Was a 'Star Wars' escape pod really just a KFC bucket?

PLUS: public-private partnerships, backpacks on bumblebees, and votes against gerrymandering. [View this email in your browser]( [[Wired Magazine]11.10.18]( public-private Top Intelligence Official Wants Silicon Valley on Her Side By Emily Dreyfuss In an expansive on-the-record interview with WIRED, the principal deputy director of national intelligence made her pitch for public-private partnerships. Animal Science A New Robot Tracks Sick Bees Wearing Tiny Coded Backpacks By Matt Simon A novel system monitors the dynamics of colonies exposed to imidacloprid, a neurotoxin that belongs to the infamous neonicotinoid group of pesticides. Elections Good News: Midterm Voters Drew the Line on Gerrymandering By Issie Lapowsky A series of successful ballot initiatives should create more districts where voters get to choose their representatives—not the other way around. takeout Was a Star Wars Escape Pod Really Just a KFC Bucket? By Rhett Allain We can use video analysis to test whether an escape pod carrying R2-D2 and C-3PO in the first Star Wars movie was modeled using a KFC bucket, as one theory claims. [Advertisement]( [Powered by LiveIntent]( [AdChoices]( [Wired Magazine Subscription] Get Wired Get 12 months of WIRED for just $10. Subscribe now The Know-It-Alls How Do Self-Driving Cars See? (And How Do They See Me) By Alex Davies From Lidar to cameras to radar, self-driving cars use several technologies to create their maps of the world—and (hopefully) not run over humans. it's lit Read Up With Our Favorite End-of-Year Books By Jason Kehe, Pia Ceres, Jason Parham, Angela Watercutter, Peter Rubin, and Arielle Pardes The fourth quarter of the calendar is always a doozy—but we've sifted through the best new releases to stock your shelf (or e-reader) with. product review JLab Audio Has Converted Me to Over-Ear Workout Headphones By Adrienne So Most over-ear workout headphones are preposterous. But not these. Be Part Of the Discussion Join Our Parenting Facebook Group Check out ‘Parenting in a WIRED World,’ a vibrant Facebook Group for parents to discuss how to preserve kids’ mental and physical well-being, while also encouraging a healthy relationship with technology. [Advertisement]( [Powered by LiveIntent]( [AdChoices]( [Wired Magazine]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( 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]( Copyright © Condé Nast 2018. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.