Most of the quantum fields that fill our universe have one, and only one, preferred state, in which they’ll remain for eternity. Most, but not all. True and False Vacuums In the 1970s, physicists came to appreciate the significance of a different class of quantum fields whose values prefer not to be zero, even on… Continue reading How the Physics of Nothing Underlies Everything
Author: Wired Magazine
This Gorgeous Wireless Speaker System Offers Hassle-Free Hi-Fi
KEF’s original LSX was one of our favorite wireless speaker systems, and the new LSX II improves on everything we liked about the original. These sleek bookshelf speakers deliver fantastic, room-filling sound from a small footprint, and setting them up with everything from a TV to your Spotify account couldn’t be easier. It’s not easy… Continue reading This Gorgeous Wireless Speaker System Offers Hassle-Free Hi-Fi
Why the Twilio Breach Cuts So Deep
The communication company Twilio suffered a breach at the beginning of August that it says impacted 163 of its customer organizations. Out of Twilio’s 270,000 clients, 0.06 percent might seem trivial, but the company’s particular role in the digital ecosystem means that that fractional slice of victims had an outsized value and influence. The secure… Continue reading Why the Twilio Breach Cuts So Deep
The Best Mirrorless Cameras to Level Up Your Photos
You know what’s the least important part of taking a great photo? Gear. The vision you have and the work you put into realizing it are far more critical. That’s not to say gear doesn’t matter, just that it’s best used in service of something larger, not obsessed over. That’s why this guide doesn’t get… Continue reading The Best Mirrorless Cameras to Level Up Your Photos
Twitter, Meta, and Blowing the Whistle on Big Tech
Hi, folks. We won’t have Fauci to kick around much longer. But we’ll always have Covid. The Plain View In late 1969, Daniel Ellsberg made a brave and consequential decision. As an employee of the RAND Corporation, a US government contractor, he had access to classified documents that contradicted top officials’ promises that the Vietnam… Continue reading Twitter, Meta, and Blowing the Whistle on Big Tech
Where Do High-Energy Cosmic Rays Come From? A Star’s Last Gasp
Gamma rays from this supernova remnant have been seen by telescopes since 2007, but exceptionally energetic light wasn’t detected until 2020, when it was picked up by the HAWC Observatory in Mexico, piquing the interest of scientists hunting for galactic PeVatrons. When gamma rays reach our atmosphere, they can produce showers of charged particles that… Continue reading Where Do High-Energy Cosmic Rays Come From? A Star’s Last Gasp
Satellites Show the Alarming Extent of Russian Detention Camps
A day after the six-month anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine, a new report reveals never before seen information about Russia’s filtration camp system in eastern Ukraine, in which civilians and prisoners of war are detained, interrogated, and, at times, forcibly deported to Russia. The researchers have also identified what they believe… Continue reading Satellites Show the Alarming Extent of Russian Detention Camps
Scans of Students’ Homes During Tests Are Deemed Unconstitutional
As the pandemic unfolded in spring 2020, an Educause survey found that an increasing number of students—who had very little choice but to take tests remotely—were increasingly putting up with potential privacy invasions from schools. Two years later, for example, it’s considered a common practice that some schools record students throughout remote tests to prevent… Continue reading Scans of Students’ Homes During Tests Are Deemed Unconstitutional
Nothing Is Protecting Child Influencers From Exploitation
Jackie Coogan, America’s first major child star, shot to fame in 1921 as Charlie Chaplin’s adopted son in The Kid. But at the age of 21, after earning upward of $4 million through years of unforgiving hours on set, he learned his hard-earned fortune had already been squandered by his mother and stepfather. Coogan sued… Continue reading Nothing Is Protecting Child Influencers From Exploitation
Fitbit Drops 3 New Fitness Trackers—and None Have Wear OS 3
In other ways, the Fitbits are even an improvement over the Apple Watch. For example, both trackers tout a full week of battery life and a day’s worth of battery in 12 minutes of charging, as compared to barely a day with the Apple Watch Series 7. Some Google-driven feature changes, like turn-by-turn directions with… Continue reading Fitbit Drops 3 New Fitness Trackers—and None Have Wear OS 3