John Borthwick, CEO of the venture capital firm Betaworks, tells WIRED that he is skeptical about the feasibility and potential effectiveness of many Mamdani campaign proposals—like free buses, or a city-owned grocery store pilot program—and felt his answers tended to be “very general and nonspecific.” But Borthwick adds that he found Mamdani “very compelling and…
The idea of starting a book club came to Valeen Heinle late one night in July. She was having a particularly bad argument with her Trump-supporting dad over Israel’s war in Gaza and its devastating impacts on children. “I’m begging you to just try and learn something that isn’t from Facebook, Fox, or Newsmax,” Valeen,…
Here are a few shopping suggestions to keep in mind. • Make sure you can return or exchange the soundbar even if you listen to it in a store before buying it. Soundbars may sound very different in your home. • Determine how many channels of sound you want. To simply enhance your TV sound,…
If your water test report indicates the presence of PFAS, or if you just want some peace of mind, a home water filter can be worth considering. Most water filters that CR tests are designed to improve taste and reduce odors (two of the biggest consumer complaints) by removing common contaminants in tap water. Many…
Elon Musk had a question: “Does anybody have any experience with first principles analysis?” He was speaking to a room full of kids, many of whom knew Musk as the CEO of companies that made rockets and cool-looking cars—and as the founder of Ad Astra, the microschool they attended in his Bel Air mansion, per…
As summer melts away like a fruity popsicle left on a poolside deck chair, our thoughts turn to the coming school year. Whether they’re prepping for middle school, high school, or college, every student heading back to class will need the right gear. The WIRED Reviews team has spent years extensively testing consumer tech for…
But unless your vacuum has adequate airflow, the tools might not be that useful. “The tool airflow test isn’t just about the power of the vacuum, but how well it maintains suction as the dustbin or bag is filled,” Rizzi says. “If suction decreases during the test, that can lead to a worse score.” Read…
If You Have a Dog, Consider These Kits I don’t have a dog, so I didn’t try these at-home DNA test kits for dogs, but these are the kits specifically for dogs from Basepaws and Wisdom Panel, the two companies I’ve tested for my cats. Basepaws Dog DNA Test Wisdom Panel Breed Discovery Dog DNA…
Other Phones to Consider We test a ton of Android phones. We like the ones below, but you’ll be better off with one of the options above. If you haven’t yet done so, check out our Best Cheap Phones and Best Folding Phones guides for more. Pixel 9 Photograph: Julian Chokkattu Google Pixel 9 for…
“Is he super important and this is the first I’m hearing of him?” one asked. “Is it a superfan polyglot who wants everyone to know about his favourite writer/composer? Is it someone using AI to artificially boost this guy’s performance metrics?” The Investigation A Wikipedia editor who goes by “Grnrchst” recently decided to find out,…
