Never Trust a Platform to Put Privacy Ahead of Profit

At this point, it's painfully unsurprising to hear new examples of tech companies misusing customer data. But a particularly shameful version of the story has become increasingly common: services pulling phone numbers and other data used for two-factor authentication into their marketing databases. On Tuesday, Twitter became the latest tech giant to join those ranks.The…

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Wealthy Counties Benefited Most From a Flood Relief Program

People who live anywhere near the Missouri River must be pretty worn out by now. After near-record floods last spring that affected more than 14 million people, many residents thought the worst was over. But recent heavy rains have kept water levels high, making it nearly impossible for the US Army Corps of Engineers to…

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The Perils of Distracted Fighting

“We lost almost the entire patrol,” said the lieutenant. “It was horrific.”“We walked right into an enemy ambush,” he continued. “They easily picked my men off, one by one, because they were looking at their screens.”Thankfully, the young lieutenant was not describing an actual firefight from Iraq or Afghanistan. It was a recent live-action simulation…

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26 Best Nintendo Switch Accessories (WIRED’s Top 2019 Picks)

Whether you use it for portable gaming or keep it docked and connected to your TV for console-style shootouts, Nintendo's Switch is a truly unique console. In either mode, you'll want the best accessories available to get the most from your Switch. These picks will let you play longer, download more games, and practice your…

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A Nobel for Gadgets! Lithium-Ion Batteries Win the Prize

While the Nobel prizes can sometimes dive into foundational but seemingly rarified corners of the sciences, Wednesday morning’s announcement of the prize for chemistry reached into billions of people’s pockets—and homes, offices, workshops, cars … pretty much the entire infrastructure of modern life. For their invention of the rechargeable lithium-ion battery, key to everything from…

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Why Lightning Strikes Twice as Much Over Shipping Lanes

For all the progress humanity has made since Odysseus had a spot of trouble on a long voyage home, life on the high seas remains a largely joyless affair. Twenty-first-century sailors spend weeks away from home. The hours are long, the pay mediocre, the risk of calamity never quite over the horizon. And, researchers have…

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“Ripper”—The Inside Story of the Egregiously Bad Videogame

Christopher Walken and I were standing on a dark, deserted street in Manhattan’s Meatpacking district at 4 in the morning. This was the summer of 1995, back when workers actually packed meat in the neighborhood, in the midst of a heat wave that would deliver a record-breaking 102-degree day later that afternoon. As the aroma…

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PG&E’s Power Shutoffs Can’t Save California From Wildfire Hell

On Wednesday and Thursday, high seasonal winds will tear through California, drying out vegetation and fanning wildfires. The conditions could easily spell a devastating, deadly conflagration. In preparation, early Wednesday morning the utility PG&E—whose equipment sparked last year’s Camp Fire, which killed 86 people and destroyed the town of Paradise—will begin preemptively shutting off power…

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