How work became an inescapable hellhole

PLUS: The best WIRED stories from this month a year ago.

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 09.11.21 One of the great promises of digital technology was that it was going to make our lives easier. Instead, it has created even more work. Cell phones, Apple Watches, Instagram, Slack—none of them provide a respite from work. They don't really optimize work either. They're just more work. A nonstop barrage of notifications and reminders and interactions has led to mass burnout—and the only long-term fix is to call out the exact ways digital technologies have colonized our lives. Read about how work became an inescapable hellhole—and how to remedy it—plus more of the best WIRED stories from this month a year ago, below.   How Work Became an Inescapable Hellhole Instead of optimizing work, technology has created a nonstop barrage of notifications and interactions. The Best Stories From This Month, Last Year Meet the WIRED25: People Who Are Making Things Better The scientists, technologists, artists, and chefs who are standing between us and species collapse. The Bay Area Just Turned Orange. All Eyes Are on PurpleAir Catastrophic wildfires are spewing smoke all over the West Coast. This website lets you track the respiratory crisis in real time—with a few caveats. Scientists May Have Found a Material for Building on Mars Using simple chemistry, the organic polymer chitin can be transformed into a viable substance for creating tools and habitats on the Red Planet. Your Beloved Blue Jeans Are Polluting the Ocean—Big Time When you wash denim, tiny fibers shed and flow into the environment. Scientists just found that Arctic waters are now loaded with little bits of jeans. Every Christopher Nolan Film, Ranked for You to Disagree With For anyone who likes mind-bending plots, high-concept special effects, and the top third of Tom Hardy's face. What's Causing the Mass Bird Die-Off in the Southwest? Thousands of migrating birds have died, perhaps starved by drier conditions related to climate change or by having to fly inland to avoid wildfire smoke. GET WIRED Stare the future right in the eye. Get 1 year of unlimited access to WIRED for less than $1 per month. That includes Steven Levy's exclusive newsletter and a free tote! Subscribe now.           This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.