These Algorithms Look at X-Rays—and Somehow Detect Your Race

A study raises new concerns that AI will exacerbate disparities in health care. One issue? The study’s authors aren’t sure what cues are used by the algorithms.

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What Rat Empathy May Reveal About Human Compassion

Rats may feel concern when cage mates are trapped. But, like people, they don’t always care enough to help.

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11 Face Masks Your Kids May Actually Wear

This fall, your kid will probably still need a face mask for school or play. These are the ones that my little guys will tolerate.

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Facebook’s Reason for Banning Researchers Doesn’t Hold Up

The company says privacy concerns forced it to block access for a team of academics. Whose privacy, exactly?

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Watch a Hacker Hijack a Hotel Room’s Lights, Fans, and Beds

It’s not a ghost. It’s a half-dozen vulnerabilities in a digital automation system.

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Exactly How Many People Have Long Covid?

Pinning down the number of “long-haulers” suffering from the mysterious condition is an important task. It’s also proving impossible.

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Stop Complaining About Mass Effect: Andromeda

Once you stop comparing it to the original trilogy, it’s actually pretty good.

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The Pandemic Drives Cofounders to Couples Therapy

Startups are like relationships—at least that’s what some Silicon Valley therapists are pitching.

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Struggling to Recruit, Police Turn to Targeted Ads

The pandemic and the George Floyd protests have made recruiters’ jobs tougher. Now they’re tapping the behavioral profiling power of social media.

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How to Cut Your Hair at Home

Ready to try giving yourself a trim? Let us help you avoid a DIY disaster.

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Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse Already Sucks

It's not even here yet, but Facebook’s ambitions alone reveal an alarming lack of imagination and a less alarming love of tech buzzwords.

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This New Way to Train AI Could Curb Online Harassment

Misogyny on the internet too often slips through the filters of content moderators. A new method hopes to inject more nuance into the process.

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How to Build a Solar Oven

Cook a variety of simple foods—or just heat up last night's pizza—using our environment's most accessible heating element.

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Scientists Could One Day Float an Aerial Robot Above Venus

Researchers recently tested whether a balloon-borne sensor could listen for venusquakes to learn about the planet's makeup.

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Citizen's New Service Helps Paying Users Summon the Cops

The crime-tracking app is charging $20 per month to give subscribers access to their own virtual security service.

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Blizzard President Departs as Workers Demand Systemic Change

Nearly a week after Activision Blizzard employees walked out to protest alleged discrimination at the company, executive J. Allen Brack has left.

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How Did People Find the Fundamental Charge With Drops of Oil?

Back in 1909, figuring out the charge of a single electron was a Nobel-worthy pursuit. Today, it’s a good lesson in understanding four key forces.

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France Cracked Down on Google’s Ad Tech. What’s Next?

The French Competition Agency has hit the company with $855 million in fines this year. The money is meaningless—but the changes could be profound.

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The Truth About the Quietest Town in America

The National Radio Quiet Zone limits wireless communications. But a journey to its center in Green Bank, West Virginia reveals a town at odds with itself.

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Russia’s Space Station Incident Points to Larger Issues

Nauka’s errant firings were likely the result of human error—and they raise concerns about the future of the country’s space program and its partnership with NASA.

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22 Great Wireless Chargers to Refuel Your Phone (or Watch)

Stop fumbling for cables in the dark. These WIRED-tested stands and pads will make recharging your iPhone or Android phone hassle-free.

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Why Even the Fastest Human Can’t Outrun Your House Cat

A new model explains the forces and body design features that limit maximum sprinting speed.

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Six-Word Sci-Fi: Stories Written By You

Here's this month's prompt, how to submit, and an illustrated archive of past favorites.

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How Accessibility at the Summer's Gaming Events Stack Up

While a number of recent announcements highlighted accessibility in games, or offered great options for viewers, there's more work to be done.

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The Best Olympics Show Is Peacock’s Chaotic Tokyo Tonight

Not everyone loves the streaming service’s coverage of the 2020 Games, but its highlight show is perfect just the way it is.

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Google's Next Pixel Phone Will Be Powered By a Custom Chip

Following the industry trend of tech giants manufacturing their own processors, the company will start putting bespoke silicon in its mobile hardware.

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Sunny-Day Flooding Is About to Become More Than a Nuisance

Sea level rise will soon combine with a host of other environmental factors to produce dozens of floods each fall in US coastal cities.

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The Best Phones With an Actual Headphone Jack

Audio jacks are endangered, but they’re not gone yet. Here are some of our favorite smartphones that still let you plug in.

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Got Bigger Ears? Sony’s WF-1000XM4 Are Your New Best Buds

Sony’s noise-canceling earbuds are the best you can buy, so long as your ears are big enough.

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The Weird, Sustainable Booze of the Future Tastes … Good?

Small distilleries like Empirical Spirits are working on uncategorizable drinks made of stuff like plum pits, for the resilient quaff of tomorrow.

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Hospitals Still Use Pneumatic Tubes—and They Can Be Hacked

The tech may seem antiquated, but it poses very modern cybersecurity problems.

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Are Virtual Surround Gaming Headsets Worth It?

The question is surprisingly complicated—and involves a lot of sifting through marketing.

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Fractons, the Weirdest Matter, Could Yield Quantum Clues

Theorists are in a frenzy over these bizarre, but potentially useful, hypothetical particles that can only move in combination with one another.

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The Best Keyboards for Your Work Station (or Battle Station)

Whether you're looking to boost your productivity or your Fortnite stats, these are the top typing peripherals for the job.

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How to Make the Air in Your Home More Breathable

Different climates and seasons call for different solutions. Here’s what you need to know about pollutants and particulates, and the gear that might help.

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A Guide to RCS, and Why It Makes Texting So Much Better

Google is pushing the new standard for Android devices, which promises better security and cooler features than plain old SMS.

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The Top 30 Cybersecurity Bugs Include Plenty of Usual Suspects

Plus: A sneaky iOS app, a wiper attack in Iran, and more of the week's top security news.

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How the Jaguar, King of the Forest, Might Save Its Ecosystem

With a new train line threatening its habitat, the big cat may be the key to protecting this Mexican reserve—and everything else in it.

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What’s the Best Unlimited Data Plan?

All the major US carriers have options that let you stream as much as you want. We’ve laid out how they work and which are best for individuals and families.

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The 14 Best Weekend Deals on Smartphones, Laptops, and Audio

Hunker down at home and block out the real world with these deals on Chromebooks, headphones, and more.

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How to Get the Most Out of Your Meditation App

The brain's default mode is set to mind-wandering. Your meditation app can bring you back into the now.

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Neuromancer Is Still Mind-Blowing

William Gibson's classic 1984 novel is still the gold standard for cyberpunk.

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The World Is Suffering from Champlain Towers South Syndrome

Plus: Round one with Mark Zuckerberg, the appointment of Lina Khan, and a new type of weather nightmare.

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Ted Lasso, the Olympics, and Talking About Mental Health

The confluence of the Apple TV+ comedy, the sports world, and social media is leading to a much needed dialog.

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3D Imaging Shows How Shark Guts Work Like a Tesla Valve

Using CT scans and 3D modeling, researchers found the fish’s spiral digestive system is analogous to Nikola Tesla’s ingenious check valve design.

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The Best Laptop Stands to Save Your Achin' Neck

Help your back and posture by raising your computer screen up to eye level.

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Why the History of Black Twitter Needed to Be Told

This week, Jason Parham takes us inside one of the most influential communities on the internet and shares their stories in their own words.

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The Privacy Battle That Apple Isn’t Fighting

California has begun enforcing a browser-level privacy setting, but you still can’t find that option in Safari or iOS.

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Dogs, Unlike Wolves, Are Born to Communicate With People

Wolf puppies can’t understand human gestures as well as their dog cousins. The difference could help explain what makes dogs so special.

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18 Face Masks We Actually Like to Wear

Face coverings are back. Read our updated tips on how to pick an effective mask—whether you’re heading back to the office or just want to stay safe and stylish.

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The Dam Is Breaking on Vaccine Mandates

Hopes for a “normal” fall have been dashed by variants and low vaccine uptake. Businesses and the White House think requiring shots can turn things around.

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Simone Biles and the Unprecedented Olympic Pressure

The Tokyo Games have taken a unique psychological toll on all of the athletes.

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How Gravity Turns Me Upside Down

My favorite force belittles me—literally—but also inspires new ways to get high.

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Phantom Warships Are Courting Chaos in Conflict Zones

The latest weapons in the global information war are fake vessels behaving badly.

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Covid Is Pulling the Plug on Beloved Japanese Arcades

Once home to vibrant live competitions, gaming centers have been bleeding out since before the pandemic. Lockdowns could leave them KO'd for good.

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China Cracks Down On Its Tech Giants. Sound Familiar?

Companies like Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent were once regarded with national pride. Now they’re being slapped with fines and other penalties.

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A People’s History of Black Twitter, Part III

Joy and pain, harmony and discord, organization and chaos—there’s no single way to define Black Twitter’s complex, ongoing legacy.

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The Cost of Preventing Deaths by Climate-Driven Heat

A new formula measures the “mortality cost of carbon,” and how much would have to be removed from the atmosphere to save a single life.

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Activision Blizzard Employees Walk Out Over Sexism Complaints

“We love our jobs, but our jobs don’t love us back,” one worker told WIRED. "So we’re trying to change that.”

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Toyota Whiffed on EVs. Now It’s Trying to Slow Their Rise

In a bid to protect its investments in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells, the carmaker is lobbying against the transition to electric vehicles.

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How Nothing Designed 'Ear 1s' to Beat Apple AirPods

The head of design at Nothing explains how their product could take on Apple's all-conquering wireless earbuds, at a fraction of the cost.

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The Best Cheap Phones for (Almost) Every Budget

There’s little reason to pay top dollar for a phone these days. These are our favorite Android devices and iPhones for $200 to $500.

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Samsung's Flagship Soundbar Brings Theater Audio to Your Home

The HW-Q950A is spendy, but the setup is dead simple, and it won't fail to immerse you in your favorite movies and shows.

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Let’s Keep the Vaccine Misinformation Problem in Perspective

Social media is not the reason the pandemic hasn’t been conquered.

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Extreme Heat Could Also Mean Power and Water Shortages

An extraordinary drought in the West, plus dry lakes and reservoirs, mean there will be less water for farms, hydroelectric energy, and home users.

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A Controversial Tool Calls Out Vulnerabilities Across the Web

PunkSpider is back, and crawling hundreds of millions of sites for vulnerabilities.

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Virtual Reality Is the Rich White Kid of Technology

For decades, VR has failed to live up to expectations. Yet somehow, it keeps receiving more chances and more resources.

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The Shapeshifting Cam Girl Rewriting the Rules of Porn

Face-morphing adult content creator Coconut Kitty is ushering in the unsettling future of the medium, one where nothing is as it seems.

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Power Up Anywhere With the Best Travel Adapters

When going abroad, these plugs are essential to keep your gadgets charged. These are our favorites.

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Biden’s ‘Antitrust Revolution’ Overlooks AI—at Americans’ Peril

A handful of companies have outsize influence on the world’s artificial intelligence. Policymakers must act now to stem the rise of powerful monopolies.

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TCL's New Android Phones Can't Keep Up With the Competition

The TCL 20 Pro 5G, 20S, and 20 SE are perfectly capable and affordable handsets, but you can do better.

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Oh Good, Now There's an Outbreak of Wildfire Thunderclouds

Huge pyrocumulonimbus clouds just formed over fires in the West. Here’s why they could become more common on a warmer planet.

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Clubhouse Opens Its Doors. Is Anyone Rushing to Get In?

Just a few days after ditching its invite-only status, the audio chat app had fewer than 500,000 new downloads.

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Hundreds of Ways to Get S#!+ Done—and We Still Don’t

You want to be productive. Software wants to help. But even with a glut of tools claiming to make us all into taskmasters, we almost never master our tasks.

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Intel's Ambitious Plan to Regain Chipmaking Leadership

The company announced a strategy that involves new machinery and new technologies. It may get a boost from the US government.

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Our 10 Favorite Gaming Headsets for Every System

No matter which console or device you play on, these corded headsets will lend depth and drama to your gameplay.

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Story and Street Style Converge in The World Ends With You

The iconic action RPG introduced a world of gamers to Japanese fashion. Now with a sequel on the way, its influence has only grown.

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Secretlab's Titan Evo Raises the Bar for Gaming Chairs

One of the best gaming chairs just got better, but it's not for everyone.

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The Incredible Physics of Simone Biles' Yurchenko Double Pike

Calculating angular velocity and the moment of inertia isn’t quite as hard as competing in the Olympic gymnastics tournament—but it’s pretty darn tough.

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TikTok a Year After Trump’s Ban: No Change, but New Threats

The popular short-video app survived a plan to block it on US phones. Now, it’s mistrusted by both the US and Chinese governments.

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How to Share Your Wi-Fi Password

Help your guests connect to your network without typing a thing.

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The Best Sunglasses for Every Outdoor Adventure

Protect your eyes in style while you lounge, run, paddle, or work on your computer outside.

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DNA Has Four Bases. Some Viruses Swap in a Fifth

Dozens of viruses don't use the same four nucleotide bases found in all other life. New work shows how this is possible—and perhaps more common than we think.

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Hit the Road With These Travel-Planning Apps and Tricks

Let your phone be your guide. Even default map apps have handy features to help you plan an awesome itinerary.

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Trucks Move Past Cars on the Road to Autonomy

Money is pouring into autonomous trucking startups, just as many are souring on the short-term prospects for self-driving cars.

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Porn Showed Upon on Legit News Sites Thanks to Internet Rot

Plus: China's pipeline probing, a Chromebook debacle, and more of the week's top security news.

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How AI Will Help Keep Time at the Tokyo Olympics

Omega, the official timekeeper of the Games, is now using computer vision and motion sensors for events like swimming, gymnastics, and beach volleyball.

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Cities Aren't the Wildlife 'Deserts' Scientists Once Feared

As more animals are spotted in urban areas, researchers recognize how cities can play a significant role in fostering biodiversity.

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How to Upgrade Your Home Audio for Music or Movies

No one ever regrets investing in a better home sound system. Our advice and gear recommendations can help.

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The 16 Best Weekend Deals on Headphones, Soundbars, and More

We found discounts on a MacBook Pro, an Instant Pot, and the newest Amazon Fire tablet.

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Space Jam and the Fury of an Algorithm Scorned

The reboot—along with Netflix’s The Mitchells vs. the Machines—portray vengeful AIs as jilted geniuses. That revolution shouldn’t be televised.

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Biden Has to Play Hardball with Internet Platforms

The president needs to prioritize Americans' wellbeing over Big Tech's whims to begin a path to restoring democracy, privacy, and competition.

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The Activision Blizzard Harassment Suit Feels Painfully Familiar

A complaint filed this week alleges corrosive behavior that seems increasingly endemic to the video game industry.

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The Pandemic Olympics, Vaccine Misinformation, and More News

Catch up on the most important updates from this week.

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Romeo and Juliet Needs More Zombies

Scott Edelman's "A Plague on Both Your Houses" is a tale of the undead written in iambic pentameter.

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Please, a Moment of Silence for Comic-Con

No, it’s not dead. But fans around the world mourn the loss anyway.

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How Mockingbirds Compose Songs Just Like Beethoven

The birds aren’t producing sounds at random. Some of their strategies are surprisingly similar to ones used by humans.

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The FAA Brings Jeff Bezos Back Down to Earth

Plus: New Shepard’s dildo design, my seat on a private space flight, and the hearing that broke Fauci.

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Our Favorite Smartwatches Do Much More Than Just Tell Time

These little wearables reduce your reliance on a phone while keeping you connected.

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What Bezos' Big Day Means for Commercial Spaceflight

This week, Steven Levy fills us in on the Blue Origin launch, its implications, and why so many billionaires are obsessed with space travel.

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