Wired Top Stories

Al Franken Jokes, But Google Fiber Is No Laughing Matter

Eliot Van Buskirk — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:56:00 GMT

Minnesota seeks to distinguish itself in the increasingly reality TV-esque race to convince Google to build a high-speed fiber optic network there with a video featuring junior US Senator (and former comedian) Al Franken. It's funny stuff, but also serious business as Google shakes up the notoriously uncompetitive ISP business just by showing up.

You Are a Tamagotchi: Turning Your Health Into a Game

Thomas Goetz — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:30:00 GMT

The key to your health may be the feedback loop that a lot of new health data-gathering gadgets can create. It's like a game where your stats are the score, and a better score means better health.

TJX Hacking Conspirator Gets 4 Years

Kim Zetter — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:30:00 GMT

A co-conspirator in the TJX hack was sentenced Thursday to 3 years and 10 months in prison for laundering money on behalf of TJX hacker Albert Gonzalez.

Hate Blogger Wins Second Mistrial

David Kravets — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:00:00 GMT

After a second jury is hopelessly deadlocked, hate blogger Hal Turner is granted a another mistrial in the government's quest to imprison him on accusations he threatened to "kill" judges.

Quantum Computing Thrives on Chaos

Lisa Grossman — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:20:00 GMT

Quantum systems may need a little disorder to effectively couple light with matter. The discovery eventually lead to simple quantum computers.

Super Stealth Plane Breaks Through Cost Barrier

Nathan Hodge — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:00:00 GMT

A Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the future of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter finds the next-generation stealth aircraft years behind schedule and soaring over budget.

Pink Floyd Beats EMI in Creativity Flap

David Kravets — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:49:00 GMT

A British judge is siding with Pink Floyd, ruling its EMI label must protect artist integrity and stop selling single digital tracks. The acid-inspired band, known for concept albums, said single-song sales were an injustice to their art.

Your Chilean Sea Bass Dinner Deprives Killer Whales

Brandon Keim — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:00:00 GMT

A unique Antarctic killer whale population is declining, and scientists think it is related to demand for Antarctic tooothfish, known on menus as Chilean Sea Bass. This could be the first sign of the ecological downfall of what some consider Earth's last pristine ecosystem.

Help Us Review Google Maps for Bikes

Chuck Squatriglia — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:54:00 GMT

We can't possibly rate a tool that covers 150 cities and 12,000 miles of bike trails. We don't have to. We've got you.

FCC Wants You to Test Your Broadband Speeds

Ryan Singel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:50:00 GMT

The FCC posts some tools to help you test your broadband speed. The crowdsourcing effort is an attempt to assemble data that the telecoms don't want to share with the feds.

Feds: TSA Worker Tried to Sabotage Terror Database

Kim Zetter — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:44:00 GMT

A Transportation Security Administration worker is being charged with planting a logic bomb in the no-fly list network to sabotage the terrorist screening database.

Sony's Motion Controller Underwhelms With Janky Games

Chris Kohler — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:00:00 GMT

Unveiling the final version of PlayStation Move, Sony's Wii-like motion controller for PlayStation 3, at Game Developers Conference is a big deal to Sony. But the games aren't that hot.

Google Reader Play: iPad-Friendly News Reader

Charlie Sorrel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:51:00 GMT

Google has added an iPad-friendly version of its RSS aggregator, called Google Reader Play. According to the Official Google Reader Blog, the new full-screen slide-show is for people who “aren’t interested in taking the time to get Reader set up”. It is also perfect for viewing on tablet PCs, including the upcoming iPad.

It's Not Easy to Make a Tablet, Stantum Slate PC Proves

Charlie Sorrel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:46:00 GMT

Our hands-on impressions of the Stantum Slate PC running Windows 7.

Paragliding the Himalayas With iPhones

Keith Barry — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:22:00 GMT

Five paragliders are flying and hiking the length of the Himalayas all the way through Nepal, and they’re sharing the once-in-a-lifetime experience with anyone who has a computer.

Ear Infections Could Cause Long-Term 'Lazy Ear'

Tina Hesman Saey — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:28:00 GMT

Some folks who don’t seem to listen may just have a lazy ear. A new study in rats shows that short-term hearing impairments at any stage of life can lead to rewiring in the part of the brain that processes sounds, making the ear seem as if it is loafing on its duty to make sense from noise

Acorn Filmmaker's Fresh Tapes: Inside HUD

Noah Shachtman — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:01:00 GMT

Conservative activist and guerrilla filmmaker James O'Keefe has a habit of posing as someone he's not in order to get "news" about politicians and others he wants to paint as dirty. Yes, he's the same guy who taped Acorn workers, so Andrew Breitbart, the ex-Drudge crony and conservative media provocateur, could smear the organization.

How Andrew Breitbart Hacks the Media

Noah Shachtman — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

How Andrew Breitbart -- Matt Drudge's former right hand -- infiltrated the media machine and fought the vast left-wing conspiracy.

Arctic Reindeer Go Off the Circadian Clock

Tia Ghose — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:45:00 GMT

Arctic reindeer survive the continuous summers and never-ending winters by turning off the genes that run their circadian clock. Other species (such as humans) that can't turn off the clock often suffer from summer insomnia and winter depression in the northern latitudes.

Minister of Truth: Meet Britain's Top Data Cop

Mathew Honan — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

The U.K. Statistics Authority's Richard Alldritt is an expert in how governments fudge the numbers. He and his math-police squad are rooting out the truth, whether it's to reveal the real gender pay gap or the actual rate of knife crime.

March 11, 1985: ConnNet Lets the Public Jack In, X.25 Style

Ryan Singel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

A Connecticut telephone company starts the first local, public packet-switching network. It paves the way for the always-on internet access we know today.

Classic Videogames Mutate in 'Game Over' Art Show

Gus Mastrapa — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:00:00 GMT

Street Fighter gets bendy. Ms. Pac-Man hops a tandem bike. And plenty of other classic characters get similarly strange treatments in Giant Robot's videogame-inspired exhibit.

Classmates.com's Facebook Mimicking Prompts Privacy Suit

Ryan Singel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:30:00 GMT

Angry users sue Classmates.com after it decides to make previously private data public, just as Facebook did in December. Will its defense be, "I learned it from watching you, Zuck?"

Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side' Eclipses Concept Album Classics

Scott Thill — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:52:00 GMT

With its heady mix of heavy themes and technology, The Dark Side of the Moon remains the best concept album ever, even 37 years after its release. Plus: 10 more concept albums in Dark Side's shadow that deserve a slice of the spotlight.

'Galactica: Sabotage' Creator Discusses Her Brilliant Beastie Boys Sci-Fi Mashup

Eliot Van Buskirk — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:58:00 GMT

A YouTube artist whips up a precise, shot-for-shot re-creation of Spike Jonze's amazing music video using clips from the late, great Battlestar Galactica.

European Parliament Rips Global IP Accord

David Kravets — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:56:00 GMT

European Parliament is coming out in opposition to a U.S.-backed intellectual property treaty accord, and is demanding the treaty's secret text become public.

Google Launches Web Store for Cloud-Based Apps

Michael Calore — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:30:00 GMT

App stores aren't just for mobile phones anymore. Google has launched a store that lets Google Apps customers add third-party browser-based apps to their existing stack of Google's productivity tools.

Apple Beware: Dell (With A Little Help From Amazon and Google) is Taking on iTunes

Eliot Van Buskirk — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:19:00 GMT

The formidable triumvirate of Amazon, Dell, and Google is apparently poised to give iTunes the first serious run for its money just as the iPad is about to take Apple’s downloadable media megastore where no computer has gone before.

Google's Schmidt: China Negotiations Should End 'Soon'

John C Abell — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:07:00 GMT

Google is actively negotiating with China over web censorship according to CEO Eric Schmidt.

No-Fly List Includes the Dead

Kim Zetter — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:40:00 GMT

Even though people might be dying to get off the government's no-fly list, it includes names of the dead on purpose. Following the "Underwear Bomber" incident Christmas day the list has ballooned.