Farewell, Fry's Electronics. You were a gadget geek's paradise

Plus: Musicians on Twitch, batteries, and gig workers taking data into their own hands. View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions  02.24.21   DROP THE BEAT Twitch's DMCA Takedowns Threaten to Drive Musicians Away BY ANA DIAZ Twitch once looked like a lifeline for DJs and singers during the pandemic. The platform's copyright issues tarnish that promise.   GOING AND GOING When the Grid Goes Down, Can a Fleet of Batteries Replace It? BY GREGORY BARBER In a power crisis, maybe the solution is a network of smaller energy sources distributed across multiple places—like your garage.   DELIVERY Gig Workers Gather Their Own Data to Check the Algorithm's Math BY AARIAN MARSHALL Drivers for Uber, Lyft, and other firms are building apps to compare their mileage with pay slips. One group is selling the data to government agencies.   POWER DOWN So Long, Fry's. I Learned Everything About Gadgets From You BY PARKER HALL Now that the big-box electronics store has shuttered, future generations need a place to go to touch and discover the next great piece of tech.   SPONSORED CONTENT Make 2021 Your Best Year Yet! Try the Club for Just $1 Today. Think: Hawaii from $109 or Greece from $249 on airlines with flex change policies. Try Dollar Flight Club for $1 if you sign up in the next 48 hours. GET WIRED Get 1 year of WIRED access for less than $1 a month. Tech news and analysis you won't find anywhere else. Subscribe now.   ODD SOCKS Twinkling Black Holes Reveal an Invisible Cloud in Our Galaxy BY MAX G. LEVY Cosmic radio backlights are helping scientists size up "missing" forms of matter, and they might offer clues about the makeup of the universe.   PRODUCT REVIEW Lectric's Ebike Is Heavy but Foldable and Affordable BY JULIAN CHOKKATTU At $899, this folding electric bike's tremendous value makes it easy to look past its faults.   OOO Help! Everyone Is Judging My Messy Bedroom BY MEGAN GREENWELL Welcome to Megan's weekly advice column for surviving our work-from-home existence.   SANDWORM Hackers Tied to Russia's GRU Targeted the US Grid for Years BY ANDY GREENBERG A Sandworm-adjacent group has successfully breached US critical infrastructure a handful of times, according to new findings from the security firm Dragos.     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