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The Apple Vision Pro Lives Deep in the Uncanny Valley

The Apple Vision Pro Lives Deep in the Uncanny Valley

Apple’s first ever mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro, arrives tomorrow. Apple has a knack for revitalizing and legitimizing a product category—something that the face computer market really needs right now. But there are some hangups that could limit its initial success: the Vision Pro’s exorbitant $3,499 price tag, the tethered battery pack, and the mere handful of apps available on the device at launch. These issues point to this headset being more of a development kit than a fully realized product for now. It’s a beautiful machine, but its true potential may not be realized for some time.

This week on Gadget Lab, WIRED reviews editor Julian Chokkattu joins us to chat about the Apple Vision Pro and whether it’s going to be the device that finally kicks off the face computer revolution. We also talk about the ways Apple is trying to make the headset disappear as part of the experience, both in the virtual space and in the physical realm.

Show Notes

Read Julian’s hands-on experience with the Apple Vision Pro. Read Lauren’s story about the Apple Vision Pro’s battery pack. Read Boone Ashworth on the current situation with apps and developers.

Recommendations

Julian recommends Thumbtack, a platform to connect homeowners with service vendors. Lauren recommends butter lettuce. Mike recommends the Scottish police show Shetland.

Julian Chokkattu can be found on social media @JulianChokkattu. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.

How to Listen

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6 Best Prana Deals Right Now: Jackets, Leggings, and Other Great Apparel on Sale

6 Best Prana Deals Right Now: Jackets, Leggings, and Other Great Apparel on Sale

As I write these very words, I’m wearing my favorite Prana leggings. I’m not the only one on the WIRED Gear team with a favorite (or several) from Columbia Sportswear’s Prana line, and there’s good news! The company is running a sale, so if you’re in the market for fantastic ribbed leggings or a cozy jacket, give these deals a look.

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Prana Deals

Prana Polar Escape Jacket on blue backdrop

Photograph: Prana

Constantly cold? We recommend the half-snap for anyone who is always chilly, but the full-snap jacket is 50 percent off right now and promises to be just as cozy. It has a smooth jersey interior lining like the half-snap, but adds front and back panel detailing to the design along with the full snaps. Like the half-snap, the exterior shell is made of 100 percent recycled polyester.

I’ve always wanted a workout dress. Like WIRED associate reviews editor Adrienne So, I have a short torso—she loves Prana’s Luxara exercise dress for its adjustable straps that fit petite torsos like ours. Only certain colors are on sale. Bonus, it’s made of mostly recycled nylon.

Model wearing Prana Becksa Leggings

Photograph: Amazon

Those leggings I mentioned? It’s this one. I own three pairs, and the very first pair I bought three or four years ago still holds up and fits like my newer pairs. The ribbed material is both fitted and forgiving, two words I usually wouldn’t pair together. These leggings have seen me through everything from postpartum to rock climbing up a massive indoor wall. There’s a pocket on either side that’s large enough to fit the latest iPhones (though I’ve never stuffed a Max, so your mileage may vary if your phone is extra large).

WIRED commerce director Martin Cizmar recommends the Zion Stretch Pants for the great cut and sturdy yet flexible fabric. They’re made from almost entirely recycled nylon. These pants are designed for the outdoors with roll-up leg snaps and a webbing-adjustable waistband for bouldering, mesh-lined pockets, plus a concealed zipper pocket, and an elastic key loop. It promises UPF 50+ sun protection for your legs too. Martin likes that the cut sits between trendy wide-legged pants and tighter pant styles.

Prana Chalk Bag

Photograph: REI

While I’m tempted to get a fourth pair of my favorite leggings, what I need is a new chalk bag. I’m back at the rock climbing gym after jumping on a New Year’s sale, and wow, my hands need all the chalk they can get to stay on even a V0. We’ve all got to start (or restart, in my case) somewhere. Prana’s chalk bag and belt combo is one of our recommendations for rock climbing gear if you’re just getting into the sport like I am.

Speaking of climbing gear we love, the Halle pants are made for climbing, hiking, or just about any other outdoor activity you can think of. Adrienne liked the original. Stock is very low and only one color is available right now at this sale price.

The ‘Take Our Border Back’ Convoy Is Already a Complete Mess

The ‘Take Our Border Back’ Convoy Is Already a Complete Mess

Finally, after a prayer from a pastor linked to the Church Militant, a far-right religious website, the convoy rolled out an hour later than scheduled and headed down I-95. It was spearheaded by a bus covered in MAGA slogans.

Almost immediately, one of the vehicles in the convoy got lost, according to messages posted in the Zello walkie talkie app that the group is using to communicate while on the road. Later, when the convoy linked up to discuss evening plans, the meeting quickly descended into an argument about where they were going to be staying. Even trying to meet up at a gas station was difficult: Due to the size of a Buc-ees in South Carolina, convoy members couldn’t locate each other.

A few hours into the trip, the lead bus pulled over onto the highway shoulder and kicked out one of the people onboard, who had traveled on his own from Washington, DC. It was unclear exactly why he was ejected, but the man, who is part of a group that protests daily in support of people jailed for rioting at the Capitol on January 6, was left stranded in Florence, South Carolina without his wallet, according to details discussed on a livestream of someone in contact with the man.

Throughout the day, the half-dozen people livestreaming the convoy spent much of their time responding to questions from some of the thousands of people watching.

Most of the questions were about the conspiracy that the convoy is a “setup” by the federal government to “entrap patriots.” That sense of paranoia has been present in the group from the very beginning, according to leaks of the group’s chats on Discord: “This will end up loaded with trolls and feds in no time,” one member wrote a week ago.

Paranoia was also prevalent on the Telegram channels used to coordinate the convoy in different parts of the country. “I hope it’s not another J6 trap. People need to pray for discernment about this. But after 3 years of this people are sick of it,” one member wrote, referring to the widely debunked conspiracy that the Capitol insurrection was a left-wing plan to trap Trump supporters.

On Monday, after the cars had started on the road, organizers issued a press release, claiming “groups are forming to infiltrate the convoy.” The statement also claims that “nowhere on the website does it say anything about the convoy going to the border,” which is inaccurate, as the route for the main convoy clearly states the final destination is Eagle Pass.

Additionally, one of the organizers of the convoy, Pete Chambers, told Alex Jones last week that his plan included traveling to the border to hunt migrants and work with local law enforcement to capture them. Among those traveling with the convoy, multiple people on Monday mentioned going to Eagle Pass. “We’re all going to the border,” one member declared on the livestream on Monday night.

The George Carlin ‘AI’ Standup Creators Now Say a Human Wrote the Jokes

The George Carlin ‘AI’ Standup Creators Now Say a Human Wrote the Jokes

The estate of George Carlin has filed a federal lawsuit against the comedy podcast Dudesy for an hour-long comedy special sold as an AI-generated impression of the late comedian. But a representative for one of the podcast hosts behind the special now admits that it was actually written by a human.

In the lawsuit, filed by Carlin manager Jerold Hamza in a California district court, the Carlin estate points out that the special, “George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead,” (which was set to “private” on YouTube shortly after the lawsuit was filed) presents itself as being created by an AI trained on decades worth of Carlin’s material. That training would, by definition, involve making “unauthorized copies” of “Carlin’s original, copyrighted routines” without permission in order “to fabricate a semblance of Carlin’s voice and generate a Carlin stand-up comedy routine,” according to the lawsuit.

“Defendants’ AI-generated ‘George Carlin Special’ is not a creative work,” the lawsuit reads, in part. “It is a piece of computer-generated click-bait which detracts from the value of Carlin’s comedic works and harms his reputation. It is a casual theft of a great American artist’s work.”

The Dudesy special is presented as an “impression” of Carlin that the AI generated by “listening” to Carlin’s existing material “in the exact same way a human impressionist would.” But the lawsuit takes direct issue with this analogy, arguing that an AI model is just an “output generated by a technological process that is an unlawful appropriation of Carlin’s identity, which also damages the value of Carlin’s real work and his legacy.”

The use of copyrighted material in AI training models is one of the most contentious and unsettled areas of law in the AI field at the moment. Just this month, media organizations testified before Congress to argue against AI makers’ claims that training on news content was legal under a “fair use” exemption.

“It’s a Fictional Podcast Character”

Despite the presentation as an AI creation, there was a good deal of evidence that the Dudesy podcast and the special itself were not actually written by an AI, as Ars laid out in detail this week. And in the wake of this lawsuit, a representative for Dudesy host Will Sasso admitted as much to The New York Times.

“It’s a fictional podcast character created by two human beings, Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen,” spokeswoman Danielle Del told the newspaper. “The YouTube video ‘I’m Glad I’m Dead’ was completely written by Chad Kultgen.”

Regardless of that admission, Carlin estate lawyer Josh Schiller told the Times that the lawsuit would move forward. “We don’t know what they’re saying to be true,” he said. “What we will know is that they will be deposed. They will produce documents, and there will be evidence that shows one way or another how the show was created.”

Names and Likenesses

A human writing a stand-up special that was merely inspired by Carlin’s work would likely not be subject to the same kind of potential copyright claims as the makers of an AI explicitly trained on that work. But even a fully human-written special would be guilty of unauthorized use of Carlin’s name and likeness for promotional purposes, according to the lawsuit.

“Defendants always presented the Dudesy Special as an AI-generated George Carlin comedy special, where George Carlin was ‘resurrected’ with the use of modern technology,” the lawsuit argues. “In short, Defendants sought to capitalize on the name, reputation, and likeness of George Carlin in creating, promoting, and distributing the Dudesy Special and using generated images of Carlin, Carlin’s voice, and images designed to evoke Carlin’s presence on a stage.”

The 10 Best Travel Adapters (2024): Plug and Universal Adapters

The 10 Best Travel Adapters (2024): Plug and Universal Adapters

With a familiar sliding pin design, this adapter also covers more than 200 countries. Taller and heavier than our top pick, this is OneAdaptr’s most powerful release to date, and it employs gallium nitride technology to deliver up to 100 watts. Aside from the universal AC outlet, you will find two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports on the bottom. Both USB-C ports offer 100-watt charging, and both USB-A ports are 18 watts, but 100 watts is the maximum in total, so when you plug in multiple devices, it divides between them.

Almost every charging standard you can think of is supported, including PD 3.0, QC 4+, FCP, SCP, AFC, PPS, and more, so there’s a good chance you can charge your phone at the fastest rate possible. There is no grounding, so don’t plug in any gadget with a third metal pin. But there is a 10-amp fuse with a spare included, and this adapter conforms to IEC 60884, CE, and FCC standards. If you want more power or feel you can make do with less, we also tested and liked the OneWorld135 ($109) and the OneWorld30 ($39).

Note: We have tested OneAdaptr’s range extensively and found they work well, but the company has had issues fulfilling orders, and we are concerned about the volume of negative reviews online. The company assured us that it has recently taken steps to improve fulfilment and customer service, and we will continue to monitor the situation.