Players are quitting their day jobs to make real money in the world of Second Life. Is it a good investment, or a bubble economy waiting for a virtual pin? By Kathleen Craig.
Steve Jobs may be a greedy tycoon, but did you know Apple's other co-founder, Steve Wozniak, is an evil card cheat who mistreats animals? Just kidding. Commentary by Leander Kahney.
A new method of chipmaking, which involves changing the properties of silicon by compressing it, produces a chip that IBM says will run twice as fast its current version.
Sony's new Walkman phone rocks, a Nalgene coffee press is full of beans and a watering can spouts off, all in this week's Gadget Lab from Wired magazine.
Thousands have been drawn to podcasting because anyone can create an audio program, build an audience online and even vault to stardom. But lots of shows wink out as suddenly as they started. By Steve Friess.
Music download sales have surged in the past couple years, boosted by iTunes and file-swapping crackdowns. But revenues are unimpressive compared to other industries, from film to kitty litter. Commentary by Joanna Glasner.
Looking for a comfy bicycle that's reliable? The low seat on the crank-forward design lets riders sit more upright and put both feet flat on the ground at stop signs. By Bryan Ball.
You thought the Vaporware Awards had gone the way of the products it celebrates, didn't you? But unlike those Silicon Valley flakes, Wired News delivers. By Leander Kahney.
Free software makes it easy to convert your CDs and MP3s into short jingles that can be loaded onto most cell phones at no charge. Commentary by Eliot Van Buskirk.
A Harvard researcher says a laser-based diagnostic system might be used to detect the disease long before it affects the brain, allowing for early treatment that could defer its degenerative symptoms. By Sam Jaffe.
An online art project urges people to figure out ways to draw energy from human exercise. So far, the ideas range from the fringe to the feasible. By Randy Dotinga.
Survey teams don't need to wade into nasty swamps to map New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina did its dirty work. New remote-sensing tech speeds up the process. By Jeff Rice.
Your next must-have vehicle is more than just a gleam in an auto developer's eye. Major car companies are already hard at work redefining your chariot of choice. By Michael Spinelli from Wired magazine.
Katrina smashed to bits thousands of homes that had the bad luck of being in its path. But architects and designers are creating housing that could survive the next devastating disaster. By Kathleen Craig.