Author: Wired Magazine

How Does Queerness Fit Into the US Census?

How does a data set like the US census deal with people who defy its expectations? How can a data set encompass those its designers never imagined? These questions can’t be answered with the published numbers, the final facts. They can only be answered by seeking out stories deep within the data, stories like this… Continue reading How Does Queerness Fit Into the US Census?

Egg and Sperm Donors Could Be Required to Share Medical Records

Laura High’s hormones have been out of whack since she was as young as 13 years old. Her period was “all over the place,” so her doctors put her on birth control, but the hormonal issues continued to plague her. As she got older, things only became worse; she was gaining weight quickly and easily,… Continue reading Egg and Sperm Donors Could Be Required to Share Medical Records

The Best Binoculars to Zoom In on Real Life

Binoculars mean the difference between seeing a little gray bird and identifying a titmouse, cheering a home run and seeing the epic catch, or realizing that the 10-point buck is actually a doe standing in front of dead branches. Whether you’re scouting terrain, watching birds in your backyard, or getting season tickets to Fenway, binoculars… Continue reading The Best Binoculars to Zoom In on Real Life

If Humans Went Extinct, Would a Similar Species Evolve?

The rise of powerful new technology means that humanity must confront the risk of its own demise. The invention of nuclear weaponry, for example, has already shown just how quickly humanity’s destructive power could grow. The atomic bomb was a thousand times more powerful than conventional explosives; many hydrogen bombs were a thousand times more… Continue reading If Humans Went Extinct, Would a Similar Species Evolve?

The Best Espresso Machines for the Home Barista

There’s always room to up your game, and there are quite a few additional tools that can help you make the best espresso possible. These are all tools you’d employ before the brew, setting the stage for the perfect extraction. Fellow Atmos Canister for Coffee Beans ($40) A vacuum canister is a great way to… Continue reading The Best Espresso Machines for the Home Barista

The Therabody TheraFace Pro Is a Versatile Tool

The TheraFace Pro intimidated me. Made by Therabody—the company behind the popular Theragun devices—the TheraFace Pro is the It Girl beauty tool of the moment, on par with the coveted Dyson Airwrap in both price and prestige. This $399 tool offers a variety of skin-care treatments, from microcurrent and LED light to percussive facial massages.… Continue reading The Therabody TheraFace Pro Is a Versatile Tool

At Long Last, Mathematical Proof That Black Holes Are Stable

In 1963, the mathematician Roy Kerr found a solution to Einstein’s equations that precisely described the spacetime outside what we now call a rotating black hole. (The term wouldn’t be coined for a few more years.) In the nearly six decades since his achievement, researchers have tried to show that these so-called Kerr black holes… Continue reading At Long Last, Mathematical Proof That Black Holes Are Stable

The Traeger Timberline Makes Smoking Ribs Easy

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably not accustomed to perfectly smoking nearly 50 pounds of pork shoulder using a smartphone while lying in your bed. But there I was with the new Traeger Timberline, hitting the “super smoke” button and checking my temps at 6 am before my morning coffee, making enough meat to… Continue reading The Traeger Timberline Makes Smoking Ribs Easy

Snap Kills Off Pixy, Its Flying Selfie Drone

Ding dong, the drone is dead. Pixy, Snap’s petite flying selfie camera, is no more. Technically you can still buy one, but The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the device is done for. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel has told employees that the company would soon stop making the $230 gizmo. Snap will instead… Continue reading Snap Kills Off Pixy, Its Flying Selfie Drone