Wired Top Stories

A Google-a-Day Puzzle for May 24

Ken Denmead — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:01:00 GMT

Google's daily brainteaser helps hone your search skills.

How to Build a Trebuchet

Adam Savage — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

My son had to build a trebuchet for a school science project. It turned into a case of trial and error -- and error. -- Adam Savage

Make This Father's Day National GeekDad Day!

Ken Denmead — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

For five years, we at the GeekDad blog have been coming up with projects that dads (and moms!) can do with their families. For National GeekDad Day, we've culled a bunch of tips, tricks, and projects to help turn your offspring into GeekKids. Whatever your children's age, whatever your level of technical expertise, you'll find something here that will inspire you to have fun with them, educate them about geek values, and do your part to build a better future.

Adam Savage: Build a Hovercraft With Your Kids

Adam Savage — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

When Jamie Hyneman and I build hovercrafts for Mythbusters, I realized that these floating on-air vehicles were easy to make, not too expensive, and fun. So I built one with my kids. -- Adam Savage

HP Cuts 27K Employees, Looks to Cloud and Data Analytics for Growth

Michael V. Copeland — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:32:00 GMT

Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman announced the layoff of 27,000 employees Wednesday, or 8 percent of the company?s workforce. The painful move is part of Whitman?s strategy to refocus the hardware and software giant to take advantage of what Whitman describes as ?some of the biggest shifts in technology that I have seen in my career.?

Yahoo's Axis Brings Shared Visual Search Results to iOS and Browsers

Roberto Baldwin — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:01:00 GMT

Yahoo introduces a visual search results iOS app and browser extension. Will it replace Safari as your iOS browser?

Wait, We Still Like Paper!: How to Screen Print on an Inkjet

Tim Maly — Wed, 23 May 2012 23:09:00 GMT

When designer Briana Bolger-Schuth took a break from advertising work, she wanted to make art. She had no art studio, but she did have access to a new Epson inkjet. Working on a project one night, she says, "I suddenly thought, 'Hey, I wonder what would happen if I set these up as separations and ran the paper through each time for different colors?'"

Orthodox Jews Rally to Keep the Internet Kosher

Arikia Millikan — Wed, 23 May 2012 23:08:00 GMT

If keeping dairy products separate from meat sounds like a pain, try cultivating a "morally kosher atmosphere" on the internet. That's the challenge faced by Orthodox Jews, who recognize the internet's place in the business world but shudder at the "filth" found online.

Watch Live: SpaceX's Dragon Performs Space Station Flyby

Adam Mann — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:52:00 GMT

This is a live feed of SpaceX?s Dragon capsule in low Earth orbit approaching the International Space Station. The tactic is a crucial second step as SpaceX works to become the first private U.S. company to dock with the station.

Geekiest Uses (So Far) of Google's Moog Synthesizer Doodle

Geeta Dayal — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:35:00 GMT

The current Google Doodle, a fully functioning web-based synthesizer in tribute to the late Robert Moog, prominently features a record button. Hundreds of cover songs are being recorded by users around the world using the Moog doodle -- here's a sampling of the best.

Cellphones on Planes Are Not a Safety Threat

Grant Cardone — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:09:00 GMT

People don?t really want to talk on airplanes; they just want to be connected. It?s the way it should have been all along. Portable electronic devices are not threats and everyone knows it. Now Virgin Atlantic has announced that it will allow passengers to make calls with their cellphones during flights between London and New York.

Why the Leap Is the Best Gesture-Control System We've Ever Tested

Roberto Baldwin — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:58:00 GMT

On Monday, Leap Motion wowed technology enthusiasts with a video of its new gesture-control platform. We were suspicious, but a hands-on demo proved out this new platform is much, much more powerful than Microsoft's Kinect.

Digital Rights Groups Defend Antenna-Based Internet TV Service

David Kravets — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:25:00 GMT

Two digital rights groups urged a federal court Wednesday not to shut down an upstart technology company that streams over-the-air broadcast to New Yorkers. Public Knowledge and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, in a friend-of-the-court brief, said the courts should not shutter Aereo, as broadcasters are asking, simply because there is no federal licensing scheme yet for internet streaming of over-the-air broadcasts (one exists for cable companies).

Pot Prosecution Goes Up in Smoke Due to Warrantless GPS Tracking

Kim Zetter — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:24:00 GMT

A federal judge in Kentucky has ruled that 150 pounds of marijuana collected from a suspect's car is not admissible in court because investigators illegally used a GPS tracker without a warrant to uncover the evidence.

Is IBM Blocking Siri and iCloud at Work Warranted?

Mike Barton — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:18:00 GMT

IBM has learned the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) has risks, thanks to free wheeling apps. So IBM is going beyond education to a strict policy, per MIT's Technology Review: Before an employee's own device can be used to access IBM networks, the IT department configures it so that its memory can be erased remotely if it is lost ...

What Would Jony Ive Do? Think Knighthood

Anonymous — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:15:00 GMT

Hello, Wired readers. Just a line to let you know that it's a greener and more pleasant land for me today -- I've been knighted! Princess Anne performed the honors at Buckingham Palace Wednesday. Amid a small crowd of dignitaries, she recognized me for my work for producing design classics like the iPod, iPad, and of course, the Bondi Blue iMac

helenebiopic

Helene McLaughlin — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:49:00 GMT

Hands On With Clueful, the iOS App That Rats Out Privacy Risks

Christina Bonnington — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:03:00 GMT

When you get a new app, you expect it to use your data in a certain way based on the permissions you allow upon download. So when an app suddenly uses your personal information in an unexpected way, it can feel like a betrayal. Clueful is an app designed to prevent that from happening.

Antibiotic Overuse May Increase Superbug Evolution Rate

Brandon Keim — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:46:00 GMT

By flooding our environment with antibiotics, people may alter a little-appreciated but profound aspect of bacterial evolution: the very pace at which it occurs. Bacteria may evolve more rapidly and more radically than just a few decades ago.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries Brings Jane Austen to YouTube

Michael Andersen — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:20:00 GMT

YouTubers Bernie Su and Hank Green are releasing a modernized spin on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as told through a series of vlog entries in The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. With the main thread of the story playing out from Lizzie Bennet's perspective, other characters are turning to social media to fill in the details. By ...

Jury Says Google's Android Does Not Infringe Java Patents

Caleb Garling — Wed, 23 May 2012 18:46:00 GMT

A federal jury has found that Google did not infringe on Oracle patents in building its Android mobile operating system. As part of its lawsuit against Google, Oracle had argued that in creating the Dalvik virtual machine -- the software platform that runs Java applications on Android -- the search giant knowingly lifted intellectual property involving two Java-related patents that Oracle acquired with its purchase of Sun Microsystems. But on Wednesday morning, the jury dismissed Oracle's claims.

Nvidia Reveals Kai, the Blueprint for a $199, Kindle Fire-Killing Tablet

Alexandra Chang — Wed, 23 May 2012 18:41:00 GMT

Nvidia has packed a quad-core processor into a very inexpensive Android tablet. At an annual meeting for company investors, Nvidia VP Rob Csonger unveiled Kai, a $199 Android tablet reference design powered by the company's quad-core Tegra 3 chip.

Combat Exoskeleton Marches Toward Afghanistan Deployment

David Axe — Wed, 23 May 2012 18:07:00 GMT

Inside of the year, a Lockheed-built exoskeleton could be headed to Afghanistan for combat trials. That's right: mecha-soldiers are potentially months away from becoming a front-line reality.

Bredolab Bot Herder Gets 4 Years for 30 Million Infections

Kim Zetter — Wed, 23 May 2012 18:06:00 GMT

Armenia handed down its first computer crime sentence on Tuesday with a four-year punishment for the mastermind behind the Bredolab botnet.

U.K. Supreme Court to Rule on Assange Extradition Appeal

Kim Zetter — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:42:00 GMT

After months of anticipation, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will finally get a ruling next week on his appeal of an extradition order to Sweden, where he faces an investigation into allegations of rape.

Jony Ive Knighted, Wants to Be Known for What He's 'Working on Now'

Christina Bonnington — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:40:00 GMT

Apple's design guru Jonathan Ive was knighted at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday after being a Commander of the British Empire since 2005. Ive offered some insights to about Apple design in a rare interview.

Forget the Tan, Take a Maker Vacation!

Joseph Flaherty — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:39:00 GMT

Spend a week getting fried on a beach and feasting on macadamia nut brittle, or learn something new? Tough choice, but we know what we'd go with. And for all you other fair-skinned, restless souls out there hunting for something fun to do this summer, we created this brochure of vacation spots where you can sharpen your skills, or learn some new ones.

The Monitor Goes Dark With Chernobyl Diaries, Cancer for Cure

Peter Rubin — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:36:00 GMT

This week, The Monitor goes dark. And weird. Don't blame us, it just kinda happened. Wired's weekly pop culture video tackles Chernobyl Diaries, the sublime weirdness of The Eric Andre Show and rapper/producer El-P's new album, Cancer for Cure.

Explore 5 Japanese Cities in Ambitious Yakuza 5

Daniel Feit — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:57:00 GMT

Sega will release the ambitious mobster game Yakuza 5 this December in Japan.

Mozilla Aims to Build a Better Web With 'Webmakers' Project [Updated]

Scott Gilbertson — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:52:00 GMT

The makers of Firefox what to help create a "web literate planet." Mozilla's new Webmaker initiative aims to help people learn how to hack on HTML, remix video and otherwise create things with the web.