Japan's government said on Monday that high-tech industries will be added to a list of businesses for which foreign ownership of Japanese firms is restricted. From a report: The new rule, effective Aug. 1, comes amid heightening pressure from the United States in dealing with cyber-security risks and technological transfers involving China. The Japanese government made no mention of specific countries or companies that will be impacted by applying existing foreign ownership restrictions to the IT and telecoms industries. The announcement came on the same day visiting U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are holding talks in Tokyo on trade and other issues. The United States has warned countries against using Chinese technology, saying Huawei Technologies could be used by Beijing to spy on the West. China and Huawei have strongly rejected the allegations.

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The far-right makes gains after the European Parliament elections but not the clean sweep some had feared.

The far-right makes gains after the European Parliament elections but not the clean sweep some had feared.

The far-right makes gains after the European Parliament elections but not the clean sweep some had feared.

The far-right makes gains after the European Parliament elections but not the clean sweep some had feared.

New legislation comes after similar bill passed in the lower house of congress, but failed in the Senate last year.

New legislation comes after similar bill passed in the lower house of congress, but failed in the Senate last year.

New legislation comes after similar bill passed in the lower house of congress, but failed in the Senate last year.

New legislation comes after similar bill passed in the lower house of congress, but failed in the Senate last year.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently said that "privacy cannot be a luxury good offered only to people who can afford to buy premium products and services," a comment that some viewed as a dig at Apple. Well, Apple's software chief, Craig Federighi, says he doesn't "buy into" the criticism that Apple is turning privacy into a luxury good. From a report: Apple wants to sell products to "everyone we possibly could," Federighi said, adding that Apple's products are "certainly not just a luxury." [...] Federighi said it's "gratifying" to see other companies discussing privacy, but that it'll take more than "a couple of months and a couple of press releases" to change these companies' business practices, which rely on data collection. Federighi didn't name Google specifically, but likewise, it's pretty clear which company he's referring to. In the interview, Federighi also addressed two other criticisms of Apple's privacy stance: that it shouldn't be storing Chinese' users iCloud data in China, where the country could spy on it; and that its choice not to collect much user data has made it fall behind when it comes to develop AI features, like Siri. On China, Federighi suggests that storing data within the country isn't as big of a risk for Apple as it would be for other companies, because of "all of our data minimization techniques." Between encrypting data and collecting a small amount of data in the first place, Federighi says there's not much to access on its Chinese iCloud servers, and that anyone who does gain access wouldn't be able to do much with that information. Federighi also says he sees the choice between collecting data and building powerful new AI features as a "false trade off."

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Trudeau expelled Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott from the Liberal caucus after a bitter feud this year.

I know the South sucks (it actually doesn't), but one of the things I learned going to college there is that men must show deference to women. If a woman who is a relative or a friend says you should do something, you do it. And you say "Yes ma'am," as a servant would. And mean it. You can say yes ma'am to younger women, even much younger women, and it's still the right thing to say. Being raised in NY all this was new to me as was the first time a girlfriend stood next to a door, and didn't move. It took me a while to figure out that she was waiting for me to open the door. No problem, and she was very gracious when I did it. And I felt both honorable and honored. There's something very sweet and old timey about this. Just thought of it because a woman friend gave me an order, and my response was yes ma'am. Thus this blog post. ;-)

Chernobyl, a 5-part miniseries, is something you should watch. It's a really well done thriller about a historic event that I didn't really understand at the time, but I remember how freaked out we all were that it was the end of the world. Now it's easy to watch because we know that it more or less worked out, the world is still here. Episode 4 airs tonight on HBO at 9PM.

I was intrigued by Gentleman Jack through the first few episodes. The principal character, Anne Lister, played by Suranne Jones, is very appealing and has an unusual problem, which she sets out to solve, all while leading her remarkable life. I'm not being sarcastic. I was drawn to it because I watched Doctor Foster which also starred Jones, and it was riveting, and kept my attention through two seasons. But the potential of Gentleman Jack never seems to come together and the show drags and repeats, for what? She's brilliant, but we see before she does that what's she's chasing is unattainable. Or so it seems, the season is only half-done. But the elements of a great show are there so hopefully it's turn around. Episode 5 airs tonight on HBO at 10PM.

I've also watched the full second season of Barry, am caught up on Gentleman Jack and Chernobyl, all on HBO. I know people rave about Barry, but like the second season of Killing Eve, it is a letdown. It's funny that's for sure because Bill Hader is an amazing comedian, like a Jim Carrey or Robin Williams. It's easy to watch, it kills a few hours, but won't give you a lot to think about. It's like popcorn. I think both shows were hurt by running while Game of Thrones was finishing up, btw. It kind of sucked all the air out of the room. Amazingly, now I have absolutely no interest in reading about GoT, where just a week ago, that's pretty much all I wanted to read about.