The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Hard problems are usually not a welcome sight. But cryptographers love them. That’s because certain hard math problems underpin the security of modern encryption. Any clever trick for solving them will doom most forms of cryptography. Several years ago, researchers found a radically new approach…
Even if you have air conditioning—like 88 percent of U.S. households, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey—you may still struggle to stay cool on the hottest days. What’s more, increased electricity use can lead to brownouts and outages. Here’s how to prepare your home for a heat wave before…
When a new batch of refrigerators comes into our labs, we start by setting the ambient temperature in our climate-controlled chambers to 70° F to simulate conditions in a typical home kitchen. Then we determine which thermostat setting on each refrigerator will get the internal temperature in the center of the unit to between 36°…
“Check that the cable connections are tight, clean, and free of corrosion, which often looks like fuzzy, green and white buildup,” Crossen says. (If you don’t want to do this yourself, ask your mechanic.) Periodic testing can also tell you when the battery is due for replacement before it completely fails. “Test it twice a…
Coffee is the original office biohack and the nation’s most popular productivity tool. As we lose sleep to the changeover to daylight saving time, the caffeine-addicted WIRED Reviews team is writing about our favorite coffee brewing routines and devices that’ll keep us alert and maybe even happy in the morning. Today, reviewer Matthew Korfhage expounds…
Compare Our Top 10 Hair Straighteners Other Straighteners We Tried Photograph: Kat Merck Paul Mitchell Neuro Style+ for $150: The latest in Paul Mitchell’s lineup of otherwise standout hair straighteners, this ceramic iron with Paul Mitchell’s new NeutraHeat temperature-regulating technology goes up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and has dual voltage for travel. However, the body…
Look ahead, around, and behind. “It’s important to look where you want to go, scanning both far ahead and right in front of you,” Crossen says. “But don’t forget about what’s going on to the sides and behind you. You should check your rear- and side-view mirrors every 5 to 10 seconds. That can help…
Four OpenAI researchers are leaving the company to go to Meta, two sources confirm to WIRED. Shengjia Zhao, Shuchao Bi, Jiahui Yu, and Hongyu Ren have joined Meta’s superintelligence team. Their OpenAI Slack profiles have been deactivated. The Information first reported on the departures. It’s the latest in a series of aggressive moves by Mark…
But should you choose a battery snow blower instead of a gas snow blower? “Battery snow blowers are really nipping at the heels of comparably sized gas models in terms of performance, and they offer advantages that gas snow blowers can’t match,” says Dave Trezza, who oversees CR’s snow blower tests. Battery-powered machines start instantly with…
You’ve gotta be careful buying random laptops on Amazon. There’s a lot of junk masquerading as good deals, especially when you get under $500. Don’t fall for it. Below, you’ll find the best Prime Day laptop deals on devices and accessories we’ve personally reviewed. More than ever, it’s possible to get an affordable computer you…