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10:30 PM ET, December 19, 2009

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Google To Acquire DocVerse; Office War Heats Up  —  Google, which is currently on one heck of a spending spree, is closing an acquisition of San Francisco based DocVerse, a service that lets users collaborate around Microsoft Office documents, we've heard from a source with knowledge of the deal.
Discussion: TechFlash, Thanks:atul
Associated Press:
Stock windfall for Google employees  —  NEW YORK — Google's employees couldn't have timed the stock market's turn any better.  —  A day before stocks bottomed in March, Google let almost 16,000 of its workers exchange their stock options.  It turned out to be the deal of a lifetime.
Discussion: Silicon Alley Insider
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
David Pogue Weighs In On Ebook DRM: Non-DRM'd Ebook Increased His Sales  —  Mark Rosedale (an employee of O'Reilly) was the first of a few to send in David Pogue's recent column in which he discusses the question of ebook DRM.  Remember, just recently a Sony exec claimed that you couldn't make money on ebooks without DRM.
Discussion: TeleRead
Andy Ihnatko / Chicago Sun Times:
Need a last-minute gift?  Go get yourself an eBook reader  —  It's the week before Christmas.  You were hoping to find a gift that would be so thoughtful and such an emotionally-compelling statement about your relationship that your loved one would never intellectually work out just how little you spent on it.
Discussion: Daring Fireball
Kevin Kelleher / GigaOM:
For Palm, Yet Another Wrenching Crisis  —  Palm is the Jack Bauer of the mobile industry.  Its story is one of high-tension drama in which it lurches from one crisis to another, saving itself from the jaws of despair only to face some new and more daunting threat, all while the clock ominously ticks away.
The Steve Rubel Lifestream:
Search the Live Web with Two Simple Bookmarklets  —  I have become addicted to Google's new real-time search feature.  It's an incredible window onto the world's psyche.  However, it's somewhat lacking in one small way.  —  By default, Google doesn't serve up real-time results for most searches.
Todd Bishop / TechFlash:
Microsoft patent: Sorry, fatso, no more hiding behind that avatar  —  For many people, half the fun of avatars is aspirational — the ability to make them look like you wish you did in real life.  But apparently that's not the case for some Microsoft researchers, who have applied for a patent …
Discussion: The Microsoft Blog, Thanks:loyals
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Etsy Buys Retail Product Ad Platform Adtuitive, Gains Five New Programmers  —  Handmade item marketplace and community website operator Etsy, which is backed by $31.6 million in venture capital funding, has acquired New York-based advertising startup Adtuitive for an undisclosed sum.
Discussion: Etsy News and paidContent
Matt Asay / CNET News:
Hungary votes for open standards  —  Many governments, particularly those in developing nations, are increasingly legislating preferences for open-source software.  A much smarter approach may be that recently adopted by Hungary, however, which has mandated the use of open standards.
Venture Capital Dispatch:
Indiana University Fights Back Against Start-Up Funding Shortage  —  The recent financial meltdown has crippled many universities' efforts to spin out early-stage start-ups, which in turn have had difficulty attracting capital from venture firms.  Looking to give its own companies a leg up …
Chip Chick:
Re Accessory Transforms your iPhone into a Universal Remote Control  —  attaches to the base of your iPhone and using its accompanying app, the device transforms your iPhone into a fully functional universal remote control.  We're talking about an advanced remote control with an extensive built …
Kdawson / Slashdot:
Yes, Google Does De-List Pages; But When?  —  from the how-offensive-is-too-offensive dept.  —  Frequent Slashdot contributor Bennett Haselton writes  —  “Google finds itself inserting a disclaimer once again above some offensive search results.  But the disclaimer still leads many to believe …
 
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 More Items: 
Christine Chen / Google Public Policy Blog:
Google's approach to privacy
Discussion: BayNewser
Eric Eldon / Inside Social Games:
With Hit Social Game Happy Farm, Chinese Developer 5 Minutes …
Kim-Mai Cutler / VentureBeat:
MyWebWill prepares your final tweet, Facebook update upon death
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Quicktime Vets Bring Mobile Video And Photo Sharing With Thwapr (Beta Launch)
Louis Gray:
Growing Grumblings on Tech News Don't Address Incentives
 Earlier Items: 
Philip Willan / PC World:
Italy contemplates Web restrictions after Berlusconi attack
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Google Experimenting With Browser Login For Chrome OS
Brad Feld / Feld Thoughts:
Score Two Wins Against Software Patents
Anil Dash:
The Twitter API is Finished. Now What?
Discussion: Workbench and A VC, Thanks:atul
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Ofcom rules that five GB News programs presented by Conservative politicians have broken its due impartiality rules and puts the channel “on notice”

Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Authentic Brands licenses Sports Illustrated's publishing rights to The Players' Tribune owner Minute Media for 10 years, with plans to keep the print edition

Todd Spangler / Variety:
YouTuber MrBeast announces a deal with Prime Video for Beast Games, a reality-competition show with 1,000 contestants, promising the winner a $5M cash prize

 
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