Despite an economic crisis, political chaos, and the regime’s ban, TikTok influencers are still thriving in Afghanistan.
The Race to Build a ChatGPT-Powered Search Engine
A search bot you converse with could make finding answers easier—if it doesn’t tell fibs. Microsoft, Google, Baidu, and others are working on it.
Inside Safe City, Moscow’s AI Surveillance Dystopia
Moscow promised residents lower crime rates through an expansive smart city project. Then Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.
At Last, the Milky Way Gets a Better Close Up
The largest catalog ever collected by a single telescope maps Earth’s 3 billion stellar neighbors—and helps track the dust that warps how we see them.
HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook: Impressive, Flawed, Expensive
This business laptop would be a luxury for most productivity users: An excellent keyboard makes it a joy to use … but inconsistency reigns.
Raycast Is the Launcher App Apple Wishes It Made
This tiny, free app opens programs quickly, searches files fast, and lets you make keyboard shortcuts for anything.
Apple HomePod Review (2023): Old and Stale
The revamped full-size Siri smart speaker has good mics, but it can’t compete on sound.
These Apps Will Keep Your EV From Running Out of Juice
Stay charged from point A to point B.
Meta’s Gruesome Content Broke Him. Now He Wants It to Pay
A Kenyan moderator sued the company for work-related PTSD. Next week, a new ruling on his case could signal a global reckoning for Big Tech outsourcing.
Googling for Software Downloads Is Extra Risky Right Now
Plus: The FTC cracks down on GoodRx, Microsoft boots “verified” phishing scammers, researchers disclose EV charger vulnerabilities, and more.
China’s XPeng G9 Could Be the Best Electric SUV Around
It’s a good value with a premium feel and lots of space. But can XPeng challenge more established automakers in the West?
10 Best Merino Wool Apparel (2023): Hoodies, Shirts, Pants, and Socks
Embrace the delightful qualities of this fabric. We also explain the different blends, what GSM means, and how to care for your clothes.
Razer’s Cage-Like Mouse Is a $280 Goth-Metal Jewel
Plus: Twitter squeezes more money out of its users, AI ain’t stopping anytime soon, and Samsung hypes new phones in an era of decreasing sales.
The Climate Crisis Is Threatening Spain’s Saffron Crop
Growers fear a perfect storm for a tradition that has long bound rural communities together.
The 10 Best Games on PlayStation Plus
With great titles like God of War, Maneater, and The Last of Us Remastered, Sony’s subscription service is the perfect jump start for new PS5 owners.
The Paradox of the Tyre Nichols Video
Social media has conditioned people to watch, react, and move on. But what is inherent in the Nichols video cannot be swept away with ease.
37 Great Valentine’s Day Deals: Instant Cameras, Weighted Blankets, and More
From smartwatches to sex toys, we’ve got gift ideas to spread the love.
The Chinese Spy Balloon Shows the Downsides of Spy Balloons
A popular military tool during the Cold War, spy balloons have since fallen out of favor—for good reason.
MDMA and Psilocybin Are Approved as Medicines for the First Time
Many are celebrating Australia’s decision to pave the way for these psychedelic therapies, but questions around accessibility remain.
Startup T2 Wants to Terminate Twitter
Cofounder Gabor Cselle says his upstart social network can offer a “2007 Twitter” community vibe that Elon Musk’s platform no longer supplies.
What Would Earth’s Temperature Be Like Without an Atmosphere?
If you want to know what the cloud of gas that surrounds the planet is really doing for us, you have to see what the world would be like without it.
A New Drug Switched Off My Appetite. What’s Left?
Mounjaro did what decades of struggle with managing weight couldn’t. Welcome to the post-hunger age.
‘The Last of Us’ Is All I Want to Talk About Right Now
Episode 3 sparked the kind of lively discourse only the internet can deliver.
Congress Has a Lo-Fi Plan to Fix the Classified Documents Mess
As unsecured docs pile up, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is itching to overhaul the nation’s secret secret-sharing operation.
Boeing’s 747 Should Have Been Retired Years Ago
The last jumbo jet was delivered in January, but it has been obsolete for decades.
The Secret to Making Concrete That Lasts 1,000 Years
Scientists have uncovered the Roman recipe for self-repairing cement—which could massively reduce the carbon footprint of the material today.
Quoting Taylor Swift Lyrics Is an Actual Linguistic Thing
Call it a fanilect.
Netflix’s US Password-Sharing Crackdown Isn’t Happening—Yet
Accidental revisions to a US Help Center page sparked confusion about the streamer’s next moves. But restrictions on account sharing are still coming soon.
What Is Blockchain? The Complete WIRED Guide
The idea of creating tamper-proof databases has captured the attention of everyone from anarchist techies to staid bankers.
‘Poker Face’ Is the New ‘Columbo’—and That’s a Good Thing for Fans
By mimicking a 1970s classic, Rian Johnson’s new murder mystery series rewrites the streaming era’s rules that everything must be bingeable.