The biggest tech deal ever: Dell buys EMC for $67 billion

In the biggest tech deal of all time, Dell announced Monday that it has agreed to buy corporate software, storage and security giant EMC for $67 billion.

The deal completes Dell's transformation from a consumer PC business to an IT solutions provider for companies. That process began when Dell bought Perot Systems for $4 billion in 2009 and went full throttle in 2013 when company founder Michael Dell took the business private.

North Korea stages massive military parade, says ready to defend itself against U.S.

(CNN)Presiding over a massive military parade in the nation's capital, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country was "fully ready" to defend itself against any U.S. threat.

In a carefully choreographed show of strength and celebration to mark the 70th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party, hundreds of troops marched in elaborate formations across Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square, which was festooned with national and party flags, footage from state broadcaster KCTV showed.

Kim watched the extravaganza from a viewing platform and gave a rare live televised speech. Last year, Kim didn't show during a mysterious absence that lasted over a month.

"Our party can confidently state that our revolutionary armament today can deal with any kind of war U.S. imperialists ask for, and we are fully ready to persistently defend the country's blue sky and the well-being of the people," he told the gathered crowds.

North Korea's regime is fond of saber rattling and has made plenty of threats before. Intimidating words about the United States and South Korea have been more the norm than not for years.

Foreign dignitaries, media and tourists gathered in Pyongyang for the spectacle, which saw fighter jets flying in a "70" formation.

U.S. delivers 50 tons of ammunition to Syria rebel groups

(CNN)U.S. military cargo planes gave 50 tons of ammunition to rebel groups overnight in northern Syria, using an air drop of 112 pallets as the first step in the Obama Administration's urgent effort to find new ways to support those groups.

Details of the air mission over Syria were confirmed by a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly because the details have not yet been formally announced.

The $725m ranch bigger than New York and Los Angeles combined - Northwest Texas!

(CNN)The final countdown to the real estate sale of the century has begun.

Bigger than New York City and Los Angeles combined,Waggoner Ranch in Texas spans half-a-million acres, boasts more than 100 properties within its boundaries and oil reserves.

The ultimate equestrian estate is yours -- for $725 million. But be quick -- any potential buyers have until October 20 to raise the funds and submit an offer.

Bernard Uechtritz, an Australian realtor living in Texas, has been tasked with the sale of the equestrian estate that has stayed in one family for its entire 165-year existence. He's getting used to turning down the advances of some of the world's richest people in the sale.

2016 Ford Explorer Test Drive and Review

2016 Ford Explorer.  Photo (c) Aaron Gold

The original Ford Explorer is one of the vehicles credited with kicking off the SUV craze in America, but in the last few years, the Explorer has fallen by the wayside. The previous iteration featured a useful interior, but its strange exterior styling didn't do it any favors.

Now Ford is back with an updated Explorer, and they haven't just made a few minor changes: The new Explorer has a new look, a new driving demeanor, new techno-gadgetry, and even a couple of new engines, with EPA fuel economy estimates ranging from 16 to 19 MPG in the city and 22 to 28 on the highway.

The Chicago-built Explorer is covered by a 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty with 5 years or 60,000 miles of powertrain coverage. So is the Explorer ready to retake its crown as the standard-setter for full-size SUVs? Let's drive it and find out.

Ferrari sets $1 billion IPO. Ticker symbol? RACE

RACE. That's the ticker symbol that Ferrari will use when it debuts on the New York Stock Exchange with a $10 billion valuation within the next few months.

Parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCAM) said Monday it plans to set a price of $48 to $52 per Ferrari share and intends to sell about 10% of the company in the initial public offering. The company hopes to raise just about $1 billion from investors.

After the IPO, Fiat Chrysler shareholders will be given the remaining Ferrari shares to split the luxury car manufacturer from its parent company.

China's 50-Lane Traffic Jam Is Every Commuter's Worst Nightmare

Reuters/China Daily

Traffic after the holidays tend to be pretty awful. But China may have just turned every driver’s worst nightmare into reality as hundreds of millions of people headed home at the end of a Golden Week, a week-long national holiday.

Thousands of motorists found themselves stranded on Tuesday in what looks from above like a 50-lane parking lot on the G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway, one of the country’s busiest roads. Some are dubbing the traffic jam a “carpocalypse,” while others are calling it “carmageddon.”

El Faro had leaks, holes, other structural issues, former crew members say

(CNN)Three former crew members of El Faro, a ship that apparently sank during Hurricane Joaquin, told CNN the ship had structural problems and questioned whether it should have sailed with a major storm in the region.

The 40-year-old cargo ship never made it to Puerto Rico after it left Jacksonville, Florida, last week, and appears to have sunk near islands in the Bahamas.

The ex-crew members, who each last traveled on the ship at some point this year, said the ship had issues with taking on water.

"The chief cook's room was constantly leaking water," Kurt Bruer, a quartermaster who spent six months on El Faro, said. There were other problems. "The drainage didn't work well on the ship."

Verizon Hiking Unlimited Data Plans By $20!!!

I have bad news for anyone that is still on Verizon's unlimited data plan. Starting in November, your monthly bill is going UP by $20.

The drastic increase, 66 percent, will affect some of its long-time customers who have until now survived the company's efforts to lure them away from prized unlimited plans in the era of data-gobbling mobile apps. Customers will see the higher price on their bills starting Nov. 15.

Major Ransomware Campaign Disrupted

I'm not saying these guys are stupid...BUT...buying over eight hundred servers with stolen credit cards wasn't the smartest thing to do.

Cisco's researchers thwarted the activity of a single group of cyber-criminals responsible for 50% of all deployments of ransomware via the Angler exploit kit. The group conducted operations on such a large scale that by the end of the year they would have potentially earned more than $34 million / €30 million.

The $1B City Where Humans Are Banned

First there was a fake town for testing self driving cars, now there is this billion dollar town that humans are banned from living in. Technology hates homeless people. 

Planned for a population of 35,000, the city will showcase a modern business district downtown, and neat rows of terraced housing in the suburbs. It will be supplied with pristine streets, parks, malls and a church. But no one will ever call it home.

Uber Hit With Lawsuit Over Alleged Sexual Assaults

Damn! We were so close to making it through the week without one of these stories.

The suit, filed Thursday in US District Court in San Francisco, claims Uber aims its marketing at young women who have been drinking but doesn't conduct adequate background checks on its drivers. That lapse has led to a number of sexual assaults, according to the 52-page complaint filed on behalf of two "Jane Does" who allege their Uber drivers sexually assaulted them.

North Charleston reaches $6.5 million settlement with family of Walter Scott

Former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager is charged with murder in the death of Walter Scott.

North Charleston, South Carolina (CNN)The family of the late Walter Scott and the city of North Charleston, South Carolina, have reached a $6.5 million settlement.

The North Charleston City Council approved the settlement on Thursday night.