Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian introduced a new Gemini agent at Gemini at Work 2026 that accepts objectives rather than specific instructions. The system is designed to plan tasks, utilize various tools, and return completed work within existing business applications. Initial availability is limited to enterprises, with a consumer rollout planned for a later date….
Mathilda Zeller discusses her debut novel, which expands her previous short story about a shapeshifting creature. The book features a protagonist searching for a missing sister in an Alaskan village affected by mining. Zeller explains how she sustained suspense across a longer narrative using setups and payoffs. She also reflects on writing from personal folklore…
ConnectWise has suspended access to its Cloud Backup service after hackers exploited application identities to breach customer environments. The attack, which began on October 15, allowed unauthorized access to Microsoft 365 tenants by abusing existing service principal permissions. Security firms Huntress and Todyl confirmed that attackers used automated scripts to sign in, bypassing multi-factor authentication…
OPM recently updated its data to list 25 individuals serving in the new Schedule G category. Twenty-two of these political appointees are assigned to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The first of these positions began on August 25, 2025, following an executive order signed in July 2025. A proposed rule for this category is currently…
Treasury data shows net interest payments on the national debt rose 8% to $1.05 trillion in fiscal 2026, outpacing growth in total spending, revenue, and GDP. The federal budget deficit widened to $1.99 trillion, driven by spending that grew faster than revenue. With gross U.S. debt at $40 trillion, interest costs now exceed real GDP…
Rebecca Perry explains how her debut novel, May We Feed the King, evolved from two separate short stories into a frame narrative. The book alternates between a contemporary curator and a medieval king, a structure that required significant revision to balance. Perry notes that making the narrator a professional curator helped clarify the character's motivations…
Parkersburg City Council voted 6-3 to table an ordinance that would have raised the mayor's salary from $90,000 to $125,000 starting in 2029. More than a dozen residents spoke against the $35,000 increase, citing local median household income data from the U.S. Census Bureau. One resident suggested making municipal elections nonpartisan to allow federal employees…
AI Judgment and Risk Mitigation: AI-generated information isn’t always accurate, unbiased, or appropriate. Employees need the critical thinking skills to question results, verify information, and recognize potential risks.
Leaders at Ai Everything Abu Dhabi 2026 emphasized the urgent need to develop artificial intelligence skills as robotics reshapes industries. Mariam Al Musharrekh reported that Abu Dhabi trained 30,000 government employees in AI with a 95 per cent completion rate. Marc Raibert described humanoid robotics as a major challenge, noting that reinforcement learning and large…
Research · 16 October 2026 · Image: Zscaler Zscaler’s ThreatLabz has published an analysis of CVE-2026-88771, a critical remote code execution vulnerability in Citrix NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway that carries a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8.