Brigadoon ITK | Oct. 19
NATO to expand focus to counter rising China: Secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg reveals significant broadening of alliance’s objectives to include Beijing.
FT
+ Stoltenberg said Russia and China should be viewed as a joint threat: “First of all China and Russia work closely together,” he said. “Second, when we invest more in technology … that’s about both of them.”
Brits are increasingly worried about the cost of living and energy crises, UK consumer confidence has dropped substantially, and people are starting to blame the government as they prepare for a difficult winter, according to Kekst CNC polling shared with Politico.
+ A whopping 90 percent of those polled say they expect the cost of living to go up in the next three years and 88 percent think taxes will rise.
Nuclear fusion edges toward the mainstream: Long-shot money is flowing into start-ups that seek the energy of the stars. Driving the investments is a rising alarm about global warming.
NYT
Bitcoin resumed its climb toward all-time highs with asset manager ProShares poised to launch the first Bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund.
+ The SEC has not formally approved the ETF, but the agency also did not block this development
The days of US tech companies fighting back against authoritarian regimes are long gone: Companies like Apple must now reckon with how oppressive governments use their technologies to extend their power and control.
WP
Why birds can fly over Mount Everest: A story about oxygen, evolution, and our planet’s fate.
Nautilus
Esther Perel: How to navigate the ‘next normal’ at work: Understanding more about human relationships will help business leaders minimize the pandemic’s after-effects on staff, writes the psychotherapist and podcast host.
FT
‘More visceral’ and a lot tougher on Eric Clapton: A plan for reviving Rolling Stone: With Web-savvy new editor Noah Shachtman, the boomer-rock bible wants to shrug off dusty magazine conventions — and take on sacred cows.
WP
FIFA is ending its long-term exclusive partnership with Electronic Arts as it looks to widen its gaming and esports portfolio. The two parties first struck a deal in 1993 that will expire in 2022. FIFA is reportedly seeking more than double its current $150 million annual licensing fee.
+ The “FIFA” series is estimated to be worth more than $2 billion annually to EA
The NBA's top 10 earners this season will pocket a combined $714 million, up 28% from last season.
+ Four-time NBA MVP LeBron James is set to earn $111.2 million this upcoming season between his $41.2 million salary and an estimated $70 million from off-court ventures
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Brigadoon ITK | Oct. 18
Africa begins to emerge as car industry hub: After the European car industry moved much of its production into Eastern Europe, some believe the next step is Africa, both for production and a growing consumer market. Should Germany's eastern neighbors be worried?
DW
Melbourne, which by some accounts has spent more time in lockdown than any other city in the world, will start easing its stay-at-home orders from Thursday.
China tests new space capability with hypersonic missile
FT
+ Launch in August of a nuclear-capable rocket that circled the globe took US intelligence by surprise
Washington hears echoes of the ’50s and worries: Is this a Cold War with China? Incursions into Taiwan’s air zone, a space launch, and what looked like a prisoner swap raise a question that is about more than just semantics. It could signal a dangerous new mindset.
NYT
How close are flying cars? Joby Aviation Founder JoeBen Bevirt talks about how to make sky taxis as cheap as those on the street and why the machines are so quiet.
Kyle Stock
+ Czech auto manufacturers will produce about 250,000 fewer cars this year due to the global shortage in chips.
Intel’s turnaround and the future of chipmaking: America’s historically hermetic semiconductor giant opens up—and tries to shake up its industry in the process.
Economist
Samsung Electronics wants to dominate cutting-edge chipmaking: The South Korean dynasty’s third generation is taking on TSMC and Intel. Can it succeed?
Economist
+ Zillow acquired more than 3,800 homes in the second quarter
The off-roading astronauts of Apollo: The later moon missions didn’t grab as much attention as the first landing in 1969, but they had something very cool on the gear front: the lunar rover, a lightweight go-kart that gave crews unmatched mobility on another world
Outside
+ More than 130 million people have watched the Squid Game on Netflix
Iohan Gueorguiev, ‘Bike Wanderer’ of the wilderness, dies at 33: He gained a following online for his lyrical appreciation of the open road while biking through remote landscapes and braving extreme conditions.
NYT
+ The Chicago Sky battled back from a second-half deficit to beat the Phoenix Mercury in a WNBA championship thriller. They were unlikely champions after a .500 record during the regular season.
The NFL needs to handle its truth: A racist email and other ugly missives from Jon Gruden can’t be the end of a story that began in Washington.
Jason Gay
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