iOS 27.2 beta 1 contains references to a new erase feature that overwrites an iPhone's entire storage, including unused space, with blank data rather than just destroying encryption keys. 9to5Mac found the option is currently restricted to devices sold in China, and Apple warns it takes longer and may affect device lifespan. Code references suggest the same capability is being built for iPad, HomePod, and Apple Vision Pro as well.
A former corporate communications executive recounts the chaos of 2017, when the Charlottesville violence and CEOs' ties to a presidential business council forced companies into snap decisions about public statements. The account describes how internal drafts kept shifting because leadership hadn't already agreed on core values, making crisis response slower and less confident.
An Entrepreneur opinion piece uses a fictional Norwegian town plagued by repeated house fires to illustrate 'systemization thinking': instead of repeatedly dispatching firefighters, residents traced the fires to flammable soundproofing material installed under kitchen walls by the original builder. Once that material was removed and smoke alarms installed, the fires stopped for good, illustrating how fixing an underlying flaw beats repeatedly treating the same recurring problem.
X has rolled out a new feature letting U.S. users trade stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies directly from ticker mentions on their timelines. Tapping a Cashtag now shows a live price chart and related posts, with a 'Trade' button that routes users to partnered brokerages like Interactive Brokers, Moomoo, Gemini, Kraken, and Coinbase to complete transactions.
A new piece traces how Copernicus's heliocentric model, despite its own flaws, replaced a patchwork geocentric system by offering a simpler explanation for planetary retrograde motion. The author uses this history as a lens to explore why the universe expands, suggesting that today's cosmological models may face a similar shift once a deeper underlying framework is found. The discussion draws parallels between Copernicus's incomplete but directionally correct theory and the current search for a fuller explanation of cosmic expansion.
An 1829 collapse at the Norfolk Arms Hotel killed 30 people when a crowded floor gave way, and a coroner's jury applied the centuries-old English legal doctrine of deodand, valuing the broken timbers at just five shillings to be split among victims' families. Deodand law held that any moveable object directly causing a person's death was forfeited to the Crown as an 'accursed thing,' a concept rooted in the idea that objects tied to death carried a kind of divine taint. The practice persisted in English courts until it was abolished in 1846, even as it clashed with the realities of industrializing Britain.
Amazon has scheduled its fall Prime Big Deal Days sale for Tuesday and Wednesday, October 6 and 7, running for 48 hours starting at 3:01 am Eastern. New waves of deals will be released three times daily, supplemented by sporadic Lightning Deals throughout the event. WIRED's Reviews team has published a guide explaining sale timing, membership requirements, and how to spot genuine discounts amid the promotional noise.
VR headset shipments have been declining industry-wide, but Valve's upcoming Steam Frame offers a distinct advantage over competitors: deep integration with Steam's massive PC gaming library. Analysts suggest this access to existing games and Valve's established platform could set the device apart in a market struggling to attract new hardware buyers.
Researchers excavating a historical site near Lima uncovered a sealed mausoleum dating back roughly six centuries, predating Incan rule in the region. The tomb had escaped disturbance by both colonial-era and modern looters, leaving its contents largely undisturbed until the excavation team identified and opened it.
Snap allowed journalists to try its upcoming consumer AR glasses, called Specs, which will retail for $2,195 and launch this fall. The chunky, standalone glasses run without a phone or external battery and enable shared augmented reality experiences, such as two wearers playing a virtual game of dominoes together on a real table.
Snap has introduced SPECS Intelligence, an AI system that learns a user's goals, relationships, and daily routines by connecting to their apps and tools. The tool aims to proactively surface useful information, such as meeting prep details or travel itineraries, without requiring users to ask for it, and it will now extend beyond its original platform to iOS and Mac devices.
California's Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to vote on a resolution that would exempt broadband providers from the state's net neutrality law in order to accept $1.86 billion in federal BEAD broadband deployment funding. The Trump administration's NTIA has required all states receiving BEAD money to waive enforcement of net neutrality and rate regulation against participating ISPs statewide, not just in funded areas, for up to 14 years. California and Illinois are the last two states yet to finalize their BEAD funding agreements.
GoKawiil