Meta has paused all its work with the data contracting firm Mercor while it investigates a major security breach that impacted the startup, two sources confirmed to WIRED. The pause is indefinite, the sources said. Other major AI labs are also reevaluating their work with Mercor as they assess the scope of the incident, according…
I first encountered the ideas of ultralight backpacking in 1994, in an article in now-defunct (and much-missed) Backpacker magazine. It was titled “Less is More,” by Mark Jenkins. (I still have a PDF copy I scanned years ago.) Jenkins wrote about a long trip across Europe and Africa. By the end, he and his traveling…
The NHL also pointed WIRED to its partnerships with Pride organizations around the US, Canada, and Australia, as well as pro-inclusivity organization You Can Play, which it’s been working with since 2013. The league said it will be hosting its third annual Pride Cup in 2026. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has said he “binged” Heated…
This is a 176-pound ebike, so you’re not going to carry it up your walk-up to keep it safe. Instead, you’ll have to live with the fact that you have to park the Olto on the curb or street; you can lock it up just like any other bike. Photograph: Julian Chokkattu But you don’t…
if you’ve just bought a fancy new TV, you may be surprised to find it sounds just as bad as your old one (or worse). Even the best TVs we’ve tested need a hand to provide sound that keeps up with their fantastic displays. But it can be tough knowing where to start when it…
Car shoppers often face the dilemma of being drawn to an older model or even a high-mileage model that’s otherwise a perfect match for their budget, needs, or tastes. This is especially true in today’s market, where vehicle selection is haphazard and late-model, low-mileage cars are in short supply. So if you have to compromise,…
Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite company SpaceX is acquiring his AI startup xAI, the centibillionaire announced on Monday. In a blog post, Musk said the acquisition was warranted because global electricity demand for AI cannot be met with “terrestrial solutions,” and Silicon Valley will soon need to build data centers in space to power its…
Today is the last day of REI’s Holiday Sale. For the past 10 years REI has shut its doors for Black Friday, suggesting that instead potential customers should get outside and enjoy the world around you. That’s great advice, but of course Black Friday is also one of the biggest retail spending days of the…
That difference really adds up after a few years. For example, the Brother MFC-J1170DW cartridge inkjet printer currently costs around $130. But according to the formula we use for estimating annual ink costs, the printer would go through $160 worth of ink in a year, which puts its five-year cost of ownership at a whopping…
Beginning today, millions of adults trying to access pornography in the United Kingdom will be required to prove that they are over the age of 18. Under sweeping new online child safety laws coming into force, self-reporting checkboxes that allow anyone to claim adulthood on porn websites will be replaced by age-estimating face scans, ID…
