The Amazon worker cage stands about 7 feet tall, with just enough space for a human to turn around comfortably. From within, a joystick controls a large metal claw—like those found in arcade games—to pluck at packages or other items on the warehouse floor. While robotic arms ferry merchandise through an Amazon fulfillment center, the… Continue reading Artists Explore the Many Uncanny Valleys of Tech Work
Author: Wired Magazine
Twitch Is Slowly Losing Some Major Streamers
Hello, and welcome to Replay, where every week we run down the biggest stories in gaming. This week, it’s streamer culture and more news about E3. Let’s check it out. Twitch Is Slowly Losing Its Major Streamers As you might know, Ninja, that huge Fortnite streamer who appears in news stories way more frequently than… Continue reading Twitch Is Slowly Losing Some Major Streamers
The Biggest Apple Maps Change Is One You Can’t See
Apple yesterday touted a “new” version of Apple Maps, one that includes faster navigation, more detailed roads, real-time transit updates, lists of favorite places, and access to Look Around, street-level 3-D imagery that’s similar to Google’s Street View. Despite the fanfare, the Maps app won’t look dramatically different; most of these new features were available… Continue reading The Biggest Apple Maps Change Is One You Can’t See
The DOJ Is Finally Suing US Telecom Providers for Robocalls
The US Department of Justice has filed lawsuits (PDF and PDF) against two small telecommunications providers that have allegedly connected hundreds of millions of fraudulent robocalls from Indian call centers to US residents. The Feds want a New York federal judge to cut off the companies’ access to the US telephone network. The government says… Continue reading The DOJ Is Finally Suing US Telecom Providers for Robocalls
‘Weathering With You’ Is an Environmental Power Fantasy
In the new anime movie Weathering With You, a teenager named Hina treks up 10 flights to a rooftop where a makeshift shrine sits in a rare beam of sunlight. Tokyo is rain-soaked, and as it continues to pour, she walks toward the shrine and, praying hard, steps through the shrine gate. The rain halts… Continue reading ‘Weathering With You’ Is an Environmental Power Fantasy
An ‘Untitled Goose Game’ Tribute Unleashes Chaos on Your Desktop
As I write this, a pixelated little goose is dragging a bad meme onto my desktop and tracking mud all over my Google doc. The screen is cluttered with terrible cartoons, including one of the goose smoking a pipe while floating smugly in a pond. When I pushed the period key at the end of… Continue reading An ‘Untitled Goose Game’ Tribute Unleashes Chaos on Your Desktop
UK Has a Plan to Corral Huawei. But Security Concerns Linger
The UK government ruled Tuesday that Chinese telecom giant won’t be banned outright from selling equipment for mobile 5G networks there, though it will face severe limits. The question is: Will the restrictions provide the security protections that policymakers want? The decision is the latest in a series of partial successes for Huawei in the… Continue reading UK Has a Plan to Corral Huawei. But Security Concerns Linger
The World’s Most Traffic-Choked Cities, Ranked
If you had to drive somewhere in Bengaluru, India, last year, your best bet would have been to make your move on April 6. That Saturday, the average drive in the city formerly known as Bangalore took 30 percent longer than it would have had the roads been empty. No easy trip, sure, but far… Continue reading The World’s Most Traffic-Choked Cities, Ranked
Probe of the Kobe Bryant Crash Will Examine If Fog Played a Role
While the investigation into the helicopter crash that killed basketball star Kobe Bryant and eight other people Sunday morning is just beginning, a likely focus of attention will be the fog that limited visibility in the Los Angeles area. En route from Orange County to Bryant’s youth basketball academy in Thousand Oaks, pilot Ara Zobayan… Continue reading Probe of the Kobe Bryant Crash Will Examine If Fog Played a Role
An Origin Story, Smart Headlights, and Other Car News
The future comes in fits and starts, and we buckled up and went through a few this week. Cruise, General Motors’ self-driving unit, hosted a big party in San Francisco to launch Origin, an electric six-seat, steering wheel-free vehicle that it says is the future of shared autonomy. The vehicle will go into production…sometime, and… Continue reading An Origin Story, Smart Headlights, and Other Car News