The poll this week is a little scientific, and a little odd – and therefore, entirely GeekDad! You may need to do a little Wikipedia research, and you may even learn something. Or the zombies are at the door, and we’re all doomed.
You Probably Aren’t Going to Get the Plague
The death of a lab worker in Russia has authorities looking at whether plague played a role. Even if it did, though, the odds of it spreading are very low.
Emily Mullin
9 WIRED-Approved Gifts for the Techie in Your Life
Don’t buy a loved one something you wouldn’t want for yourself. These are the must-haves that tech enthusiasts have on their wish lists this year.
Luke Larsen
Magnesium May Not Reach Your Brain, Despite Supplement Label Promises
Some of the many variants sold today promise to penetrate our gray matter, but biology isn’t in the habit of respecting marketing declarations.
Adam Obr
Demi Adejuyigbe Thinks You Should Only Post 3 Times a Day
The comedian sees being online as similar to visiting the zoo. “I don’t need to interact with that,” he says. “It’s just a thing that I enjoy, and then I walk away.”
Miles Klee
WIRED Ghost Stories
Five hauntings from the other side of technology.
Wikipedians Believed AI Would Come and Go. They Were Wrong
In a world of AI Overviews, Wikipedia usage declines. But the real loss may be far more existential than website traffic.
Richard Cooke
Spend Elon Musk’s Money
What’s it like to be the richest man in the world? Find out for yourself.
Neal Agarwal
What to Know About Shamonda Virus Following the First Reported Human Infection
Although the case is considered exceptional, investigators are working to determine how the infection occurred and whether the pathogen played a role in the patient’s death.
Fernanda González
This New Food Delivery App Could Be the Antidote to Menu Markups
By sticking to in-store menu prices and a flat 5 percent fee, Olo wants to take the sting out of ordering dinner.
Reece Rogers
Please Let the Internet Die
Online spaces are captured by oligarchs and saturated with slop—and they’re exacerbating humanity’s worst impulses. It’s time to start over.
Miles Klee
Scientists Trapped an Antimatter Particle for Months to Study Its Secrets
These elusive and reactive particles have been challenging to hold on to and even more challenging to study, but a new method paves the way for tests on the differences between matter and antimatter.
Jorge Garay
These Researchers Made AI Drive a Toyota Corolla to Get In-N-Out
Three engineers put GPT, Claude, and Grok in charge of a real car. Only one of them was successful.
Will Knight