Yes to Masks. No to Parties. 2021 Will Be a Lot Like 2020

Sorry, folks: Thanks to Covid, next year won’t be much more fun than this one, at least until enough vaccines arrive.

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Timnit Gebru’s Exit From Google Exposes a Crisis in AI

The situation has made clear that the field needs to change. Here’s where to start, according to a current and a former Googler.

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After 2020, Live Events Might Not Look the Same. Good!

This year radically changed what live events—at least those that weren’t canceled—look like. It also taught organizers some lessons.

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20 Things That Made the World a Better Place in 2020

From record-beating scientific discoveries to an elephant baby boom, this year was about much more than just a global pandemic.

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4 Ways to Make Your Home Smart and More Energy Efficient

Smart thermostats, light bulbs, and leak sensors are just a few devices that can help cut  your utility bill.

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4 Ways to Make Your Home Smart and More Energy Efficient

Smart thermostats, light bulbs, and leak sensors are just a few devices that can help cut  your utility bill.

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The Most Dangerous People on the Internet in 2020

This year saw plenty of destructive hacking and disinformation campaigns—but amid a pandemic and a historic election, the consequences have never been graver.

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How My Record Player Helped Me Feel the Music

If streaming can’t cure your stay-at-home blues, a spinning platter just might do the trick.

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30 Years Since the Human Genome Project Began, What’s Next?

Eric Green, head of the nation’s top genomics research institute, looks back on how far the field has come and shares his bold vision for the future.

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The PS5 and Xbox Series X Are Closing the PC-Console Gap

Last generation, PCs outpowered consoles by a significant margin. This time around, the game is much closer, and the software is catching up too.

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How to Get the Most Out of (or Into) Your Robot Vacuum

These simple tips will help you turn that automated little machine into your new best friend.

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Ransomware Is Headed Down a Dire Path

2020 was a great year for ransomware gangs. For hospitals, schools, municipal governments, and everyone else, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

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Yet Another Year of Venture Capital Being Really White

After a year of protests against racial inequality and industry vows to do better, Black founders are still getting left out of Silicon Valley’s financial engine.

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In a Pandemic, Medical Illustrators Made Science Accessible

With lots of research, arrows, and an inviting color palette, artists helped transform complex research into useful information.

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Hamlet 2000 Has Never Made More Sense

Michael Almereyda’s future-minded Shakespeare adaptation (with a WIRED cameo) is 20 years old. Now it feels like an eerie premonition.

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The LG Wing's Swiveling Screen Proves Phones Can Be Fun Again

This experimental Android phone has a screen that rotates, exposing a second, smaller screen underneath.

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This Year I Found Pleasure in the Work of Looking

Among the misery and isolation of 2020, my secret Instagram became a portal to solace and a newer self.

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15 Xbox Series X/S Tips to Level Up Your New Console

From setting up remote play to automatic sign-on with your favorite controller, here’s how to get the most out of your shiny new toy.

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2020 Was a Breakout Year for Crispr

Between glimpses of a medical cure and winning science’s shiniest prize, this proved to the gene-editing technology’s biggest year yet.

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The Error of Fighting a Public Health War With Medical Weapons

It was a mistake that cost 300,000 lives.

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How Your Digital Trails Wind Up in the Police’s Hands

Phone calls. Web searches. Location tracks. Smart speaker requests. They’ve become crucial tools for law enforcement, while users often are unaware.

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Vizio’s First OLED TV Makes Nearly Perfect Contrast Accessible

These organic LED panels, usually seen on pricier TVs, are finally dipping to more affordable prices.

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15 Tips and Hidden Tricks for the PS5 (You Lucky Dog)

If you’re one of the lucky few to score Sony’s newest game console this holiday, check these features out for the best experience.

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After Centuries, a Simple Math Problem Gets an Exact Solution

Mathematicians have long pondered a deceptively easy puzzle about the reach of a goat tied to a fence. Until now, they’ve only found approximate answers.

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Better Than Nothing: A Look at Content Moderation in 2020

The pandemic and the election forced social media platforms to police false information like never before—but we have no clue if that solved anything.

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The Worst Hacks of 2020, a Surreal Pandemic Year

From ransomware schemes to supply chain attacks, this year melded classic hacks with extraordinary circumstances.

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Put Your Gift Cards to Use With These After-Christmas Sales

Got some new cash to spend? Some of our favorite gadgets and gizmos we've tested and recommend are still discounted.

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A ‘Bulletproof’ Criminal VPN Was Taken Down in a Global Sting

Plus: Dozens of reporters get hit by an iMessage exploit, continued fallout from the SolarWinds hack, and more of the week’s top security news.

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Chatroulette Is On the Rise Again—With Help From AI

The hottest app of early 2010 faded quickly when it was flooded with unwanted nudity. Smarter content moderation is helping to revive it.

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Can the Paris Agreement Still Avert Climate Chaos?

As the Trump era wanes, there is a sense of optimism about what the accord could achieve, five years in—but only if countries meet their targets.

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The Video Games WIRED Loved Most in 2020

These are the games, both old and new, that we relied on to blow off steam, to hang out online, or just to feel better this year.

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How to Return and Exchange Your Unwanted Holiday Gifts

You can't always get what you want. Here's how to get some cash (or store credit) instead.

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What Is a 'Role-Playing Game' Anyway?

Jon Petersen's latest book, The Elusive Shift, shows how games like Dungeons & Dragons came to be known, controversially, as RPGs.

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How to Set Up Your New Android Phone

iPhone who?

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How to Set Up Your New Amazon Echo

Let's get that smart speaker set up and ready to place anywhere in your house.

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How to Set Up Your New Google Nest Speaker

"OK Google, help me set up my Google Nest Mini."

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How to Set Up Your New iPhone

Welcome to your new iPhone.

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How to Set Up Your New Chromebook

Welcome to Cloud City.

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How to Set Up Your New TV

You got a new TV! Brag much?

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How to Set Up Your Nest Thermostat

The future is here, and it's atmospherically superior.

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How to Set Up Your New Apple Watch

Welcome to your wearable.

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The Power of Kawaii: How Cute, Squishy Things Influence Us

Adorable puppies and baby cheeks don't just make us feel good—they change our behavior in surprising ways.

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Why HDR Looks Too Dark on Your TV, and How to Fix It

Wait, isn’t that fancy new TV supposed to deliver bright, beautiful images? If yours is a little dimmer than expected, we can help.

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Can Disaster Movies Survive a Pandemic?

Two new disaster movies, Greenland and Songbird, came out this month. Whether they succeed or not may change the genre’s fate.

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The Master Guide to Setting Up All Your New Devices

If you were just gifted a new phone, smartwatch, or home entertainment device, here's what to do with it.

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The 20 Most Underrated Movies of the Past 20 Years

You might’ve missed them when they came out. Here’s what you should catch up on—and how to stream them.

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Sorry, Facebook. iOS Changes Aren't Bad for Small Businesses

The social media giant would have you believe that Apple’s privacy update will hurt the little guys. But Facebook’s motives aren’t so altruistic.

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No, You Don't Need a New TV for the PS5 and Xbox Series X

This round of next-gen gaming consoles comes with features that make the most of 4K and HDR. But you'll still get some benefits without shelling out.

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The Biggest Video Game Surprise Hits of 2020

Despite some big-name disappointments, this was a great year for gaming. And more than a few came out of nowhere to steal our hearts.

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The Latest Nokia Phone Is a Big, Clumsy Mess

It’s also a contender for the worst product name of 2020.

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The Year of Driving Less—but More Dangerously

Total traffic deaths fell during pandemic lockdowns. But fatalities per mile traveled rose, due to faster driving, fewer cops, and more drug use.

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A Bold Plan to Save the Last Whitebark Pines

The high-altitude tree is vital to its ecosystem, but it’s being decimated by a fungus. Its admirers are fusing old and new methods to bring it back.

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Here’s a Plan to Stop the Coronavirus From Mutating

Prioritize people who are immunocompromised for early vaccination.

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All the Gear We Fell In Love With During 2020

From turntables to smart water bottles, here are the things that brought the WIRED gear team irrational delight in this most atypical year.

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What AlphaGo Can Teach Us About How People Learn

David Silver of DeepMind, who helped create the program that defeated a Go champion, thinks rewards are central to how machines—and humans—acquire knowledge.

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The F-14 and the Secret History of the First Microprocessor

In a weird way, I’ve known Ray Holt all my life, but I never knew what he had accomplished—or how his inventions wove their way into my own family.

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The Race for a Covid Vaccine Was More About Luck Than Tech

Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna's mRNA platforms are amazing—but they could easily have been overtaken by more conventional rivals.

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Everything You Need to Work From Home Like a Pro

Gear can make or break your home office setup. Here's our ultimate list of the best monitors, desks, webcams, headphones, and more.

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How Would Deadpool Jump Into a Moving Vehicle?

Our sardonic superhero needs to get the timing just right to crash through the sunroof and beat up the bad guys.

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The Death of FOMO As We Knew It

During a global pandemic, the fear of missing out was replaced by something else: dread over not experiencing what could have been.

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The Biden Administration Needs a VP of Engineering, Not a CTO

If our government wants to implement a tech-forward agenda, it needs someone who looks at broken infrastructure with a debugger’s eye.

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A Unique Alliance Could Help Warn Us of Toxic Algae

In Washington state, scientists, coastal communities, and state agencies are banding together to manage the growing threat of harmful algal blooms.

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The Best Indie Games You May Have Missed This Year

2020 wasn't just a year for big-budget blockbusters. Here are the best debuts from smaller shops—that are all worth playing into 2021.

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Amazon’s Fourth-Gen Echo Looks—and Sounds—Even Better

Thanks to a rounded design and improved drivers, the company’s newest smart speaker outshines the competition.

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2020 Shows the Danger of a Decapitated Cyber Regime

Trump's White House has long been AWOL on cybersecurity. That lack of oversight almost seemed to be working—until the SolarWinds hack.

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Yes, Cyberpunk 2077 Is Buggy. But Mostly, It Has No Heart

People misunderstand why I dislike the game. It's not the bugs—it’s that everyone in it sucks.

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Could Carbon Dioxide Be Turned Into Jet Fuel?

A team at Oxford University has reverse engineered fuel from the greenhouse gas—but so far just in the lab.

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5 Ways to Monitor Your Blood Pressure Wherever You Are

These portable devices can send results to your phone—and help you keep track of your health.

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The Best Kindles to Take Your Library Anywhere

Amazon has four different ebook readers. Here's how they stack up—and which may be right for you.

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My Year Watching Submarine Movies

To cope with Covid-19 lockdowns, many folks watched older films at home. Some tackled the AFI 100, or picked a favorite director. I picked a theme.

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How Much Will Data Caps Hurt Game Streaming?

Spoiler: Not too much, but watch your wallet before signing up for anyone's “unlimited” plan.

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Test Positivity Is a Bad Way to Measure Covid’s Spread

So why do policymakers keep using it?

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Uber and Lyft’s Gig Work Law Could Expand Beyond California

The companies are backing proposals in other states that would give workers the ability to form unions—but still consider them contractors, not employees.

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Video Game Hell Isn’t Nearly Agonizing Enough

Games like Hades take place, largely, in hell. What does that say about the players who happily retreat into the underworld?

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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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Super Last-Minute Gift Ideas—and Excuses—for Procrastinators

If your Christmas tree is missing a present, or you can't celebrate IRL, these gifts will keep you on the nice list.

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The Newest Weapon Against Covid-19: AI That Speed-Reads Faxes

Local health departments rely on the old-fangled tech to track cases. A hastily developed machine-learning program gives it an assist.

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25 of the Best Longreads of 2020

It was a brutal year. Take a breath and enjoy some of our favorite in-depth stories.

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Apple Fitness+ Is Either Right on Time or Much Too Late

Apple invites users to sweat along with prerecorded classes on its new streaming workout platform—but the experience lags behind the competition.

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Cyberpunk 2077 and the Meaning of Its Deadly Dildos

In lots of video games, sex toys are repurposed for violence. What's the deal?

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The Oldest Crewed Deep Sea Submarine Just Got a Big Makeover

The 60-year-old sub is preparing to take its deepest plunge yet. But in the age of autonomous machines, why are humans exploring the ocean floor at all?

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The Best Chef's Knives to Level Up Your Home Cooking

It's the indispensable multi-tool of the kitchen. We sliced and diced our way through meats and veggies to find today's best blades.

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Move Over Peloton. Myx Plus Is the Better Bargain

The $1,499 package includes a stationary bike with a tablet, a set of weights, and hours of streaming video workouts to shake off those 2020 blues.

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Pet Prosthetics Get a Boost From 3D Printing

New modeling software is helping animal health experts develop more customizable prosthetics for pets with missing limbs. Still, not all legs are created equal.

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2020: The Year of Cancel(l)ed Culture

This year, monoculture floundered, but microculture flourished. Everyone found a niche—and learned what they could live without.

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This Was Supposed to Be the Year of the Female Movie Hero

From Wonder Woman 1984 to Black Widow, heroines were going to bust the box office in 2020. Then, they didn't.

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Some UK Stores Are Using Facial Recognition to Track Shoppers

Branches of the British grocer Southern Co-op are using surveillance technology to look for potential shoplifters.

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Want to Start a Podcast or Livestream? Here's What You Need

Now is the time to create your own content. This gear can help you get great audio and video quality from the start.

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A Massive Fraud Operation Stole Millions From Online Accounts

The crooks used emulators to mimic the phones of more than 16,000 customers whose mobile bank accounts had been compromised.

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The Universe Is Expanding Faster Than Expected

Astronomers get their wish—new ultra-precise distance measurements between Earth and the stars—but that only intensifies a cosmic crisis.

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12 Face Masks Your Kids May Actually Wear

Whether your kids are going to school or playing outside, you'll need comfortable face coverings. These are the ones my little monsters will tolerate.

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How to Tame Those Distracting Notifications on Your Computer

Stop the chatter and find your quiet place.

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I Took a Zoom Cooking Class With a Roman Chef. It Was Awesome

In a Covid-inspired pivot, chefs around the world are offering interactive cooking classes online that help groups of disparate strangers learn some new tricks.

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Facial Hair Is Biologically Useless. Why Do Humans Have It?

Pubes protect you; head hair keeps you warm. But beards and mustaches seem to exist for mainly ornamental reasons.

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15 Gifts for PlayStation Lovers

Or for yourself, because we all deserve a little treat.

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Russia's SolarWinds Hack Is the Big One

All the most important stories about the biggest hack in years.

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Unlock Your Cycling Fitness Goals by Upgrading Your Bike

Don't blow your savings on a new bicycle. Instead, learn how to better maintain the one you've already got and swap out some key components along the way.

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Will Rising Temperatures Make Superweeds Even Stronger?

Widely used herbicides are struggling to kill some weeds. Some experts think heat could be part of the problem.

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The Right Way Hook Your Laptop Up to a TV

You have to do more than just plug and go. Let us help you pick the best cable for your device, and adjust your laptop and your TV settings for the best picture.

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Gear to Safely Make It Through a Pandemic Winter

We've collected all the latest advice, equipment, and up-to-date information to help you navigate the cold months ahead.

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