• An elite group of "patriotic" students in China have been selected to begin training for a new artificial-intelligence weapons development program. 
• Some 31 kids — all under 18 — have been recruited to participate in the "Experimental Program for Intelligent Weapons Systems" at the Beijing Institute of Technology, which will groom them to become AI weapons experts, the South China Morning Post reported, citing an announcement from the Beijing Institute of Technology. 
• China has largely kept the development of its AI-weapons technology opaque, but experts say China's army will likely leverage AI "to enhance its future capabilities, including in intelligent and autonomous unmanned systems."

An elite group of "patriotic" students in China have been selected to begin training for new artificial intelligence weapons development program. 

31 kids — all under 18 — have been recruited to participate in the "Experimental Program for Intelligent Weapons Systems" at the Beijing Institute of Technology, South China Morning Post reported Thursday, citing an announcement from the Beijing Institute of Technology. The program selected 27 boys and four girls from more than 5,000 applicants, the school's website said, according to the Post. 

"These kids are all exceptionally bright, but being bright is not enough," a BIT professor who asked not to be identified told the Post. 

"We are looking for other qualities such as creative thinking, willingness to fight, a persistence when facing challenges," he said. "A passion for developing new weapons is a must … and they must also be patriots."

According to the program's brochure, each student will be mentored by two weapons scientists with both academic and defense backgrounds. The kids will later be tasked with choosing a specialization within the weapons sector and will be assigned to the relevant defense laboratory to hone their skills under the guidance of experts. 

The institute expects students will go on to complete doctorate degrees and become leaders in the field of AI weapons technology, the Post said. 

China has been outspoken about its interest in developing AI technology 

China has touted its AI development across sectors, including a trillion-dollar autonomous-driving revolution and a massive expansion of its facial-recognition software. 

In his keynote speech to the ruling Communist Party last year, President Xi Jinping called for the embedding of artificial intelligence technologies into the economy to create growth and expand its capabilities across industries.

Read more: China is preparing for a trillion-dollar autonomous-driving revolution

In July, China released its own AI development plan, which proposed building up its domestic AI industry to $150 billion over the next few years to establish the country as an "innovation center for AI" by 2030.

And while China has largely kept the development of its AI-weapons technology opaque, Elsa B. Kania an adjunct fellow at the Center for a New American Security, predicts that China's army will "likely leverage AI to enhance its future capabilities, including in intelligent and autonomous unmanned systems."

China is reportedly working on a fleet of drone submarinesin order to give China’s navy an advantage at sea. And in April, the Chinese air force released details about an upcoming drill using fully autonomous swarms of drones. 

But experts have repeatedly warned about the dangers of AI 

Experts have repeatedly warned about the dangers AI, arguing that advanced systems which can make thousands of complex decisions every second could have "dual-use" to help or harm, depending on its design.

In February, AI experts across industries outlined in a 100-page report the dangers of AI technology and how the technology could be weaponized for malicious use. Aside from using AI technology for attacks in the digital realm, the technology could be used in the physical realm to turn technology, like drones, into weapons and attack targets at the push of a button or the click of a mouse. 

In April, China submitted its proposal to the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems announcing its desire to create a new protocol for restricting the use of AI weapons. In its proposal, China highlighted the dangers of AI weaponry but also stressed the need to continue developing AI technology. 

SEE ALSO: China is preparing for a trillion-dollar autonomous-driving revolution

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NOW WATCH: Navy SEALs explain the dangers of overplanning in both the military and business

• Ezra Miller's show-stopping red carpet look easily stole the show at the "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" premiere.
• The unique look comes from the Moncler Pierpaolo Piccioli collection and will keep even the darkest witches and wizards toasty warm with its down filling.
• Miller's character was a key part of the first movie— and "The Crimes of Grindelwald" will likely delve more deeply into his past.

If your character survived certain death at the end of the first movie in your franchise, you might come out looking something like Ezra Miller did for his recent red-carpet appearance. 

On Thursday, Miller, along with his co-stars including Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Zoe Kravitz, and Jude Law graced the red carpet in Paris to promote "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald."

Miller opted for a stunning albeit puffy all-black look

Rocking the red carpet in a Moncler Pierpaolo Piccioli ensemble, you can almost feel the confidence rolling off of Miller in big, puffy waves that clearly differentiate Miller from his character in the first film.

Of course, that could also have to do with the very real possibility of Credence Barebone secretly being one of the Lestranges from way back— but fans will just have to wait and see if that particular theory is accurate.

The rest of the cast of "Fantastic Beasts" donned simpler attire

You can catch the film in theaters on November 16.

Ezra Miller recently opened up about Hollywood and his #MeToo moment

In a recent spread for The Hollywood Reporter, Miller said he was harassed by an unnamed director and producer when he was underage. 

"They [the producer and director] gave me wine and I was underaged," Miller recalled. "They were like, 'Hey, want to be in our movie about gay revolution?' And I was like, 'No, you guys are monsters.'"

Miller continued to reflect on the significance of the #MeToo movement in Hollywood. 

"It's a great f---ing age of being like, 'You know what? That s---'s unacceptable,' And it's amazing for a lot of us to watch. 'Cause, like, we all knew it was unacceptable when we f---ing survived it," he continued.

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NOW WATCH: A sleep expert explains what happens to your body and brain if you don't get enough sleep

• The trial of accused Mexican kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman started this week in New York City.
• A jury has been selected, and Guzman's lawyers want the court to let him hug his wife before opening statements next week.
• The court said no, citing ongoing concerns that the elusive cartel chief could be plotting something else.

Jury selection for the trial of accused Mexican cartel chief Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is over, but the purported Sinaloa cartel leader will face the court alone when the trial gets underway next week.

In a November 6 letter, Guzman's defense team asked Judge Brian Cogan to allow Guzman to give his wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, "a brief momentary greeting to include perhaps an embrace" after entering the courtroom on November 13, before opening statements.

"It can be a brief embrace in open court with the courtroom railing between them," the letter, written by one of Guzman's lawyers, continued. "This entire process should not take more than a few seconds."

The letter justifies the "humanitarian gesture" by citing the conditions Guzman has faced since he was extradited to the US from Mexico in January 2017, hours before President Donald Trump took office.

He has been held under tight security in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan.

He has been held in a windowless cell with the lights on at all times for 23 hours a day during the week and 24 hours a day during the weekend. He has had limited contact with outsiders and none with his wife, which has been "to prevent [Guzman] from committing, soliciting, or conspiring to commit additional criminal activity," the defense's letter states, quoting the prosecution.

Guzman's legal team has made numerous complaints about his treatment.

Read also:The Coast Guard is catching more drug-running subs, but most 'very stealthy' narco subs are probably going undetected

In March 2017, after seven weeks in US custody, lawyers said the conditions, which were "far more extreme" than those in Mexico, had already caused him to have hallucinations. Later that spring, his lawyers said the repetition of a "nature program about a rhinoceros" on a TV he had access to, and other limits on his confinement, were furthering his "sense of frustration and isolation."

Amnesty International said the conditions appeared "unnecessarily harsh and to breach international standards for humane treatment."

The court was sympathetic to the November 6 request, but even though the defense team said the embrace would be supervised and "would not pose a threat to security," Cogan was unwilling to grant it.

Guzman's behavior during the proceedings has been "exemplary," Cogan said in his response on Thursday. And Guzman has "displayed considerable grace under pressure."

"Nevertheless, having conferred extensively with the U.S. Marshals Service about defendant's request, the Court is constrained to deny it," Cogan adds. "The Marshals have stressed that acceding to the request would be contrary to all the security procedures that have been put in place ... and would treat defendant differently than any other person in the Marshals' custody who is subject to such measures."

US officials have taken special efforts to secure Guzman while in their custody, called Special Administrative Measures, or SAMs, largely in response to the reputation Guzman has earned as a powerful criminal figure who has bribed and threatened authorities throughout Mexico and Latin America.

Guzman has also mounted sophisticated escapes while held in Mexico. In early 2001, he broke out of Puente Grande prison in southwest Mexico. (It was rumored he snuck out in a laundry cart, though he is believed to have simply walked out.)

He was captured 13 years later, but after a year in another prison closer to Mexico City, he broke out again, riding a modified motorcycle on rails through a mile-long, ventilated, lighted tunnel that went from a partially completed house under the prison, emerging in the shower of his cell, where grinding sounds were picked up by prison security systems on the night of his escape.

The court upheld the SAMs imposed on Guzman in May 2017, Cogan noted, "including the restriction that prohibits defendant from communicating with or having any physical contact with his wife."

Now read: Mexican troops are in the streets to fight the drug war, and the country's defense chief says legalization may be 'a way out'

At that time, the court recognized the measures were "tailored to the Government's legitimate objectives of preventing defendant from coordinating any escape from prison or directing any attack on individuals who might be cooperating with the Government."

The factors that justified those measures at that time are still present, Cogan said, especially "on the eve of trial, when the reality of the potential liability defendant faces if convicted may be setting in."

SEE ALSO: 33 years ago, rebels allegedly backed by Pablo Escobar stormed Colombia's Palace of Justice — here's how the terrifying siege went down

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NOW WATCH: The wives of El Chapo's henchmen reveal how they hid and spent $2 billion

It's a common misconception that the date printed on packaged food is a firm deadline for when you should toss it. In reality, one of the only items in the US with a federally-regulated expiration date is infant formula― which is why "sell by" dates and "best if used by (or before)" dates are more of a guideline than a rule.

As Paul VanLandingham, a senior faculty member at the Center for Food and Beverage Management of Johnson & Wales University explained in an interview with WebMD, these numbers refer to food quality rather than food safety. While the former dictates how long a store should display a product to ensure its highest level of quality, the latter refers to long consumers should keep a product before it loses flavor or declines in quality.

When it comes to these 15 food items, you can disregard the date on the package.

You can keep dry, boxed pasta for one to two years past its printed date.

Dry pasta can be kept for one to two years past its printed date, according to Eat By Date. FoodSafety.gov, a food resource from the US Department of Health & Human Services, offers the same estimate.

Fresh (uncooked) pasta ― the kind you'll find in the refrigerated section of the supermarket next to Italian cheese ― is only good for four to five days beyond the date printed on the packaging. When frozen, it will keep for six to eight months.

Cooked pasta, whether dry or fresh, can be kept for seven days in the fridge. In the freezer, it will stay fresh for six to eight months.

Breakfast cereal lasts six to eight months beyond the date on the box when it's unopened.

When unopened, breakfast cereal can last for six to eight months past the date on the box. If opened, your favorite cereal will stay fresh for between four and six months. In contrast, cooked cereals such as oatmeal will only keep for four to five days in the fridge once prepared.

"Cereals don't really go bad. There is not that much of a quality issue. If you leave your cereal box open, it can get stale, but you are still not going to get sick from it," Emily Broad Leib, the director of Harvard Food Law & Policy Clinic, told TIME magazine.

No matter what date is on the carton, you can use eggs within three to five weeks of purchasing them.

You've probably heard that an egg is spoiled if it floats when immersed in water. All eggs, however, become more buoyant over time as their air cells increase in size, as the University of Nebraska ― Lincoln's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources explained in the article Cracking the Date Code on Egg Cartons.

No matter what date is printed on the carton, eggs are safe to use within three to five weeks of when you purchase them. Hard-boiled eggs keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Read more: 5 simple tricks for making the perfect hard boiled egg

• Vine founder Dom Hofmann revealed Thursday he would be releasing a new looping video app next spring.
• The app will be called Byte.
• Vine was a massively popular video service that Twitter acquired in 2012 and shut down four years later.

Good news, long-suffering Vine fans: A successor to the popular video service is finally on the way.

Dom Hofmann, one of the cofounders of Vine, plans to launch a similar app called Byte next spring. Like Vine, Byte will feature looping videos, Hofmann announced Thursday on Twitter.  

Vine was an app that allowed users to create and share six-second-long videos that it looped infinitely. Twitter acquired the app in 2012, and by 2015, it had attracted some 200 million active users. 

But Twitter struggled to find a way to make money off the app and shut down its core features in 2016, much to the disappointment of millions of Vine fans.

After the shutdown, another looping video service has caught on with consumers — TikTok. In September, TikTok was the most downloaded social app in the US. 

Read more:A viral video app you've probably never heard of had more downloads in September than Facebook, YouTube, or Snapchat

Despite that, Vine loyalists have been calling for a return of their beloved app ever since Twitter shuttered it. 

Hofmann has been listening. He announced last November that he was building a Vine successor. Since then snippets of information about it have trickled out through a forum site, Hofmann's Twitter account, and a TechCrunch report. 

SEE ALSO: Eric Schmidt takes the blame for Google's social networking failures: 'I suspect we didn’t fully understand how to do it'

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Furnishing your first apartment can be a long, stressful process. As a homemaking novice, you'll likely remember the big things like a couch and mattress, but might forget about the more obscure items like a bath mat — at least until your first slip on your puddle-laden bathroom floor. Making the perfect checklist of apartment essentials is only half the battle — then you have to scour different sites to decide which shaggy throw you actually want to buy. 

Luckily, there are some places you can rely on to make this process a little bit easier — places where you can shop for your bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom all within the same URL, where you won't blow your budget on luxury housewares (well actually, we can't promise that), where you can put a luxury mattress and a lifetime supply of Clorox wipes all in the same shopping cart. These stores don't take all of the stress out of apartment shopping, but they sure do make it easier. As someone who's in the process of making her first apartment feel like home, that place for me is Target.

Read on to see our picks of 26 things you should get for your first apartment or home at Target:

A basic dinnerware set

12 piece Avesta Stoneware Dinnerware Set, $19.99

This set has a minimalist style that fits any apartment aesthetic and looks a lot nicer than the $20 price tag would suggest. It's everything you need for your first apartment — and it'll save you the inevitable freak out that would occur after your roommate chipped your first set of Williams Sonoma bowls. 

A frame to help you personalize your space

Made By Design Thin Single Image Frame, $3

Frames filled with pictures of family, friends, and important life memories will make your space really feel like home. It's what's on the inside of the frame that counts, but having a nice way to display your photos adds to the appeal.

A bathroom rug

Threshold Spacedye Striped Bath Rug, $24.99

This bath rug is a practical buy that also has the power to spruce up a plain bathroom. Pick a fun color or pattern, but whatever you pick be sure to get one that' machine washable. After living on the bathroom floor, these things need to be cleaned frequently.

The US Army is moving forward on next-generation concealment technology to ensure that American soldiers can hide in plain sight.

Fibrotex has built an Ultra-Light Camouflage Netting System that can be used to conceal soldier's positions, vehicles, tanks and aircraft. The new "camouflage system will mask soldiers, vehicles and installations from state-of-the-art electro-optical sensors and radars," the company said Thursday in a press release sent to Business Insider.

Fibrotex has been awarded a contract to supply this advanced camouflage to conceal troops from night vision, thermal imaging, radar, and more. 

Soldiers, vehicles, and other relevant systems can just about disappear in snowy, desert, urban, and woodland environments, according to the camouflage-maker.

The new program aims to replace outdated camouflage that protects soldiers in the visible spectrum but not against more advanced, high-end sensors. ULCANS "provides more persistent [infrared], thermal & counter-radar performance," Fibrotex explained.

The Army has awarded Fibrotex a 10-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract valued at $480 million. Full-scale production will begin next year at a manufacturing facility in McCreary County, Kentucky, where the company expects to create and secure hundreds of new jobs in the coming years.

"Today, more than ever, military forces and opposition groups are using night vision sensors and thermal devices against our troops," Eyal Malleron, the CEO of Fibrotex USA, said in a statement.

"But, by using Fibrotex’s camouflage, concealment and deception solutions, we make them undetectable again, allowing them to continue keeping us safe."

Enemies can't see in, but US soldiers can see out

The result came from roughly two years of testing at the Army’s Natick Soldier Systems Center, where new technology was tested against the Army's most advanced sensors.

Fibrotex noted that the netting is reversible, creating the possibility for two distinctly different prints for varied environments. And while outsiders can't see through the netting, those on the inside have an excellent view of their surroundings, as can be seen in the picture above.

See how the camouflage netting avoids detection:

The new camouflage for troops and vehicles has reportedly been tested against the best sensors in the Army, and it beat them all.

The Mobile Camouflage Solution (MCS) takes concealment to another level, as "the MCS provides concealment while the platform is moving," the company revealed. Business Insider inquired about the secret sauce to blend in moving vehicles with changing scenery, but Fibrotex would only say that their "technology combines special materials, a unique fabric structure and a dedicated manufacturing process."

ULCANS and its relevant variants are based on "combat-proven technologies" designed by the Israel-based Fibrotex Technologies Ltd., the parent company for Fibrotex USA, over the past two decades. The company's products have been specifically modified to meet the needs of the Department of Defense.

"We have more than 50 years of experience, with thousands of hours in the field and a deep understanding of conventional and asymmetric warfare. The U.S. Army tested our best camouflage solutions and the camouflage repeatedly demonstrated the ability to defeat all sensors known to be operating in the battlefield and throughout the electromagnetic spectrum," Malleron explained.

• Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell is reportedly planning to run for president in 2020. 
• Swalwell told The Hill he has nothing to announce in that regard "yet" after a source told Politico he's "definitely running."
• At 37-years-old, Swalwell is roughly half President Donald Trump's age. 
• Democrats like Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Chris Murphy, and Sen. Cory Booker have been floated as top contenders, though none have made any official announcements.

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell is reportedly planning on running for president in 2020. 

A source described as close to the California congressman told Politico, "He's definitely running."

But Swalwell told The Hill he has nothing to announce in that regard "yet."

"I've asked my mom to stop talking to Politico. Just kidding. No news to report. Yet,"he said. 

At 37-years-old, Swalwell is roughly half President Donald Trump's age. He would be among the youngest candidates for president in recent history, and just a few years over the age requirement to seek the highest office in the land. The Constitution states a person must be at least 35 to run for president. 

Adding to the speculation of his potential presidential ambitions is the fact Swalwell is traveling to Iowa later this week for the Asian & Latino Coalition in Des Moines and Iowa Democratic Party chairs in Dubuque.

With the 2018 midterm elections mostly wrapped up and the Democrats seizing a majority in the House, there's already a great deal of speculation surrounding who will challenge Trump in 2020.

Read more: Amy Klobuchar is being talked up as a 2020 contender who could 'bury' Trump after she won re-election in Minnesota

Democrats like Sen. Kamala Harris, of California, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey have been floated as top contenders, though none have made any official announcements.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has also flirted with running. And many have suggested Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who ran as a Democrat in 2016, should give it another go as well. Neither Biden nor Sanders have said they're definitely running. 

Despite losing to Sen. Ted Cruz in the US Senate race in Texas, Rep. Beto O'Rourke has also been suggested as a potential 2020 candidate due to the impressive campaign he ran in a deeply red state. O'Rourke told several news outlets this week he is not planning a White House run in 2020.

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• Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is exploring a job opportunity with Fox News as a contributor, sources familiar with the situation told Politico.
• One source told Politico that Fox News was unlikely to hire Zinke unless President Donald Trump asks Rupert Murdoch, the CEO of Fox's holding company.
• An Interior Department official told Business Insider that the report was "completely fabricated" and a Fox News spokesperson denied that talks with Zinke had taken place.
• Zinke, who came under fire for a series of scandals, reportedly plans on resigning from the Interior Department by the end of the year.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is exploring a job opportunity with Fox News as a contributor, sources familiar with the situation said in a Politico report published on Thursday.

Zinke, who came under fire for a series of scandals, plans on resigning from the Interior Department by the end of the year, sources said. The former House Republican and Navy SEAL is currently under an ethics investigation for possibly using his position for personal gain.

In addition to potential opportunities with the conservative-leaning news organization, Zinke is interested in working for energy companies and private equity firms, two sources told Politico.

Both Fox News and the Interior Department denied that talks had taken place. One Interior Department official told Business Insider that the report as "completely fabricated," while a Fox News spokesperson said that "no one at Fox News has spoken to Zinke about a contributor role."

The exact details of the inspector general's investigation remain unclear, but Zinke has been scrutinized for a number of incidents — including reportedly spending thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds for a government helicopter ride to arrive on time for a horseback ride with Vice President Mike Pence; and a lucrative real-estate deal in his Montana hometown that involves oil giant Halliburton, a company the Interior Department regulates.

Zinke has previously had similar issues related to his use of government funds. While on official military orders in the late 1990s, he made some restoration work on a childhood home and was eventually forced to repay some unauthorized expenses to the Navy, Outside magazine previously reported.

SEE ALSO: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke reportedly spent $6,250 on a government helicopter ride so he could go horseback riding with Mike Pence

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NOW WATCH: Trump once won a lawsuit against the NFL — but the result was an embarrassment

• Google hired Geisinger Health CEO David Feinberg to lead its healthcare efforts.
• Feinberg's role will be to coordinate all of the healthcare-related initiatives Google already has underway, the Wall Street Journal reported.
• Google has been hiring healthcare executives as it seeks to expand its presence in the industry.

Google hired Geisinger Health CEO David Feinberg to a new role leading the company's healthcare efforts. 

Feinberg will leave Geisinger on January 3, the Pennsylvania hospital system said in a statement. Jaewon Ryu, Geisinger's current chief medical officer, will serve as interim president and CEO at Geisinger.

Feinberg's role will be to coordinate the health initiatives Google has underway, including the work happening in artificial intelligence and devices, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Feinberg has been at Geisinger, a health system in Pennsylvania that provides health insurance as well as care through its medical centers, since 2015. Prior to that, he served as CEO of UCLA's health system. Ryu is an emergency medicine physician who previously worked as an executive at the health insurer Humana. He joined Geisinger in 2016.

A representative from Google didn't return a request for comment.

At Google, Feinberg will join former Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove, who recently joined the company as an adviser to Google Cloud. A unit of Google's parent company also hired former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf last year.

Alphabet, Google's parent company, has a number of bets in healthcare ranging from Verily, its life sciences arm that's developing everything from glucose-monitoring contact lenses to surgical robots, to Calico, its life-extension spinoff. Google AI has some projects in the healthcare space as well as through DeepMind.

The company has also made a number of investments in healthcare through its venture funds GV and Capital G as well as through Alphabet itself. 

This isn't the first time Feinberg has had a brush with tech. In June, CNBC reported that he was in talks to lead the Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan healthcare joint venture. That role ultimately went to Dr. Atul Gawande. 

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Oprah Winfrey has unveiled the annual list of her favorite things.

As usual, her picks span almost every category you can think of from kitchen utensils and smart gadgets to travel pillows and pet DNA kits, making it a useful gift guide ahead of the holiday season.

All of her recommended products are available on Amazon so you can shop from the comfort of your home.

Take a closer look at Oprah's 104 favorite things of 2018 below.

Oprah is a fan of this dog DNA test kit by Embark Veterinary.

Cost: $159

Find out more about the dog DNA test kit by Embark Veterinary here >

She also recommends getting Amazon's Echo Spot.

Cost: $99.99 

Find out more about the Echo Spot by Amazon here >

Try Truff's truffle-infused hot sauce.

Cost: $17.98

Find out more about the truffle-infused hot sauce by Truff here >

• As part of Google's new policies to deal with sexual-harassment complaints at the company, CEO Sundar Pichai disclosed new rules for drinking at work.
• Google says it will hold managers responsible for discouraging excessive drinking, not just in the office, but at any party or event where employees get together.
• Pichai says that alcohol was frequently cited in incidents of reported sexual harassment and that, if things don't change, he may implement "more onerous actions."

In response to a recent employee walkout protesting how Google has handled sexual-harassment cases, CEO Sundar Pichai released new policies for employees on Thursday. 

Some of the new policies were items that the protesting workers had called for, like ending forced arbitration for employees who want to sue over harassment claims. But Google also included a new measure in its new list of policies that may catch some employees by surprise: a crackdown on alcohol at work and after-hours at all work-related functions.

The policy says that leaders who do not take steps to limit drinking at events will be on the hook, citing a statistic that says in 20% of Google's reported sexual-harassment cases, alcohol played a role. 

Read more: One of Google's new sexual harassment policies could be the key to changing all of Silicon Valley's bro culture

The policy also warns that Google "will impose more onerous actions if problems persist."  We take that to mean that Pichai may attempt to ban alcohol altogether.

Silicon Valley has a drinking culture, and Google is at least partially the reason why. In its early years, Google was a wild, childlike place to work, filled with people in their 20s. It was deliberately trying not to be your father's and mother's stuffy kind of corporation. The company would throw wild parties with lots of alcohol and other substances, early employees have described.

But the seeds of that corporate culture have grown into a tree. And it may be time to prune it.

Here is the alcohol policy Google disclosed on Thursday:

Excessive alcohol: Harassment is never acceptable and alcohol is never an excuse. But one of the most common factors among the harassment complaints made today at Google is that the perpetrator had been drinking (~20% of cases). Our policy is clear: Excessive consumption of alcohol is not permitted when you are at work, performing Google business, or attending a Google-related event, whether onsite or offsite.

Going forward, all leaders at the company — Directors, VPs and SVPs — will be expected to create teams, events, offsites and environments in which excessive alcohol consumption is strongly discouraged. For example, many teams have already put two-drink limits in place for events. Others use drink ticket systems. The onus will be on leaders to take appropriate steps to restrict any excessive consumption among their teams, and we will impose more onerous actions if problems persist.

SEE ALSO: A horrific video from 'Red Dead Redemption 2' has become a flash point for what's acceptable on YouTube

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• Dropbox posted $360.3 million in revenue in the third quarter.
• That beat Wall Street's forecasts, but analysts' expectations were low.
• Dropbox has been trying to break into the enterprise space, but investors and analysts see that as a big challenge, since its service was originally targeted at consumers.
  
• The company's share price has been beaten up in recent months as its growth has slowed.

Dropbox staved off its doubters on Thursday — at least for the time being.

The file-hosting company reported third-quarter results that topped Wall Street's modest expectations and offered a better-than-expected forecast for the holiday period. It also reported that its average revenue per user rose a bit from last year, a possible indication that its effort to attract business customers might be paying off.

"We delivered another quarter of strong execution," Dropbox CEO Drew Houston said in a statement. He continued: "We're shipping product features and updates our users love, based on a deep understanding of our customers and the tools they need to do their best work."

Investors cheered the results. In recent after-hours trading following its report, the company's stock was up $2.01, or 8%, to $26.75.

Wall Street remains skeptical of Dropbox

But many investors and analysts remain skeptical about Dropbox's longer-term prospects. Analysts such as Nomura's Christopher Eberle are concerned about its ability to attract a significant number of enterprise clients, especially since the company started off as a consumer-oriented service. Such concerns, which are shared widely on Wall Street, have weighed down the company's stock, he said. Dropbox's shares are down 39% since peaking in June. 

"It's very fundamentally difficult to transition to focusing on enterprise," Eberle told Business Insider. "There's security reasons why that's not possible."

Here's what Dropbox reported:

• Q3 Revenue: $360.3 million, which was up 26 percent from the same period last year. Analysts were expecting $352.57 million.
• Q3 earnings per share (adjusted): 11 cents. Wall Street was looking for 6 cents a share.
• Q4 revenue (forecast): $367 million to $370 million. Analysts had predicted $363.7 million.

Read more: Dropbox CEO Drew Houston heard that going public was 'finding a way to live in hell without dying' — but after the IPO, he's seeing the light

Dropbox exceeded the Street's revenue expectations thanks to gains in new paying users, it said. By the end of the third quarter, it had 12.3 million paid users, up from 10.4 million a year earlier.

The company was also able to get more money out of each user. Its average revenue per user (ARPU) rose to $118.60 from $112.05 in the same period a year ago.

Per-user revenue is growing slower than investors hoped

Dropboxwent public in March and saw its stock price surge 36 percent in its trading debut. Investors were excited about the company's potential in the enterprise space, Eberle said. They thought its success in the area would translate into big gains in ARPU, he said. Some thought it could quickly rise as high as $125, but the company has since struggled to meet those expectations.

The company's growth in paid users has also been slower than investors hoped, Eberle said. One other worry: the company stopped disclosing its growth in business users after the first quarter, he said.

"They really haven't talked about it since then," he said. "That's an area of our concern ... The enterprise side of this story has disappeared."

Dropbox's revenue forecast for next quarter is relatively conservative and should be achievable, Eberle said. But if it wants to start growing rapidly — and see its stock price go up accordingly — it needs to find a way to catch on among enterprise customers, he said. And that's going to remain a challenge, he said.

Dropbox is adding features to appeal to enterprise customers

To be sure, Dropbox has been adding features that are targeted at just such an audience. This past quarter, it invested in its machine intelligence capabilities. It upgraded its search engine so users can personalize their searches and find files more efficiently. It also introduced an image search feature, allowing users to search for text within images.

In addition, the company announced a feature to help business users manage their workflows and another to help with project management. It also added integrations for Zoom and Salesforce to its software.

On Thursday, it announced a partnership with Google Cloud Identity and other companies to give Dropbox Business customers more advanced security features.

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• A Lion Air jet clipped a lamp post at an airport in Sumatra on Wednesday night.
• The incident occurred before takeoff as the plane taxied to the runway.
• This latest accident occurred fewer than two weeks after a Lion Air jet fell into the Java Sea minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board. It was Indonesia's worst air disaster in 20 years.

A Lion Air passenger plane reportedly hit a lamp post, fewer than two weeks after Indonesia's discount carrier crashed a jet off the coast of Java, killing all 189 people on board.

Late on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg, a Boeing 737-900ER operated by Lion Air subsidiary, PT Lion Mentari Airlines hit a pole causing significant structural damage to the wing.

The plane was taxiing at Bengkulu Fatmawati Soekarno airport in the island of Sumatra. The accident left a significant hole in the left wing. Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry has said it will investigate the incident which happened around 6:30 p.m. local time.

The loss of Lion Air flight JT610 on October 28, which fell into the ocean just 13 minutes after leaving Jakarta, was Indonesia’s worst air disaster in two decades. It was also Lion Air's first accident since 2004.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday also issued an emergency airworthiness directive on about 250 Boeing 737 Max aircraft after Boeing issued a bulletin to customers of the 737 Max in the aftermath of the Lion Air tragedy.

SEE ALSO: Boeing is said to be warning its 737 Max customers about erroneous cockpit readings that could make the passenger jet 'aggressively dive'

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• Mark Zuckerberg has joined a private Facebook group for Harvard-themed memes called "Harvard Memes for Elitist 1% Tweens." 
• No one is quite sure why Zuckerberg joined, but group members love it thus far. 
• The Facebook CEO even invited his fellow Harvard dropout, Bill Gates, to join. 

On Thursday, the internet caught wind of something truly special — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg joined a Facebook Group called "Harvard Memes for Elitist 1% Tweens." 

It's a private Facebook group, but there's no need to be an alumnus of the Ivy League school to be accepted. Memes just need to be Harvard-specific and "apply to any group of wealthy, pretentious pseudo-intellectuals." 

No one is certain why Zuckerberg, who launched Facebook in his Harvard dorm room and then dropped out to focus full-time on the social network, joined the meme group. Perhaps he wanted to blow off some post-midterm elections steam. Maybe it was an attempt to make up for the last time he publicly tested one of his own products (see Facebook Live debacle here). Perhaps he, like Elon Musk, just really loves memes. 

At any rate, here's a look at how Zuckerberg's introduction to the group has gone thus far, as captured in screenshots by Business Insider's own Kif Leswing.

Zuckerberg came out with a bang for his first comment in the group, saying: "This group is wonderful." 

Then, when prompted to try and get Bill Gates to join the group to form a "dropout squad," Zuckerberg accepted. 

One group member posted a meme of Zuckerberg and was worried he'd be barred from Facebook altogether.

The CEO assured him that no such thing would happen to which other group members applauded, calling it an "iconic moment." 

Another member responded to the situation how any good member of a private-meme society would respond — with a meme. 

Facebook did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. 

Also, it's still to be determined whether Bill Gates will accept Zuckerberg's invitation to the group. 

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• At a company meeting Thursday, Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services, addressed employees' concerns about the company's practice of offering its facial-recognition software to immigration and law-enforcement agencies, according to BuzzFeed News.
• Jassy largely dismissed those concerns, suggesting they weren't broadly shared in the company and arguing that the company's terms of service would prevent its software from being used for bad purposes, the report said.

At a company meeting Thursday, the head of Amazon's cloud-computing division largely dismissed employees' concerns about it marketing its facial-recognition technology to immigration and law-enforcement agencies, BuzzFeed News reported.

Hundreds of Amazon employees have signed a letter to CEO Jeff Bezos asking that the company stop offering that software, dubbed Rekognition, to law enforcement officials. But at the meeting, Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services, suggested that their concerns weren't shared universally within the company, according to the BuzzFeed News report. And Amazon's management is comfortable with continuing to offer the software to government agencies, he said.

"With over 500,000 employees like we have at Amazon, I think we're going to have people who have opinions that are very wide-ranging, which is great," Jassy said, according to a transcript provided to BuzzFeed News. "But we feel really great and really strongly about the value that Amazon Rekognition is providing our customers of all sizes and all types of industries in law enforcement and out of law enforcement."

In the letter, which has now been signed by some 450 Amazon workers, the employees voiced concern that the facial-recognition software would be used as a surveillance tool against citizens and would be used to harm marginalized groups and people. They were especially concerned that by aiding the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, Amazon was complicit in such policies as the widely decried practice — since stopped — of separating undocumented immigrant children from their parents or other caregivers.

Read more: Amazon employees are reportedly gearing up to confront CEO Jeff Bezos at an all-staff meeting this week about selling facial recognition software to law enforcement

Any technology can be used for evil, Jassy said

Amazon is among several big tech companies facing pushback from employees about the way their products are used. Employees at Google forced the company to forswear doing business with the military if its technology was going to be used in weapons. 

But Amazon's Jassy pushed back on such ethical concerns. Any technology can be used for "evil" ends, he told employees, according to the report. Amazon has tried to prevent that from happening by requiring users of its Rekognition software and other AWS features to agree to its terms of service, which mandate that they're used "responsibly," he said.

If customers violate "folks' constitutional rights," they won't be able to use the service, Jassy said, according to the report. And he said it was up to the government to set the guidelines for appropriate use of such technology.

In addition to calling on Amazon to cease providing its facial-recognition software to ICE and law enforcement agencies, the letter also demanded that Amazon cancel Palantir's access to AWS' services. Palantir, the secretive data mining startup, has been a technology provider to ICE, according to published reports.

Jassy apparently didn't address that demand.

Now read:

• Amazon's got its eyes set on yet another market — and one high-flying upstart should be worried
• It's become increasingly clear that Alphabet, Google's parent company, needs new leadership
• Many companies are stumbling as they rush to adopt artificial intelligence — here's what's tripping them up
• Most companies using AI say their No.1 fear is hackers hijacking the technology, according to a new survey that found attacks are already happening

SEE ALSO: A new survey suggests Salesforce and SAP have an early lead over Amazon and Google in the next frontier in tech

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• A video shows a driver's harrowing escape from a wildfire burning in Northern California.
• The so-called Camp Fire started around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday in Butte County, California, which is roughly 90 miles north of Sacramento.
• So far, at least 18,000 acres have burned, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Thousands of residents were under evacuation orders as of Thursday evening.
• California witnessed the worst wildfire in its history in July. The Mendocino Complex Fire, which also occurred in the northern part of the state, burned nearly 460,000 acres.

Video posted on social media shows a driver trying to escape a wildfire in North California.

The blaze, known as the Camp Fire, started in Butte County, California, on Thursday morning, about 90 miles north of Sacramento. As of Thursday evening, at least 18,000 acres were scorched and thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes.

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At the height of its speed, The Camp Fire burned 80 acres per minute USA Today reports.

The fire has destroyed several homes in the city of Paradise, which has been completely evacuated along with the nearby towns of Pulga and Concow, Cal Fire Public Information Officer Scott Mclean said at a press conference Thursday.

Because of the pace of the fire, several residents in Paradise were forced to abandon their vehicles on the road and flee on foot, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Others, like the man in this video in the nearby town of Concow, drove through what looked like a wall of fire and smoke to escape.

California witnessed the worst wildfire in its history in July. The Mendocino Complex Fire, which also occured in the northern part of the state burned nearly 460,000 acres, according to California fire authorities.

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Between all of the holidays and pseudo-holidays (hi, Friendsgiving), end-of-year gatherings tend to involve plenty of food, festive games, enthusiastic gift-giving, and tasty drinks. If you find yourself hosting a holiday party, coming up with a solid bar-cart game plan will save you time, money, and stress, allowing you to fully enjoy the event. One easy way to minimize your drink-related woes is to swap your loaded table of liquor and mixers for a large-format cocktail capable of serving the whole party.

INSIDER consulted bartenders, beverage directors, and event experts from around the country to gather their favorite holiday-appropriate big-batch cocktails, and we're bringing you 13 recipes perfect for your November and December party life.

Apple Cider Mimosas are perfect for a holiday brunch.

Got a holiday brunch in the works? Give your traditional mimosas a seasonal spin by swapping out the OJ for some apple cider, as chef, blogger, and Instagrammer Jason Goldstein of Chop Happy suggests in this delicious day-drinking specialty.

Ingredients:

• 2 Bottles of Prosecco (or Champagne), chilled
• 2 Bottles of apple cider, chilled
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tbsp pumpkin spice seasoning
• 12 slices of apple to garnish

Method:

1. Mix the sugar and the pumpkin spice seasoning.
2. Dip the top of each champagne flute in water and then into the sugar/pumpkin spice mixture to create a flavorful rim for each glass.
3. Combine the Prosecco and apple cider in a punch bowl and mix well.
4. Garnish each glass with an apple slice.

Serves 12.

The Waterbury Royale transitions watermelon from summer vibes to holiday vibes.

Yeah, it's the holidays, but we don't need to do away with "summertime" cocktail flavors. Watermelon can be plenty festive, as proven by the Waterbury Royale, a refreshing vodka cocktail from Brooklyn bar/restaurant/party venue/coworking space Freehold. It's totally fine to serve this one in a regular punch bowl...but if you can get your hands on a swan-shaped one, that definitely won't hurt.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz vodka (Freehold recommends Absolut Elyx)
• 10 1/2 oz watermelon juice
• 8 oz lime juice
• 8 oz simple syrup
• 8-10 oz Champagne or sparkling wine
• Fresh lime wedges and watermelon Sour Patch Kids

Method:

1. Combine vodka, watermelon juice, lime juice, and simple syrup in a punch bowl with ice and stir.
2. Ladle into glasses and top with sparkling wine.
3. Garnish with fresh lime wedges and 4-5 watermelon Sour Patch Kids per glass (optional).

Serves 12.

Bourbon Chai Punch is the perfect cozy, cold-weather drink.

In the context of cool-weather cocktails, bourbon stands above other liquors as an absolute champion. It's smoky, woodsy, smooth, buttery- the ideal libation for eggnogs, hot toddies, and holiday punches. During this time of year, lead bartender John Henderson of The Happiest Hour in NYC likes to whip up a shareable bourbon-based cocktail with gentle spice and classic autumn flavors.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups strong chai tea, brewed
• 2 cups apple cider
• 3 cups bourbon (Henderson prefers Maker's Mark)
• 1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice
• 1 ½ cups maple syrup
• 2 cups hard dry cider
• 4 dashes orange bitters (Henderson prefers Fee Brothers West Indies)
• 4 cups sparkling water
• Apple slices, for garnish
• Lemon slices, for garnish
• Cinnamon sticks, for garnish

Method:

1. Combine chai tea, apple, and hard ciders, bourbon, lemon juice, maple syrup, and bitters in a punch bowl and stir.
2. Immediately before serving, top with sparkling water and add a few generous scoops of ice.
3. Garnish glasses with apple slices, lemon slices, and cinnamon sticks.

Serves 8-10.

• California is currently dealing with several dangerous wildfires.
• One fire has reached the Hidden Hills home of Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West, according to TMZ.
• Flames are reportedly on the property and threatening to destroy the Wests' mansion. The family members and their staff have been evacuated.
• TMZ reports that Caitlyn Jenner's home in Malibu has already been destroyed.

Multiple wildfires currently raging in California have now threatened multiple Kardashian-Jenner compounds.

TMZ is reporting that flames can be seen on the Hidden Hills property owned by Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West.

The mansion is "in grave danger of being consumed by flames," according to the website. Kardashian West has since addressed the report on Twitter, but seems unsure of the exact nature of the situation.

"I heard the flames have hit our property at our home in Hidden Hills but now are more contained and have stopped at the moment," she wrote. "It doesn’t seems like it is getting worse right now, I just pray the winds are in our favor."

She also thanked the California firefighters.

TMZ's sources say that the family's staff and security team have now been completely evacuated. Kardashian West, West, and their children evacuated early Friday morning.

"Pray for Calabasas," Kardashian West wrote on her Instagram story. "Just landed back home and had one hour to pack up and evacuate our home. I pray everyone is safe."

West assured fans on Twitter that his family is safe.

TMZ has also reported that Caitlyn Jenner's home in Malibu has already been completely destroyed by flames.

The mansion in Southern California "is the same area where the Woolsey fire is burning out of control," TMZ reports. "Our sources say the home went up in flames Friday as the fire burned toward Malibu."

Officials issued a mandatory evacuation for all of Malibu on Friday.

Jenner has not issued any updates about her home or her safety on social media.

Representatives for Jenner, Kardashian West, and West didn't immediately return INSIDER's request for comment.

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

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• Crystal City, Virginia, is a likely contender for Amazon to build its second headquarters HQ2, and the fact that it's near Washington, DC, is "well-timed" as Amazon competes for a massive $10 billion cloud contract with the Pentagon, analysts say.
• Still, both Amazon and Microsoft investors should be paying attention, as Microsoft also has a strong chance in winning the contract.
• There's an estimated $20 billion in cloud spending up for grabs from the government, and whoever wins the contract will also likely become the biggest player in the cloud business.
• "I don't think the timing of Amazon moving its headquarters near D.C. is coincidental," an analyst told Business Insider.

Crystal City, Virginia, has emerged as one of the top contenders for the site of Amazon's so-called HQ2 headquarters — and now that Amazon is competing for a $10 billion cloud contract with the Department of Defense, it's a "well-timed move," analysts say.

The contract, called the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, is a 10-year deal that will be awarded to a single company to move the Pentagon's data onto a cloud. Bids for this massive contract closed in October, but now that bids are being reviewed, investors in Microsoft and Amazon should pay attention, say analysts at financial firm Wedbush Securities.

"Let's just put it this way. I don't think the timing of Amazon moving its headquarters near DC is coincidental," Daniel Ives, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities, told Business Insider.

It's really a two-horse race for the contract, and while Amazon has been seen as the frontrunner, Microsoft has put in significant effort in the past year to narrow the race. And the implications go beyond the deal itself — it could completely transform the cloud industry, especially if Microsoft wins. An award is expected in April 2019.

This is the biggest government cloud deal ever, but winning JEDI has a domino effect. Whoever wins this contract will be well-positioned to win future government contracts — analysts reckon that there's $20 billion in cloud spending up for grabs from the government.

Plus, there's a stamp of credibility — it would be hard for enterprise customers to turn down a cloud company that was selected by the federal government itself.

"Many investors have underappreciated the ripple effect of whoever gets JEDI," Ives said. "Whoever gets JEDI, it's not just about the $10 billion over the last decade. There would not be a better mark of credibility than to get this deal. Investors are trying to understand, is it just an Amazon, or does Microsoft have a shot to win JEDI from the grips of [Amazon CEO Jeff] Bezos?"

Don't expect Jeff Bezos and Donald Trump to go on vacation together

That could be why Amazon is considering moving its headquarters to Virginia, analysts say. With a base of operations near Washington, DC, Amazon could boost its presence in federal circles.

Microsoft has an office in Washington, DC, as well, but if Amazon builds HQ2 in Crystal City, its massive campus with 25,000 employees would easily dwarf Microsoft.

"As Amazon looks to have their employees in the shadow of the Pentagon, JEDI is a big component of how they will build out their presence within the beltway," Ives said. "To have a headquarters in and around the beltway shows that Amazon is significantly focused on their federal presence."

Read more: As bidding closes, Amazon's cloud is the favorite to win a $10 billion defense deal. Here's why everybody else is so mad about it

Still, Microsoft has invested significant amounts of money, time and effort into its government cloud, certifications, and security for classified documents. If Microsoft wins, it would be a "crowning achievement" for Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

"It would have a significant ripple effect for cloud," Ives said.  "With DOD going to cloud with Microsoft, it's hard to argue with that sales pitch."

And politics could be a small factor, too. It's no secret that President Donald Trump and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos aren't on the best terms, so in addition to investment in its Azure government cloud, this is where Microsoft could swoop in.

And unlike the hesitation from Google to work with the military, Microsoft is all in, saying it will sell artificial-intelligence technologies to the Pentagon.

"It's no secret about Trump and Bezos. I don't expect them to be going on vacation together," Ives said. "For Bezos and Amazon to own the cloud at DOD as the sole victor, within the beltway, there's a lot of views that would not like to see Amazon as the sole winner. There's definitely a complex political environment."

Either way, cloud investors should keep an eye on the JEDI deal.

"For any investor in the cloud space, it should be on their radar," Ives said. "It's the ripple effect it could have on the cloud landscape."

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