Valleywag, Silicon Valley's Tech Gossip Rag

Most Popular Stories
Today's most popular headlines are
- STEVE SOUDERS
  (806 views)
- SELF-REFERENTIAL
  (652 views)
- VENTURE CAPITAL
  (604 views)
Today's most discussed stories are

Immigration limits spur Hindu god's popularity (7 comments), Venture capital is totally "cushy," people (4) and Another ex-Yahoo swells the Google ranks (4).

5:00 PM on Mon Dec 31 2007
Internet telephone provider Vonage has reached a settlement in its patent dispute with Nortel. Vonage won't pay for past damages, and both companies have agreed to a cross-licensing deal instead. The settlement ends the last of the company's pending legal battles with major telecom carriers and equipment makers. If the Internet telephone company has truly put its legal problems in its past — not a forgone conclusion — the company may now move on to address problems. Problems like providing reliable service at a profit. Oh yes, that. [Reuters]

Comment
Holiday Cheer
You people trust Google more than your own family
As you gather with those you love to celebrate the New Year this evening and a cloying nostalgia grips you in the gut, consider this: You don't really give a shit what any of these people think about anything anyway. At least not according to the latest findings from Pew Internet researchers. 58 percent of you, they say, go to the Internet for answers on your toughest questions. Only 45 percent seek out friends and family members. So tonight, as the clock strikes midnight and you suddenly see that all those around you shall pass and fade with time, just remember: You weren't really that close anyway. (Photo by angela7dreams)

12:41 PM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By Nicholas Carlson
1,435 views, 4 comments

Latest by risingstar: The trouble with relatives is that you know they're lying to you. And you know they're lying because you've more »
Comments
The most hyperactive commenters of 2007

Good thing King Juan Carlos I of Spain never met any of our commenters. Thanks to all of you for never, ever shutting up. Here are the top commenters of 2007, ranked by pearls of wisdom posted. Keep it up in 2008, folks! More »

12:00 PM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By Owen Thomas
656 views, 7 comments

Latest by Nicholas Carlson: @cv: And you haven't posted since! more »
forecasts
Farewell, Year of the Widget
Why did venture capitalist Ross Levinsohn's prediction that 2008 would be all about widgets seem so tired and predictable? Because it was. "If 2006 was all about social networks, user-generated content and YouTube, then it's a fair bet that 2007 will be about further personalizing life online," Newsweek wrote a year ago. Instead, 2007 turned out to be all about social networks, user-generated content, and YouTube. A shining example of how even the most obvious predictions are wrong. More »

11:30 AM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By Owen Thomas
776 views, 4 comments

Latest by jgreene: I disagree completely. This year is certainly the year of widgets. They are simple, helpful, and user friendly. more »
Australia
Australia's firewall and Net libertarians' outrage both full of holes
The decision by the Australian government to institute filtering of the Internet at the ISP level to protect children from pornography and violent websites is being received with anger and comparisons to the Great Firewall of China. Of course, these critics are ignoring reality. More »

11:00 AM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By Tim Faulkner
901 views, 4 comments

Latest by SayeedaGebronie: 4chan will be blocked. protest. NAO! more »

The iTunes effect — or file-sharing, if you prefer — was in full force this holiday season. Album sales plunged 18 percent compared with pre-Christmas week sales in 2006. [Variety]

2 comments
Virtual Worlds
Get the kids before they develop a first life
Virtual worlds and big tobacco hold one strategy in common: hook 'em young. It's estimated some 20 million kids will congregate in virtual playgrounds by 2011. To capitalize on their addiction, a growing percentage of virtual architects are focusing on kiddie fare modeled after Webkinz and Club Penguin. Disney, Warner Bros., Viacom's Nickelodeon, as well as Lego, Mattel, and Hasbro are milking cartoon and toy franchises for the stuff of kids' virtual dreams. Disney's launching Pixie Hollow, a fairy-themed world, in time for the release of Tinker Bell this fall. Disney, we have the perfect beta tester for you.

10:30 AM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By Mary Jane Irwin
237 views, 1 comment

Latest by LindsayT: i see you read the same nyt article i read more »
Politics
Immigration limits spur Hindu god's popularity
The U.S. government's cap on how many educated immigrants can come and work for companies like Google, Microsoft and Dell continues to spur the economy. Just not ours. But business couldn't be better at the Chilkur Balaji temple on the outskirts of Hyderabad, India, reports the Wall Street Journal. That's where some 100,000 visitors a week flock to pray before Lord Balaji, known as the "Visa God." More »

10:03 AM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By Nicholas Carlson
5,375 views, 12 comments

Latest by Jeremy: @Automatt: I thought it was thanks to Iraq support that they get easy visas. more »
internet famous
Fanboys drool Digg songwriter Kina Grannis into record deal talks
Kina Grannis knows how the Digg algorithm works. Her Digg fanboy-baiting "Digg Song" got dugg and now the word is record companies have noticed. One has even approached her to discuss a record deal. Guess this means the guys at Famesource have even more competition.

9:06 AM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By Nicholas Carlson
911 views, 2 comments

Latest by rikkoo: She knows how the digg algorithm works but not how to register a working account. She said it herself on more »