Jun 9, 2021 1:00 AM

A mystery cube, a secret identity, and a puzzle solved after 15 years

In 2005, an alternate reality game asked players to find a man named Satoshi based just on a photograph. Fifteen years later, the mystery was solved

ON SUNDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2007, as the Sun rose over Wakerley Great Wood in Northamptonshire, Andy Darley trudged into the ancient forest with a map and a spade, and began to dig. The clock was ticking – others were closing in. Darley, a web designer from Middlesex, near London, had made three trips here in as many days. The previous night he had caught a glimpse of a torch in the darkness – if he didn’t find what he was looking for soon, someone else would.

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TopicsGaming culture internet culture July / August 2021 Issue

With One Million Displaced, Lebanon Turns to Digital Wallets for Aid

Amid mass displacement and collapsing trust in institutions, digital wallets are becoming critical conduits for aid, connecting diaspora donors directly with communities on the ground.

Carla Sertin

Opposing ICE Might Save the Country. It Could Also Ruin Your Life

For months, lone vibe coder Rafael Concepcion has obsessively built tools to counter the federal immigration crackdown—pivoting as he’s been outmatched. He’s also lost his job and become a target.

Brendan I. Koerner

Duolingo’s Luis von Ahn Wants to Delete the Blockchain

This has nothing to do with the crypto he lost the password for.

Katie Drummond

Two Literal Crypto Bros Built a Real Estate Empire. Then the Homes Started to Fall Apart

In 2019, two Canadian brothers blew into Detroit with an irresistible pitch: For $50, almost anyone could become a property owner. When houses decayed and the city intervened, the blame games began.

Joel Khalili

Hassan Took a Bike Ride. Now He’s One of the Thousands Missing in Gaza

In a place denied access to basic forensic technology—and where people disappear into Israeli detention—the fate of thousands remains unknown. One of them is an autistic teenager.

Mahmoud Mushtaha

‘We Were Not Ready for This’: Lebanon's Emergency System Is Hanging by a Thread

In Lebanon, nearly 1 in 5 people has been displaced by Israeli attacks, leaving the government to manage a modern crisis without modern digital infrastructure.

Carla Sertin

Unmasking the Paramilitary Agents Behind Trump’s Violent Immigration Crackdown

A WIRED analysis of DHS records identified dozens of specialized federal agents who used force against US civilians during the largest known deployment of its kind in US history.

Ali Winston

When Satellite Data Becomes a Weapon

As war reshapes the Gulf, the satellite infrastructure the world relies on to see conflict clearly is being delayed, spoofed, and privately controlled—and nobody is sure who is responsible.

Gia Chaudry

ICE Is Paying Salaries and More for This Town’s Entire Police Force

Under a Homeland Security program, police departments around the US are signing up to assist in immigration enforcement. The cops of Carroll, New Hampshire, are going all in—and they’re likely not alone.

Sammy Sussman

The Best Podcasts for Everyone

Get your fix of tech, true crime, pop culture, or comedy with these audio adventures.

Simon Hill

How the Vision Pro Rollout Inflamed Tensions at Apple

Even before the headset’s release, the workforce at Apple Stores was under duress. Trying to get customers interested in the Vision Pro made it worse.

Noam Scheiber

A Mysterious Numbers Station Is Broadcasting Through the Iran War

First heard as US and Israeli strikes on Iran began, the shortwave broadcast has since been traced to a US military base in Germany—but its purpose and its operator remain unclear.

Ruchi Kumar

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