NEWSWORTHY
The whole shebang. The Supreme Court will hear a case pitting Google against Oracle with absolutely staggering ramifications for the tech industry. The justices will consider whether application programming interfaces, or the software triggers that make a program work but also allow for inter-compatibility, are covered by copyright law, as an appeals court ruled.
Back to basics. After messing up on a wide range of investments in the United States, including Uber and WeWork, SoftBank Group chairman Masayoshi Son has turned his focus to Japan. In an $11.5 billion deal, SoftBank is buying messaging service Line and combining it with Yahoo Japan, which it already owns.
No soup for you. Despite what some people say, the streaming world is not going to become the cable bundle all over again. On Friday, Disney-controlled Hulu raised the price–again–of its package of online channels. It's up to $55 a month from $45, and it was only $40 back in January.
Thanks, but no thanks. The board of HP rejected Xerox's initial bid for a merger but said it was open to further talks. "We remain ready to engage with you to better understand your business and any value to be created from a combination," CEO Enrique Lores and chairman Chip Bergh wrote in a letter released on Sunday.
Non-shocker of the year. Nearly 80% of U.S. adults are "somewhat" or "very" concerned about how companies use their digital data, the Pew Research Center said on Friday. And 81% of adults say they have little or no control over the data companies collect.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The Global Positioning Satellite system is surely one of the modern wonders of the world, making all kinds of journeys safer and more efficient (and letting us track our runs and bike rides with insane precision).
But something weird and unsettling is happening to the GPS systems of ships navigating in the port of Shanghai. Mark Harris at Technology Review delves into the mystery of a GPS weapon that doesn't jam the system but sends out false readings that appear real. Todd Humphreys, director of the Radionavigation Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin, is one expert on the case.
Humphreys examined the data, but the closer he looked, the more confused he became. "To be able to spoof multiple ships simultaneously into a circle is extraordinary technology. It looks like magic," he said. In September, Humphreys showed a visualization of the data at the world's largest conference of satellite navigation technology, ION GNSS+ in Florida. "People were slack-jawed when I showed them this pattern of spoofing," he said. "They started to call it crop circles."
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Exclusive: Ford's Mustang Mach-E Is a Radical Gamble on an Electric Future By Doron Levin
Why Garmin's Shares Are Hitting Record Highs As Rival Fitbit Sinks From View By Aaron Pressman
Want to Be Your Company's Rockstar? Spotify Proves Collaboration Beats Going Solo By Alyssa Newcomb
China Has Always Trailed the U.S. in Chipmaking. In the Trade War Era, Will It Finally Catch Up? By Grady McGregor
6 Foldable Phones That Show How the Future of Handset Design Is Unfolding By JP Mangalindan
Twitter Details Its New Political Ads Ban—and Warns of 'Mistakes' Ahead as the Policy Gets Refined By Danielle Abril
Nude Child Photos and Other 'Toxic Content' Are on Giphy, Shared by Private Accounts Exploiting Loopholes, Researchers Say By David Z. Morris
Gift Guide: The Best Books to Gift People You Know Well—and People You Don't By Rachel King
BEFORE YOU GO
A couple of years ago, my wife and I shrunk down the contents of our closets, book shelves, file drawers, and a few other nooks and crannies. Yes, we were among the Marie Kondo followers seeking to tidy up and simplify our lives by shedding possessions that didn't "spark joy." Now Kondo is returning to the scene with a kind of strange play given her brand. It's an e-commerce shop stocked only with items that give Kondo joy, such as a Japanese clay pot called a donabe. Then again, Kondo has some on-brand advice : "I know it's an odd thing for a founder to say, but I know they're lovely products, but don't overbuy! Tidy first, and then consider the products."
Aaron Pressman
On Twitter: @ampressman
Email: aaron.pressman@fortune.com
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