A 25-year-old bet comes due: has tech destroyed society?

PLUS: A human-defying robot dog, Twitch's political renaissance, and farewell to Adobe Flash. View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 01.05.21   PRODUCT REVIEW The Nokia 5.3 Is a Dependable Phone for Under $200 BY JULIAN CHOKKATTU If your budget is tight, this Android smartphone is a smart buy.   MOVIES 26 Movies We Want to See in 2021—One Way or Another BY ANGELA WATERCUTTER From Dune to Black Widow, a ton of films got delayed by Covid-19. Here are the ones we're eager to see, whether at home or (finally) in a theater.   RUH ROH Watch a Robot Dog Learn How to Deftly Fend Off a Human BY MATT SIMON Kick over this robot and it'll quickly right itself—not because someone told it how, but because it taught itself to overcome the embarrassment.   BACKCHANNEL A 25-Year-Old Bet Comes Due: Has Tech Destroyed Society? BY STEVEN LEVY In 1995, a WIRED cofounder challenged a Luddite-loving doomsayer to a prescient wager on tech and civilization's fate. Now their judge weighs in. GET WIRED New year, new ideas. Get WIRED for $10 $5. Last chance to get 1 year of access for 50% off. Plus get free stickers! Tech news and analysis you won't find anywhere else. Subscribe now.   AMERICAN STREAM Twitch Is Having a Political Renaissance BY IMAD KHAN Candidates and organizers are flocking to the platform, with the hope of reaching voters who would normally be disengaged.   IN LOVING MEMORY A Farewell to Adobe Flash—and the Messy, Glorious Web BY WILL BEDINGFIELD, WIRED UK The software helped create an amateur internet. It's a far cry from the glossy, corporate one we know now.   COVER UP 25 Face Masks We Actually Like to Wear BY ADRIENNE SO Here are the WIRED staff's favorite face coverings for running, walking the dog, going to work, or looking stylish.   A Nameless Hiker and the Case the Internet Can't Crack BY NICHOLAS THOMPSON The man on the trail went by "Mostly Harmless." He was friendly and said he worked in tech. After he died in his tent, no one could figure out who he was.   JOURNALISM One Free Press Coalition Spotlights Journalists Under Attack BY WIRED STAFF This month's focus is on Zhang Zhan, who had been posting reports from Wuhan since early February. She was arrested in May.     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