Jan 3, 2011 2:36 PM

Near Future Laboratory in the recent past

*A lively 2010 for the brothers at Near Future Lab... and I reckon I'll be expanding my design-fiction coverage this year.

http://www.nearfuturelaboratory.com/2011/01/03/a-few-things-the-laboratory-did-in-2010/

*Some become design fiction, while others have design fiction thrust upon them.

Your Vape Wants to Know How Old You Are

Companies hope that biometric age-verification tech in cartridges could put flavored vapes back in business. But it's unlikely to solve the real problems.

Boone Ashworth

A Hot-Air Balloon Landed in a California Backyard. The Owner Says It's a 'Very Rare' Event

The CEO of Magical Adventures Balloon Rides tells WIRED how the pilot made a safe landing after they got stranded over a neighborhood.

Brian Barrett

The Last Airbender Leaked Online. Some Fans Say Paramount Deserves the Fallout

After the full movie leaked, animators mourned the chance to release their work as intended. Others feel the leak is justified in light of Paramount’s marketing blunders and association with Trump.

Miles Klee

Even Artemis II Astronauts Have Microsoft Outlook Problems

The mission commander’s email inbox failed during the journey to the moon. Have they tried turning the computer off and back on again?

Jeremy White

The Trajectory of the Artemis II Moon Mission Is a Feat of Engineering

The astronauts will arrive about 10,300 kilometers beyond our satellite, breaking all previous records for distance from Earth. But how was their route chosen?

Luca Nardi

Nobody Knows How to File Taxes on Prediction Market Wins

Americans flocked to prediction markets last year. Now, it’s time to pay taxes on winnings. How do you do that? Great question.

Kate Knibbs

US Special Forces Soldier Arrested for Polymarket Bets on Maduro Raid

The master sergeant allegedly used classified intel to profit on the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, marking the first US arrest for insider trading on a prediction market.

Kate Knibbs

CBP Facility Codes Sure Seem to Have Leaked Via Online Flashcards

The Quizlet flashcards, which WIRED found through basic Google searches, seem to include sensitive information about gate security at Customs and Border Protection locations.

Sammy Sussman

The Internet's Most Powerful Archiving Tool Is in Peril

As major news outlets cut off the Wayback Machine, journalists and advocacy groups are rallying to protect the Internet Archive’s vast collection of web pages.

Kate Knibbs

Using a VPN May Subject You to NSA Spying

US lawmakers are pressing Tulsi Gabbard to reveal whether using a VPN can strip Americans of their constitutional protections against warrantless surveillance.

Dell Cameron

Telegram Is Still Hosting a Sanctioned $21 Billion Crypto Scammer Black Market

The UK designated Xinbi Guarantee as an enabler of crypto scammers and human trafficking weeks ago. Telegram is still hosting it in plain sight.

Andy Greenberg

Bremont Is Sending a Watch to the Moon’s Surface

Bremont’s Supernova Chronograph will be attached to the chassis of Astrolab’s FLIP rover, which will land on the moon later this year.

Tim Barber