Techmeme has redesigned.  Drudge Report is now indisputably the web's ugliest news site  —  In the beginning, links on web pages were underlined, because that let us know they were links.  And it was good.  But all those underlined words started to afflict the eye, particularly on pages with many links.

Apple's universal remote concept hints at future television set  —  Apple has shown interest in building a new, simplified remote control that would automatically control a variety of devices while reducing setup and frustration for the user.  —  The concept was revealed this week …

Nokia Q4: Scrambling For A Grip, But Still Falling; 1M+ Lumia Phones Sold  —  Nokia's earnings came out just moments ago, and the numbers are not pretty.  The handset maker confirmed analyst estimates it has sold over a million Lumia Windows Phone handsets - but that didn't stop …

AT&T CEO Randall Stevenson Blasts FCC, Hints At Higher Prices and Data Restrictions  —  AT&T has a bone to pick with the Federal Communications Commission.  In the mobile operator's quarterly earnings call this morning, CEO Randall Stevenson blasted the FCC over its leadership …

The iEconomy: Apple's iPad and the Human Costs for Workers in China  —  A staggering manufacturing system in China has made it possible for Apple and other companies to make devices almost as quickly as they can be dreamed up, but for workers, it can be dangerous.

The EU signs up to Acta  —  The EU and 22 of its member states have signed up to Acta — the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement — in Tokyo today (26 January).  —  Acta — which is supported by many rights owners — has been met with widespread criticism from open rights activists …

Twitter Now Able To Censor Tweets, If Required By Law, On A Country-By-Country Basis  —  Until now, Twitter's not had the ability to censor certain tweets or accounts, to prevent them from being seen — if legally required — by users in particular countries.

Jeff Clavier's SoftTech VC Raises $55 Million For Fund III  —  The micro-VCs are growing up.  Case in point: Jeff Clavier, who started out as an angel investor backing Web 2.0 companies and then transitioned his portfolio into a more formal venture firm, SoftTech VC.

Facebook Just Hired A Bloomberg Journalist To Be Its Managing Editor  —  In what could be a sign of things to come, Facebook has hired Dan Fletcher, former social media director at Bloomberg, to be its managing editor.  —  Both Fletcher and sources at Facebook confirmed that Fletcher will make the move …

Tim Cook at today's Town Hall: Starting in June, Apple employees get $500 off Macs, $250 off iPads  —  Among the many topics discussed by Tim Cook at today's Town Hall session with employees, the Apple CEO revealed some new Apple employee benefits.  Giving a little more back to the people …

MegaUpload Users Plan to Sue the FBI over Lost Files  —  The place where breaking news, BitTorrent and copyright collide  —  MegaUpload Users Plan to Sue the FBI over Lost Files  —  In most reports following the MegaUpload shutdown, the site is exclusively portrayed as a piracy haven.

African Twitter map reveals how continent stays connected  —  Analysis of 11.5m tweets in last three months of 2011 shows South Africa generated the most, with more than 5m recorded  —  The first Twitter map of Africa shows the social network is forging links between smartphone users …

Android Reaches 39% Tablet OS Market Share (Standing On Amazon's Shoulders)  —  Apple's iPad reigns supreme from whatever angle you choose to look at the tablet market (profits, apps, quality, market share, mindshare, you name it), but research firm Strategy Analytics this morning said Android …

Google and Bing accused of aiding piracy  —  Major rights holders claim search engines make it ‘difficult’ for people to find legal music and films online  —  The major rights holders' document obtained under the Freedom of Information Act  —  Google and other search engines “overwhelmingly” …

Analysis: Wall Street puzzles over Google's new direction  —  (Reuters) - Google Inc, which revolutionized Internet searches with an easy-to-use website, has itself become an increasingly tricky business to grasp.  —  That issue leapt to the fore last week when the company stunned Wall Street …

Google+ Now Open to Teens  —  Google+ is now available for teenagers.  Unlike some of its competitors, Google always insisted that the users of its social network were 18 or older, Today, however, the company lifted these restrictions and teenagers (13+) can now sign up for accounts as well.

FBI releases plans to monitor social networks  —  The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has quietly released details of plans to continuously monitor the global output of Facebook, Twitter and other social networks, offering a rare glimpse into an activity that the FBI and other government agencies are reluctant to discuss publicly.

Hawaii may keep track of all Web sites visited  —  Hawaii's legislature is weighing an unprecedented proposal to curb the privacy of Aloha State residents: requiring Internet providers to keep track of every Web site that their customers visit.  —  John Mizuno, a Democratic state legislator in Hawaii …

Forrester: Nearly 50% of businesses now issuing Macs, 27% support the iPad  —  The myth that Macs aren't welcome in the enterprise appears to be finally dying out, according to new research from Forrester.  The company reports that almost 50 percent of businesses in North America and Western Europe now issue Mac computers.

House lawmakers seek Google answers on privacy policy  —  (Reuters) - Lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee asked Google Inc on Thursday to provide answers about recent changes to the search engine's privacy policy.  —  In a letter to Google Chief Executive Larry Page …

Larry Page's “Beautiful” New Google  —  Yesterday, we wrote about Larry Page's Search-Plus-Your-World ultimatum and much of the buzz was around the “or work somewhere else” part.  But our source emphasized another word he used.  “Beautiful.”  —  According to sources …