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When developer Niantic launched Pokémon Go in the summer of 2016, it did so at maximum velocity. The game’s blend of simple mechanics and next-level augmented reality sparked a months-long stretch of virality, followed by years of low-key dominance. The studio’s follow-up, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, debuted Thursday on iOS and Android. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/a...

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Recently, in the pursuit of a better cup of Joe, I've developed what my officemates have called an odd ritual with the coffee machine. The old automatic is a teal-colored Mr. Coffee, the 900-watt JWX36T, and left to its own devices it splatters water in a straight line across the circle of grounds in the filter basket, pretty much missing anything that’s not directly in its path. This is bad. Lear...

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I first saw Snow Peak’s pack-and-carry fire pit at Snow Peak Way, the cult outdoor brand's yearly camping retreat. A few fire pits were set up in the field, deep in the wooded recesses of the Columbia River Gorge. Kids of all ages gathered around them, helping themselves to marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers, while their parents warmed their toes beside them. My husband handed glow stick...

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Greetings, and welcome back to WIRED's ongoing E3 coverage! What have you missed since yesterday? A lot, actually. The bulk of the news came from Nintendo's presentation, so we'll start there, but there's plenty more to get through. Here are the big stories—and the big absences—from the last 24 hours at gaming's biggest confab. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Happy Monday, and welcome once again to The Monitor, WIRED's collection of all the world's biggest pop culture news. What's up this fine Monday? For one, Dark Phoenix bombed pretty badly, and for another, HBO cancelled Vice News Tonight. But let's get to the real reason you clicked on this story: KEANU. Keanu Reeves Surprised E3—in a Very Big Way Here's some news (probably) no one expected: Neo hi...

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Happy Friday! It's time, once again, for Replay, WIRED's look at the biggest news in the world of gaming. This week, a Fornite player gets banned from Twitch for being too young, and Destiny 2 might have a bright new future ahead. Let's get started. A Pro Fortnite Player Just Got Banned From Twitch—for Being 12 Esports and streaming are both young careers, but, uh, they're usually not this young....

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Hello, and welcome once again to The Monitor, WIRED's roundup of all the biggest and best pop culture news. Up this week: Netflix is working on an animated version of Magic: The Gathering, J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot might have a new home soon, and Robert Downey Jr. wants to save the planet. Let's get started. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Science can tell us a lot about climate change, like the fact that temperatures are rising, oceans are warming, and polar bears are dying. But it isn't the greatest at helping us process that information and the feelings it can provoke—from sadness to guilt to golly gee willikers we're toast. For that, former field biologist Deanna Whitman turns to art. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podc...

It’s over. Thirty-three games, more than 1,100 correct responses, and $2,464,216 dollars after first taking the Jeopardy! contestant podium, James Holzhauer lost. While his run failed to match Ken Jennings’ for either longevity or earnings—he fell just $56,484 short—Holzhauer has left as indelible a mark on the game. How did he do it? By not treating Jeopardy! like a game at all. Learn more about...

Serena Williams descended upon the clay courts of the French Open in Paris this week, where, the year prior, she had become a lodestar of ridiculous controversy. In one early bout, Williams' decision to wear a black catsuit resulted in a violation; the form of dress has since been banned by the French Tennis Federation. "The combination of Serena this year, for example, it will no longer be accept...

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English professor Matt Barton grew up loving computer role-playing games like Pool of Radiance and Baldur’s Gate, and was discouraged when that style of thoughtful, analytical gameplay almost disappeared. “For a long time the very words ‘turn-based’ were enough to make everybody laugh at you,” Barton says in Episode 363 of the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast. “It was like, ‘Who wants that? It’s...

Technology changes us as much as we change technology. It trains us to behave in certain ways, to modify how we speak or move to better accommodate its utility. In some cases, technology can transform the very things that define us. Perhaps the most literal example is our handwritten signature, a core talisman of identity. Developed in response to the ancient technology of paper and ink, it’s late...

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The bicycle manufacturer Cannondale is well known for its high-performance bikes—pricey chariots that are ridden by some of the world's top pros in the elite trail- and road-cycling ranks. But things were not always so. The company's first cycling-related product, released way back in the early 1970s, was a bike trailer called the Bugger. You'd mount the accessory two-wheeler to your bicycle's rea...

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