*People need diversions in troubled times.
*If you buy fiction on paper and read it, you'll be less tempted to websurf over and check out the financial and political news.
WIRED Ghost Stories
Five hauntings from the other side of technology.
Your Next Great Read Might Be Certified ‘Organic’
Amid a sea of AI writing slop, a new stamp for “organic literature” will help readers to pick out books authored by real, corn-fed, free-range humans.
Joel Khalili
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
The Atlantic’s Near-Record Hurricane Drought Is About to End
Tropical Storm Isaias is set to become the basin’s first hurricane of the season, bringing life-threatening rain and storm surge to the Gulf Coast.
Brian Kahn
Pornhub Stars Want to Teach You How to Make Dinner
Faced with censorship and anti-porn laws, the adult site is encouraging creators to embrace cooking, gaming, podcasting, and other safe-for-work content.
Jason Parham
Spend Elon Musk’s Money
What’s it like to be the richest man in the world? Find out for yourself.
Neal Agarwal
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
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
She Was the DEA’s Premier Crypto Detective. The Clues Led Straight to Her Own Family
To escape the chaos of her Russian childhood, Lili Infante became an American law enforcement prodigy. She pioneered the DEA’s investigations of the dark web—never suspecting who she’d find hiding there.
Joshuah Bearman
AI Agents Are Media’s New Favorite Audience
As agents go mainstream, some publishers are hoping that people will pay for content tailor-made for AI—not humans.
Kate Taylor
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
Earth’s Condition Is ‘Serious and Getting Worse’ as Climate Change Intensifies
Seven of 16 planetary vital signs are in their most extreme state ever recorded, and El Niño is here to make matters even worse.
Brian Kahn