Tech Brew Ride Home

Amazon has a record-breaking holiday season, surprising absolutely no one, another Instagram crackdown, a look at Austin as a tech hub, and why mobile alerts are a Frankenstein monster increasingly out of control. Amazon Says Alexa Voice Shopping Tripled During 2018 Holiday Season (Fortune) Instagram’s Christmas Crackdown (The Atlantic) Tesla's Supercharger network will cover all of Europe in 2019 (Engadget) With Tech Expansion, Austin Is Still Weird. It’s Just More Wired Now, Too. (NYTimes) Pushed Even Further: US Newsrooms View Mobile Alerts as a Standalone Platform (CJR) Movie Theaters Bounce Back: What’s Behind the 2018 Rebound (Variety) Watch the trailer for Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, releasing Friday 28th on Netflix (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How the US government shutdown affects cybersecurity, how the Open Government Data Act is possibly good tech governance, Airbnb and Slack are considering non-traditional IPOs and the state of AI research at the end of 2018. How a government shutdown affects America’s cybersecurity workforce (FifthDomain) In a huge win for open data, Congress passes the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary Government Data Act (BoingBoing) Wall Street Quietly Shelves Its Bitcoin Dreams (Bloomberg) Layoffs Underway Amid ‘Adjustments,’ Bitcoin Miner Bitmain Confirms (CoinDesk) HQ Trivia launches HQ Words as reinstalled CEO seeks a game-changer (TechCrunch) Airbnb and Slack are considering untraditional IPOs that box out bankers like Spotify did (Recode) Geoffrey Hinton and Demis Hassabis: AGI is nowhere close to being a reality (VentureBeat) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook is developing a cryptocoin for WhatsApp, Blind was not quite anonymous enough, which is the most accurate voice assistant and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Metalab.co The Internet of Things Podcast Links: Facebook Is Developing a Cryptocurrency for WhatsApp Transfers, Sources Say (Bloomberg) At Blind, a security lapse revealed private complaints from Silicon Valley employees (TechCrunch) Apple AI Chief John Giannandrea Gets Promotion to Senior Vice President (MacRumors) Annual Smart Speaker IQ Test (LoopVentures) The Betterment Weekend Longreads: Software Defined Talk (Podcast) Apple Computers Used to Be Built in the U.S. It Was a Mess (NYTimes) Inside Shenzhen’s race to outdo Silicon Valley (Bloomberg) The 2019 IPO class headlined by Uber will create a ton of new wealth. Will the billions go to mansions or missions? (Recode) Venture Capital Blind Spots: The Top 7 Reasons Why VCs Miss Billion-Dollar Outcomes (645 Ventures) Prime and Punishment (The Verge) 7 Modern BBSes Worth Calling Today (PCMag) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now some iPhones can’t be sold in Germany, is there an iPad Pro bend-gate brewing, drones shut down a major UK airport, and why Carlton from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is suing the makers of Fortnite. Sponsors: Metalab.co The Cyberwire Podcast Links: Apple to Stop Selling iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 Models in Germany While Appealing Broader Sales Ban [Updated] (MacRumors) Apple confirms some iPad Pros ship slightly bent, but says it’s normal (The Verge) Justice Department charges Chinese nationals in ‘extensive’ global hacking campaign (CNBC) Uber's self-driving cars return to public roads after fatal crash (CNET) Drones cause holiday chaos at one of London's busiest airports (Engadget) Gatwick Airport: Drones ground flights (BBC News) Pinterest Readies Itself for Early 2019 IPO (WSJ) FORTNITE KEEPS STEALING DANCES — AND NO ONE KNOWS IF IT’S ILLEGAL (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m sorry. I truly am. Another Facebook scandal to tell you about. The Boring Company unveils its tunnel, Zwift is gamification, a fitness app play, a social network, VR, and e-sports all in one startup and why Touch ID might return to the iPhone. Sponsors: Metalab.co Grumpy Old Geeks Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google presses pause on that Chinese search project, what’s delaying Facebook’s Clear History project, AT&T’s 5G goes live and Audi unveils its autonomous vehicle ambitions. Sponsors: FlatironSchool.com/podcast Metalab.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook got all the press but the Russians really loved Instagram to spread misinformation, more tech real estate moves, the CEO of HQ Trivia passes away, and how to break into somebody’s phone with a 3D-printed head.Sponsors:Techmeme.Robinhood.comMetalab.coLinks:Instagram Was Bigger Russian Election Tool Than Facebook, Senate Report Says (Bloomberg)Google Details Major New York Expansion (WSJ)Colin Kroll, 34, HQ Trivia and Vine Co-Founder, Is Found Dead (NYTimes)We Broke Into A Bunch Of Android Phones With A 3D-Printed Head (Forbes)Robinhood Will Retool Checking Product Following Scrutiny (Bloomberg)Apple hires designer Andrew Kim away from Tesla (The Verge)My Talk at Google (Me) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fri. 12/14 - Facebook Faces a GDPR Inquiryhttps://feedpress.me/RideHome - Direct RSS feed starting this weekend, just in caseThe bomb scare email scam that demanded bitcoin, Facebook’s Photo API gave away too many photos, Apple strikes back at Qualcomm, Apple kills its second music-based social network, an Apple analyst sounds alarm bells about iPhone unit sales, Instacart breaks up with Whole Foods, PlanetScale brings mega-scaling technology to the masses, and of course the Weekend Longreads suggestions.Sponsors:MacStadium.com/ridehome Tiny.websiteLinks:Bitcoin scammers send bomb threats worldwide, causing evacuations (The Verge)Facebook bug exposed up to 6.8M users’ unposted photos to apps (TechCrunch)Irish regulator to investigate Facebook after new data leak (Financial Times)Apple Says China iPhone Ban Would Force Settlement With Qualcomm (Bloomberg)Apple Music removes ability for artists to post to Connect, posts removed from Artist Pages and For You (9to5Mac)Ming-Chi Kuo cuts first quarter iPhone sales estimates by 20%, says iPhone XR demand is low (9to5Mac)Amazon has officially killed the Whole Foods-Instacart partnership (Recode)They scaled YouTube—now they’ll shared everyone with PlanetScale (TechCrunch)The Betterment Weekend Longreads:EV News Daily (Podcast)Evelyn Berezin, 93, Dies; Built the First True Word Processor (New York Times)The State of Technology at the End of 2018 (Stratechery)The rise of the recommendation site (Vox)How the CIA Trains Spies to Hide in Plain Sight (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple keeps Austin weird with a new campus, RobinHood launches checking and savings accounts, hands on with the Apple Watch ECG thingy, and the most disliked video in YouTube history. Sponsors:MacStadium.com/ridehome Tiny.websiteLinks:Apple to invest $1 billion in new Austin campus (Axios)Amazon Hires Lobbyists for N.Y. Site and Tries to Fend Off Ocasio-Cortez’s Supporters (NYTimes)Amazon Went to City Hall. Things Got Loud, Quickly. (NYTimes)High-Tech Degrees and the Price of an Avocado: The Data New York Gave to Amazon (NYTimes)After losing half its value, Nvidia faces reckoning (TechCrunch)Robinhood launches no-fee checking/savings with Mastercard & the most ATMs (TechCrunch)A look at the Apple Watch’s ECG, from someone who needs it (Ars Technica)Apple now has dozens of doctors on staff, showing it's serious about health tech (CNBC)POSTMATES' QUEST TO BUILD THE DELIVERY ROBOT OF THE FUTURE (Wired)YouTube Rewind 2018 is officially the most disliked video on YouTube (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intel’s next generation architecture revealed, was China behind that massive Marriott hack, Good Money wants to give customers a stake in their own banking, and what is Michael Dell’s long game?Sponsors:Eero.com/ride (promo code: ride)Tiny.websiteLinks:Intel unveils a new architecture for 2019: Sunny Cove (Ars Technica)Intel is bringing teraflop integrated graphics to 10nm chips in 2019 (Engadget)AN INTEL BREAKTHROUGH RETHINKS HOW CHIPS ARE MADE (Wired)Marriott Data Breach Is Traced to Chinese Hackers as U.S. Readies Crackdown on Beijing (NYTimes)Apple Suppliers Are Considering Moving iPhone Output if Tariffs Hit 25% (Bloomberg)U.S. investigators point to China in Marriott hack affecting 500 million guests (The Washington Post)Indonesia e-commerce leader Tokopedia raises $1.1B from Alibaba and SoftBank's Vision Fund (TechCrunch)At this new online banking platform, customers are the owners (Fast Company)Apple’s ‘Netflix for Magazines’ Getting a Chilly Reception (Bloomberg)Dell’s long game is in hybrid and private clouds (TechCrunch)U.S. internet speeds rose nearly 40 percent this year (ReCode) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mr. Pichai goes to Washington, another bug prompts Google to kill Google+ even sooner, Keurig for beer makes no sense, and Doom turns 25.Sponsors:DataDogHQ.com/ridehomeTiny.websiteFlatironSchool.com/podcastLinks:Google moves up Google+ consumer shutdown to April 2019 (VentureBeat)Uber customers and drivers are furious after a major outage causes all kinds of issues (BusinessInsider)Social media outpaces print newspapers in the U.S. as a news source (Pew Research Center)Fintech start-up Plaid raises $250 million at $2.7 billion valuation, adds Mary Meeker to board (CNBC)Vroom nabs $146M from AutoNation, VCs for its used car site (TechCrunch)Keurigs for Beer Make No Sense (Gizmodo)Doom is 25 and co-creator John Romero is putting out a giant expansion for it (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

iPhone sales blocked in China, Apple’s getting into the A&R business, pump the breaks on the e-scooter hype, and forget the notch, 2019 might be the year of the hole punch.Sponsors:DataDogHQ.com/ridehomeTiny.websiteLinks:China bans many iPhone models in Qualcomm patent dispute (Axios)Can the U.S. Stop China From Controlling the Next Internet Age? (NYTimes)Huawei CFO Arrested, Australia’s Awful Law (Stratechery)Apple acquired Platoon, a platform for musicians to create and distribute work (TechCrunch)Investor Frenzy for Scooter Startups Cools (WSJ)Your Apps Know Where You Were Last Night, and They’re Not Keeping It Secret (NYTimes)Samsung’s A8s is its first phone with an Infinity-O hole-punch display (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Microsoft calls for regulation of facial recognition AI, the Crypto market crash is starting to claim casualties, Reddit is quietly doing very well, thank you very much, and the Weekend Longreads suggestions.Sponsors:Metalab.coDataDogHQ.com/RideHomeLinks:MICROSOFT WANTS TO STOP AI'S 'RACE TO THE BOTTOM' (Wired)Scientists create AI that can crush the world's best AI (at board games, thankfully) (CNET)Crypto Market Crash Leaving Bankrupt Startups in its Wake (Bloomberg)Reddit’s Year in Review: 2018 (Upvoted)The Betterment Weekend Longreads:The Comics Canon (Podcast)Land of the “Super Founders“— A Data-Driven Approach to Uncover the Secrets of Billion Dollar Startups (Ali Tamaseb)YOUTUBE CREATORS BLINDSIDED BY MAJOR NETWORK’S COLLAPSE (The Verge)A 7-year-old boy is making $22 million a year on YouTube reviewing toys (MSN)Almost Every Electric Scooter in the World Comes From This Chinese Company (Bloomberg)Cryptopia In Crisis: Joe Lubin’s Ethereum Experiment Is A Mess. How Long Will He Prop It Up? (Forbes)How Robotics Maker Rethink Crashed and Burned (The Information)The new word processor wars: A fresh crop of productivity apps are trying to reinvent our workday (GeekWire) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Huawai’s CFO arrested and stock markets quake, Google’s Allo joins the crowded Google Deadpool, Lyft files for an IPO and are Amazon’s robots finally rebelling?Sponsors:DatadogHQ.com/RideHomeMetalab.coLinks:Canada arrests Huawei’s global chief financial officer in Vancouver (The Globe and Mail)Microsoft is rebuilding its Edge browser on Chrome and bringing it to the Mac (The Verge)Google is shutting down Allo (The Verge)Ride-hail firm Lyft races to leave Uber behind in IPO chase (Reuters)These Confidential Charts Show Why Facebook Bought WhatsApp (Buzzfeed)Firefly Nets $21.5 Million Seed Round To Boost Ride-Hail Driver Revenues With On-Car Ads (Crunchbase News)Cuba to roll out mobile internet for the first time (CNBC)Robot Accidentally Hospitalises 24 Amazon Workers After It Sprays Them With Bear Repellent (Huffington Post) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The UK Parliament docu-dumps on Facebook, Qualcomm fires the starter pistol on 5G rollout, an actual test drive on Waymo’s new ride hailing service, and behind that $100 million Friends deal.Sponsors:Metalab.coDataDogHQ.com/ridehomeLinks:Note by Damian Collins MP (UK Parliament)Qualcomm announces the Snapdragon 855 and its news under-display fingerprint sensor (TechCrunch)Qualcomm announces first ultrasonic fingerprint reader: Headed to the Galaxy S10? (CNET)Fortnite’s Minecraft-like creative mode launches tomorrow (The Verge)RIDING IN WAYMO ONE, THE GOOGLE SPINOFF’S FIRST SELF-DRIVING TAXI SERVICE (The Verge)The story behind Netflix’s $100 million ‘Friends’ deal (Recode) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another day, another data breach, this time Quora, Microsoft might be replacing the Edge web browser, and maybe even replacing Windows, a review of some low-end smartphones and why 4k streaming and data caps are on a collision course.Sponsors:DatadogHQ.com/ridehomeMetalab.coLinks:Quora Security Update (The Quora Blog)Microsoft is building a Chromium-powered web browser that will replace Edge on Windows 10 (Windows Central)What is Windows Lite? It's Microsoft's Chrome OS Killer (Petri.com)NVIDIA's new AI turns videos of the real world into virtual landscapes (Engadget)MOTOROLA AND NOKIA’S NEW PHONES MAKE $350 LOOK LIKE $1,000 (The Verge)Your 4K Netflix Streaming Is on a Collision Course With Your ISP's Data Caps (Motherboard) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tumblr bans adult content, is Apple going to sit on the 5G sidelines, Uber has held talks about acquiring either Bird or Lime, a new self-driving car yardstick and resetting your web browser to square one.SimpleContacts.com/rideMetalab.coLinks:Tumblr will ban all adult content on December 17th (TheVerge)Apple Will Wait Until at Least 2020 to Release a 5G iPhone (Bloomberg)Kuo: ‘All-new design’ AirPods in 2020, wireless charging model in first quarter 2019 (9to5Mac)Uber Exploring Deal to Buy Bird or Lime (The Information)Tencent Music Moves Forward With IPO After Delay (WSJ)Microsoft PowerPoint is getting real-time captions and subtitles for presentations (The Verge)The first self-driving car you use will most likely carry your groceries, not you (Vox)How to Reset All of Your Browsers Back to Square One (Gizmodo) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The monster Starwood Hotels data breach, Apple music comes to Amazon Echo devices, Instagram rolls out “close friends” lists, Airbnb wants to build your house, not just rent it, and the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Marriott says 500 million Starwood guest records stolen in massive data breach (TechCrunch) SEC charges Floyd Mayweather, DJ Khaled for promoting ICOs without disclosing payments (CNBC) Apple Music is coming to the Amazon Echo (TechCrunch) Instagram now lets you share Stories to a Close Friends list (TechCrunch) Exclusive: Airbnb will start designing houses in 2019 (Fast Company) Techmeme now publishing paid and free "Leaderboards" showing the most influential reporters around a specific news topic (Techmeme.com) The Betterment Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Our first podcast suggestion: Python Bytes Microsoft Is Worth as Much as Apple. How Did That Happen? (NYTimes) How China’s Bytedance became the world’s most valuable startup (The Verge) China’s Video Craze Drives Growth for ByteDance (The Information) How Amazon Web Services Reinvented the Internet and Became a Cash Cow (NYMag) The legacy of PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi, in 24 stories (Polygon) This Is the Way the Paper Crumples (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon gets into self-driving cars… in a way, Google Assistant adds some familiar features, YouTube rolls out Stories, and WTF is happening in Crypto? Stories from: @RolfeWinkler Tweets: @CrankGameplays, @SavinTheBees Links: Amazon debuts a scale model autonomous car to teach developers machine learning (TechCrunch) New Parents Complain Amazon Baby-Registry Ads Are Deceptive (WSJ) An Amazon revolt could be brewing as the tech giant exerts more control over brands (Recode) Google Assistant gets visual lyrics and more in big holiday update (Engadget) YouTube is rolling out its Instagram-like Stories feature to more creators (The Verge) Facebook Considered Charging for Access to User Data (WSJ) WTF is happening to crypto? (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The biggest ad fraud ever? Amazon gets into medical records, Project Fi comes to iPhones, one of Elon’s LA tunnels is canceled, and the Big Mouth Billy Bass enters the 21st Century. Links: 8 People Are Facing Charges As A Result Of The FBI’s Biggest-Ever Ad Fraud Investigation (BuzzFeed) Big Tech Expands Footprint in Health (WSJ) Project Fi is now Google Fi, and it will work with iPhones and most Android devices (The Verge) Waymo taps former NTSB chair to oversee safety of self-driving ride-share fleet (CNBC) YouTube to Make New Originals Available for Free, Ad-Supported Viewing With ‘Single Slate’ Strategy (Variety) Laurene Powell Jobs’s Emerson Collective bought Pop-Up Magazine Productions (Recode) Community Activists Kill Elon Musk's Plan for an Underground Freeway Tunnel in LA (Motherboard) Big Mouth Billy Bass Will Now Annoy the Shit Out of You With Alexa Support Built In (Gizmodo) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AWS goes the custom silicon route, Facebook Watch goes after the olds, will Microsoft leapfrog Apple and why does Amazon’s shopping experience suck so much? Stories from: @katienotopoulos, @ShiraOvide Tweets: @ajassy, @AlexSchleber Links: Amazon Web Services introduces its own custom-designed Arm server processor, promises 45 percent lower costs for some workloads (GeekWire) Facebook's YouTube competitor is pivoting to older audiences as teens tune out and publishers balk (CNBC) Half of all Phishing Sites Now Have the Padlock (Krebs on Security) Employees Say Startup Civil Hyped Crypto Returns, But Failed to Pay (CoinDesk) Apple has an idea to make Animoji even more fun (Cult of Mac) Don’t Look Now, But Microsoft Is Overtaking Apple (Bloomberg) What If Amazon.com Actually…Is A Horrible Website? (BuzzFeed) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AWS goes the custom silicon route, Facebook Watch goes after the olds, will Microsoft leapfrog Apple and why does Amazon’s shopping experience suck so much? Stories from: @katienotopoulos, @ShiraOvide Tweets: @ajassy, @AlexSchleber Links: Amazon Web Services introduces its own custom-designed Arm server processor, promises 45 percent lower costs for some workloads (GeekWire) Facebook's YouTube competitor is pivoting to older audiences as teens tune out and publishers balk (CNBC) Half of all Phishing Sites Now Have the Padlock (Krebs on Security) Employees Say Startup Civil Hyped Crypto Returns, But Failed to Pay (CoinDesk) Apple has an idea to make Animoji even more fun (Cult of Mac) Don’t Look Now, But Microsoft Is Overtaking Apple (Bloomberg) What If Amazon.com Actually…Is A Horrible Website? (BuzzFeed) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple heads to the Supreme Court over antitrust concerns about its App Store; Facebook’s internal documents are seized by the British Parliament; what’s behind the resurgence of Atari; the human story of Black Friday inside Amazon’s fulfillment centers; and Lenny—a chatbot designed to frustrate telemarketers. Links: U.S. top court leans toward allowing Apple App Store antitrust suit (Reuters) My Amicus Brief (AVC/Fred Wilson) Parliament seizes cache of Facebook internal papers (The Guardian) Internal documents Facebook has fought to keep private obtained by UK Parliament (CNN) Atari CEO interview — How Rollercoaster Tycoon revival saved the company (VentureBeat) The human costs of Black Friday, explained by a former Amazon warehouse manager (Vox) The Story of Lenny, the Internet's Favorite Telemarketing Troll (Motherboard) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Storm clouds everywhere! Tech stocks in bear market territory, crypto in full-on meltdown territory… but video games might help solve science’s gender problem and this one spacebar trick might make your iPhone insanely more useful. Oh, and the weekend Longreads suggestions. Links: It's Official: Once Mighty FAANG Stocks Have All Entered a Bear Market (Fortune) Silicon Valley wages have dropped for all except highest-paying jobs: report (The Mercury News) Bitcoin drops 12% to below $5,000 (CNBC) Tumblr was removed from Apple’s App Store over child pornography issues (The Verge) Video games could be a short-term answer to science’s gender problem (The Conversation) “The space bar trick” is the most amazing feature in iOS 12, and the internet just realized it (Fast Company) The Betterment Weekend Longreads: How The Wall Street Journal is preparing its journalists to detect deepfakes (NiemanLab) Self-driving trucks in US offer window into where machines may replace humans (Christian Science Monitor) When Elon Musk Tunnels Under Your Home (The Atlantic) The Case Against Quantum Computing (IEEE Spectrum) HOW GOOGLE AND AMAZON GOT AWAY WITH NOT BEING REGULATED (Wired) How to Use an iPod Touch as a Secure Device Instead of a Phone (Motherboard) Scientists say goodbye to physical definition of the kilogram (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Skype calls on Amazon Echos, Tumblr disappears from iOS, Facebook on a war footing, iPhone sales storm clouds, and the Bitcoin Cash hard fork explained. Links: Skype calling now available on Alexa (The Verge) Tweet Storm on Where Tumblr's Gone (@bluechoochoo) With Facebook at ‘War,’ Zuckerberg Adopts More Aggressive Style (WSJ) Tim Cook defends multibillion-dollar Google search deal despite Apple’s privacy focus (The Verge) Apple Suppliers Suffer With Uncertainty Around iPhone Demand (WSJ) With Facebook at ‘War,’ Zuckerberg Adopts More Aggressive Style (WSJ) Bitcoin Cash Declares War: Why Coming Hard Fork Could Mean Another Split (CoinDesk) One Day After the Bitcoin Cash Hard Fork: Takeaways and Latest Developments (Bitcoin Magazine) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Airbnb opens the kimono, a disc-less Xbox, Facebook pushes back on controversy, SpaceX gets a key go-ahead, and the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: Airbnb booked more than $1 billion in third quarter revenue (CNBC) Microsoft’s Building a Disc-Less Xbox One for Release in 2019 (Thurrott.com) Facebook Morale Takes a Tumble Along With Stock Price (WSJ) ‘I Don’t Really Want to Work for Facebook.’ So Say Some Computer Science Students. (NYTimes) Major SMS security lapse is a reminder to use authenticator apps instead (The Verge) The Betterment Weekend Longreads: THE GENIUS NEUROSCIENTIST WHO MIGHT HOLD THE KEY TO TRUE AI (Wired) Are Killer Robots the Future of War? Parsing the Facts on Autonomous Weapons (NYTimes Magazine) The Internet Has a Huge C/C++ Problem and Developers Don't Want to Deal With It (Motherboard) How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product/Market Fit (First Round Review) THE HAIL MARY PLAN TO RESTART A HACKED US ELECTRIC GRID (Wired) Space Camp grows up (Mashable) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That huge New York Times story behind the scenes of Facebook, Google adds business messaging to Google Maps, Uber eats is a monster business, Amazon Go has a rival and there’s a new King of YouTube. Links: Delay, Deny and Deflect: How Facebook’s Leaders Fought Through Crisis (NYTimes) Google Maps will let you chat with businesses (The Verge) Uber continues to lose money as it scales scooters, bikes and other newer businesses (TechCrunch) Amazon Go competitor Standard Cognition raises $40 million to expand its cashierless store solution (VentureBeat) PewDiePie's Tumultuous Reign as YouTube King Is Almost Over (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why was Google’s traffic routed from Nigeria through China, Ford partners with Walmart on driverless cars, Amazon’s HQ2 stunt seems to be backfiring, and Uber gets a customer loyalty program. Links: Nigerian firm takes blame for routing Google traffic through China (Reuters) Exclusive: Snap reveals U.S. subpoenas on IPO disclosures (Reuters) Ford partners with Walmart and Postmates to test autonomous grocery delivery (TechCrunch) A STARTUP IS SETTING DRONES FREE BY TYING THEM TO THE GROUND (Wired) Amazon’s HQ2 stunt could come back to haunt it (The Verge) This time, Amazon has gone too far: Jeff Bezos's company is profiting and taxpayers are paying the price (NYDailyNews) Uber launches rider loyalty Rewards like credits & upgrades 9 cities (TechCrunch) Amazon's Microwave With Alexa Makes Life Marginally Better (BuzzFeed) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon’s HQ2 officially lands in Queens and Crystal City; Waymo is launching a driverless car service in December; Apple locks down repairs on modern Macs; get ready for cloud gaming; Pandora applies its music technology to podcasts; and a magic act that’ll make your day. Links: Amazon selects New York City and Northern Virginia for new headquarters (Amazon DayOne Blog) Amazon HQ2 decision: Amazon splits prize between Crystal City and New York (The Washington Post) Pandora brings its Genome technology to podcast recommendations (TechCrunch) Waymo to Start First Driverless Car Service Next Month (Bloomberg) Apple confirms its T2 security chip blocks some third-party repairs of new Macs (The Verge) The Tricky—but Potentially Lucrative—Task of Streaming Videogames (WSJ) Eric Chien 2018 Fism Grand Prix Magic Act (YouTube) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SAP buys Qualtrics, the Galaxy S10 might be coming in February and the Galaxy F might be coming in March, what exactly is TikTok and why you should care, and Jony Ive has an exclusive new product design. Links: SAP to buy Qualtrics for $8 billion (Axios) How One Family Built $8 Billion Startup Far From Silicon Valley (Bloomberg) Samsung Electronics to release first foldable smartphone in March: sources (Yonhap News Agency) Snap’s former No. 2 exec Imran Khan is building an online shopping startup (ReCode) Facebook quietly launches a TikTok competitor app called Lasso (The Verge) A Guide to TikTok for Anyone Who Isn’t a Teen (Slate) Netflix to Test Lower-Price Plans as It Seeks More Asian Users (Bloomberg) At Netflix, Who Wins When It’s Hollywood vs. the Algorithm? (WSJ) Jony Ive’s latest design is the ultimate diamond ring – made only of diamond … (9to5Mac) The Fading Battlefields of World War I (The Atlantic) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The great winter of tech worker discontent is definitely here, Disney’s streaming service has a name, Vine might be coming back, Github hits a major milestone and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: Amazon is finally selling new iPhones after a long and complicated 'turf war' with Apple (BusinessInsider) A note to our employees (Google) #GoogleWalkout update: Collective action works, and we need to keep working. True equity depends on it. (Google Walkout For Real Change) Amazon Execs Addressed Concerns About Amazon Rekognition And ICE At An All-Hands Meeting (BuzzFeed) Vine co-founder plans to launch successor Byte in Spring 2019 (TechCrunch) GitHub passes 100 million repositories (Venture Beat) The Betterment Weekend Longreads: Why Technology Favors Tyranny (The Atlantic) Tech C.E.O.s Are in Love With Their Principal Doomsayer (NYTimes) HQ Trivia was a blockbuster hit — but internal turmoil and a shrinking audience have pushed its company to the brink (ReCode) ‘It’s Giant and Has Like Five Million Buttons.’ The Office Desk Phone Won’t Die (WSJ) Why Doctors Hate Their Computers (The New Yorker) Here Comes ‘Smart Dust,’ the Tiny Computers That Pull Power from the Air (WSJ) ASTRONOMERS SEE MATERIAL ORBITING A BLACK HOLE *RIGHT* AT THE EDGE OF FOREVER (SyFy Wire) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Foldable phones are officially a thing, Tesla names a new board chair, Amazon’s mailing a physical toy catalog, Ford doesn’t want to miss out on scooters, and Comcast doesn’t want to miss out on home hubs. Stories from: @albertwenger, @dmac1, @meganrosedickey Tweets: @bryce Links: This is Samsung’s foldable smartphone (The Verge) Google says Android will natively support ‘foldables’ to limit fragmentation (The Verge) Amazon is mailing a printed holiday toy catalog to millions of customers (CNBC) Google Plans Large New York City Expansion (WSJ) The Anchor Tenant (Fred Wilson/AVC) Google's Gift to NYC (Albert Wenger) Ford buys electric scooter startup Spin (TechCrunch) Comcast is developing a video-streaming platform for broadband-only customers (CNBC) So I sent my mom that newfangled Facebook Portal (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Silicon Valley’s special election day vote, why robocalls have taken over your phone, Jeff Bezos’ clever HQ2 bonus, making 911 calls better and why Jake Tapper is a digital media pioneer. Links: San Francisco has passed a first-of-its-kind tax on big businesses — like Square and Stripe — to help the homeless (Recode) Scoop: AT&T to cut off some customers' service in piracy crackdown (Axios) Why robocalls have taken over your phone (The Verge) Amazon gained a huge perk from its HQ2 contest that's worth far more than any tax break (Business Insider) Chinese ‘gait recognition’ tech IDs people by how they walk (The Associated Press) RapidSOS, an emergency response data provider, raises $30M as it grows from 10K users to 250M (TechCrunch) Newsonomics: “Digital defeats print” is the headline as Gannett steps away from printed election results (NiemanLab) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook takes down more accounts ahead of the election, the new Chrome might block ALL ads on some websites, Macbook Air reviews, and why you might not be able to read election results in tomorrow’s newspaper. Links: Medium Post on Facebook and the Election (Jonathan Albright) Chrome will soon ad-block an entire website if it shows abusive ads (The Verge) Amazon Plans to Split HQ2 Evenly Between Two Cities (WSJ) APPLE MACBOOK AIR (2018) REVIEW: THE PRESENT OF COMPUTING (The Verge) The 2018 Retina MacBook Air (Daring Fireball) India's Meesho, which enables social commerce via WhatsApp, raises $50M (TechCrunch) PredictHQ exits stealth with $10 million to help Uber and others forecast demand surges (VentureBeat) VMWare acquires Heptio, the startup founded by 2 co-founders of Kubernetes (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has Amazon decided on the location of its new HQ? What do people think of the new iPad Pros? Why are recently IPO’d tech companies hoarding cash? And why you might want to think twice about taking a selfie in the voting booth tomorrow. Links: Amazon in Late-Stage Talks With Cities Including Crystal City, Va., Dallas, New York City for HQ2 (WSJ) Amazon waives $25 minimum spend to offer free Christmas deliveries for all U.S. customers (Venture Beat) APPLE IPAD PRO REVIEW 2018: THE FASTEST IPAD IS STILL AN IPAD (The Verge) Apple’s first 5G iPhone will arrive in 2020 (Fast Company) YOU TOO CAN BUILD YOUR OWN CHIP – FOR ONLY $30 MILLION (Digits to Dollars) Newly Public Tech Firms Race Back to Market as IPO Frenzy Continues (WSJ) Did You Vote? Now Your Friends May Know (and Nag You) (NYTimes) You can't take a 'ballot selfie' in Illinois, Florida, or 25 other states — see where it's illegal to take a photo in the voting booth (Business Insider) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple makes a pile of money and their stock tanks, Flickr ends its mega-free-storage plan, a classic internet cartoon gets a 4K makeover, browser extensions steal Facebook private messages, testing the latest smartphones to see how their batteries hold up, and the weekend longreads suggestions. Tweets: @neilcybart, @textfiles Links: Apple results: A record September quarter with $62.9B revenue (Six Colors) Apple’s price hike strategy is paying off (The Verge) Flickr will end 1TB of free storage and limit free users to 1,000 photos (The Verge) Several thoughts from your old pal Jason (Jason Scott/Twitter) The Cartoon That Invented Internet Culture Gets a High-Definition Rerelease (Intelligencer) Private messages from 81,000 hacked Facebook accounts for sale (BBC News) It’s not your imagination: Phone battery life is getting worse (Washington Post) ‘How the Internet Happened’ Review: Building a World Online (Wall Street Journal) The Betterment Weekend Longreads: The Facebook Dilemma, Part 1 (Frontline on YouTube) and The Facebook Dilemma, Part 2 (Frontline on YouTube) A Cryptocurrency Millionaire Wants to Build a Utopia in Nevada (New York Times) The Man Behind the Scooter Revolution (CityLab) A Fork in the Road for Avis (Fortune) The Encyclopedia of the Missing (Longreads) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google employees stage a walk-out protest around the globe, Vox swallows Recode, the new devices this week continue Apple’s push to increase ASP, and maybe it’s subscriptions that are eating the world. Stories from: @rustybrick, @benlovejoy Tweets: @lizthegrey, @ingridlunden Links: Google walkout: Pictures of Google workers leaving their desks in protest over sexual misconduct (Business Insider) Recode Tech and Media Website to Be Folded Into Vox.com (WSJ) New MacBook Air threatens both MacBook and MacBook Pro with Function Keys (Apple Insider) Opinion: The 2018 MacBook Air is the iPhone X’s ASP strategy all over again (9to5Mac) Apple's new T2 security chip will prevent hackers from eavesdropping on your microphone (TechCrunch) WhatsApp found a place to show you ads (The Verge) Google My Business Adds Setting For Google Assistant Calls Over Duplex (Search Engine Roundtable) Spotify is just $6.8 million away from profitability (Engadget) Liftoff: Mobile users are embracing subscription app economy (Venture Beat) Tickets for: Brian's 92Y Book Event Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook earnings were not a disaster, another Alphabet employee is out because of scandal, Waymo has a permit to test real driverless cars on California roads, and if you don’t know what computational notebooks are, let me tell you about them. Links: Zuckerberg says the future is sharing via 100B messages & 1B Stories/day (TechCrunch) Scoop: Executive accused of harassment at Alphabet 'X' unit is out (Axios) Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile Won't Support eSIM Until Later This Year (MacRumors) Gmail for iOS now lets you view all of your accounts in a single inbox (The Verge) Waymo’s excruciatingly gradual launch process, explained (Ars Technica) How Facebook Failed To Build A Better Alexa (Or Siri) (Forbes) Google, Accel and Jay Z invest in life insurance start-up Ethos, valuing it at more than $100 million (CNBC) Why Jupyter is data scientists’ computational notebook of choice (Nature) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today MacBook Airs, Mac Minis and new iPad Pros, Coinbase raises a round, the UK has a new tech tax, interesting executive musical chairs, and why reCAPTCHA’s might be a thing of the past. Links: UK chancellor announces 2% ‘digital services tax’ on tech giants’ revenues starting in April 2020 (TechCrunch) Snap CEO Picked a New Business Chief, Then Changed His Mind (Bloomberg) Google Launches reCAPTCHA v3 (Security Week) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

IBM buys Red Hat, museums get new ways to preserve video games, Sony announces the full list of titles for its retro PlayStation mini-console, DJI has a drone for first responders, and a look at the service Gab. Links: IBM to acquire Red Hat in deal valued at $34 billion (CNBC) Forget Watson, the Red Hat acquisition may be the thing that saves IBM (TechCrunch) IBM’s Old Playbook (Stratechery) Copyright Law Just Got Better for Video Game History (Motherboard) Exemption to Prohibition on Circumvention of Copyright Protection Systems for Access Control Technologies (PDF - US Copyright Office, Library of Congress) Here are the 20 games shipping with the PlayStation Classic (TechCrunch) DJI's latest Mavic 2 drone is built for search and rescue (Engadget) Two more platforms have suspended Gab in the wake of Pittsburgh shooting (TechCrunch) On Gab, an Extremist-Friendly Site, Pittsburgh Shooting Suspect Aired His Hatred in Full (New York Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Tech earnings season earnings roundup, new DRM rules allow jailbreaking… for some things, China’s rival GPS system, AI “art” fetches $400,000 at auction and the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: Twitter Stock Soars after Strong Earnings Beat (CNBC) Tesla Shares Soar on Surprise Third-Quarter Profit That Beats Wall Street Expectations (CNBC) Microsoft Reports $29.1 Billion in Q1 2019 Revenue: Azure up 76%, Surface up 14%, and Windows up 3% (VentureBeat) Amazon Squeezes Out More Profit as Sales Growth Slows (New York Times) Google Stock Falls As Revenue Misses; Amazon Ad Competition To Blame? (Investor’s Business Daily) Snap Hits All-Time Low After Lackluster Earnings Report (CNBC) Copyright Office Ruling Issues Sweeping Right to Repair Reforms (iFixit) In Groundbreaking Decision, Feds Say Hacking DRM to Fix Your Electronics Is Legal (Motherboard) How China's GPS 'Rival' Beidou is Plotting to Go Global (BBC News) AI Art at Christie’s Sells for $432,500 (New York Times) The Betterment Weekend Longreads: Inside Rockstar Games' Culture Of Crunch (Kotaku) At Netflix, Radical Transparency and Blunt Firings Unsettle the Ranks (WSJ) Podcast on Netflix Culture (Planet Money Podcast) It Might Get Loud: Inside Silicon Valley’s Battle to Own Voice Tech (Fortune) How Dara Khosrowshahi’s Iranian heritage shapes how he leads Uber (Fast Company) AN ALTERNATIVE HISTORY OF SILICON VALLEY DISRUPTION (Wired) Bonus Link (from Wednesday): THE AI COLD WAR THAT COULD DOOM US ALL (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Google paid Andy Rubin on his way out the door despite allegations of sexual misconduct, Uber Eats and the rise of virtual restaurants, Kickstarter sunsets its Drip service but plans a nice replacement, and older people are worse than younger people at telling fact from opinion. Links: How Google Protected Andy Rubin, the ‘Father of Android’ (New York Times) Uber’s Secret Restaurant Empire (Bloomberg) A New Approach to Our Work on Drip (Kickstarter Blog) Kickstarter to End Drip, Fund New Platform with XOXO Festival Creators (The Verge) The Team Behind XOXO is Taking Over Kickstarter’s Drip Crowdfunding Community (TechCrunch) Older People Are Worse Than Young People at Telling Fact from Opinion (The Atlantic) Younger Americans Are Better than Older Americans at Telling Factual News Statements from Opinions (Pew Research Center) VIDEO: Joseph Saelee vs. Jonas Neubeauer in CTWC 2018 Finals (Twitter) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Cook attacks the “data industrial complex,” why political texts are flooding your phone, the US, China and the AI cold war, and how Facebook Messenger got its new look. Links: Apple’s Tim Cook Makes Blistering Attack On the “Data Industrial Complex” (TechCrunch) Why political text messages are flooding your phone (Axios) The AI Cold War That Could Doom Us All (Wired) Messenger redesigns to clean up Facebook’s mess (TechCrunch) How Facebook’s Messenger Got Its New Look in a New Jersey Basement (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Cook demands a retraction from Bloomberg, another founder flees Facebook, Repl.it gets a murder’s row of VC backers and the iPhone XR reviews are in. Links: Amazon cloud chief Jassy follows Apple in calling for retraction of Chinese spy chip story (CNBC) Apple CEO Tim Cook Is Calling For Bloomberg To Retract Its Chinese Spy Chip Story (Buzzfeed) Supermicro CEO Joins Cook in Calling for Bloomberg to Retract Supply Chain Hack Story (MacRumors) Oculus co-founder is leaving Facebook after cancellation of ‘Rift 2’ headset (TechCrunch) Former Facebook engineer quit to build the programming tool he always wanted (CNBC) Apple iPhone XR Review: Better Than Good Enough (The Verge) Now Apps Can Track You Even After You Uninstall Them (Bloomberg) Android: A Visual History of Google’s OS On Its 10th Anniversary (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook wants to buy some cybersecurity, Washington wants to know what Silicon Valley will do for its country, Fred Wilson wants you to ask yourself if your investors are bad actors, and stealing a Tesla by hacking the entry fob. Links: Facebook on Hunt for Big Cybersecurity Acquisition (The Information) Who Are My Investors? (AVC) Thieves steal a Tesla Model S by hacking the entry fob (Engadget) A tech executive's video of his Tesla Model S being hacked and stolen is going viral (Business Insider) Video of the Tesla theft Google Home Hub review (CNET) Google Home Hub review—Awesome hardware for Google’s nascent smart display software (Ars Technica) Google Home Hub Review: At the intersection of useful and just plain cute [Video] (9to5Google) Google Home Hub review: A more personal smart display (Engadget) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook makes a hire that makes British Twitter laugh, here’s how much Google’s going to charge for Android, Google wants China but does China want Google and the Weekend Longreads suggestions. Links: Facebook Hires Nick Clegg, Former UK Deputy Prime Minister, as Head of Global Affairs and Communications, to Succeed Elliot Schrage (Financial Times) Twitter Suspends Pro-Saudi Bots Spreading Propaganda About the Murder of Jamal Khashoggi (Gizmodo) Twitter Pulls Down Bot Network That Pushed Pro-Saudi Talking Points about Disappeared Journalist (NBC News) Powerful Executives Have Stepped Away From the Saudis. Not SoftBank's. (New York Times) Google App Suite Costs as Much as $40 Per Phone Under New EU Android Deal (The Verge) Google Wants China. Will Chinese Users Want Google? (Wired) The Betterment Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Craig Newmark, Newspaper Villain, Is Working to Save Journalism (New York Times) How the West Was Digitized: The Making of Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 (Vulture/New York Magazine) Drone Journalism's Battle for Airspace (Columbia Journalism Review) Mother Earth Mother Board (Wired) The Prophets of Cryptocurrency Survey the Boom and Bust (The New Yorker) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spotify Premium gets a spit shine, Facebook think it knows who was behind that big hack, why everyone and their mother has a subscription box service, and an Apple event in Brooklyn! Links: Spotify Premium gets personalized artist radio stations and better search (The Verge) Twitter makes it easier to see enforcement taken on reported tweets (Tech Crunch) Facebook Finds Hack Was Done by Spammers, Not Foreign State (WSJ) Android Creator’s Startup Essential Products Cuts About 30% of Staff (Bloomberg) Inside the $2.6 billion subscription box wars (Fast Company) Beddr’s SleepTuner is a powerful standalone alternative to Apple Watch sleep tracking (9to5Mac) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google bows to the EU’s demands, the biggest thing to happen to Github since the pull request, video game cheaters are getting sued, and Facebook brings back MTV’s The Real World. Links: Google will start charging Android device makers a fee for using its apps in Europe (The Verge) GitHub launches Actions, its workflow automation tool (Github) Fortnite, GTA V hackers face legal action for online cheating (Ars Technica) It turns out that Facebook could in fact use data collected from its Portal in-home video device to target you with ads (Recode) MTV is bringing back 'The Real World' for Facebook Watch, and will let the audience vote on the direction of the show (Business Insider) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Uber’s targeting a blockbuster IPO valuation, cops told to stop looking at iPhones, the Kindle Paperwhite is ready for the bath, the Pixel reviews are in, and remembering Paul Allen.Sponsors:DatadogHQ.com/RideHomeTiny.website99designs.com/techmeme Links:Uber Proposals Value Company at $120 Billion in a Possible IPO (WSJ)Cops Told ‘Don’t Look’ at New iPhones to Avoid Face ID Lock-Out (Motherboard)The Kindle Paperwhite is ready for the bath (Engadget)Google Pixel 3 review: improving on incredible (Charged)GOOGLE PIXEL 3 AND 3 XL REVIEW: THE BEST CAMERA GETS A BETTER PHONE (The Verge)The Google Pixel 3 XL review (TechCrunch)Google Pixel 3 Review: The Other Way to Make a Killer Phone (Gizmodo)Paul G. Allen, Microsoft’s Co-Founder, Is Dead at 65 (NyTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The future of Photoshop is here today, Palm is back to bring us a tiny phone, Apple makes another acquisition, and why we’re doomed to a future of genetic surveillance. Links: FINALLY: REAL PHOTOSHOP ON THE IPAD (The Verge) Adobe launches new AR and drawing tools (TechCrunch) Adobe launches Premiere Rush, a cross-platform video editor (Venture Beat) Apple acquires music analytics startup Asaii (Axios) THE NEW PALM IS A TINY PHONE TO KEEP YOU AWAY FROM YOUR PHONE (The Verge) GENOME HACKERS SHOW NO ONE’S DNA IS ANONYMOUS ANYMORE (Wired) Blockchain isn't about democracy and decentralisation – it's about greed (The Guardian) Tweetstorm about Google+ from @morganknutson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices