Reuters:
Intel says some data center customers using Broadwell and Haswell processors are reporting more system reboots after applying patch for Meltdown and Spectre  —  (Reuters) - Intel Corp on Thursday said that recently issued patches for flaws in its chips could cause computers using its older Broadwell …

Will Greenwald / PC Magazine:
TiVo unveils plans to add smart home integration, says Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT support will begin rolling out to DVRs over the next few months  —  LAS VEGAS—If you own a TiVo, you'll soon be able to control it through your Amazon Echo or Google Home.

Cody Toombs / Android Police:
Google updates Duo, lets users call some Android contacts who don't have the app installed; provides prompt to install at end of call  —  Google recently began rolling out a slightly updated look to the contact list on the Duo video calling app.  Alongside this fun rearrangement of pixels …

Tom Warren / The Verge:
AMD says it is making firmware updates available for Ryzen and EPYC processors this week to fix Spectre flaws, updating older processors “over the coming weeks”  —  Zero risk, but not zero impact  —  AMD's initial response to the Meltdown and Spectre CPU flaws made it clear “there is a near zero risk to AMD processors.”

Mike Isaac / New York Times:
Zuckerberg says News Feed will focus on what friends share, de-emphasize content from publishers and brands as it moves to favor interactions over passive posts  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook introduced sweeping changes to the kinds of posts, videos and photos that its more than two billion members …

Lucia Moses / Digiday:
Sources: Facebook plans News Feed change as early as next week, ranking user posts, Watch shows over publisher posts but also surfacing “reputable” publishers  —  The end is nigh.  Facebook is planning a major change to its news feed, starting as early as next week …

Erin Griffith / Wired:
Steve Jurvetson, who left DFJ in Nov., held event described as a “sex party” in new book Brotopia; Elon Musk, who attended, calls excerpt “salacious nonsense”  —  EARLIER THIS MONTH, a Vanity Fair report revealed sordid tales of Silicon Valley sex parties.

Paul Kunert / The Register:
Sources: IBM to reassign up to 30% of the ~103,000 staff in its Global Technology Services wing this year, resulting in job cuts through attrition of ~10,100  —  The result?  One-third of GTS to be ‘redeployed’ or not replaced when they leave  —  Exclusive IBM has indicated …

Dan Primack / Axios:
Steve Jurvetson, who acrimoniously left DFJ in November, had hosted a sex party described in Emily Chang's upcoming book Brotopia  —  Silicon Valley was rocked earlier this month by revelations of sex and drug parties attended by the tech elite, as detailed in a Vanity Fair excerpt of journalist Emily Chang's upcoming book Brotopia.

Jessica DiNapoli / Reuters:
Sources: Peter Thiel joins other bidders in making an offer in bankruptcy court for Gawker's remaining assets, including domains and 200K+ articles  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Venture capitalist Peter Thiel has made an offer for Gawker, hoping to overcome legal hurdles and rival bidders …

Mark Bergen / Bloomberg:
Sources: Google to vet videos in the Google Preferred ad program with human moderators and AI, after concerns from marketers over videos including Logan Paul's  —  Google is planning a new push to vet top-tier YouTube videos that it bundles for major advertisers, people familiar with the plan said.

Alex Rosenblat / Fast Company:
How Uber, Lyft, and other ride hail drivers use online forums to compare notes, share info, push back at employers, and help each other navigate the gig economy  —  Ride-hail drivers work alone, but they're banding together online to compare notes, uncover new policies, and help each other navigate the rough roads of the gig economy.

Gwen Ackerman / Bloomberg:
Jerusalem-based crowdfunding platform OurCrowd launches Cognitiv Ventures, a $100M fund for early-stage AI, deep learning, and robotics firms  —  Fund to look at tech-changing traditional industries  —  Cognitiv fund largest to be raised by OurCrowd since founding

John Cook / GeekWire:
Online legal directory Avvo says it has been acquired by Internet Brands, which owns WebMD and others; Avvo was reportedly valued at $650M in 2015  —  Seattle-based Avvo, which runs an online legal directory, marketplace and reviews site, has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Internet Brands …

Lynnley Browning / Bloomberg:
Expert: new US tax law loophole could give Apple, Microsoft, others a significant one-off tax break on foreign capital as their fiscal years begin before Jan. 1  —  Microsoft, Cisco might also benefit from GOP bill ‘loophole’  —  Law gives some firms edge in paring offshore cash tax tab