Gallery: Tour the Factory That Cranks Out 90 Million Tennis Balls a Year
Amanda Mustard01AMM-Wired-Tennis-10.jpg
Rolls of felt in that familiar yellow hue measure eight feet wide and over 200 feet long.
Amanda Mustard02692f11710a168ee1-AMM-Tennis09.jpg
Two steel rollers knead the rubber, which is then pushed through an extruder to form a roll sliced into small chunks called “slugs.”
Amanda Mustard03AMM-Wired-Tennis-4.jpg
The slugs are pressure-heated in molds to form half shells. Those are trimmed, buffed, and aligned to await adhesive.
Amanda Mustard04AMM-Wired-Tennis-5.jpg
Blue adhesive is applied to the shell halves.
Amanda Mustard05e00c55ded354c1d9-AMM-Tennis27.jpg
The halves are fused together in a hydraulic press.
Amanda Mustard06AMM-Wired-Tennis-7.jpg
Ball cores are shaken around in a machine with sandpaper-like walls to texture them before glueing.
Amanda Mustard07AMM-Wired-Tennis-9.jpg
Workers rake ball cores over racks to dry after an adhesive bath.
Amanda Mustard08AMM-Wired-Tennis-11.jpg
A machine stamps felt panels called "dog bones" out of huge sheets of felt.
Amanda Mustard09AMM-Wired-Tennis-12.jpg
Stacks of felt panels called “doggones” are dunked into vats of glue, coating the edges in white adhesive.
Amanda Mustard10AMM-Wired-Tennis-13.jpg
Workers assemble two felt panels around the pressurized core with a desktop machine.
Amanda Mustard11AMM-Wired-Tennis-14.jpg
A worker places a ball.
Amanda Mustard12AMM-Wired-Tennis-15.jpg
The covered balls are sealed in a hydraulic press again to cure the white seams.
Amanda Mustard13AMM-Wired-Tennis-16.jpg
Workers fluff and inspect every ball before logo stamping.
Amanda Mustard14AMM-Wired-Tennis-17.jpg
Nearly finished balls churn through the factory.
Amanda Mustard15AMM-Wired-Tennis-19.jpg
Workers package red and yellow "starter" balls by hand.
OpenAI’s Rogue AI Agent Hacked More Than Just Hugging Face
In a new disclosure, OpenAI says its agent used exposed logins to gain access to at least four “publicly available services” in its unhinged quest to solve a test.
Dell Cameron
A Typo Landed an Innocent Gamer in Prison for 18 Months
How much could a single underscore in a username really matter? Just ask Brandon Klayme, who served 18 months in prison before realizing how authorities arrested, charged, and convicted the wrong man.
Nate Anderson, Ars Technica
Ebay Has to Pay $55.7 Million in Settlement for Its Unhinged Harassment Campaign
For months on end, eBay employees and contractors made life hell for a couple that had criticized the company. Six years later, the company is finally paying up.
Lauren Goode
Laura Loomer’s Reversal on Ukraine Stirs Up the MAGA Civil War
Donald Trump’s base has been increasingly spilt. Laura Loomer’s sudden embrace of Ukraine has only widened that divide.
David Gilbert
Is the Electric Trike the Next Big Thing in Shared Micromobility?
Veo is launching accessibility-focused electric tricycles in Denver, with plans to put its e-trikes on the streets nationwide.
Boone Ashworth
What WIRED Writers Would Actually Give Their Moms
Your mom never gets you a thoughtless gift, so you shouldn’t get her one, either. Here’s every cool gift WIRED writers would give their mothers.
Nena Farrell
Which Apple Watch Should You Buy?
Should you splurge on the new Series 11, or will the SE 3 do? Let us help you figure out which version to get (and which to avoid).
Boutayna Chokrane
12 Adventurous Gifts for Hikers, Backpackers, and Outdoorsy People
Let them pick out their own hiking boots. Instead, try gifting a useful blade or a nature journal to delight your outdoorsy friend.
Scott Gilbertson
A Two-Person Startup Has Fixed One of the Most Hated Sounds in Modern Life
Beeeep. Beeeep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
Jeremy White
Can the New York Times Save Journalism From Our AI Overlords?
In 2023, the Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement. They’ve since spent more than $20 million on the case, and publisher A.G. Sulzberger has no plans to stop fighting it.
Katie Drummond
Silicon Valley’s Next IPO Billionaires Are Coming. Nonprofits Are Ready for Them
Anthropic and OpenAI employees are expected to give generously after their companies go public. “It’s going to be a wild ride,” says one nonprofit leader.
Paresh Dave
The Dyson V16 Piston Animal Can Do It All
Dyson’s new stick vacuum can vacuum and mop in a single cordless device—if you’re willing to really splurge.
Nena Farrell