Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Google unveils its latest in Home, Pixel, and Chromecast. The tech giant could announce the new Pixel 3 and 3 XL, the Pixel Slate tablet, and a smart display for Home at an event on Tuesday. Don’t expect a new Pixel smartwatch, as such snazzy timepieces appear to be falling out of fashion.
Louis Vuitton’s parent company reports third-quarter earnings. The French luxury brand is expected to post a $1.38 billion raise in revenue, going from $11.91 billion to $13.31 billion for the same period last year, with fashion and leather leading LVMH’s growth. Jewelry and cosmetics also appear to be growing, albeit at slower rates.
The world’s first Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit kicks off. The multi-day event, held in London, aims to educate governments about best practices in addressing mental health issues as well as combating stigma. Prince William and Kate Middleton, who launched their own mental health initiative two years ago, are expected to be in attendance.
While you were sleeping
The Nobel prize in economics went to two Americans for their research on long-term economic growth. NYU’s Paul Romer spent decades exploring how humans harness ideas to create economic growth, while Yale’s William Nordhaus delved into our equally amazing capacity for destruction. Their work extends well beyond economics, with both contributing extensively to the study of climate change.
The world’s foremost body on climate change published a stark warning. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s report says that to keep global average temperatures from rising above 1.5°C, the world needs to reach net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions as soon as 2050. The opposite appears to be happening, with emissions set to rise this year. The IPCC warns that a continued rise in temperatures will devastate India and Pakistan.
China held a tense meeting with US secretary of state Mike Pompeo. Pompeo cited “fundamental disagreements” with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi over trade, the US’s approach to Taiwan, and mainland China’s affairs. Wang maintained that China will continue to cooperate in dealing with North Korea despite the contentions.
Google+ shuts down following a major security breach. Google’s decision to shutter its social network follows reports that a glitch allowed outside developers to access sensitive user information between 2015 and March of this year. Rather than notify the public, Google opted to keep the breach a secret.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Akshat Rathi on the role negative-emission technologies will play in thwarting global warming. “The deployment of negative-emissions technologies has to be alongside zero-carbon technologies that displace the use of fossil fuels or abate their emissions. In other words, we will also need more solar, more wind, more nuclear, along with the deployment of more batteries, electric cars, and carbon capture and storage for industries, such as cement, steel, and ethanol.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
San Francisco’s public art requirements don’t go far enough. Not only should 30% of monuments include women, but at least 30% of those pieces should be created by women.
The US Senate failed to hold Brett Kavanaugh accountable. It’s up to the House of Representatives to investigate Kavanaugh’s alleged perjuring as well as sexual assault claims against him.
Human empathy can’t keep up with the tragedy in Indonesia. Devastating earthquakes and tsunamis have left the world’s compassion depleted rather than renewed.
Surprising discoveries
A Snapchat knockoff is helping San Francisco solve its public-pooping problem. After a Snapcrap user takes a photo of feces, the city can determine where the poop is located.
Dirty dishes reveal what ancient civilizations ate. Food scraps on 8,000-year-old ceramic shards found in Turkey includes barley, wheat, peas, and tea.
The world’s oldest barber is 107. Anthony Mancinelli has been cutting hair since he was 11 and still maintains a five-days-a-week schedule at his New Windsor, NY shop.
US federal agencies are finally using two-factor authentication. The added security measure to dot-gov websites comes after the Office of Personnel Management was hacked earlier this year.
A third of gluten-free dishes aren’t actually gluten-free. Cross-contamination in restaurants means your Celiac-friendly pizza and pasta may not be so kind after all.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, statues of amazing women, and secure password ideas to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android. Today’s Daily Brief was written by April Siese and edited by Elijah Wolfson.