Birding is one of life’s great joys. Birds are so beautiful and fun to watch, but you have to keep your distance to not scare them away. Smart bird feeders—that is, bird feeders with cameras and connected apps—give you a close-up view of your backyard birds through captured images and …
Read More »PS5 vs. PS5 Slim vs. PS5 Pro: What’s the Difference, and Which Console Should You Get?
The PlayStation 5 was arguably one of Sony’s most controversial designs. After a few years, I have to admit it’s growing on me. The only downside is its gargantuan size, which made the PS5 Slim a welcome redesign. The upcoming PS5 Pro further iterates on the design, adding some welcome …
Read More »Check Out WIRED’s Merch Store Refresh
We launched our branded merch store in September 2023 to mark WIRED's 30th birthday. The response has been amazing—which we fully expected, since our readers have been asking us to sell WIRED shirts, tote bags, and the like for almost as long as we've been around. Now, we've given SHOP.WIRED …
Read More »The Best Food Steamers for Every Type of Cook
Humans have been steaming food since the Stone Age, but it’s an underrated and underutilized method in modern American kitchens. Steaming is simple and effective; pop a wide array of foods like veggies, fish, and dumplings into the steamer of your choosing, let the water steam up, and a complete …
Read More »Analog Photography: The Beginner’s Guide to Film Cameras
Film is like the indestructible black knight in Monty Python's The Holy Grail: It's not dead yet. Digital photography is well into its third decade, yet film keeps hanging on, lying there shouting, “It's just a flesh wound!” I'd argue that film photography will never die. In the postapocalyptic future, …
Read More »Our Favorite Gender-Neutral and Inclusive Clothing Brands
The fashion industry writ large reinforces gender norms in many ways, but there’s one every one of us encounters daily: gendered sizing and styling. A faceless entity decides what a man or woman should look like, and if you don’t fit either mold or identify with either label, that’s your …
Read More »How to Choose the Right Camera: A Step-by-Step Guide
The first thing to know about buying a digital camera in 2024 is that it's virtually impossible to buy a bad one. You probably have a great camera in your hand right now. For many people, a smartphone will be camera enough, but if you want a camera separate from …
Read More »The Best Barbecue and Hot Sauce Subscription Boxes
It’s the season of seasonings! What better way to experiment with your food than by getting the most exciting bottles of sauce sent to your doorstep? Subscriptions are a good way to immerse yourself in the hypercompetitive world of craft barbecue. There are a wider array of practitioners and experimental …
Read More »The Best Sleeping Bags for Every Adventure
John Muir famously set off for the mountains with “some bread and tea in a pair of blankets with some sugar and a tin cup.” I admire his ultralight spirit and disdain for comfort on the trail, but I'd be willing to bet that if Muir were around today, he'd …
Read More »I Spent Two Months Testing Cold-Plunge Pools. I Think I’m Addicted
There was a time when a relaxing, hot bubble bath was all I needed to unwind, but these days my ice bath has taken precedence. And trust me, nobody is more surprised about this than I am. Like countless wellness trends before it, cold-plunge pools, ice baths, and cold-water therapy …
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