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A Shitty Robot Tesla Truck, Facebook’s New Cryptocurrency, and More News

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Facebook is unveiling a cryptocurrency, a YouTuber hacked up her Tesla, and US cyber experts worry about war with Russia. Here's the news you need to know, in two minutes or less.

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Today's Headlines

A YouTuber turned her Tesla into a pickup truck

Tesla doesn't technically make a pickup truck yet, so YouTuber and maker of "shitty robots" Simone Giertz transformed her Tesla Model 3 into one herself. It's called the "Truckla," and you really have to see it to believe it. And yes, it can do a donut.

The ambitious plans behind Facebook's new cryptocurrency

For the past two years, Facebook has been working on building a global cryptocurrency that is finally coming to fruition. It's called Libra, a new crypto coin and payment infrastructure with the mission of being "a simple global currency and infrastructure that empowers billions of people.” As is standard for Facebook, though, it may be more dream than reality, and there's a whole lot of work ahead.

Cocktail Conversation

Recent reports have divulged that US Cybercommand has penetrated more deeply than ever into Russian electric utilities. That capability might make you feel safer, but the act of it may actually be bringing on more danger than it dissuades, according to security experts. The Kremlin is already threatening to strike back, and getting involved in attacks of our own doesn't just invite retaliation, it invites the possibility of accidents or mishaps that could toss the countries into a full-on cyberwar.

WIRED Recommends: Roli Lumi

This brightly colored keyboard may seem like it's just good looks, but actually its multicolored lights are its best function: teaching novice piano players how to play. Each key on the Roli Lumi can light up a different color, and a companion mobile app uses those colors to teach you how to play your favorite songs.

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Inside Backpage.com's vicious battle with the Feds.

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Transportation

Tesla's Electric Model 3 Will Be a Great Everyday Car … Some Day

Nearly half a million people have put down a thousand dollar deposit for a Tesla Model 3 they may not get for years. But once the early production bugs are ironed out, the Model 3 feels like it's going to be a great everyday car.

Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-cryptocurrency-libra-tesla-truck-simone-giertz/

Ancient Potheads, a Russian Troll Controversy, and More News

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Researchers have discovered the existence of ancient potheads, an Alphabet-owned company conducted a controversial Russian troll experiment, and local politicians could save us from the crypto-pocalypse. Here's the news you need to know, in two minutes or less.

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Today's Headlines

Ancient peoples smoked the chronic at funerals

New evidence suggests that 2,500 years ago, ancient people in what is now western China smoked marijuana while playing ritualistic music. Researchers analyzed ancient incense burners from funerals that tested positive for cannabis—and the stuff was relatively high in THC content, by ancient standards. It's a glimpse into how cannabis spread around the world and how humans of all kinds have used it, from ushering loved ones into the afterlife to playing 8 straight hours of Zelda.

A company owned by Google's parent company bought a Russian troll campaign

Jigsaw, a company owned by Google parent Alphabet, paid $250 to run a small-scale disinformation campaign last year in Russia, proving how utterly easy these troll campaigns are to buy. They say it was with the aim of testing disinformation-for-hire services—their target was a political website they created themselves—but critics are not pleased the company actually carried one out.

Cocktail Conversation

Bitcoin has a problem: Mining it requires a massive amount of energy. The cryptocurrency's estimated CO2 emissions are currently somewhere between the annual emissions of Jordan and Sri Lanka. But whether or not crypto burns down the world may be in the hands of some unlikely heroes: local politicians. Local regulators will be the ones in charge of the power market, and could force miners to use greener energy sources, like hydropower.

WIRED Recommends: Garmin Forerunner 245

Need a new smartwatch to track your runs, but don't want to give in to the ever-popular Apple Watch? This $300 piece is light, compatible with both iOS and Android, has detailed fitness tracking, and can store up to 500 songs. Our reviewer gave it a solid 8/10.

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How Ava DuVernay made sure the Central Park Five were finally "seen."

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Science

Inside the Lab That’s Making Sure Your Weed Is Safe

As cannabis use goes recreational in California, producers are facing a reckoning: They’ll either have to clean up their act, or get out of the legal market.

Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/ancient-cannabis-weed-alphabet-russian-troll/

Scientists Save a Sick Teen, Hackers Steal $40 Million, and More News

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Viruses from a freezer saved a dying teen, hackers stole millions, and Adam Savage has some organization tips for you. Here's what you should know, in two minutes or less.

Today's Headlines

Genetically tweaked viruses just saved a sick teen

A teenage girl in London found herself in life-threatening peril from cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition where the lungs can’t clear mucus or disease-causing bacteria. She had already had double lung transplants and was running out of options. So her doctors turned to scientists at the University of Pittsburgh, where the world's largest collection of bacteriophages—viruses that prey solely on bacteria—was stored in freezers. Scientists identified phages that could attack the bacteria assaulting the patient, and now she is slowly recovering. The news is remarkable for many reasons, but largely because this marks the first use of engineered phages in a human patient.

Hackers stole $40 million from a crypto exchange

A group of hackers were able to steal $40 million in bitcoin—along with lots of two-factor authentication codes meant to protect you from hacking—from a cryptocurrency exchange called Binance. While cryptocurrency hacks have run rampant in 2019 (more than $350 million has been stolen thus far), it’s much less common to see an established exchange like Binance get hacked and leak out so much extra information along the way.

Cocktail Conversation

Former Mythbusters host Adam Savage has some ideas on lists and checkboxes, and how they can change your life (Hint: He adds completed tasks to his lists just to experience the joy of checking them off.) Whether you're already organized, or wishing you were, these tips might help.

WIRED Recommends: Master & Dynamic MW65 Headphones

If you're already an audiophile, then you know the name Master & Dynamic. But if you don't, our reviewer gave these cans a 9/10, and says their $500 price tag is justified down to the cent.

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Watch out, Siri and Alexa: Google may have finally made a truly usable voice assistant.

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Technology

The Worst Passwords You Can Use

Internet security is a major issue nowadays. Keep yourself secure in the new year and make sure not to use any of these weak passwords from 2016.

Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/virus-saved-teenager-binance-hack/

Trumps Twitter Meeting, an Ethereum Thief, and More News

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President Donald Trump tweeted invective at Twitter again this morning, but this time Jack Dorsey took the conversation off-platform to the White House. In other news, a controversial US Census question creates some strange bedfellows, and a "blockchain bandit" is pilfering millions in cryptocurrency. Here's the news you need to know in two minutes or less.

Trump insulted Twitter, then met with its CEO

Trump attacked Twitter on its own platform this morning, calling them "very discriminatory" and adding “they don’t treat me well as a Republican.” He also called on Congress to “get involved.” So Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sat down with the president with "no set agenda." The president was tweeting a different tune post-meeting:

A 'blockchain bandit' is guessing passwords and making millions

With 78 digits, the odds of guessing the randomly generated key for the cryptocurrency Ethereum is 1 in 115 quattuorvigintillion. But one thief has amassed a fortune (that was at one point worth more than $54 million) guessing passwords and stealing the money. Tl;dr, be careful how you generate your pins. There's a blockchain bandit among us.

A proposed Census question is causing quite a stir

Trump has somehow managed to unite tech and privacy groups against a potential question in the 2020 US Census: Are you a US citizen? The issue has reached the Supreme Court.

Cocktail Conversation

Today is #WorldBookDay! If you're already a full-on bookworm, we compiled our 25 favorite books of all time right here. But if you aren't, fear not. It's never too late to become a reader.

WIRED Recommends: TVs

If reading just isn't your thing, and you're a movie-over-the-book kind of person, there's no need to apologize. Here are the best TVs you can buy right now.

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Former Googler Tristan Harris has spent the last year thinking about the state of tech. Now he says tech is "downgrading humans," and it's time to fight back.

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Business

Jack Dorsey on Filter Bubbles, Twitter Fights and 12 Years of Tweeting | WIRED25

Twitter and Square Cofounder and CEO Jack Dorsey spoke with WIRED’s Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Thompson as part of WIRED25, WIRED’s 25th anniversary celebration in San Francisco.

Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/donald-trump-jack-dorsey-twitter-ethereum-world-book-day/