Your Thursday Briefing

By BY MELINA DELKIC from NYT Briefing https://ift.tt/2Y32B4x

Akamai says it has acquired Tel Aviv-based Guardicore, which protects cloud workloads from cyber threats, for $600M to help combat ransomware attacks (Eva Mathews/Reuters)

Eva Mathews / Reuters:
Akamai says it has acquired Tel Aviv-based Guardicore, which protects cloud workloads from cyber threats, for $600M to help combat ransomware attacks  —  Akamai Technologies Inc (AKAM.O) will acquire Israel-based Guardicore for about $600 million, it said on Wednesday, to beef …

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3F6otMG

Why Are Fast Food Workers Signing Noncompete Agreements?

By BY PETER COY from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/3m3oGYk

The World Expects Black Men to Make Themselves Smaller. My Brother Never Did.

By BY ROXANE GAY from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/3mcLrJw

A Historic Night as the Metropolitan Opera Tries to Ensure Its Future

By BY JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZ from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/3ii5s0d

In Week of Words, It Often Seemed Like the Divided Nations

By BY RICK GLADSTONE from NYT World https://ift.tt/3uqjDVD

Will the hearing delve into the issues raised by three new documentaries?

By BY JULIA JACOBS from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/2Y2b2N2

Can the US avoid another government shutdown?

Politicians have just over 24 hours to avoid a potentially disastrous government shutdown.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3F3fc8k

Katty Kay: Former BBC journalist quits US media firm

Ms Kay has quit Ozy Media after reports one of its executives deceived potential investors.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3CUQhlu

Beijing 2022: Non-vaccinated athletes must serve 21-day quarantine

Athletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics who are not fully vaccinated will have to serve a 21-day quarantine on arrival in Beijing.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2Y3zPRh

Deaf man sues police in Colorado over alleged excessive use of force

Brady Mistic alleges he was slammed to the ground and tasered during a 2019 incident in Colorado.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3mcTVQO

Google announces online shopping tools, including a Lens upgrade coming first to iOS and Chrome desktop that helps users find products seen in images and videos (Antonio G. Di Benedetto/The Verge)

Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge:
Google announces online shopping tools, including a Lens upgrade coming first to iOS and Chrome desktop that helps users find products seen in images and videos  —  New search tools designed for shopping from home  —  Shopping online isn't always a convenience.

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2YfgwUS

Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith pleads guilty to violating US sanctions law following a crypto and blockchain presentation at a 2019 North Korean conference (Cheyenne Ligon/CoinDesk)

Cheyenne Ligon / CoinDesk:
Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith pleads guilty to violating US sanctions law following a crypto and blockchain presentation at a 2019 North Korean conference  —  Griffith was charged with violating sanctions law by giving a cryptocurrency and blockchain presentation at a North Korean conference in 2019.

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3kUhq1y

Forget the ‘Hero’s Journey’ and Consider the Heroine’s Quest Instead

By BY LAURA MILLER from NYT Books https://ift.tt/3m4F5vM

Illuminati Hotties’ Wonderfully Warped Punk-Pop

By BY LINDSAY ZOLADZ from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/2Yay4BI

For Al Franken, a Comeback Attempt Goes Through Comedy Clubs

By BY JASON ZINOMAN from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/2ZJnSk7

Amid Tensions With U.S., Erdogan Praises Ties with Russia

By BY ANDREW E. KRAMER AND CARLOTTA GALL from NYT World https://ift.tt/3iiqWKs

U.K. Labour Leader Makes a Firm Push to the Political Center

By BY STEPHEN CASTLE from NYT World https://ift.tt/3CTTPED

Anger as France slashes visas for Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia

France has accused the north African countries of failing to co-operate over returning nationals.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2XYKVGP

Google says it is improving Search using the MUM AI model, with features like "Things to know", which gives users additional context about searched topics (Dieter Bohn/The Verge)

Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Google says it is improving Search using the MUM AI model, with features like “Things to know”, which gives users additional context about searched topics  —  At its Search On event today, Google introduced several new features that, taken together, are its strongest attempts yet …

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3umM9rn

EquityBee, which runs a marketplace with ~12K investors to help startup employees exercise their stock options, raises $55M Series B led by Group 11 (Ingrid Lunden/TechCrunch)

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
EquityBee, which runs a marketplace with ~12K investors to help startup employees exercise their stock options, raises $55M Series B led by Group 11  —  Stock options can hold a lot of potential reward for employees when their company is doing well, but not every person will have the funds …

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3B81OO1

Failure to Raise Debt Limit Would be ‘Catastrophic,’ Yellen Says

By BY THE NEW YORK TIMES AND REUTERS from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3ulE6uR

Are you still not working because of the pandemic? We want to hear from you.

By Unknown Author from NYT Business https://ift.tt/39KQWtd

German Election Leaves Merkel’s Conservatives in Disarray

By BY KATRIN BENNHOLD AND MELISSA EDDY from NYT World https://ift.tt/3CXudXd

What to Know About Evergrande

By BY LAUREN HIRSCH from NYT Business https://ift.tt/3matETe

Amazon announces Astro, a home robot that it swears is more than Alexa on wheels.

By BY KAREN WEISE from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3zKqESh

Sisu Data, which offers an ML-powered "decision intelligence engine" for businesses, raises $62M Series C led by Green Bay Ventures (Mary Ann Azevedo/TechCrunch)

Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch:
Sisu Data, which offers an ML-powered “decision intelligence engine” for businesses, raises $62M Series C led by Green Bay Ventures  —  Sisu Data, which aims to help businesses make better decisions, announced today it has raised $62 million in a Series C round of funding led by Green Bay Ventures.

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3CRGOve

After R. Kelly’s Conviction, Can the Music Industry Change?

By BY BEN SISARIO AND JOE COSCARELLI from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/3kOhd07

Can Drinking Alcohol Raise Your Heart Rate?

By BY ANAHAD O’CONNOR from NYT Well https://ift.tt/3ui70Mx

Tiny Love Stories: ‘Conversation Is Great Foreplay’

By Unknown Author from NYT Style https://ift.tt/3ATjkFA

How to Save New York City’s Cabdrivers

By BY KATHARINA PISTOR from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/3kOdSy7

Recent Commercial Real Estate Transactions

By BY KRISTEN BAYRAKDARIAN from NYT Business https://ift.tt/3kM0gDu

Amazon's head of hardware Dave Limp underscores how Amazon's new devices aid its push toward a future with "ambient intelligence" (Dieter Bohn/The Verge)

Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Amazon's head of hardware Dave Limp underscores how Amazon's new devices aid its push toward a future with “ambient intelligence”  —  For his last column in 2017, Walt Mossberg predicted that technology would fade into the background, and so-called “ambient computing” would become ubiquitous.

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3AON5qQ

Internal docs: Facebook was "exploring playdates as a growth lever", including engaging tweens as they hung out together (Wall Street Journal)

Wall Street Journal:
Internal docs: Facebook was “exploring playdates as a growth lever”, including engaging tweens as they hung out together  —  It has investigated how to engage young users in response to competition from Snapchat, TikTok; ‘Exploring playdates as a growth lever’

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3kOrSaV

Amazon's Blink announces $50 Blink Video Doorbell, with Alexa integration, 1080p video, more, and a $130 solar-powered camera bundle and $140 flood light cam (Richard Lawler/The Verge)

Richard Lawler / The Verge:
Amazon's Blink announces $50 Blink Video Doorbell, with Alexa integration, 1080p video, more, and a $130 solar-powered camera bundle and $140 flood light cam  —  The $49.99 doorbell can operate wired or wire-free  —  Amazon has released a few new products from Blink since acquiring …

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3m5HwOK

Military Leaders Advised Against Pulling All Troops From Afghanistan

By BY THE NEW YORK TIMES from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2XUuBa2

Today in On Tech: Facebook isn’t scandal-proof.

By Unknown Author from NYT Business https://ift.tt/2XRDvF8

Amazon debuts Astro, a $1K short robot with an Echo Show-like 10" display on top, meant to roam around the home; invite-only program is open for applications (Dan Seifert/The Verge)

Dan Seifert / The Verge:
Amazon debuts Astro, a $1K short robot with an Echo Show-like 10" display on top, meant to roam around the home; invite-only program is open for applications  —  In the fall of 1962, TV-watching audiences were invited to meet the Jetsons, a space-dwelling, flying-car-driving family from the future and their dog, Astro.

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2XUfcGK

Amazon launches a $19.99/month elder care subscription service, Alexa Together, with an emergency helpline feature, care alerts, tools for caregivers, and more (Sarah Perez/TechCrunch)

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Amazon launches a $19.99/month elder care subscription service, Alexa Together, with an emergency helpline feature, care alerts, tools for caregivers, and more  —  Amazon today announced a new subscription service called “Alexa Together,” designed for families with aging family members …

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2XY5a7v

Amazon unveils $250 Ring Alarm Pro with a built-in Eero network, package delivery alerts, and an optional Virtual Security Guard subscription (Darrell Etherington/TechCrunch)

Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:
Amazon unveils $250 Ring Alarm Pro with a built-in Eero network, package delivery alerts, and an optional Virtual Security Guard subscription  —  Ring is just one part of Amazon's annual devices and services event this year, but they're bringing a lot of updates, including a new Pro Alarm suite …

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2ZFXN5t

Amazon and Disney partner on "Hey, Disney", a custom voice assistant built around Alexa, rolling out to consumers and the Orlando Disney World Resort next year (Sarah Perez/TechCrunch)

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Amazon and Disney partner on “Hey, Disney”, a custom voice assistant built around Alexa, rolling out to consumers and the Orlando Disney World Resort next year  —  Amazon, for the first time, is making another voice assistant available on Echo devices.

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3ifd5Va

Amazon debuts $80 Halo View fitness band, the first device from its Halo health and wellness initiative with a screen, alongside a Halo Fitness service and more (Todd Bishop/GeekWire)

Todd Bishop / GeekWire:
Amazon debuts $80 Halo View fitness band, the first device from its Halo health and wellness initiative with a screen, alongside a Halo Fitness service and more  —  Amazon unveiled a new health band called Halo View, the second device from its Halo health-and-wellness initiative, and the first with a display.

from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3ASRAAE