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12:25 PM ET, July 20, 2007

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Duncan Riley / TechCrunch:
Could Facebook Become The Next Microsoft?  —  Amongst all the noise today over Facebook's acquisition of Parakey, little has been said on what the acquisition means for Facebook in the broader sense.  Robert Scoble says that Facebook is the new data black hole, noting that many of his favorite apps are now appearing on Facebook.
RELATED:
Dave McClure / Master of 500 Hats:
Kottke is wrong — Facebook isn't AOL; it's Visual Basic.  —  For about a year or two, i've been meaning to do a followup piece on how Google, Microsoft, & Yahoo all screwed the pooch by not building out a REAL web application OS worth developing apps for, but i'm too late.  —  GYM is Old & Busted.
Blake Ross:
Facebook Goes Public (withnewsaboutitsrecentacquisitionofPar akey, Inc.)
Discussion: GigaOM
PR Newswire:
Facebook(R) Acquires Startup Parakey
Discussion: paidContent.org
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
FaceBook's First Acquisition: Parakey
Google:
Google Intends to Bid in Spectrum Auction If FCC Adopts Consumer Choice and Competition Requirements  —  Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) announced today that should the Federal Communications Commission adopt a framework requiring greater competition and consumer choice, Google intends to participate …
RELATED:
Chris Sacca / Official Google Blog:
Our commitment to open broadband platforms  —  For several years now, many Googlers have been working to identify the obstacles that prevent the Internet from being available to everyone on the planet.  It strikes us as unfair that some people should enjoy such abundant access to this rich resource …
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines:
Google dangles $4.6 billion in front of the FCC  —  Google said Friday that it would bid a minimum of $4.6 billion for the federal government's upcoming wireless spectrum auction-if the Federal Communications Commission creates an open wireless platform.  —  The wireless spectrum auction …
Discussion: Ars Technica
Aoife White / Associated Press:
EU OKs German online search-engine grant  —  BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union on Thursday authorized Germany to give $165 million for research on Internet search-engine technologies that could someday challenge U.S. search giant Google Inc.  —  The Theseus research project …
RELATED:
Andy Beal / Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim:   Government Funded Google Challenger a Huge Conflict of Interest
San Francisco Chronicle:
Google exec's past returns with a demand for payment  —  A top Google executive, David Drummond, has agreed to pay $700,000 to settle a complaint by federal regulators that accused him of helping to misstate the financial results of his previous employer, SmartForce.
RELATED:
David A. Utter / WebProNews:
Google Lawyer Settles With SEC  —  David Drummond will pay the Securities and Exchange Commission almost $700,000 to settle their claims against him stemming from his work with a technology training firm. … We used to call this "no blood, no foul" when we played basketball on the playground.
Discussion: PC World
Duncan Riley / TechCrunch:
YouTube: Now With Customizable Player  —  YouTube has launched a new "custom player" feature that allows users to customize embedded YouTube videos.  —  Users are able to customize player features including the name of the player, color theme, layout (a standard layout or one with related videos to the right), and content.
RELATED:
Ionut Alex Chitu / Google Operating System:
Custom YouTube Players: Here Comes YouTube TV
Grant Robertson / Download Squad:
Canadian iPod levy assumes you're a criminal first, asks questions never  —  Canada has moved one step closer to imposing a copyright levy on every personal digital audio device sold, which would be handed over to the worlds largest music publishers as compensation for perceived piracy.
Discussion: AppScout
RELATED:
Michael Geist / Michael Geist's Blog:
Copyright Board Gives Go Ahead to iPod Levy
Discussion: Engadget and iLounge
Brian Ashcraft / Kotaku:
Busted: Unreal Engine 3, Half-Baked, Broken and Late?  —  At Sony's E307 presser, Jack Tretton stood on stage, announced Epic's Unreal Tournament III as a PS3 exclusive and said that Sony was working closely with Epic to "adjust" the Unreal Engine for the PS3 so that it reaches the "best of its potential."
RELATED:
Linda Haugsted / Multichannel News:
CBS Aims to Spread Web Content  —  Broadcast Network Targets 400 Sites by Fall  —  CBS television content will be available through 400 sites on the Internet by the fall, according to executives from the broadcast network's interactive division.  —  "CBS is al about open, nonexclusive partnerships …
Anne Broache / CNET News.com:
Patent law changes power ahead in Congress  —  The U.S. patent system transformation long sought by high-tech industry players like Microsoft, Amazon.com and Cisco Systems may finally be gaining momentum in Congress.  —  On Thursday evening, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved by a 13-5 vote …
Jack Ewing / Business Week:
Why Nokia Is Leaving Moto in the Dust  —  Phones for high- and low-end consumers, a great supply chain, and lots of cash—the Finnish company has it all (except the iPhone)  —  Pop singer Alicia Keys and Ramkishen Pyarelal, proprieter of a Mumbai tea stall, may not have a lot in common.
Chris Taylor / Business 2.0:
The Google backlash begins  —  The Internet search giant is having a rough week — and not just because it missed Wall Street earnings forecast.  Business 2.0's Chris Taylor suggests four steps the company should take now to stem the fallout.  —  (Business 2.0 Magazine) …
Paul Miller / Engadget:
iPhone says "Hello World," here come the 3rd party apps  —  If there wasn't a vast, cold expanse of internet in the way, we could just hug those iPhone Dev Wiki folks.  Apparently a particularly dedicated hacker who goes by "Nightwatch" has compiled and launched the iPhone's very first independent …
Discussion: digg
 
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 More Items: 
Bloomberg:
Verizon Wireless and Broadcom in Deal
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes / Hardware 2.0:
AMD losing money like its going out of fashion
David Kravets / Wired News:
IPhone Contract Is Long and Legally Murky
Nate Anderson / Ars Technica:
Broadband Data Improvement Act clears Senate Commerce Committee
Discussion: dslreports.com
Grant Robertson / Download Squad:
Google kills click to call feature in Google Maps
Discussion: CenterNetworks
Tony Dennis / Inquirer:
O2's failure to launch voice and video shortcodes "holds up entire industry"
Discussion: SMS Text News
Wei Luo / Google LatLong:
NASA in Google Earth
Thomas Ricker / Engadget:
iPhone on T-Mobile's German site: Das Neue Kult-Handy!
Discussion: Infinite Loop
 Earlier Items: 
Jonathan Richards / Times of London:
Digital DNA could finger Harry Potter leaker
John Biggs / CrunchGear:
Class Action Suit Against Microsoft Alleges XBox 360 Skwatches Disks …
Discussion: Inquirer
Phil Butler / Read/WriteWeb:
Powerset and hakia - Quest For The Semantic Web
Ryan Singel / Threat Level:
Nearly Ten Percent of Companies Have Fired Bloggers, Survey Claims
Discussion: WebProNews and MediaVidea
Miguel Helft / New York Times:
Google Earnings Up 28% but Miss Expectations
Michael Liedtke / Associated Press:
Google's Profit Falls Short, Shares Drop
Ross Mayfield / Ross Mayfield's Weblog:
CEO 2.0  —  As a company founder, as I've written before …
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Jessica Toonkel / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Paramount Global's board is considering replacing CEO Bob Bakish with an “Office of the CEO” made up of division heads on an interim basis

Jeff Jarvis / BuzzMachine:
The New York Times is broken, shown by its entitled, petulant reaction to Politico's report on its tense relationship with Biden

Andrew Marchand / The Athletic:
Sources: Amazon Prime Video has a framework deal for NBA broadcast rights for at least a decade, starting in 2025-26; ESPN/ABC is expected to keep the finals

 
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