This special issue of Wired is about honest-to-God, two-fisted, hairy-knuckled exploration.  The kind where you go places no one's gone before, then brag about it later... if you live... We stand on the edge of a glorious new age of exploration.  The future is ready and willing - if we are.' 

- James Cameron, guest editor

WIRED Magazine today announced that James Cameron, the blockbuster filmmaker whose work has won 18 Academy Awards, is the guest editor of the December issue, which examines the dynamic challenges and possibility in a new age of exploration.  Beyond his success at the box office, Cameron leads a second career as a serious and celebrated explorer.  As he admits, "I made the movie Titanic because I thought I could talk the studio into letting me dive and film the real ship..."  It worked.

Cameron, who holds a seat on the NASA Advisory Council and has more than 60 submersible dives to the deepest reaches of the ocean to his credit, worked with the team at WIRED for nearly a year on this issue, developing a blueprint for the future of exploration. The result is a thrilling package of stories that takes readers to seven miles down in the ocean and puts them 370 million miles away on the surface of Europa. It is a definitive look at the state of exploration today.

The special issue looks ahead to the next frontiers in the oceans, on earth and in space.  Will we live on Mars?  Can we revive a model for Atlantis?  Cameron makes his case for the importance of exploring new territories for the good of our collective sense of self.  "Exploration is not a luxury.  It defines us as a civilization ... It yields an inspiration dividend whose impact on our self-image, confidence, and economic and geopolitical stature is immeasurable," he contends.

The 28 Next Destinations in Space and the Sea 

>From robot subs and nuclear rockets to undersea bases, acid caves and aliens of the deep, the explorers in the December issue are ready to take us to the future:

OCEAN

-- Uncharted Waters by Erica Check 

-- Dive! Dive! Dive! by Michael Menduno 

-- Gearing Up to Go Deep by Robert D. Ballard 

-- Aliens of the Deep by Joe MacInnis 

-- The Wild Blue Under by Sylvia A. Earle 

-- The New Atlantis by Jennifer Hillner

EARTH

-- 10 Lessons of Biosphere 2 by David L. Chandler 

-- Cave New World by Penny Boston 

-- To Hell and Back by Jeffrey M. O'Brien

SPACE

-- Uncharted Skies by Patrick Di Justo 

-- The Next Giant Leap Q&A with Buzz Aldrin 

-- Burt Rutan After the X Prize 

-- The Man from NASA Q&A with Sean O'Keefe 

-- The New Space Race by Bruce Sterling 

-- 5 Ways to Get to Mars by Michael Behar 

-- Mission to Mars:  Staying Alive Q&A with Don Pettit 

-- Staying Sane by John Geirland 

-- The E.T. Equation, Recalculated by Frank Drake 

-- Taming the Red Planet by Kim Stanley Robinson 

-- Remaking our Bodies for Mars by Frederik Pohl 

-- Human vs. Robot by Andrew Chaikin 

-- NASA's Germbuster Q&A with Norine Noonan 

-- Next Stop, Europa by Steven Kotler

WIRED Tools:  The Coolest Geek Shopping List Ever 

Just in time for the holidays, WIRED's annual gift guide is back and the squad has once again rounded up 129 of the latest and coolest gizmos on the planet that promise to keep you entertained all year long.  WIRED Tools 2004 includes favorites like games, phones, TVs, and digicams rolled out with jaw-dropping new features.  Advanced tech has seeped into apparel and sporting goods-and even car dashboards got an upgrade.  Your wish list is about to get a whole lot longer.

Spam, Scams, and Viruses Coming Soon to a Phone Near You 

Hackers have struck again and this time Bluetooth users could be at risk. These attacks can mean almost anything from a person using another person's cell to make long distance calls, changing every phone number in the address book, bugging conversations, or even viral attacks.  There is a "whole range of new powers" out there today for phone hackers.  WIRED contributor, Annalee Newitz delves into the underworld of next-generation phone hackers; also know as "phreakers."  Bluetooth phreaking is just the beginning.

Also in the December issue of WIRED -- on stands now:

-- The Cuban Biotech Revolution -- See how Castro's paradise has become a pharmaceutical powerhouse 

-- Roads Gone Wild -- How making driving seem more dangerous could make it safer 

-- Hot in the Valley -- Segway Polo

About WIRED Magazine 

WIRED is a monthly magazine that chronicles the people, companies, technologies, and ideas that are transforming the world around us.  Each month, WIRED delivers a glimpse into the future of business, science, entertainment, education, culture, and politics.