package was approved by the House of Representatives on Saturday, and President Joe Biden said that he intends to sign the bill on Wednesday. “Even as our social media… Continue reading This Is the Beginning of the End of TikTok
Noncompetes Are Dead—and Tech Workers Are Free to Roam
More US workers will soon be free to leave their employers to work for rivals, thanks to a new federal rule that will block the long-standing practice of locking in workers with noncompete agreements. The US Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday issued a final rule that bans most noncompetes nationwide. The agency estimated that by… Continue reading Noncompetes Are Dead—and Tech Workers Are Free to Roam
Tesla Promises ‘More Affordable Models’ and a ‘Cybercab’
Tesla is accelerating plans for a lineup of new electric vehicles, including “more affordable models,” the automaker said in a memo to investors Tuesday. New models previously slated to start production in the second half of 2025 will now launch before then, the company said, implying production will start much earlier. It’s unclear whether the… Continue reading Tesla Promises ‘More Affordable Models’ and a ‘Cybercab’