Editor's Note: Stories to help you survive the election hurricane

PLUS: Plugging your brain into a computer, a bug-hunting badass, and suiting up against hornets. View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 11.02.20 In a recent column for WIRED, writer and media scholar Whitney Phillips compared the 2020 election cycle to a hurricane. "In nature, hurricanes don't suddenly appear; they draw energy from the speed of the wind, the temperature of the water, and the rotation of the earth. Hurricanes don't suddenly disappear, either," she wrote. "As we prepare for landfall, we have two basic responses to consider: We can try to evacuate, or we can run toward the storm. To recover in the long term, we'll need to figure out a way to do both." Regardless of who wins, the country has a lot of work to do. While the internet has undoubtedly helped create this hurricane—spurring pointless arguments and siloing users with opposing views—there's reason to hope it can help us escape too. Sites like Wikipedia and new AI technologies have stepped up to combat misinformation. One of the candidates running for president is remarkably offline—and that bodes well for the future of American politics. And already we've seen record voter engagement, with everyone from sex workers to nanoinfluencers to TikTok witches weighing in online. We're grateful to you for trusting WIRED to bring you clear-eyed information about our messy digital world. If you haven't already, please vote. And while you wait for the results to roll in, I've included eight recent stories below to take your mind off of Election Day. Nicholas Thompson | Editor in Chief We hope you enjoy this free edition of Nicholas Thompson's Letter from the Editor. Subscribe to WIRED to receive this exclusive email every other week. SUBSCRIBE NOW A New Way to Plug a Human Brain Into a Computer: via Veins BY ADAM ROGERS By hooking electrodes up to the jugular, researchers may have found a way for machines to start to understand how we think. The Unsinkable Maddie Stone, Google's Bug-Hunting Badass BY LILY HAY NEWMAN A prominent researcher on Google's Project Zero team has made a name for herself uncovering critical software flaws—and reshaping the image of the hacker. What to Wear When You're Battling Giant, Venomous Hornets BY MEGAN MOLTENI To tackle the invasion of the Asian murder hornet, Washington state entomologists turned to—where else?—Amazon. Upon My Death, Play the Following Messages BY ARIELLE PARDES Death is hard to control. A slew of new startups have emerged to make that a little easier for the living to handle. ClickHole Started as a Meat Joke. Can It Avoid Being Offal? BY KATE KNIBBS The rise and fall of the humor site is a case study in the financial and moral crises that have befallen digital media. Gamers Forge Their Own Paths When It Comes to Accessibility BY WILLIESHA MORRIS Players with disabilities and chronic illnesses have taken matters into their own hands to make sure that gaming equipment works for anyone who wants to use it. What Should You Do About Holiday Gatherings and Covid-19? BY MATT SIMON There's no easy answer to this question. But if you're planning to be with family, we have a few words of advice about mitigating risk. Your Brain Prefers Happy Endings. That's Not Always Smart BY SARA HARRISON How an experience ends will determine how we remember it. Sometimes that's for the best, but it can also lead us to make some poor decisions.     This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions