NVIDIA unveils Turing GPU architecture, says it includes AI-based capabilities and real-time ray tracing, announces Quadro RTX GPUs that will ship Q4 2018  —  Moments ago at NVIDIA's SIGGRAPH 2018 keynote presentation, company CEO Jensen Huang formally unveiled the company's much awaited (and much rumored) Turing GPU architecture.

Sources: Apple invited 30+ app devs to an April 2017 meeting to recommend they move from selling apps at a low upfront cost to a subscription-based SaaS model  —  - But there are concerns that the competitiveness of the marketplace may make it difficult to maintain high-quality utility apps.

Trump signs defense bill that includes banning the use of some components from Huawei, ZTE, and other Chinese companies by the US government and its contractors  —  Huawei and ZTE technology will largely be banned from use by the US government and government contractors.

Facebook acquires the seven-person team and tech from startup Vidpresso to make its video more interactive  —  Zombie-like passive comsumption of static video is both unhealthy for viewers and undifferentiated for the tech giants that power it.  That's set Facebook on a mission to make video interactive …

Banks and retailers are using behavioral biometrics to build millions of user profiles by tracking how users type, swipe, and tap when using websites and apps  —  When you're browsing a website and the mouse cursor disappears, it might be a computer glitch — or it might be a deliberate test to find out who you are.

Comcast's Xfinity X1 partnership with Netflix and Amazon presages a future of streaming bundles, which would be similar to the cable TV subscription model  —  As Xfinity's distribution deals expand, disruptors are taking up the same models as past cable companies

All current regulations about online privacy are flawed because they view privacy as a thing that needs protecting, rather than a trade-off for benefits  —  It's been an interesting year for those of us who support strong privacy for the public — in part because we've seen lots of movement on attempts to regulate privacy.

Sources: a16z launches a new fund of ~$15M for black celebrity investors to try to boost diversity in tech, with Kevin Durant and Will Smith among its LPs  —  Silicon Valley stalwart Andreessen Horowitz launches new fund in an effort to boost diversity in tech

Sources: YouTube is signing stars to new contracts that pay them to use new features like paid chats and prohibit them from posting first on competitors' sites  —  - Twitch, Facebook try to lure talent with new video ventures  — Parent Google wants to diversify revenue for talent, itself

How Quanergy Systems, which makes lidar for autonomous cars, has failed to deliver after raising $160M and hitting a peak valuation of over $1.6B  —  Quanergy Systems Inc. found itself in the center of a sudden frenzy over self-driving cars in 2014.  It makes lidar, which bounces lasers off objects …

Samsung launches SmartThings WiFi mesh router with Adaptive WiFi tech from Plume, a $70 SmartThings Hub, and smart button, and upgrades smart outlet, sensors  —  Samsung is putting its well-regarded SmartThings brand front and center in the latest iteration of its combination Wave 2 Wi-Fi mesh router and smart-home hub.

Despite complaints from a Sandy Hook parent, Automattic has not taken down content from conspiracy theorists, citing Wordpress.com's content policy  —  Leonard Pozner says he spends hours every day trying to erase online conspiracy theories that the death of his 6-year-old son Noah at the Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax.

A US appeals court has blocked the FCC's attempt to pull a broadband subsidy for low income households in tribal areas, staying the FCC decision pending appeal  —  FCC trying to kill $25 subsidy in urban areas and limit subsidy in rural areas.  —  A US appeals court has blocked …