They’re tiny, sticky pieces that pack a big punch. From hydrogen peroxide to sodium hydroxide, find out which ingredients make up teeth whitening strips, and how they work together to transform coffee- and tartar-stained teeth into pearly whites.

It’s the time of the year for counting blessings and giving thanks. And the Angry Nerd is most thankful for the cancellation of Futurama—because it let the show go out on a high note (and avoid a slow decline, like so many other one-time favorites).

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.

Has everyone finished panicking about Ben Affleck being cast as the Dark Knight in Batman vs. Superman? Because the Angry Nerd thinks you should chill—Affleck could totally pull this off. (Just think of Daredevil as a…starter superhero movie.)

The Angry Nerd has read your comments about his loathing of Kick-Ass 2 and the trend of real-life people who become cosplay vigilantes. You have failed to convince him to change his position on the subject.

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?

Soon, the sharpest-dressed people will be wearing computers. Wearable technology will surpass fitness trackers and Google Glass to become as important as the smartphone, the primary interface through which we experience the world. For the January issue, industrial design firm Branch envisioned the classy wearable of the future for our cover, and senior editor Bill Wasik's feature laid out a roadmap for how we'll get there.

A quest for films that genuinely reflect the spirit of the holidays leads the Angry Nerd to create an all-new celebration in honor of the best Christmas movie-maker of all time: Shane Black.

It’s an outdoor version of the claw game, but with fast, low flying helicopters as the claw and Christmas trees as the prize. At the Hunter Family Farm in Olympia, Wash., helicopter pilots fly across nearly 400 acres, picking up bundles of trees and transporting them, so they can be processed and loaded for your holiday pleasure.

Seeing carnage through a character’s eyes used to mean something. Nowadays, Hollywood is wasting POV shots in sci-fi films like Vin Diesel’s Riddick. Angry Nerd explains why these fancy-schmancy first-person perspectives are failing, and he issues the Tinseltown execs an ultimatum.

Udacity CEO and co-founder Sebastian Thrun explains why self-driving cars are the future and Holy Grail for road safety. In this World Economic Forum discussion, the engineer and innovator describes how the auto-cruising vehicles will transform society and save lives.

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

You'd think the Angry Nerd would be square in the targeting sights of The Big Bang Theory. You'd think he'd love the show. And yet…and yet….

How do you feed the world, make biofuel, and remain sustainable? In this World Economic Forum discussion, MIT chemical engineer Kristala Prather says that microbes might provide an answer.

With Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, the House of Mouse and J.J. Abrams are well on their way to destroying all that’s right with Star Wars…or are they? Angry Nerd poses an alternate ending to the Walt and George partnership.

Consider it sound you can see. Find out how Ashik and Jenelle Mohan of Born of Sound are using audio recordings to create works of art, bringing to life a child’s laugh or heartbeat in a fluid, vibrant print. Brought to you by Intel.

Is the education system ready for a revolution? In this World Economic Forum discussion Jose Ferreira, CEO and founder of Knewton, explains how a more personalized, adaptive program would increase access to education and improve the quality of teaching.

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.

A kick-ass lady protagonist? Check. Greek mythology? Check. Comic book source material? Check. Wonder Woman has all the ingredients for a hit TV series. So…where is it?

Jay Silver and his co-founder's concept was simple: Hook up everyday objects to small circuits and turn them into touchpads. See how their MaKey MaKey invention kit is changing the way we interact with the world. Brought to you by Intel.

They’ve resurrected RoboCop and we can’t figure out why. Actor Joel Kinnaman has a big helmet to fill, and considering all of the outrageous changes that have been made to the reboot, Angry Nerd is doubtful that the new cyborg will live up to the task.

Digital Edition on sale 2.18.14 On Newsstands 2.25.14

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

Check out WIRED's music issue featuring Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson at: http://www.wired.com/listen Music: "Ya Times Up" Performed by Kooley High Written Foolery, Charlie Smarts, Tab-One, Rapsody, DJ Ill Digitz

Check out WIRED's music issue featuring Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson at: http://www.wired.com/listen Music: "Big Headed" Performed by Kooley High Written DJ Prince, Charlie Smarts, Tab-One

Check out WIRED's music issue featuring Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson at: http://www.wired.com/listen Music: THEESatisfaction "Existinct"

David Eisenberg, co-founder and CEO of Floored, explains how his company transforms real estate floor plans into 3D experiences using Intel's agile technology, allowing consumers to skip the walkthrough and take a virtual 3D tour instead. Brought to you by Intel.

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.

Temperature, carbon output, water usage—that's all data that a farmer could use to get better crops. And it's also available, via satellite, to the average smart phone. In this World Economic Forum discussion, Wim Bastiaanssen, a water resource engineer at Delft University, argues that this tech could someday feed the world.

It’s excruciatingly dull and doesn’t even feature the most important awards on the telecast—highlighting best actor over best scientific and technical achievement? The nerve! Angry Nerd offers advice on how to improve this year’s Oscar awards ceremony.

Infrared5 co-founders Chris and Rebecca Allen are revolutionizing the multi-screen experience. With their popular computer game Brass Monkey they’re bringing people together with socially, multi-screen experiences that turn smart phones into game controllers and PC/Tablets into consoles. Brought to you by Intel.

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.

For the latest reboot of sci-fi classic RoboCop, filmmakers opted for a mix of visual effects to achieve a realistic look. Fxguide’s Mike Seymour dives into the combination of creating a special effects suit for star Joel Kinnaman to wear, and the post CGI work that helped bring the half-man/half-robot to life.

Should people have the same rights and obligations online as they do in the real world? MIT computer scientist Alex “Sandy” Pentland explains how developing social networks as trusted networks will help establish a sustainable digital ecology for years to come.

CuteCircuit co-founder and creative director Francesca Rosella believes in technology you can wear. She explains how, with the help of co-founder Ryan Genz, CuteCircuit is able to create interactive fashion—like a dress that’s illuminated by LED lights or a skirt that displays a message—with technology that integrates seamlessly into garments. Brought to you by Intel

Veronica Mars fans pledged more than $5 million on Kickstarter to get a film adaptation of the show off the ground. And while Angry Nerd is all for crowdfunding for a good cause, when it comes to fans calling the shots in return for financial backing, the money-making model might end up causing more harm than good.

Hollywood is always trying to sell us crazy computer interfaces. Wavy hands and holograms? Never gonna happen. But now Fox News is in on the game, too—and the Angry Nerd is unfairly unbalanced about the network's giant, newsgathering touch screens.

Solar, wind, and nuclear don’t make climate change worse, but they don’t meet the world’s energy needs. What can? Coal, and in the April issue Charles C. Mann writes about cleaning up the dirty, cheap fuel. Also this month: keeping your garden green, how mobile messaging captured our kids (and $19 billion from Facebook), and Mike Judge takes on Silicon Valley.

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.

Angry Nerd is ready to demote Captain America from his current rank to lieutenant. In the Marvel superhero’s newest movie adaptation, his vibranium shield defies everything that physics and materials science has taught us. Angry Nerd calls blasphemy on the ingredient-altered shield.

And on the eighth day, we got apps. Fxguide’s Mike Seymour details the how the upcoming blockbuster, Noah, was able to control the mechanics of a giant custom rain machine in a studio that size of two football fields with the use of a single iPad app.

By implanting a tiny computer chip into the brain and decoding the data that’s produced, Brown neuroscientist John Donoghue is hoping to help people with paralysis reconnect to the world around them. In this World Economic Forum discussion he explains how.

There’s a massive publishing gap in the books that Game of Thrones is based off of, and Angry Nerd is concerned that the show could catch up to the plot before the next book is out. But, one simple solution could solve everything.

Industrial Light & Magic was tasked with updating the helicarriers in the new film Captain America: The Winter Soldier. FXguide’s Mike Seymour talks to the visual effects company to find out what new details were added to the S.H.I.E.L.D. aircrafts, and how the effects team created a digital modeling environment for the epic helicarrier crash scene.

Is it possible to scientifically prevent depression? In this World Economic Forum discussion, University of Oxford molecular psychiatrist Jonathan Flint explains the research he’s doing to uncover the genetic and biological basis of disorders like depression, in order to help develop better therapies.

First Transformers, then G.I. Joe, now Magic: The Gathering? When will Hasbro learn that a successful game or toy does not equal a successful movie franchise?

In this World Economic Forum discussion, game designer and Georgia Tech professor Ian Bogost explains why we should look to video games to help address complex social issues.

Put a bit of facial hair (or swap hair color) for your protagonist and you get an evil twin. But just because you can doesn't mean you should. The Angry Nerd describes the slippery slope from plot twist to lazy trope.

With optogenetics, the ability to restore and enhance brain function is becoming a reality. In this World Economic Forum discussion, Nature magazine neuroscience editor I-han Chou explains how the radical method works and the ethical issues it could cause.