Celebrate America (or a day off work) by visiting its wild areas. Well, you deserve to relax however you feel, but we’re using a liberal definition of the Great Outdoors. It could be a remote campsite in that national park you’ve always wanted to see. Or it could be the backyard that you haven’t mowed… Continue reading 10 Best Outdoor Deals at the REI July 4 Sale: Lawn Chairs, Camp Stoves, and More
Author: Wired Magazine
The ‘Titan’ Tragedy’s Last 96 Hours
Submersible disasters are extremely rare—and vessels are built to last. Girguis cites the Alvin: Commissioned in 1964, the deep-ocean research submersible was the first crewed vessel to explore the Titanic wreckage, in 1986. It’s still in operation, having made more than 5,000 dives. “I feel safer in a research submersible than I do on the… Continue reading The ‘Titan’ Tragedy’s Last 96 Hours
The Huge Power and Potential Danger of AI-Generated Code
In June 2021, GitHub announced Copilot, a kind of auto-complete for computer code powered by OpenAI’s text-generation technology. It provided an early glimpse of the impressive potential of generative artificial intelligence to automate valuable work. Two years on, Copilot is one of the most mature examples of how the technology can take on tasks that… Continue reading The Huge Power and Potential Danger of AI-Generated Code
At Last, There’s Evidence of Low-Frequency Gravitational Waves
The NANOGrav team was essentially able to turn the Milky Way into a giant gravitational wave detector by measuring the signals from these pulsars to determine when a wave nudged them. The collision of enormous black holes—or some other extremely energetic process—generates gravitational waves that ever-so-slightly squeeze and stretch space-time, tweaking the intervals between pulsar… Continue reading At Last, There’s Evidence of Low-Frequency Gravitational Waves
How Bad Is the Smoke in the Midwest? Check Out This Map
Right now, Detroit, Chicago, and Minneapolis have the unhealthiest air in the world, save for Dubai. Canadian wildfires are spewing smoke that’s wafting south, blanketing the Midwest in a toxic haze, just as they did earlier this month along the East Coast. Seventeen states—with nearly a third of the US population—are under air quality alerts.… Continue reading How Bad Is the Smoke in the Midwest? Check Out This Map
Elon Musk Seeks Support Against Rules on Free Speech Online
When Elon Musk arrived at VivaTech, a leading technology conference in France, his presence had an immediate effect, as event founder Maurice Levy of Publicis Groupe was quick to point out. Suddenly everyone wanted to be there. Musk’s visit represented a substantial investment for the organization, with rumors of a fee of around a million… Continue reading Elon Musk Seeks Support Against Rules on Free Speech Online
HiPhi Z 2023 Review: Fast but Flawed
A decade ago, the number of Chinese car brands finally seemed to be reducing. Then along came EVs, and every producer decided they needed at least two electric brands, and a whole new camp thought the existing producers didn’t have a clue so there was space to jump into the market. HiPhi falls into the… Continue reading HiPhi Z 2023 Review: Fast but Flawed
Google Pixel Fold Review: Expensive and Fun
The software experience is almost like a miniaturized version of the Pixel Tablet I recently reviewed. There’s a taskbar at the bottom of the screen that you can drag up in any app. Press an app and drag it to one side of the screen and you’ll launch it in split-screen mode—that’s pretty much it.… Continue reading Google Pixel Fold Review: Expensive and Fun
7 Best Pizza Ovens (2023): Outdoor, Indoor, Gas, and Wood
There’s a reason why pizza is the menu choice of picky preschoolers, hungry teenagers, and discerning foodies alike. With enough cheese, tomato sauce, and arugula, homemade pizzas are a complete meal. They’re irresistible, easy to make, and customizable for a wide range of dietary preferences. Until recently, an aspiring pizzaiolo had no choice but to… Continue reading 7 Best Pizza Ovens (2023): Outdoor, Indoor, Gas, and Wood
How a Human Smell Receptor Works Is Finally Revealed
Human olfactory receptors belong to an enormous family of proteins known as G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Situated within cell membranes, these proteins contribute to a vast array of physiological processes by detecting all kinds of stimuli, from light to hormones. Over the past two decades, researchers have determined detailed structures for an ever-expanding number of GPCRs—but… Continue reading How a Human Smell Receptor Works Is Finally Revealed