In season four of Game of Thrones a combination of CGI and live character action were used to create impressive fight scenes and stunning visual effects. Mike Seymour breaks down the tech behind the hit HBO show.

They each won $100,000 to change the world. Find out how the 2014 Thiel Fellows are planning to do it—all in under 60 seconds.

It took almost a year to arrange to interview and photograph Edward Snowden in Moscow, where he has sought asylum. Author James Bamford and photographer Platon reflect back on their encounters with the elusive whistleblower.

Dispatched to Moscow, famed portrait photographer Platon captured a never-before-seen side of Edward Snowden for WIRED. In this riveting montage, the elusive whistleblower explains the thinking behind his decision to reveal the extent of domestic surveillance being conducted by US intelligence services.

Just how does a giant creature get its realistic, custom fur? Find out, as we break down the process of fur fabrication for this year's massive beast.

What inspires a 17-year-old to go into cancer research or a 19-year-old to develop an obsession with astrophysics? Find out, as the 2014 Thiel Fellows explain how they first discovered their passions and why they've decided to turn them into careers.

Award-winning author James Bamford spent three days interviewing Edward Snowden in Moscow. He emerged with an indelible portrait of the elusive whistleblower, one that sheds new light on exactly what led Snowden to decide to leak tens of thousands of top-secret documents. Also in this month's issue: A new scientific effort to understand nutrition and health plus a riveting profile of Sin City auteur Frank Miller.

Watch WIRED editor in chief Scott Dadich take the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge—while doing the math behind how long it would take for every person in the world to have completed the challenge. (Want to check our work? Go to http://wrd.cm/icebucketmath.) Scott's donated to help put an end to ALS. Go to alsa.org to learn how you can help too. Thanks to GQ’s Michael Hainey for the nomination. Scott’s paying it forward: Consider yourselves challenged, Chris Hardwick, Cindi Leive, and Carlton Cuse!

It came out in 1989 and was notoriously tough, but can an original Game Boy hold its own against a sledgehammer-wielding body builder?

Mike Seymour breaks down the tech behind the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles flick, including the facial animation effects. Plus, find out how an improvised, off-camera moment turned into one of the funniest scenes in the movie.

Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig calls for a mayday on democracy and explains how he plans to do so with an innovative Kickstarter campaign.

The new Denzel Washington crime thriller, The Equalizer, is based on the 1980s show of the same name. And while Angry Nerd doesn't really remember much about the show, he does remember the killer opening title sequence.

It’s the most requested gadget we’ve received by far and we’ve finally put it to the test. See what happens when the Nokia “Brick” phone goes swimming in a vat of liquid nitrogen.

Designer Ethan Imboden at WIRED by Design, 2014. In partnership with Skywalker Sound, Marin County, CA. To learn more visit: live.wired.com

Sarah Stein Greenberg at WIRED by Design, 2014. In partnership with Skywalker Sound, Marin County, CA. To learn more visit: live.wired.com

Watching video on the go just got easier with the portable VHS player Rampage VBP1000. With a built-in dual stereo and a battery life of up to 50 minutes, you can watch (part of a) movie anywhere, anytime.

Natasha Jen at WIRED by Design, 2014. In partnership with Skywalker Sound, Marin County, CA. To learn more visit: live.wired.com

It’s been called the worst video game in history, but could E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial really be the cause of Atari’s downfall? In the new documentary “Atari: Game Over” director Zak Penn follows the rise and fall of the trailblazing video game company, including the game that caused Atari’s demise. Watch as Penn takes us behind the scenes of the documentary and shows us exclusive footage ahead of the November 20 release.

Few Hollywood directors can match Christopher Nolan’s ambition, skill, and mind-bending story sense. For our December issue, the man behind Memento, Inception, the Dark Knight trilogy, and Interstellar brings his formidable talents to WIRED as our guest editor.

Why turn one book into one movie, when you can turn it into two? Despite “Mockingjay” being the weakest book in “The Hunger Games” series, movie execs have decided to translate it into a two-part film. Angry Nerd explains why the stretch from one to two is a terrible trend that needs to end.

“Please leave a message after the ….” It’s a phrase we all know, but in 1971 the PhoneMate 400 took voicemail to the next level. Find out why the hi-tech machine changed the answering machine game.

Erik and Justin test out the most stylish gadgets available at this year’s WIRED Store. See what happens when the two get their hands on a Dyson handheld vacuum, the Ballo stool (a sleeker update to the balance ball chair), and a modern, Bluetooth-controlled gramophone.

Animated sequels are nothing compared to their spin-offs. Why watch “Madagascar 4” when the new “Penguins of Madagascar” looks infinitely better and it isn’t bound to the original template? Angry Nerd explains why he’ll take animated spin-offs like “Puss in Boots” to another “Shrek” any day.

What happens when you take hi-tech toys and put them into overdrive? Find out, as Justin and Erik test out a brain-controlled helicopter, littleBits circuit modules, and a wheeling app-controlled robot called Ollie.

Commune at WIRED by Design, 2014. In partnership with Skywalker Sound, Marin County, CA. To learn more visit: live.wired.com

Erik and Justin try out fitness gadgets that promise to take your workout to the next level. Find out how JayBird’s BlueBuds X headphones, Withing’s Pulse 02 watch, and Sunset’s LED skateboard stack up when they get put to the test.

There’s definitely benefits to having friends, but can you have a friend with benefits with one of the parties isn’t actually human? Summer Glau opens up about her close relationship with a 10-foot tall robot.

“Alphas” co-creator Michael Karnow is behind the new series "Jeff 1000,” which stars Summer Glau and David Arquette. Go behind the scenes and see what it’s really like to work with a robot-turned actor.

Some TV shows made us laugh and cry tears of joy this year while others made us want to rip our hair out. Angry Nerd runs down 2014’s top five most frustrating TV moments from "Doctor Who" to "How to Get Away with Murder.”

Can’t make it to the WIRED store in person? Take an exclusive tour of this year’s gadget haven and check out everything the store has to offer with Erik and Justin from Battle Damage.

2014 was the year comic book movies got a little bit more comic book-y. Angry Nerd counts down the top five happenings, from the return of the super heroines to DC's TV domination.

It’s true that the “Jupiter Ascending” trailer makes the otherwise scrumptious Channing Tatum look like the douchiest elf in all of Middle-Earth. But the troubling part of the movie isn’t the prosthetic ears—it’s the insidious idea that only people fated to do great things can become heroes. Angry Nerd has other ideas about saving the world (again).

Love is in the air—literally, 15 feet in the air. Erik and Justin get in the Valentine's Day spirit by doing what they do best—smashing stuff, in this case a box of chocolates, a vase of roses, and a bottle of wine.

Hosts Justin and Erik smashed a lot of stuff in season 1. Check out the best highlights, including never-before-seen footage, and get ready because season 2 is going to be bigger and more destructive than ever before.

In the new series “Agent Carter” Marvel expands its universe to the small screen with help from Industrial Light & Magic. Creating high-quality visual effects was nothing new for the the award-winning team, but working against grueling weekly delivery dates proved to be a monstrous challenge. Mike Seymour finds out how they did it.

We gave tech writer Brent Rose $500 to stress-test Silicon Valley’s overnight sensation, Magic. From meatballs to medicinal cannabis to Mexican wrestling, see what unfolds when he pushes the new text message-based delivery service.

There’s a tech incubator popping up, but it’s not in Silicon Valley—it’s inside San Quentin State Prison. The Last Mile program teaches inmates entrepreneurship skills with the goal that each participant founds a socially conscious, tech-forward company. Award-winning filmmaker Ondi Timoner goes inside the innovative non-profit and follows inmates as they work to craft a business plan, pitch their ideas in front of venture capitalists, and then, transition back into society.

Tech writer Brent Rose debunks a study claiming smartphones are as good as wearables at tracking activity. From the Fitbit Charge HR to the iPhone 6, Brent's stress tests uncover compelling results that demonstrate why wearables with heart rate monitors win.

Designer and JimmyJane Founder Ethan Imboden at The 2015 Adult Novelty Expo, Las Vegas

The new DreamWorks film “Home” commits the worst of all CGI sins. In an attempt to make cute, kid-friendly characters, “Home” ended up with shapeless purple blobs and uninteresting features. What happened to strange and kind of creepy aliens like E.T.?

Meet Huggable Robot—an app-controlled stuffed animal designed by the MIT Media Lab. Created to help young patients who are fighting cancer, Huggable is operated by an expert Child Life Specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital. See the interactive bear in action, and find out how it’s helping to relieve children’s anxiety while engaging with them on an emotional level.

There’s a lot of science at work in Easter egg coloring. The dye needs an acid, usually vinegar, to bond with the egg’s shell. WIRED experiments to find the perfect Ph for egg color that pops.

Peter and Kelli Rubin love TV, movies, and games but don’t always see eye to eye. For Kelli, who worked in advertising, the return of Mad Men is personal. For Peter, it might be the season of Don’s descent.

The new horror movie “Unfriended” uses a screen-capture format to shape the film’s narrative. But guess what? Using Facebook messages, Skype calls, and Gchats to tell a story isn’t innovative, it’s LAZY! Angry Nerd explains why the cyber-horror flick deserves an IRL “dislike."

Peter and Kelli Rubin love TV, movies, and games but don’t always see eye to eye—and the return of Mike Judge's HBO satire is no exception.

The Next List. You don’t know them, but you know their work. WIRED presents the unsung geniuses who are shaping the future of business. Also this month: What it takes to create the most nonstop-action-packed movie ever, how Apple created a watch to finally free us from our phones, Ross Ulbricht’s journey from libertarian idealist to savage kingpin and more.

Computer-generated characters are looking better every year, but there’s one thing that’s not up to technological snuff: the voices. The new Avengers film is no exception—Angry Nerd explains the problem with having Ultron sound exactly like James Spader instead of an evil robot.

The male orgasm is an explosive affair, but the female orgasm? Now, that’s a different story. Find out what’s really going down when a woman gets off.

Nerf is aiming its new shooters at girls. But do kids care about the marketing?

The Avengers return in Age of Ultron. Mike Seymour sat down with the men behind the special effects.