This year WIRED ramped up its longstanding commitment to publishing deeply reported narratives and investigations, both online and in print. In the process we covered everything from a strange pink pigment to a casino hacking caper to an obsessed robot-making scientist. Our writers spanned the globe, alighting in Japan, France, Silicon Valley, and Kansas. As 2017 comes to a close, here's one features editor's picks—in chronological order—of the year's best.
Welcome to Poppy's World
Pop singer? YouTube star? Cult leader? Whoever she is, Poppy is here to take over the internet.
—Lexi Pandell, June 4
How an Entire Nation Became Russia's Test Lab for Cyberwar
Blackouts in Ukraine were just a trial run. Russian hackers are learning to sabotage infrastructure—and the US could be next.
—Andy Greenwald, June 20
Art Fight! The Pinkest Pink Versus the Blackest Black
Nanotube-based Vantablack was aimed at engineers. Then a famous sculptor locked it up—and the artistic community found this unpalatable.
—Adam Rogers, June 22
A Murder Shatters the Dreams of Immigrant Tech Workers
When an Indian tech worker is fatally shot in Kansas, the immigrant community grieves—and reconsiders its place in America.
—Lauren Smile, June 27
The Epic Untold Story of Nike's (Almost) Perfect Marathon
Nike's quest to break the two-hour marathon did not go as planned. But when you're pushing the limits of human performance, nothing ever does.
—Ed Caesar, June 29
A Son's Race to Give His Dying Father Artificial Immortality
For months, he recorded his dying father's life story. Then he used it to re-create his dad as an AI.
—James Vlahos, July 18
Meet Alex, the Russian Casino Hacker Who Makes Millions Targeting Slot Machines
A mathematician-turned-criminal unleashes his agents on casinos around the world. But there’s money in the extortion racket, too.
—Brendan I. Koerner, August 5
Is Mindfulness Meditation a Capitalist Tool or a Path to Enlightenment? Yes
—Robert Wright, August 12
Instagram's Kevin Systrom Wants to Clean up the &#%$@! Internet
—Nicholas Thompson, August 14
Chill: Robots Won't Take Our Jobs
Everyone thinks automation will wipe out employment across the economy. The evidence disagrees.
—James Surowiecki, August 16
This Big Beef Exposes the Ugly Underbelly of Vegan Vlogging
A troll who calls himself the Vegan Cheetah revels in being a bully. Now, one of his harassment targets is taking him to court.
—Roni Jacobson, August 23
Inside an Epic Hotel Room Hack
A global vulnerability in hotel keycard locks was a security disaster—and, for one burglar, the opportunity of a lifetime.
—Andy Greenwald August 29
The Inside Story of the Great Silicon Heist
The tech economy runs on highly purified polysilicon. It’s pricey and difficult to trace. Two Alabama factory workers found it surprisingly easy to steal.
—Brendan I. Koerner, September 26
Love in the Time of Robots
Hiroshi Ishiguro builds androids. Beautiful, realistic, uncannily convincing human replicas. Academically, he is using them to understand the mechanics of person-to-person interaction. But his true quest is to untangle the ineffable nature of connection itself.
—Alex Mar, October 17
Tony Fadell's Next Act? Taking on Silicon Valley—from Paris
Tony Fadell co-created the iPod and Nest, then lost control of them. His latest project could be his most ambitious yet.
—Adam Fisher, October 19
'I Forgot My Pin': An Epic Tale of Losing More Than $30,000 in Bitcoin
A veteran tech journalist tries everything, including hypnosis, to recover a small fortune from a locked bitcoin device.
—Mark Frauenfelder, October 29
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