Spotify has long been a platform that evolves more quickly than our personal music tastes might. It has updated its iconic year-end Wrapped promotion and added an AI DJ in the past few months alone. But this week, the streaming giant announced what its CEO, Daniel Ek, called the biggest change to the platform in a decade: a… Continue reading Spotify Has Your Ears. It’s Coming for Your Eyes
Author: Wired Magazine
Congressman Darin LaHood Says FBI Targeted Him With Unlawful ‘Backdoor’ Searches
Jeramie Scott, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center and director of the nonprofit’s surveillance oversight project, says LaHood’s admission served as further confirmation that “the FBI’s backdoor searches are ripe for abuse.” He adds that Congress should outlaw the practice and implement comprehensive reforms to “rein in the surveillance state and protect Americans’… Continue reading Congressman Darin LaHood Says FBI Targeted Him With Unlawful ‘Backdoor’ Searches
‘The Last of Us’ Is a Parable for Pandemic Parents
It’s a strange thing to say about a show set during a zombie apocalypse, but I had a searing moment of recognition in the sixth episode of The Last of Us. It came during a rare moment of respite, as Joel (Pedro Pascal) and his young charge, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), took a break from their cross-country… Continue reading ‘The Last of Us’ Is a Parable for Pandemic Parents
The FBI Just Admitted It Bought US Location Data
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has acknowledged for the first time that it purchased US location data rather than obtaining a warrant. While the practice of buying people’s location data has grown increasingly common since the US Supreme Court reined in the government’s ability to warrantlessly track Americans’ phones nearly five years ago,… Continue reading The FBI Just Admitted It Bought US Location Data
Microplastics Are Polluting the Ocean at a Shocking Rate
If you throw a polyester sweatshirt in the washing machine, it doesn’t emerge as quite its former self. All that agitation breaks loose plastic microfibers, which your machine flushes to a wastewater treatment facility. Any particles that aren’t filtered out get pumped to sea. Like other forms of microplastic—broken-down bottles and bags, paint chips, and… Continue reading Microplastics Are Polluting the Ocean at a Shocking Rate
The US Air Force Is Moving Fast on AI-Piloted Fighter Jets
During testing in December, a pair of AI programs were fed into the system: the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Autonomous Air Combat Operations (AACO) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Air Combat Evolution (ACE). AACO’s AI agents focused on combat with a single adversary beyond visual range (BVR), while ACE focused on dogfight-style… Continue reading The US Air Force Is Moving Fast on AI-Piloted Fighter Jets
Doctor Unions Are Good for Your Health
To move between hospital buildings and see her patients, Dr. Carmen Kilpatrick had to be pushed around in a wheelchair by her colleagues. Kilpatrick, a second-year psychiatry resident at UC San Francisco and a first-time mom-to-be, was expecting twins. The twins’ position put Kilpatrick at risk of premature labor, and her obstetrician advised against standing… Continue reading Doctor Unions Are Good for Your Health
Weatherman’s Umbrellas Are on Sale Right Now
Spring is almost upon us, which means we’re about to see a lot of rain. “April showers bring May flowers,” after all. It’s time to stock up on rainy-weather gear—most importantly, umbrellas. Good news! WIRED-tested umbrella brand Weatherman is offering 25 percent off on select styles and colors until April 1. Below, we’ve highlighted the… Continue reading Weatherman’s Umbrellas Are on Sale Right Now
MoonSwatch Mission to Moonshine Gold Is Limited in Every Way
Last year, after sparking the biggest hype frenzy the watch market has seen with the release of the MoonSwatch, a bioplastic Swatch version of Omega’s legendary Speedmaster Moonwatch, Swatch president Nick Hayek Jr. said that “positive provocation” was a key part of the brand’s mission. Which perhaps explains the first follow-up to the original 11-strong… Continue reading MoonSwatch Mission to Moonshine Gold Is Limited in Every Way
The Food System Is Awful for the Climate. It Doesn’t Have to Be
As people’s incomes rise, they tend to switch from “starchy staples” like grains, potatoes, and roots to meat and dairy products. “You’d think there would be big cultural differences across human populations in these patterns,” says Thomas Tomich, a food systems economist at the University of California, Davis, who wasn’t involved in the new paper.… Continue reading The Food System Is Awful for the Climate. It Doesn’t Have to Be