Check out Mini-Techmeme for simple mobiles or Techmeme Mobile for modern smartphones.
2:50 PM ET, December 5, 2009

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Brad Stone / New York Times:
Apple Strikes Deal to Buy the Music Start-Up Lala  —  SAN FRANCISCO — In the most recent sign that Apple is looking at alternative ways for people to store and play their digital music, the company has agreed to buy Lala, a four-year-old start-up based in Palo Alto, Calif., a person with knowledge of the deal said Friday.
RELATED:
Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:
Confirmed: Apple Buys Music Service Lala, at a Fire Sale Price  —  Apple has purchased online music service Lala, I've confirmed with a source familiar with the transaction.  Both Bloomberg and CNET reported the chats earlier today.  If you'd like other confirmation, New York Times also reports that the deal has closed.
Matthew Garrahan / Financial Times:
The rise and fall of MySpace  —  In summer 2005, having spent the best part of four decades ­building a newspaper, film and television empire, Rupert Murdoch decided that the time had come to get serious about the internet.  As founder and chairman of News Corporation …
Discussion: Beet.TV
Ross Miller / Engadget:
Barnes & Noble's Nook gets a brief and early hands-on  —  Thanks to a very generous anonymous tipster, we've gotten a number of hands-on pics of Barnes & Noble's soon to be released (for some) Nook e-reader.  The impressions we've been given, however, weave a tale of a laggy Android interface …
David / TmoNews:
Google Phone To T-Mobile?  —  Let me just preface this post with a total rumor disclaimer, to be read only with serious grains of salt.  —  That being said, information has been passed along to me in a very James Bond type way from a trusty ninja who has yet to lead me astray.
Stephen Baker / Business Week:
Beware Social Media Snake Oil  —  Hordes of marketing “experts” are promoting the value of wikis, social networks, and blogs.  All the hype may obscure the real potential of these online tools  —  For business, the rising popularity of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media Web sites presents a tantalizing opportunity.
Discussion: broadstuff and Glass House, Thanks:atul
Matthew Rivera / Digits:
Spot 10 Balloons, Win $40,000  —  If you look up and see red weather balloons this weekend, take note.  You've unwittingly entered into a social experiment. … The Defense Department's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or Darpa, launched 10 balloons, each eight feet wide …
Kevin Kelleher / GigaOM:
Does Google Even Understand What News Is?  —  The art of verbal self-defense can be tricky.  Ramble on while defending yourself against critics, and you can expose yourself to new criticisms.  For a recent and clear case study in this misstep, look no further than Google's own Eric Schmidt.
Thanks:atul
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
CrunchPad Litigation Imminent  —  It has been a busy week for our former partners on the CrunchPad.  The company has deleted their corporate blog, taken the time to hire a PR firm and schedule an event Monday morning to “give their side of the story.”  —  They still have not returned our calls or emails.
Rita Chang / AdAge:
Don't Create an IPhone App for the Online Buzz Factor  —  App Chatter Doesn't Build Brands, Long-term Engagement Does  —  NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — For all the love that marketers show iPhone apps, these micro-utilities and tools actually generate surprisingly little buzz in return.
Google Public Policy Blog:
When sources disagree: borders and place names in Google Earth and Maps  —  Collecting and sharing the most accurate information about place names and borders is a tough task that every map maker faces.  The first sources are the nations themselves, but when neighboring countries claim overlapping territories …
Chris Kanaracus / Computerworld:
Study: MySQL use to drop under Oracle ownership  —  Survey finds that Oracle ownership would blunt demand for Sun's open source database  —  IDG News Service - Usage of the open-source MySQL database is set to decline if Oracle succeeds in buying the software's owner, Sun Microsystems …
Discussion: New York Post and The Register
The EtherPad Blog:
Google Acquires AppJet  —  We are happy to announce that AppJet Inc. has been acquired by Google.  The EtherPad team will continue its work on realtime collaboration by joining the Google Wave team.  —  For Current Users and Customers:  —  What will happen to my account?  Will I still be able to use EtherPad?
RELATED:
Glenn Fleishman / TidBITS:
EtherPad Shuts Down after Google Acquisition
Discussion: TechCrunch
 
 Archived Page Info: 
This is a snapshot of Techmeme at 2:50 PM ET, December 5, 2009.

View the current page or another snapshot:


Page version:
 
 Techmeme Sponsor Posts: 
TELUS Digital:
The brand supporting the biggest brands in tech  —  Deliver memorable experiences throughout the customer journey with customer experience support from TELUS Digital.  Scale quickly, automate efficiently and win decisively.
Intel:
Intel Delivers powerful CPUs for AI and Networking  —  With the onset of AI, businesses demand powerful and efficient CPUs.  Explore new Intel Xeon 6 processors, for the broadest set of workloads with leadership performance and lower TCO.
Zoho:
From app chaos to business clarity: How to solve software overload  —  The software overload dilemma: A maze or a highway?  Imagine driving through a city where every street follows different rules, forcing constant stops, detours, and delays.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.
Sponsor Techmeme
 
 See Also: 
Techmeme: site main
Techmeme River: reverse chronological Techmeme
Techmeme Mobile: for phones
Techmeme Leaderboard: Techmeme's top sources
 
 Subscribe: 
Techmeme RSS feed
Techmeme on X
Techmeme on Mastodon
 
 
 More Items: 
Aaron / YouTube Biz Blog:
Hit the mark with Video Targeting
Discussion: WebProNews and Mashable!
Jared Newman / PC World:
Experts Not Surprised By iPhone Malicious App Report
Seth Rosenblatt / The Download Blog:
Google Chrome now bundled with Avast
 Earlier Items: 
EurActiv.com:
Web inventor: ‘Snooping’ authorities threaten Internet
Rich Miller / Data Center Knowledge:
DoD: Cloud Will Save Us ‘Hundreds of Millions’
Yahoo!:
Yahoo! and Microsoft Finalize Search Agreement
Lee Brodie / Fast Money Rapid Recap:
CEO Eric Schmidt Reveals ‘Centerpiece’ Of Google's 2010 Strategy
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Nectar Gan / CNN:
Chinese nationalists and state media praise Trump's decision to dismantle VOA, RFA, and other US-funded media outlets that broadcast to authoritarian regimes

Freedom of the Press Foundation:
Wired says it plans to drop paywalls for articles that are primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
RFE/RL sues USAGM and its officials Kari Lake and Victor Morales, arguing they acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally in blocking funds allocated by Congress

 
Sister Sites:

Mediagazer
 Top news and commentary for media professionals from all around the web
memeorandum
 What US political commentators are discussing online right now
WeSmirch
 The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page