Maybe you have a hand-me-down couch or a thrifted floral confection that isn’t cutting it. Or maybe your seat cushions are sunken in and worse for wear. If you need a new sofa, you’ve come to the right place. A few of us here on the WIRED Gear team have spent several months testing a… Continue reading 11 Best Couches You Can Buy Online (2023): Armchairs, Sectionals, Sofas, and More
Author: Wired Magazine
Social Media Has Run Out of Fresh Ideas
Social media is having its quarter-life crisis, if a quarter-life crisis is a thing, if we can even put a lifespan on social media, which might in fact play a role in our society from now until the end of time. After 25 years of status updates, news feeds, clever tweets, performative photos, and endless… Continue reading Social Media Has Run Out of Fresh Ideas
X Isn’t a Super App. It’s Just Twitter
The last time Elon Musk flipped the bird at his users, it was to switch Twitter’s logo to a grinning Shiba Inu—a hilarious inside joke that pumped the value of the dogecoin cryptocurrency, in which Musk was an investor, by 30 percent. A class action is still pending. Over the weekend, the former richest man… Continue reading X Isn’t a Super App. It’s Just Twitter
Sony WF-1000XM5 Review: Smaller, Lighter, but Not Better
Wireless connectivity is via Bluetooth 5.3, with SBC, AAC, and high-resolution LDAC codec compatibility and multi-point connectivity. Lower-resolution content can be breathed on by Sony’s DSEE Extreme algorithm, which claims to be able to upscale lossy audio files in real time. Feature Frenzy The WF-1000XM5 are compatible with Sony’s Dolby Atmos—bothering “360 reality audio,” and… Continue reading Sony WF-1000XM5 Review: Smaller, Lighter, but Not Better
‘Embryo Models’ Challenge the Legal, Ethical, and Biological Concepts of an ‘Embryo’
Meanwhile, Hanna’s team in Israel was growing mouse embryo models in a similar way, as they described in a paper in Cell that was published shortly before the paper from Zernicka-Goetz’s group. Hanna’s models too were made solely from embryonic stem cells, some of which had been genetically coaxed to become TSCs and XEN cells.… Continue reading ‘Embryo Models’ Challenge the Legal, Ethical, and Biological Concepts of an ‘Embryo’
China’s Breach of Microsoft Cloud Email May Expose Deeper Problems
Microsoft wrote last week that its “investigations have not detected any other use of this pattern by other actors and Microsoft has taken steps to block related abuse.” But if the stolen signing key could have been used to breach other services, even if it wasn’t used this way in the recent incident, the finding… Continue reading China’s Breach of Microsoft Cloud Email May Expose Deeper Problems
‘Now I Am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.’ The Story of Oppenheimer’s Infamous Quote
Seeking his counsel, Arjuna asks Krishna to reveal his universal form. Krishna obliges, and in verse 12 of the Gita he manifests as a sublime, terrifying being of many mouths and eyes. It is this moment that entered Oppenheimer’s mind in July 1945. “If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once… Continue reading ‘Now I Am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.’ The Story of Oppenheimer’s Infamous Quote
7 Best Trackers (2023): GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Cellular
“Systems!” My friends and Marie Kondo’s internet shout. “All you need is a system. As long as you always put your things down in the same place, you’ll never lose anything again,” they say, as I stagger in the door carrying children’s backpacks, a bag of dirty laundry, my waist pack, and a sack of… Continue reading 7 Best Trackers (2023): GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Cellular
Almost 50 Years Into the Crypto Wars, Encryption’s Opponents Are Still Wrong
When I contemplate the return of the crypto wars—attempts to block citizens’ use of encryption by officials who want unfettered spying powers—I look back with dread on the late Middle Ages. I wasn’t alive back then, but one feature of those times lingers in my consciousness. Starting around 1337 and all the way until 1453,… Continue reading Almost 50 Years Into the Crypto Wars, Encryption’s Opponents Are Still Wrong
Sony Xperia 1 V Review: This Phone Is Still Too Expensive
Sony smartphones have such a niche focus on photo and video features that they lose a lot of mainstream appeal. They cost a good deal more than even the top-end iPhone, too. The new Xperia 1 V doesn’t change any of this—it’s $1,399, which is $200 less than its absurdly expensive predecessor, but still pricey.… Continue reading Sony Xperia 1 V Review: This Phone Is Still Too Expensive