Oct 25, 2015 12:26 PM

Showtime: Russian drone footage of fighting in Damascus

*Looks like Damascus is Grozny with palm trees – the new Chechnya.

https://youtu.be/M0ELAa02TUY

*It's a lot more romantic to watch this with a dreamy techno soundtrack and the Nintendo-War detachment of aerial oversight than it is to try to eat, breathe and sleep in that vicious killing zone that used to be a capital.

No, ICE (Probably) Didn’t Buy Guided Missile Warheads

A federal contracting database lists an ICE payment for $61,218 with the payment code for “guided missile warheads and explosive components.” But it appears ICE simply entered the wrong code.

Climate Change Made Hurricane Melissa 4 Times More Likely, Study Suggests

Unusually warm ocean temperatures fueled one of the worst hurricanes on record. New research finds climate change increased the storm’s likelihood.

Nancy Mace Curses, Berates Confused Cops in Airport Meltdown: Police Report

At an airport in South Carolina on Thursday, US representative Nancy Mace called police officers “fucking incompetent” and berated them repeatedly, according to an incident report.

How to Hack a Poker Game

This week on Uncanny Valley, we break down how one of the most common card shufflers could be altered to cheat, and why that matters—even for those who don’t frequent the poker table.

Historians Don't Think a US Civil War Is Likely—but They're Still Nervous

“The fabric of what binds America together at this point is basically on its final thread,” one source tells WIRED.

Physicists Create a Thermometer for Measuring ‘Quantumness’

“Anomalous” heat flow, which at first appears to violate the second law of thermodynamics, gives physicists a way to detect quantum entanglement without destroying it.

The FTC Is Disappearing Blog Posts About AI Published During Lina Khan’s Tenure

The Federal Trade Commission removed several blog posts in recent months about open source and potential risks to consumers from the rapid spread of commercial AI tools.

In Orbit You Have to Slow Down to Speed Up

Driving a spacecraft around a planet isn’t anything like driving on a planet. A physicist explains orbital navigation.

Teachers Get Death Threats After MAGA Claims Their Halloween Costumes Mocked Charlie Kirk

A Turning Point USA official inaccurately claimed a high school's math department wore Halloween costumes that mocked Charlie Kirk. Those teachers are now facing a flood of online attacks and death threats.

The Government Shutdown Is a Ticking Cybersecurity Time Bomb

Many critical systems are still being maintained, and the cloud provides some security cover. But experts say that any lapses in protections like patching and monitoring could expose government systems.

Unpicking How to Measure the Complexity of Knots

Two mathematicians have proved that a straightforward question—how hard is it to untie a knot?—has a complicated answer.

How Genes Have Harnessed Physics to Grow Living Things

The same pulling force that causes “tears” in a glass of wine also shapes embryos. It’s another example of how genes exploit mechanical forces for growth and development.