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For a reporter, trying to wrap your head around TED can be difficult. Famous people stride by everywhere. The sessions come in a deluge of sweeping, world-consequential themes: artificial intelligence, climate change, “the future you.” By day three, the number of noteworthy events has grown so large that trying to cram them into some kind of overarching narrative becomes a kind of journalistic overreach. The Pope gave a TED talk! Al Gore showed up. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It might begin with a table lamp. Tap the shade, give it a spin. Turn the entirelamp, watchingthe red of its body blot out the yellow of the shade—and then the other way arounduntil all the red disappears, drowned in yellow. Keep turning, and you have a lightbulb. Tap it, and it blazes with green light. Turn it just right, until the green becomes just a formless circle, and you have a bowl. Or a guitar! Or, really, it could be anything at all. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

You arranged your TV room so you can sit around in comfort. Now, prepare your virtual-reality space so you can thrash around without breaking your damn neck. Clear Some Space Virtual reality goggles make you completely blind to your surroundings. Put plenty of distance (at least 7 feet) between you and items you can break—or that can break you. Push the coffee table to the farthest wall, or better yet, banish it from the room. Remove anything made of glass. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

You arranged your TV room so you can sit around in comfort. Now, prepare your virtual-reality space so you can thrash around without breaking your damn neck. Virtual reality goggles make you completely blind to your surroundings. Put plenty of distance (at least 7 feet) between you and items you can break—or that can break you. Push the coffee table to the farthest wall, or better yet, banish it from the room. Remove anything made of glass. Find a new place in your home for anything shin height. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In the days that followed my tragic foot fracture—don’t text and walk down stairs, folks!—I learned to loathe crutches. They were incredibly awkward to manipulate. Getting around was slow and tiring. They hurt my rib cage, rubbing the skin raw under my arms on long trips. I couldn’t carry anything. Stairs were a nightmare. And they were just plain in the way, no matter what I tried to do. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

No one needs an activity tracker. Sure, you feel a whiff of superiority wagging your wrist and boasting about how much ground you’ve covered today. But let’s not pretend that wearing a wrist computer makes you a better person. If you want to boost your athletic training, get a good sports watch and a heart rate monitor. If you want to count your steps, use your phone. If you need a reminder to make healthy choices, hell, tying a piece of string around your finger will get you there. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Good news: Tooth decay and other dental problems are on the decline. Bad news: Not by much. If you’re over 20, there’s a 91 percent chance you’ve had at least one cavity; by the time you’re middle-aged, some of those will have rotted and fallen out of your mouth. The solution? Brushing your teeth, just like mom told you. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Before its 2,000-plus videos had been viewed 8 billion times, TED was an annual conference for wealthy eggheads. Starting in February 1984, 1,000 people who could afford to pay $4,000 (and up) would gather in Monterey, California, to hear 18-minute lectures on technology, entertainment, and design. (TED, get it?) Then, in 2006, TED started posting the presentations on its website, transforming a once-exclusive conference into a viral think-piece factory. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The first thing I noticed about the Samsung Galaxy S8, only a momentafter turning it on, was the screen. There’s so much of it. An enormous 5.8 inches of bright, crisp, super-saturated colors illuminatedmy face as the phone booted. Istaredat the round corners and curved edges ofthe glass. Holding it in my left hand, it looked and felt like holding a screen and nothing more. So many phones feel like every other phone, but not this one. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Bob Marley turned reggae into a global phenomenon, introduced the world to Rastafari, and put Jamaica on the map. Three decades after his death, his message still resonates. Marley’s appeal remains so universal that his brand powers a massive licensing business. Everywhere you go, you’ll see Marley’s face on t-shirts, flags, stickers, energy drinks, pipes, hats, beach towels, and pint glasses. Pretty gross. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Everyone knows distracted driving is dangerous. Everyone knows it’s happening, and that it’s responsible for deaths on American roads. But when it comes to specifics, the knowledge runs dry. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Before I begin The Ringed City, the final downloadable expansion for From Software’s existentialist fantasy epic Dark Souls 3, I have to prepare. Unlike most games, the expansions to Dark Souls titles aren’t additional, isolated new bits of game—they’re embedded directly into the world as it already exists. If you don’t have a save file progressed enough to access the new stuff you just bought, you’d better get to playing. So I do. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

As a physics faculty, I have two jobs. The first is coach. I help students wrestle with concepts and ideas. That makes me something like Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs, but with more equations. I'm also an evaluator. I determine how well students understand the material I've taught them. Yes, I find it odd that I do both of these things. It's like having Popovich coach the team and referee the game. But that's how it is in education. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Other than maybe the NSA, nobody knows more about you than Google. It’s got a read on where you are, what you’re doing, what you’re thinking and watching and searching for and chatting with your friends about. Which means nobody should be better equipped to soundtrack every second of your life than Google Play Music. Starting today, the company’s taking full advantage of its smarts to deliver you the sounds you want, when you want them. All you have to do is press play. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Before I get into this, I should admit something: my home audio setup is pathetic. I listen to shows and movies out of the speakers built into my TV. When I have friends over, a UE Megaboom Bluetooth speaker supplies the background music. Sometimes I catch myself listening to podcasts on my phone’s speakers. The best listening devices I own are headphones—which is why I often spend time on the couch, alone, watching TV with headphones plugged into my Roku remote. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Do Apple's AirPods sound great? Not really. But they're about way more than playing music. Let's just get all the fun comparisons out of the way up top. Wearing AirPods is like wearing a toothbrush in your ear. No, it's like your earbuds are melting down the side of your face. They look like tiny hair dryers! Tiny candy canes! Tiny bean sprouts! Tiny golf clubs! In truth, AirPods look like… Bluetooth headsets. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

If the quality of your laptop’s screen is a selling point—and it should have some sway with any serious buyer—then OLED-based machines, what few exist to date, should definitely be on your list. Alienware’s new 13.3-incher is the first gaming rig on the market with an OLED display. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Depeche Mode is touring the world, everybody’s talking about Star Wars, and Justin Bieber’s wearing drop-crotch pants. The 80s are back, people. But no matter how much you’re channeling the era, your smartphone is a dead giveaway that you’re living in 2017. That is, unless you wrap your iPhone in one of Slickwraps’ new retro skins, which put a little 80s back into your 21st-century tech. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Andrew Rotilio knows what it feels like to not fit in. Born to first-generation Italian-Canadian parents, the Expanse actor’s first language wasn’t what his teachers spoke in school. He grew up speaking Italian, then learned French and English as a way of surviving, of blending in. By the time he mastered his fourth language, he wasn’t trying to navigate the social complexities of the real world—he was trying to leave it behind completely. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Wilderness camping offers a wonderful reprieve from our tech-filled lives. Computer screens and connected commutes give way to mountain-peak sunrises and hikes to secluded lakes. The distance from the rat race is rejuvenating. Then night comes, and technology creeps back in. Propane-powered lanterns barely shed enough light for you to see what you're eating for dinner, so you pull out your phone to waste its battery making sure you don't trip over something. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

If Boeing learns anything from today’s maiden flight of the 787-10 Dreamliner today, it means something has gone wrong. That’s because the planemaker has left the Wright brothers’ system—build something, throw it off a sand dune, observe—far in the past. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Apple’s AirPods aren’t the only wireless earbud game in town. If the idea of earplugs as audio gear entices you, another option on the market arrives from Swedish startup Earin and its M-1 earbuds. Look ma, no wires, and no golf clubs dangling from my ears! Better audio quality than expected. Massive connectivity issues. No microphone/phone features at all (not even incoming audio). Very weak battery life. Charging system is underbaked and needs a complete overhaul. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

After four months off, the best drivers on the planet line up for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this weekend. Fans hoping to see something more than yet another processional behind reigning champs Mercedes might just see some excitement this year. A raft of new rules designed to mix things up will make for faster lap times and, with luck, more overtaking. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

People always askme to recommend a portable Bluetooth speaker, and I reflexively mention the same one every time: the UE Boom. The latestversion of this portable powerhouse, the UE Boom 2, provides damn near everything most peoplewant in a speaker. It sounds great, the battery lasts half a day, and you can bring it anywhere. It’s even waterproof and mudproof, so you can take it rafting. All that for $200. But that’s still too much Bitcoin for most people. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The sun has long since set by the time the cars and RVs ramble back into Alexandria to find a somber Rosita at the gate. She says nothing about Sasha's whereabouts, but instead tells Rick, Michonne, Tara and the rest that they have company. That company turns out to be the man in the shadows in last week's episode: Dwight. He wants to help, he says. While he may be Negan's bootleg version of Daryl, Dwight has never been the duplicitous type. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

For all its virtues, Facebook Messenger works more like email than a group messaging app like GroupMe orTango. If you want to talk with someone directly, no problem. But it hasn’t handled large groups effectively because it lacked some of the key elements that make group messaging fun. It was too simple. A pair of new features, called Reactions and Mentions, constitute part of Facebook’s bid to make Messenger more inclusive. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Science fiction cinema has a longstanding problem:Good ideas abound, butgreat ones are in short supply. (And most of the good ones have been used.) After decades of drought, 2001: A Space Odyssey spawned Solaris andStar Wars and Alien, and the genre became popular, but pulpily so; parades of familiartropes spackled over withterrible visual effects. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Let’s clear this up right from the start:Paul Budnitz does not want to take over the world. He didn’t createEllo to disrupt Facebook, even if the media sayshe did. And he definitely didn’t launchWuu, an app that looks like Snapchat and Instagram yet stands firmly opposed to so much about them, in a bidto kill them. Really. He swears. No, Budnitz sees Wuu creating aspace beyond those global town squares. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Some mornings-not many, but some-you wake up to a new iPhone. Surprise! This is one of those mornings. And while today's new iPhone acts just like the old one, it adds a certain special something. It's red. Yes, red, a bright, brilliant, gleaming red, a shade so bright it makes rose gold blush. The case is read. The buttons are red. The fiddly little nano-SIM tray? It's red, too. The Apple logo? Not red. Sorry! But it really pops against all the rest of the red. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

First of all, everyone needs to know that there will be AT-AT Walkers at the Star Wars land currently under construction at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Now that that's out of the way, what else is going on in a galaxy far, far away? Oh, nothing much, just teases for what's going to happen in this December's Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Why aren't you reading ahead already? Move along. Move along. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Do you remember when you first saw The Matrix? If it was opening day, it wasMarch 31, 1999: Bill Clinton was president, and TLC’s “No Scrubs” was about to knockCher from the top ofthe Billboard chart. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

No end of sites and platforms make it easy to watch sports highlights on your phone. But none is more now than House of Highlights. The bombastic, occasionally NSFW Instagram account is the hottest thing going, due in no small part to the dedication of its 22-year-old founder, Omar Raja. "He's honestly like the modern SportsCenter, or the young person's SportsCenter," says Dave Finocchio, CEO of the sports news website Bleacher Report, which bought House of Highlights a couple of years ago. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Not quite a year ago, I wrote a story about the merits of good oyster knives, getting a shucking lesson from a pro in the process. I walked away from the lesson with a refreshed appreciation for finding the right tool for the job, but what was most impressive was the shucker's technique, which was like nothing I'd ever seen. My lesson came from Lucas Stone, a shucker at Seattle's fantastic Westward restaurant, and he demonstrated a subtle technique with the formal beauty that recalled the tango. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Hurricane Carol has finally returned. But for all the expectations surrounding that fact—that she'd kick ass, that she'd take names, that she'd maybe make a few of the most heinous Saviors cry—the reality isn't nearly as satisfying as the expectations. That's what happens when someone finds out that Negan made ground beef out of your nearest and dearest. Melissa McBride delivers a powerful performance in those seconds, taking Carol from shocked to devastated to angry and determined. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It’s 160 degrees outside, a massive sandstorm could appear at any moment, and you’re trying to capture footage of a pack of lions chasing a giraffe. They’re bigger, faster, and scarier than you are. Oh, and you’ve been out in the desert for weeks, waiting for this exact moment. Don’t screw it up. That, evidently, is what it’s like to be a member of the crew for Planet Earth II. And as we watched the show, we found ourselves wondering how it all comes together. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

California just ensured one of itswettest winters in state history. I didn't mind all that rain, though, because it gave me the perfect opportunity to try some of the latest waterproof running shoes. I aimed for puddles, muddy ruts, and small streams with childlike abandon while out on my runs. I occasionally experiencedsore feet-a comfortable upper is hard enough to design, and making it impervious to water only stiffens it. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Earlier this week, WIRED ran a story about the new Nike sneakers tied to Breaking2, the company’s attempt to help runners break the two-hour mark at a special marathon this spring. As part of WIRED’s exclusive look at that initiative, our writer took a trial run in the sneakers as part of his training to achieve his own personal milestone: a sub-90-minute half-marathon. I thought we were talking about doping; Haile Gebrselassie thought we were talking about shoes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

“WikiLeaks on Tuesday released thousands of documents that it said described sophisticated software tools used by the Central Intelligence Agency to break into smartphones, computers and even Internet-connected televisions…One [program], code-named Weeping Angel, uses Samsung “smart” televisions as covert [surveillance] devices.” — The New York Times, March 7th, 2007 Gabe, what’s going on? You’re poking around my ports like a madman back there. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In its ongoing jihad against federal regulations, the Trump administration has indicated some interest in targeting the ones that attempt to fight climate change. First in its sights: a funky law that gives the state of California the right to make its own rules on automotive emissions. But because of the way laws and business work, the California exemption is one of the most powerful environmental tools in the world. So California’s not going down without a fight. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Fans who ran out to catch Logan on its opening weekend were treated to a very cool, Deadpool-shaped surprise. Flipping the script on Marvel’s post-credits scene tradition, the new Wolverine flick beganwith a lead-in short of Wade Wilson trying (and failing) to fight some crime. The 3.5-minute teaserwas a nice gift. It was also a reminder: R-rated comic book movies are here for good. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It's been such a crazy week in the real world—Oscar flubs! Presidential addresses! Nicole Kidman's clapping!—that keeping up with the virtual one has been a real pain. But that's why you come here, isn't it? To catch up on what you've missed? Here's everything that went down online while you were AFK. The Great Garfield Conspiracy What Happened: We know that Garfield loves lasagna. We know that Garfield doesn't like Mondays. We even know that Garfield can't stand Nermal. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

When Wolverine first appears in Logan, he’s graying and tired. His claws get stuck between his knuckles and have lost their snikt-sniktresponsiveness. He’s suicidal and he’s drinking too much, even for him. Guys he normally would have taken out with a quickness can get him on his back. He looks like shit—and because this is R-rated Wolverine, he can say so. Yes, everything you’ve heard is true. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

I have zero virtual-reality skills. I don’t know how to work in Unity, the graphics software engine often used to make immersive worlds. I have little sense for 3-D design. But I have a secret weapon: A-Frame, an easy-to-use language released by Mozilla last winter. Based on HTML, it lets anyone quickly type commands that place blocks, spheres, and other shapes into a 3-D scene. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Nintendo's Switch comes out on Friday. I've been playing with the Switch-an all-in-one gaming machine that works as both a handheld device and a TV game console-for the last two weeks. Nintendo says we can publish a review of it right now, though I have no idea why Nintendo would want us to. The company's new toy isn't finished yet. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Set aside the factSony has not been a part of the smartphone conversation lately. Never mind that you’re almost certainly better off with an iPhone 7 or Google Pixel. For now, just take a moment to bask in the glorious, mostly unnecessary overkill that defines the Xperia XZ Premium. Specs? Why yes, it has all of them. For its latest flagship, Sony opted for a 5.5-inch 4K display that crams in 801 pixels per inch, roughly twice what you’ll find in the iPhone 7 Plus. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Before there was iPhone, there was 3310. After its launch in 2000, Nokia sold more than 125 million models of its indestructible candybar, turning Snake into a cultural icon and searing that tinkling ringtone permanently into the back of your mind. If you didn't own one, you probably knew someone who did. And you were probably jealous. It's been almost 17 years since the 3310 first came out. In that time the Nokia brand has been bought, sold, and stripped for parts. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Some of the best Instagram content tells a story in pictures—maybe with a snap-zoom, or a good ol’ “who wore it best” between Rihanna and Patrick the Starfish. But doingthis requires using aclunky collage-making app. That’s frustrating, because Instagramputs carousel-style ads in your feed and long alluded to making the same tools available to everyone. That’s finally changing, because Instagram now allows more than one picture per post. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Technology offers plenty of ways to smartify your home. Some prefer the DIY approach—cobbling together an array of NFC antennae and some Arduino boards to make the coffee maker deliver a fresh, hot cup at sunrise—but that’s a giant pain in the ass. Turn your lights on and off from anywhere on Earth---cool huh? Breezy set-up. Simple design. The Wemo app is delightful to use. Bark at Alexa or Google to toggle power. Connects to dozens of internet services through IFTTT. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Beards are all the rage right now, but for the baby-faced, facial hair just looks wrong. Photos of my misguided mid-’90s goatee back this up. But just because you might want a hairless chin doesn’t mean you want bother of shaving with a razor. Solution: The electric razor, Jacob Schick’s 1923 invention and the morning savior of many a lazy man. I’ve used electrics exclusively for more than a decade. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In the summer months of 2015, Jeffrey Schnapp and a few of his colleagues started collecting rideables. The hoverboard craze was in full swing, and OneWheels and Boosteds were showing up on roads and sidewalks. Schnapp and his co-founders rode, drove, and crashed everything they could find. For Schnapp, a Harvard professor and longtime technologist with a shaved head, pointy goatee, and a distinct Ben Kingsley vibe, this was market research. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices