Why this year’s Super Bowl will look like Madden IRL

PLUS: Internet trolls, best cheap phones, and Sims 4 gameplay. View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 02.06.21   MINIMALISM YouTube's Lo-Fi Music Streams Are All About the Euphoria of Less BY JASON PARHAM On an internet built around excess, lo-fi hip-hop channels have created a community for minimalist escape.   $*#@!! AI and the List of Dirty, Naughty, Obscene, and Otherwise Bad Words BY TOM SIMONITE It started as a way to restrict autocompletes on Shutterstock. Now it grooms search suggestions on Slack and influences Google's artificial intelligence research.   PODCASTS 'Thoughts and Prayers' Is Clever Sci-Fi About Internet Trolls BY GEEK'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY Ken Liu's new short story is about a mother and father who get harassed online when they advocate for gun control following their daughter's murder.   SPORTS Why This Year's Super Bowl Will Look Like Madden IRL BY JOHN MCDERMOTT Sunday's matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might make TV viewers feel like they should have a controller in their hand. GET WIRED Get 1 year of WIRED access for less than $1 per month. Tech news and analysis you won't find anywhere else. Subscribe now.   BUYING GUIDE The Best Cheap Phones for (Almost) Every Budget BY JULIAN CHOKKATTU There's little reason to pay top dollar for a phone these days. These are our favorite Android devices and iPhones for $200 to $500.   SUL SUL 8 Tips to Transform Your Sims 4 Gameplay BY REECE ROGERS From secret aspirations to custom graveyards, YouTube creator and transgender artist Juno Birch spills the tea on Sims 4.   BACKCHANNEL How to Outrun a Dinosaur BY CODY CASSIDY If, through some scientific malfunction, you found yourself transported 70 million years into the past, you might be safer from certain hungry reptiles than you think.   BOOKMARK IT The Best Kindles to Take Your Library Anywhere BY JEFFREY VAN CAMP AND ADRIENNE SO Amazon has four different ebook readers. Here's how they stack up—and which may be right for you.   TEXTING I Stopped Using Exclamation Points and Lost All My Friends BY LYDIA HORNE At the same time, I found a better way to make a point.     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