Between loneliness, distractions (hello pandemic puppies) and wearing sweatpants every day, sometimes remote workers need a boost. Treat your favorite telecommuter to something special. If you buy something using our links,WIRED may earn a commission. wired.trib.al/XKHl2hw 1/9
If you're looking for a gift that's high on impact, but low on cost try the 1More ColorBuds. They have great audio quality and are an excellent fit. Perfect, for someone who loves to listen (to music, not people) as they work. 📸: Joseph Shin wired.trib.al/XKHl2hw 2/9
While not a conventionally romantic gift, nothing says I love you in 2021 like steady internet. If your giftee is buffering on video calls or complaining about internet speed, a Netgear Nighthawk AX4 Router might be just what they need. 📸: Amazon wired.trib.al/XKHl2hw 3/9
Remote workers' posture frequently resembles that of an aged goblin. A laptop stand can help alleviate poor posture and the ailments that accompany it, but they're also good tools for improving workspaces on the cheap. 📸:ObVus Solutions wired.trib.al/XKHl2hw 4/9
Late-night calls (Netflix binges) and slack updates can take a toll on any smartphone. So, give the gift of battery life with this Nimble Champ portable charger. 📸: Nimble wired.trib.al/XKHl2hw 5/9
Having your lunch al desko should always be a last resort. But at least with the Oxo Good Grips Sweep & Swipe Laptop Cleaner, you rid your keyboard of pesky crumbs and Cheeto residue. It's cheap and small enough to keep on a desk. 📸: Amazon wired.trib.al/XKHl2hw 6/9
Coffee is liquid gold, and nobody knows that more than telecommuters (particularly ones with kids). This battery-powered, temperature-controlling mug ensures that every sip sits at your giftee's ideal temperature.
📸: Amazon wired.trib.al/XKHl2hw 7/9
Why cry on the floor when you can do it on a Moon Pod Zero-Gravity Bean Bag Chair? It works for sitting, reclining, and lying down. 📸: Moon Pod wired.trib.al/XKHl2hw 8/9
Subscribe to WIRED and get unlimited access to our longform features, buying guides, and tech news wired.trib.al/QkeiDBd 9/9
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DOGE is knitting together data from the Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration, and IRS that could create a surveillance tool of unprecedented scope. wired.com/story/doge-col…
The scale at which DOGE is seeking to interconnect data, including sensitive biometric data, has never been done before, raising alarms with experts who fear it may lead to disastrous privacy violations. wired.com/story/doge-col…
“They are trying to amass a huge amount of data,” a senior DHS official tells WIRED. “It has nothing to do with finding fraud or wasteful spending … They are already cross-referencing immigration with SSA and IRS as well as voter data.” wired.com/story/doge-col…
American police are spending hundreds of thousands on Massive Blue’s unproven and secretive technology that uses AI-generated online personas designed to interact with and collect intelligence on “college protesters,” “radicalized” political activists, and suspected traffickers.
Massive Blue calls its product Overwatch, which it markets as an “AI-powered force multiplier for public safety” that “deploys lifelike virtual agents, which infiltrate and engage criminal networks across various channels.”
404 Media obtained a presentation showing some of these AI characters. These include a “radicalized AI” “protest persona,” which poses as a 36-year-old divorced woman who is lonely, has no children, is interested in baking, activism, and “body positivity.”
The audit covers DOGE’s handling of data at several Cabinet-level agencies, including:
–the Departments of Labor, Education, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services
–the Treasury
–the Social Security Administration
–the US DOGE Service (USDS) itself wired.com/story/gao-audi…
It's being carried out after congressional leaders’ requests and is centered on DOGE’s adherence to privacy and data protection laws and regulations.
A Congressional aide said the requests followed media reports on DOGE’s incursions into federal systems. wired.com/story/gao-audi…
Dozens of federal employees tell WIRED that Trump's federal return to office order has resulted in chaos (including bad Wi-Fi and no toilet paper), with productivity plummeting and public services suffering. wired.com/story/federal-…
One effect of all this, many federal employees tell WIRED, is that they are travelling long distances in order to spend all of their time in virtual meetings.
A Treasury employee says they spend most of their time at the office on video calls as well. wired.com/story/federal-…
It isn’t just traveling to work to sit on Zoom calls—it’s that there may be no place to take the call, or no working internet to connect to it.
WIRED granted employees anonymity to speak freely about their experiences. wired.com/story/federal-…
SCOOP: Elon Musk’s DOGE has plans to stage a “hackathon” next week in Washington, DC. The goal is to create a single “mega API”—a bridge that lets software systems talk to one another—for accessing IRS data, sources tell WIRED. wired.com/story/doge-hac…
DOGE ops have repeatedly referred to the company Palantir as a possible partner in the project, sources tell WIRED.
SCOOP: Shortly after senior Trump officials discussed the bombing of Yemen in a Signal group chat that just happened to include the Atlantic's editor in chief, a subset of the group feasted at a secret dinner featuring Trump where guests were asked to pay $1 million apiece to join. wired.com/story/trump-of…
The date was Saturday, March 15. President Donald Trump was at his Mar-a-Lago estate attending a “candlelight” dinner that wasn’t on his public calendar. On the lawn outside, luxury cars were on display: a Rolls Royce was parked near a Bugatti and Lamborghini.
Earlier that day, the United States had bombed Yemen, targeting Houthi leadership. At least 53 people, including children, were killed.