*A great objective-correlative for the risky ephemerality of "backups."
WIRED Ghost Stories
Five hauntings from the other side of technology.
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
I’m Still Convinced the iPod Was the Perfect Gadget
Apple’s original music player got many things right. Chief among them: It didn’t connect to the internet.
Steven Levy
Data Centers Have a New PR Plan: Your Kid’s Field Trip
Amid a wave of backlash, some industry-friendly groups are employing creative and time-tested strategies to woo the youth.
Caroline Haskins
This Leaf Blower Can Tackle Fall Cleanup and Halloween Shenanigans
Our top Ego pick is discounted, and our resident leaf blower expert demonstrates how to make a TP cannon.
Kat Merck
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
People Are Creating ‘Survival Guides’ to Cope With the ‘AO3 Apocalypse’
The fanfic site could be down for weeks due to a “security incident.” Users are not taking it well.
Ej Dickson
Anthropic Flags Gas Supply as One of Its Biggest Near-Term Risks
The data center buildout could cause a massive increase in gas prices as companies scramble for limited supplies and infrastructure fails to meet demand.
Molly Taft
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
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
Pour One Out for the Leap Second
The metric might not mean much to laypeople, but leap seconds have been a source of contention in the timekeeping community for years. Now, they’re dead.
Brian Kahn
Bluesky Is Blocking Links to a Major Leak of DHS Employee Records
Bluesky tells WIRED it blocked links to a leaked archive of information on 41,000 ICE, CBP, and other DHS workers because it contains people’s contact information, shared without their authorization.
Dhruv Mehrotra