What really happened when Google ousted Timnit Gebru

PLUS: How to Turn Off Amazon Sidewalk, and more

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 06.08.21   PRIVACY | 2-MINUTE READ How to Turn Off Amazon Sidewalk BY LILY HAY NEWMAN The company is enlisting your Echo and Ring devices into an internet-sharing mesh network starting Monday. It's not too late to opt out.   VIDEO GAMES | 3-MINUTE READ Going Medieval Is a Great Entry Point Into Colony Sims BY CECILIA D'ANASTASIO The game lets you build a new post-plague civilization in 14th-century England, and it's been topping Steam charts—for good reason.   PLANET PLASTIC | 5-MINUTE READ Your Clothes Spew Microfibers Before They're Even Clothes BY MATT SIMON The clothing supply chain releases some 265 million pounds of microfibers that wash into the environment each year.   MACHINE NOT LEARNING | 37-MINUTE READ What Really Happened When Google Ousted Timnit Gebru BY TOM SIMONITE She was a star engineer who warned that messy AI can spread racism. Google brought her in. Then it forced her out. Can Big Tech take criticism from within? GET WIRED Stare the future right in the eye. Get 1 year of unlimited access to WIRED for less than $1 per month. Plus, get a free tote! Subscribe now.   WORLD OCEAN DAY | 7-MINUTE READ This Plastic Phone Case Could Biodegrade Within 2 Years BY JULIAN CHOKKATTU Most plastics take hundreds of years to decompose. This one, from case maker Pivet, harnesses the power of hungry microbes.   TYPE MACHINE | 8-MINUTE READ The Colorful, Costly World of Custom Keyboard Enthusiasts BY HANNAH SEO Hobbyists spend hours building their own personalized rigs, while others drop thousands of dollars on a bespoke board. The hype is only getting bigger.   PSYCHOLOGY | 6-MINUTE READ Could Brain Training Help Address Police Brutality? BY AMIT KATWALA, WIRED UK New neuroscience-based technologies aim to improve decisionmaking under pressure. But solving systemic problems will take a lot more than that.   REWIND | 4-MINUTE READ Deathloop and the Radical Necessity of 2 Black Leads BY WILLIESHA MORRIS Building games that reflect the diversity of the real world is nothing new to the team at Arkane Studios. But this project presented unique challenges.   PRODUCT REVIEW | 5-MINUTE READ The Weber SmokeFire EX6 Makes Some Fine Smoked Meats BY SCOTT GILBERTSON Weber's second take on a pellet smoker delivers delicious results. Be prepared to clean your cooker more frequently, though.     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   Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.