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4:05 AM ET, December 20, 2009

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
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: TeleRead
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: GottaBeMobile.com and TechFlash, Thanks:atul
Paul Bradshaw / E-Media Tidbits:
In the E-mail Era, Who Owns the Interview?  —  Some time ago I was interviewed via e-mail for an article and, as I often do, after providing answers to the nine questions, I asked the following: “Mind if I republish these answers in full on my blog after the piece goes live?”
Discussion: TeleRead
David Chartier / Macworld:
Twitter client Kiwi lets you style, hide, organize tweets  —  PEOPLE WHO READ THIS ALSO READ:  —  You would be right in many ways if you said that Twitter clients figuratively cost ten cents for every twelve apps you can round up.  They typically compete in terms of redesigning …
Discussion: Mashable! and Macsimum News
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.
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
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.
Popular Mechanics:
How James Cameron's Innovative New 3D Tech Created Avatar  —  Director James Cameron is known for his innovations in movie technology and ambitions to make CG look and feel real.  His next film, Avatar, will put his reputation to the test.  Can Cameron make blue, alien creature look real on the big screen?
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: paidContent and TechStartups.com
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 …
Matt Asay / The Open Road:
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.
 
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 More Items: 
Christine Chen / Google Public Policy Blog:
Google's approach to privacy
Discussion: BayNewser
Kdawson / Slashdot:
Yes, Google Does De-List Pages; But When?
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)
 Earlier Items: 
Louis Gray:
Growing Grumblings on Tech News Don't Address Incentives
Philip Willan / PC World:
Italy contemplates Web restrictions after Berlusconi attack
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Google Experimenting With Browser Login For Chrome OS
Anil Dash:
The Twitter API is Finished. Now What?
Discussion: Stay N' Alive, Workbench and A VC, Thanks:atul