Grad students should be freaking out about the GOP tax plan

PLUS: Keanu Reeves' motorcycle, Nike's new marathon shoes, and Russia's Fancy Bear hackers. [View this email in your browser](#SPCLICKTOVIEW) [logo]( [[WIRED Magazine]11.8.17]( PhD programs function as apprenticeships: Candidates teach classes and conduct research to gain experience, and in exchange many universities waive their tuitions and provide modest annual stipends. And we mean modest. Nobody's doing it for the money—but at least students don’t have to have a lot of money to do it. According to science writer [Robbie Gonzalez]( the GOP's new tax-reform plan could [upset that delicate financial equation](. See, the current system taxes only the students' stipends as income. The GOP wants to consider tuition waivers as income too and tax that “money” as well, potentially nearly quadrupling students’ tax bills. Which means that for many prospective and current PhD candidates, higher education could become a financial impossibility. "That's a bad message to send to anyone driven to learn and innovate," Gonzalez says. "You want talented people to study and contribute to what they're passionate about—not what they can afford." Also: WIRED's marathoner-in-chief [Nicholas Thompson]( [investigates the advantages]( of Nike's much-hyped [Zoom Vaporfly 4% sneakers]( an inside look at [Keanu Reeves' custom motorcycle shop]( and a deep dive into how Russia's notorious [Fancy Bear hackers]( exploited Microsoft Office and the most recent terrorist attack in New York City. Higher Ed Grad Students Should Be Freaking Out About the GOP Tax Plan By Robbie Gonzalez "Right now you can graduate debt-free and work for the government, nonprofits, start your own company—you get to choose. But if you’ve accumulated a lot of debt, most students are going to look at high-paying jobs that’ll let them pay off debt." Running Do Nike's New Marathon Shoes Actually Make You Run Faster? By Nicholas Thompson "My initial steps reminded me of putting on ice skates and then walking on a rubber mat to the rink. But once I started running, the strangeness disappeared, and I forgot I was wearing them—which is exactly what you want from a pair of shoes. They're unambiguously light, and they do feel cushioned." fancy bear Russia's 'Fancy Bear' Hackers Exploit a Microsoft Office Flaw—and NYC Terrorism Fears By Andy Greenberg "A feature of Microsoft Office known as Dynamic Data Exchange can be exploited to install malware on a victim's computer when they simply open any Office document." New Rides Keanu Reeves' Latest Excellent Adventure: Making Motorcycles By Jack Stewart "In 2007, Reeves, a two-wheel enthusiast, asked a well-known bike designer to make him a custom ride. He was so impressed with the final product, he convinced the designer to start building and selling a version of the bike to rich but discerning riders." [advertisement]( [Powered by LiveIntent]( [Ad Choices]( [WIRED Magazine Subscription] Get Wired Don't Let the Future Leave You Behind. Get 6 Months of WIRED Magazine for Just $5. SUBSCRIBE NOW phishing The Devious Netflix Phish That Just Won't Die By Lily Hay Newman "Most importantly, the Netflix phishers use a well-known technique of compromising legitimate web accounts or web servers, and hosting their phishing pages off of those services. By hosting the pages on sites that have been around for a while and weren't previously malicious, the attackers buy time on URLs that have credibility (known online as a good reputation score) and won't be flagged by security scanners." Product Review This $900 Robot Will Creep You Out but Also Warm Your Heart By Jeffrey Van Camp "Some of his responses, which were funny at first, began to make me sad for him. He often joked about not being able to walk and wishing he could win a mini golf tournament, frequently admitting that he can’t walk. He also dreams of eating bacon. How can I not feel for a robot that will never know the sweet taste of bacon?" XFUND The Inside Story of Venture Capital's Messiest Breakup By Jessi Hempel "Just after 5 pm, his immigration lawyer called. His green card application had been rejected. His lawyer advised him to leave the country within a few days; it wasn’t clear when he’d be allowed to return. There had been an issue in his file: a letter that had seemingly been enough to raise alarm. Someone named Chung had written it, his lawyer told him." Moonshots Waymo Has Taken the Human Out of Its Self-Driving Cars By Alex Davies "It’s unclear if there’s a system for preventing a freaked-out passenger from clambering into the driver’s seat and grabbing control of the car—or how that would affect questions like insurance, if they then caused a crash." Business Snap's Struggles Are Becoming Quite a Spectacle By Nitasha Tiku "Not long ago, the app’s inscrutability to many adults was viewed as an asset. Spiegel said the new plan is to surface more of 'the vast quantity of content on our platform that goes undiscovered or unseen every day,' in a more personalized way." [advertisement]( [Powered by LiveIntent]( [AdChoices]( [WIRED Magazine]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( This email was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e–mail address, newsletters@wired.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe](#SPCUSTOMOPTOUT) Copyright © Condé Nast 2017. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10038. All rights reserved. This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( WIRED · 520 3rd St, Third Floor · San Francisco, CA 94107 · USA