Gallery: Remember When Cloverfield Ate the Internet? Good Times

  • Image may contain Advertisement Collage Poster Human Person Paper Brochure Flyer and Face
    01

    Screen-Shot-2016-03-09-at-11.22.44-AM1.png

    The site that kicked it all off, 1-18-08.com (as teased in a pre-*Transformers* trailer) had an inscrutable URL that made amateur sleuths reach for their calculators. Mathematical aspirations were futile, though: 1-18-08 ended up being *Cloverfield*'s release date, and new photos would pop up every week or so for people to infer whatever they wanted.
  • Image may contain Text Page Advertisement Poster Brochure Paper Flyer and File
    02

    Screen-Shot-2016-03-09-at-4.54.55-PM1.png

    Sadly, 1-18-08.com as we knew it is long defunct. These days, Google will redirect you to any number of sites, including this one about digital marketing...which feels more than a little appropriate.
  • Image may contain Flyer Paper Advertisement Brochure Poster File and Text
    03

    taruto.jpg

    Tagruato.jp was the homepage for Tagruato Corp., a (fictional) Japanese mining company involved in deep-sea drilling. But what were they * really* up to? This site has survived, so you can poke around to see for yourself.
  • Image may contain Advertisement Poster Paper Brochure and Flyer
    04

    Screen-Shot-2016-03-04-at-2.41.45-PM1.png

    Among Tagruato's (presumably) many business concerns is Slusho, a fictional beverage company. Fear not, thirsty ones: Slusho.jp lives on!
  • Image may contain Text
    05

    tagruato.jpg

    Tidowave.com was home to Tagruato's eco-activist archenemies. Also intact, and seemingly just as angry.
  • Image may contain Word and Text
    06

    ethan.jpg

    While J.J. Abrams himself went on record as saying that EthanHaas.com had nothing to do with *Cloverfield*, that didn't stop e-detectives from making it the hub of their yarn maps.
  • Image may contain Text Page and File
    07

    Screen-Shot-2016-03-04-at-2.50.49-PM2.png

    Delightfully, EthanHaas.com now seems to be a Japanese pharmacy blog (if one riddled with SEO word salad).
  • Image may contain Word Text and Page
    08

    time.jpg

    There was another Ethan Haas site, EthanHaasWasRight.com, flying directly in the face of JJ's statements. Man, remember light type on black backgrounds? The peak of personal web design.
  • Image may contain Text Paper Business Card File and Webpage
    09

    Screen-Shot-2016-03-09-at-12.44.43-PM2.png

    Whether Ethan Haas was right or wrong, the site is now another Haas-been. But if you're a superfan with £345 to burn, this domain could be yours!
  • ABZ3293.com seemed to be connected to an SUV seen in the Cloverfield trailer though that was quickly debunked.
    10

    moon.jpg

    ABZ3293.com seemed to be connected to an SUV seen in the *Cloverfield* trailer (it was the license plate number), though that was quickly [debunked](http://www.slashfilm.com/fake-cloverfield-websites-exposed-abz3293com-and-parasitemoviecom/).
  • Image may contain Text Page and Document
    11

    Screen-Shot-2016-03-04-at-2.35.03-PM2.png

    These days, ABZ3293.com might be more helpfulif you live in Japan and are worried about hair loss. If Google Translate is to be trusted—"PUT CONFIDENCE IN YOUR OWN HAIR BRISTLES"— they seem to be selling you hair brushes made of your own hair. Seems...legit.
Read More
WIRED Ghost Stories
Five hauntings from the other side of technology.
Humans Watched This Supernova Explode Nearly a Millennium Ago. Now You Can See It in High Definition
The new image isn’t just stunning—it may also provide clues about how this star survived its own explosion.
Jorge Garay
Godzilla Minus Zero’s Filmmakers Terrified Bystanders With Their Monster Sounds
The team behind director Takashi Yamazaki’s new film created their kaiju roars by setting up speakers on top of an outdoor dam. The people walking by weren’t prepared for what they heard.
Max Evry
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 Internet Runs on Cats and Porn. It’s About to Get Cattier and Pornier
Soon, hundreds of new top-level domains, including .meow and .fart, could be added to the internet. WIRED goes inside the backroom shenanigans of ICANN, the organization at the helm.
Pete Millspaugh
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
Digger Is a Box Office Flop. It Might Be the Most Relevant Film of the Year
Sold by its trailer as a gag reel, Tom Cruise’s strangest movie may be the most unsettling portrait of our tech and climate moment yet.
Carla Sertin
30 Tech Books Worth Reading and Gifting
Give the techie in your life access to the inner workings of the companies and characters shaping Big Tech.
Simon Hill
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
Inside the Supermassive Debate Over the James Webb Telescope’s ‘Little Red Dots’
The Webb telescope sees tiny red dots everywhere. Astronomers can’t agree on what they are, but some believe they may be enormous stars with black holes inside.
Charlie Wood
Junji Ito’s Manga Horrors Hit Harder as Live-Action TV
The artist’s macabre short works have been adapted into eerily freaky 30-minute bites for television. We got a sneak preview of the next episode airing on HBO Max.
Max Evry
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