WIRED

The Wired mission is to tell the world something they've never heard before in a way they've never seen before. It's about turning new ideas into everyday reality. It's about seeding our community of influencers with the ideas that will shape and transform our collective future. Wired readers want to know how technology is changing the world, and they're interested in big, relevant ideas, even if those ideas challenge their assumptions—or blow their minds.

ELECTRIC WORD

TOTALLY WIRED

“WHAT STRAND OF FAN-CREATED CULTURE IS YOUR FAVORITE, AND WHY?”

CASE STUDIES

MYTHIC PROPORTIONS • As more people play the fame game, the prize starts to look less real.

CHARTGEIST

FREE RIDERS • Altruism still fuels the web. Corporations love it.

THE WEIRD JOYS OF WORLDBUILDING • We’re finding a new form of expression in the flying robots and breathing forests of our own virtual worlds.

LET’S CRUSH ‘SECRET CRUSH’

LAND ROVER • NASA’s next Martian explorer knows the drill.

Field Trip • With a slew of interactive educational experiences ready for download, the VR headset could be the most capable teaching tool since the personal computer.

Write Stuff • Note-taking with one of these systems is almost like writing, but better: You can store and share your scrawlings digitally.

Room Mates • Dorm living is a riot, but the close quarters can be stifling. Carve out some extra “me space” with this gear.

Brick by Brick: More and More Schools Embrace STEAM

Machine Learning • Introduce your elementary schooler to the basics of computer science with these clever and colorful kits.

Object Lessons • Why take a boring selfie in front of the Mona Lisa when you can use AR to dive deep into it?

FANTASTIC PLANET

WE CAN BE HEROES • HOW A GENERATION OF HARRY POTTER–LOVING, TV-DEBATING, FANFIC-WRITING NERDS REINVENTED POPULAR CULTURE.

THE INDECISION MAKER • AT NETFLIX, CARLA ENGELBRECHT CREATES TELEVISION SHOWS THAT DEMAND TO BE PLAYED, NOT JUST WATCHED.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU • YOU FOLLOW THEM ON INSTAGRAM, ADMIRING THEIR BODIES, ENVYING THEIR LIFESTYLES. AND THEN THEY BARE IT ALL ON ONLYFANS. THE INFLUENCERS ARE NOW OBTAINABLE.

OUTSIDE THE BOXES • A NEW WAVE OF CROSSWORD PUZZLE BUILDERS STARTED TO NOTICE SOMETHING: THE OLD GUARD DIDN’T HAVE A CLUE. NOW THIS BAND OF ENTHUSIASTS ARE GETTING THEIR POINT ACROSS (AND DOWN).

A HIRE PURPOSE

THREE YEARS OF MISERY INSIDE SILICON VALLEY’S HAPPIEST COMPANY

CAST OF CHARACTERS

GOOGLE LOSES ITS WAY • IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, THE COMPANY HAS LURCHED FROM CRISIS TO CRISIS.

COLOPHON

SIX-WORD SCI-FI: STORIES BY WIRED READERS