Agent Topple's mustache does its dirty work, and Nicole brokers a deal for peace. But why is the NSA collecting millions of Instagram brunch photos? And if your waffles have nothing to hide, what are they so worried about?

The National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y. recently acquired one of the largest collections of Japanese and European video games. From Mother to Zool to Doshin the Giant, Game|Life editor Chris Kohler gets the first look at the incredible rarities.

The Transformer known as Bumblebee keeps changing his alternative automobile form, and Chris Baker is issuing a moving violation. Is the Autobot a VW Bug? Or a mustang? A station wagon? A Zamboni?! Stop the madness!

Chris Kohler gets hands on at the National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y., by testing out working models of rare arcade games, including a Hercules pinball machine, ActRaiser, and Nintendo Super System.

Velvet Revolver and former Guns N’ Roses guitarist, Slash, sits down to talk about scoring Anthony Leonardi III’s new horror flick, Nothing Left to Fear.

The library at the National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y., boasts a rare collection of strategy guides, designs, and background materials from old-school video games. Chris Kohler takes a look at the original documents from classic games, including Wizard and the Princess, Mystery House, and King’s Quest II.

At the National Museum of Play, Chris Kohler visits an exhibit all about classic video game maker Atari, and he gets hands-on inside the museum’s lab of rare games.

Thor’s hammer Mjölnir is undoubtedly one of the most badass superhero weapons around. But its physics-defying and trajectory-changing travel powers are too much for Angry Nerd to handle. A majestic hammer...come on!

We got the PlayStation 4! Sony’s new console comes out on November 15 in the US, but we went to Sony’s Tokyo HQ and asked engineering director Yasuhiro Ootori to give WIRED an exclusive look inside the new system—literally. Like, he takes it apart piece by piece and explains what all the parts do, and how they fit together.

Sony’s PlayStation 4 console could re-define the gaming industry. Lead system architect Mark Cerny and Sony Computer Entertainment execs Andrew House and Shuhei Yoshida explain how—with footage (including an exclusive) from the new games designed to take advantage of the new system.

Bill Gates and President Bill Clinton have managed to transition from Microsoft co-founder and former U.S. commander-in-chief to hands-on philanthropists. With a passion for charity and aid work, the two describe their health- and education-focused initiatives, and explain why their statuses don’t mean squat when they’re helping out in developing nations. For more from Bill Gates and President Clinton, check out the December 2013 issue of WIRED.

Parks and Recreation’s Aubrey Plaza sits down with the To Do List’s writer-director Maggie Carey, and co-star Alia Shawkat to talk about starring in the coming-of-age comedy, and how she used the director’s high school diaries for inspiration in her role.

Take a look inside the first commercial-scale solar energy plant to use nothing more than the sun, molten salt, and a whole lot of mirrors to send power to the people. If the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy facility works as promised, it could be a model for the future of renewable energy.

Outside Tonopah, Nev., a construction team of 600 is working to get the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy project up and running by 2014. WIRED has an exclusive look inside the construction of this first-of-its-kind renewable-energy power plant.

MIT Surveillance Video of Aaron Swartz, January 2011

Agent Topple attempts to get some holiday spirit.

For years, it’s been a fantasy cinema rule that real actors and CG dragons just don’t mix—ever. With the new release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, will Peter Jackson be able to avoid the pitfalls of the disastrous dragons featured in flicks like Dragonheart, Reign of Fire, and Eragon?

Belkin’s Conserve Insight energy monitor tells you how much juice—and dough—your appliances are using so you can decide what’s worth plugging in.

Amazon’s turned a new page with its latest Paperwhite e-reader. See what’s been upgraded and what’s been ditched in favor of the new model.

The Hozuki lantern from Snow Peak goes for versatility around the campsite—both inside and outside the tent.

Find out how animation company Animal Logic used complex feather and muscle simulation systems to depict the prehistoric animals in Walking With Dinosaurs.

Consider it electronic Lego. littleBits consists of tiny modules that snap together to form circuits, creating simple devices and teaching basic electronics.

This steel toolbox from Japanese brand Trusco adds a double-hinged lid and some slick design to the classic form.

With its heavy anodized aluminum mold, Cocktail Kingdom’s Ice Ball Maker transforms cubes into spheres for ice that lasts longer than your typical bricks from a tray.

In this World Economic Forum discussion, Johan Rockström, executive director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, proposes a new scientific framework called Planetary Boundaries—a way of thinking about consumption and sustainability that could help keep Earth habitable.

Logitech’s UE Boom combines Bluetooth streaming with a circular design that offers 360-degree sound.

Check out WIRED's music issue featuring Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson at: http://www.wired.com/listen Music: "Unfound" Performed by Kooley High Written Napoleon Wright II, Charlie Smarts, Tab-One, Homeboy Sandman

The Philips Hue Connected Light Bulbs lets you set the mood—or not—with a digital app to control the color and brightness of the bulbs with just a few swipes.

Seth Meyers is ready to take over the Late Night throne, but with an antiquated show formula riddled with predictable monologues, commercials, celebrity interviews, commercials, skits—and did we mention more commercials?—how can the former S.N.L. star break out from the rest of the late night pack? Angry Nerd offers a simple solution.

It’s small in size, but packs the strong, flavorful punch that comes from a French press, with the clean and simple design of a drip coffee.

Director Peter Jackson and FXguide’s Mike Seymour reveal how a pivotal seven-minute action sequence in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was created with a combined 98 hours of footage from aerial shots, green-screen sets, live-action shoots, and complex CG environments.

Pertinent question about the Mr. Peabody and Sherman cartoon: Why? It's a half-century-old cartoon with no brand recognition. But more to the point, all these expensive reboots tend to take away the things that made the original kids' shows…weird.

Aimed at helping multisport athletes improve their training, the GPS-enabled timepiece stores running, swimming, and cycling stats all on your wrist, while also tracking heart rate.

Tykes can construct an edible Jurassic park with these 3-D cookie cutters that create easy-to-assemble dino shapes. Plus, the little ones will get a firsthand lesson in extinction once they devour the after-school treats.

Oxygen is your friend. Unless you’re wine. The Coravin 1000 forces the frenemies to play nice by penetrating the cork with a long needle and pushing argon in, allowing the wine to flow out without opening the entire bottle.

Elevate bike gear with functional front and taillights in a sleek, smart design that snaps together easily with magnets.

All it took was a little geometry to perfect the adult man’s alternative to a backpack. The Evernote messenger bag features a triangular shape that offers stability and keeps the bag upright when you set it down.

Sorry Apple, sometimes your standard iPhone weather app just doesn’t cut it. Aside from the expected temperature and humidity metrics, Netatmo’s Weather Station app also offers data on sound pollution and CO2 concentration.

In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Jamie Foxx stars as Electro, the glowing antagonist to Andrew Garfield’s Spidey. In this video, learn how Sony Pictures Imageworks used a combination of makeup and CGI to turn the Academy Award winner into a blue, electrically-charged villain--with inspiration from lightning, neurological networks, and nebulas.

The 195-horsepower engine isn’t exactly meant for a daily commute. But Ducati’s 1199 Panigale S has a slew of features and the aerodynamics, torque, and weight reduction to make it one of the fastest production motorcycles in the world. Transportation editor Damon Lavrinc tests out the bike and talks to Ducati designers to see how they engineered one of the lightest street motorcycles on the market.

The makers of the new Godzilla movie are taking great pains to telegraph their deep reverence for kaiju cinema. In other words, they want us to know they won’t screw it up like Roland Emmerich did in 1998. Angry Nerd makes the case for why we should believe them.

After Roland Emmerich missed the mark with Godzilla in 1998, we had reason to be skeptical of Gareth Edwards’ new remake. Fxguide’s Mike Seymour goes inside the special effects behind the latest incarnation, in which effects company MPC designed the largest Godzilla yet, featuring an animalistic appearance with anthropomorphized traits.

The House of Mouse might be onto something: Forget the hero and make the villain the star. Disney’s new film Maleficent does just that and it actually…kind of…works. Angry Nerd explains the pros of putting the evil queens and wicked witches front and center.

Chris Dixon, general partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, thinks you should reconsider the power of bitcoin. In conversation with WIRED’s Steven Levy, the tech entrepreneur and investor explains why the digital payment system has the potential to enable new behaviors and innovations.

We set out on a three-day, off-road adventure into the Cascade Mountains of Washington State to test the best gear for getting away from it all.  Music - “Let the Black Horse Ride” Performed By: BROTHERS NYC (brothersnyc.com)

Founder and COO of Unruly Media, Sarah Wood, explains the myths, value, and impact of video content in an evolving digital landscape.

Ever wonder what you'd do if a gang of genetically engineered apes took over the planet? Host Quinn Beswick talks to scientists, sociologists, and survivalists for tips on what to do if you find yourself in a real-life Dawn of the Planet of the Apes situation.

Now you know what to do if a Planet of the Apes situation occurs, but is an ape takeover actually plausible? Host Quinn Beswick breaks down the likelihood of a primate invasion.

In the latest incarnation of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell deliver human motion-capture performances to help bring the realistic apes to life. Shot with a combination of high-speed cameras, Mike Seymour breaks down the tech behind shooting the motion-capture scenes on location versus on a sound stage.

Angry Nerd is hungry for some new material. Instead of force-feeding us cinematic souvlaki with CGI blowouts of Greek-inspired story lines, maybe it's time to look beyond the Peloponnesian lore. And no, Brett Ratner, we will not be entertained with your upcoming Hercules starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.