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.

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.

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.

Strong and stiff and materials comprised of mostly air are well on their way to commercialization. In this World Economic Forum Discussion, Caltech materials scientist Julia Greer talks about their use in "hierarchal design," and the impact it will have on increased efficiency and the prominence of solar cells.

As the largest producer and consumer of milk in the world, India faces a serious problem when it comes to off-grid dairy farmers. In this World Economic Forum discussion, Promethean Power Systems co-founder Sam White describes his approach to ensuring that milk is properly refrigerated and not spoiled by bacteria.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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: "Unfound" Performed by Kooley High Written Napoleon Wright II, Charlie Smarts, Tab-One, Homeboy Sandman

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"

In this World Economic Forum discussion, Carnegie Mellon roboticist Howard Choset shows how snake-like robots can perform minimally invasive surgeries, decreasing cost and patient recovery time.

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.

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.

Can you reduce an earthquake’s impact before it strikes? In this World Economic Forum discussion, Japan’s director of land and real property market, Satoru Nishikawa, explains how better planning for natural disasters can help us manage catastrophic risk, enabling quicker recovery times.

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.

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.

You know it’s for “short shorts,” but what are the chemical compounds that actually make up the no-shave follicle-removing cream? A handful of skin repair agents and hair removal ingredients intended to leave skin soft and silky smooth.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson sits down to talk about the cultural importance of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos: A Personal Journey, and how he plans to carry on the legacy with his new version of the transformative science exploration show.

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.

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.

In this World Economic Forum discussion, the University of Oxford’s Dr. Sonia Trigueros challenges the way we think about antibiotics and offers an alternative using the power of nanotechnology.

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.

In 1983 after the critical and commercial failure of Atari’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial video game, the company allegedly dumped millions of cartridges into a landfill in Alamogordo, N.M. Now, more than 30 years later, the site is being excavated and filmed for an upcoming docu-series by The Incredible Hulk screenwriter Zak Penn. The day before the big dig we headed south to talk with Penn about the urban legend. Plus, check out our exclusive first look at the excavation site.

It’s been dubbed The Great Video Game Burial of 1983, but did Atari really toss millions of cartridges of its biggest flop: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial? Chris Kohler is onsite to witness an excavation of the landfill to see if the joke’s really on us, and to talk with those involved with the project, including original game designer Howard Scott Warshaw.

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.

Character crossovers and storyline mash-ups are nothing new. But if the premise has been done before, are the character overlaps and reincarnations worth a watch? Angry Nerd makes the case for metaphysical mash-ups, including Showtime’s new “Penny Dreadful.”

In this episode of Teen Technorati, the 40 finalists are split up into teams and tasked with building a bridge made out of LEGO. Only one team emerges as the winner, but during the challenge the finalists’ leadership and problem-solving skills begin to surface. Plus, fellowship hopefuls Ishaan Gulrajani, Lucy Guo, Darby Schumacher, and Catherine Ray explain the concepts behind their individual Thiel projects.

With the two-minute lightning pitches fast approaching, the 40 Thiel Fellowship finalists are beginning to feel the pressure. In this episode, they partake in icebreaker and team-building games to help calm nerves and prep for their big onstage speeches. Also, finalists Ryan Orbuch, Thomas Hunt, and Jake Davidson tell us about their tech-and science-focused projects.

The 1990s saw the rise—and fall—of virtual reality. While everyone could imagine a technology that allowed us to be somewhere else, no one was able to make it happen. No one, that is, until an 18-year-old named Palmer Luckey invented the Oculus Rift. We speak with Luckey and other Oculus employees about how they managed to crack one of technology's toughest riddles and make VR feasible for the first time. Music: "Disco Kerosene" Performed By Circa Tapes (http://circatapes.bandcamp.com/)

It’s the preferred poison of Russians, dieters, and college freshmen, but what’s actually inside the fire water? It's rarely potatoes, actually. At its purest, it's mostly ethanol that has been distilled from wheat, rye, or corn and diluted with water. Find out what else is inside the clear spirit.

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.

We’ve long imagined a device that renders virtual reality that's indistinguishable from the outside world. In the June issue, Senior Editor Peter Rubin explores the Oculus Rift—a VR headset doing just that. Also this month: creating a museum from the ruins of 2,983 lives, the surprising science of the hangover, and the quantum computer that maybe isn’t. Music: "On Pagaie" Performed By: HUMANS (http://dashumans.com/)