Terms of Service Aren't Just Annoying—They're a Failure
I’m from the internet myself, so when we started out, I wanted to believe that the architects of my home would make things better if they just knew how. After nearly two years of working closely with tech companies, that illusion has been shattered. I’m gambling many of my relationships revealing this, but I believe…
How Many Times Has Mario Died? Announcing a WIRED Investigation
There are certain seminal moments in history, and July 9, 1981, should surely stand among them. That was the day Nintendo officially began selling Donkey Kong to arcades—and introduced the world to a mustachioed little fellow named Jumpman. Jumpman was a simple soul with a simple talent: jumping. He jumped over barrels thrown at him…
You'll Find Far Cry 5 Provocative—Even if It's a Mess
Last week's ** announcement of Far Cry 5 wasn't itself a surprise. Over the past 13 years, the series has evolved from a playground of first-person shooter mayhem to something far more distinctive: A collection of deep, difficult, often political games that served as meditations on violence as much as enactments of violence itself. They've…
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Delivers a Good Time, Despite the Rabbids
When Rabbids, the hyperactive cartoon rabbits introduced in Rayman Raving Rabbids, get excited, they shout "Bwah!" They do so repeatedly and volubly. This is a fact I didn't know yesterday; I hope I forget it by tomorrow. The Rabbids, which gained attention for their mascot potential and have since been spun off by their creators,…
YouTube's Slow-Mo Guys Break Down Their Quick Thinking
Click:Crushing & Grinding Equipment High-speed cameras, commonly known as slow motion cameras, imbue milliseconds with the weight they’re so rarely granted. A balloon pops, with the water inside it still holding its shape; a bullet shot underwater leaves an attenuated cone of air in its wake. Daniel Gruchy and Gavin Free, known on YouTube as…
Sorry, Han Solo, Star Wars Don't Need No Stinking Directors
Of all the Star Wars tropes fans love—the scoundrels, the weird foods, the planets dominated by a single biome—the best one might just be the face-off. Not the battle itself, but the fermata beforehand: Two combatants, gazes locked on each other, knowing that it's about to go down. Most of the time, the ensuing struggle…
Rian Johnson Is Getting a Star Wars Trilogy—The Last Jedi Must Be Amazing
Congratulations, Rian Johnson—you survived the Star Wars obstacle course! In a world where not every director even gets to finish the movie they start producing, you, exalted amongst your peers, have not only wrapped one—you’ve been given more. Lucasfilm announced yesterday that you're getting your own trilogy (three films!) with which you can do whatever…
Harvey Weinstein Is Hollywood’s Silicon Valley Moment
A few days ago, Chelsea Handler took to Twitter and blew the horn of war. “This is the year of the woman,” she wrote. “From Fox, to Silicon Valley, to Hollywood. We may have lost the election, but it raised sleeping lions.” It was October 8—more than a year after Fox News head Roger Ailes…
Hulu’s Handmaid's Tale Win Heralds Television’s New 'Big Three'
Last year, when Jill Soloway accepted her Emmy Award for directing Transparent, she hoisted it in the air and hollered "topple the patriarchy!" At the time, she was talking about trans rights, civil rights, and the feminist movement, mostly on TV but globally, too. Twelve months later, The Handmaid’s Tale, a show where the patriarchy…
MTV's Next Big Idea? Reviving TRL for the Smartphone Generation
TRL, the MTV show formerly known as Total Request Live, went off the air in 2008. On November 16 of that year, to be exact; Beyoncé performed its swan song. In the nine years since, YouTube became the primary vehicle by which people watched music videos, the activity for which people tuned in to the…