Google's Costly Rebellion (The Motley Fool). The Motley Fool - Once again, Google (Nasdaq: GOOG - News) is out to prove conventional wisdom wrong. According to a story published in today's edition of The New York Times, Big Goo builds its own servers and could even get into the business of creating its own chip designs. [Yahoo! News: Technology News] 

Microsoft Pushes Back Office 2007 Release (NewsFactor). NewsFactor - Businesses waiting to get their hands on Microsoft's flagship Office 2007 software will have to wait a little longer now that the company has postponed delivery while it works out some kinks discovered in beta versions of the product. [Yahoo! News: Technology News] 

Judge Deals Blow to SCO in $5 Billion Linux Lawsuit (NewsFactor). NewsFactor - The holidays came early for devotees of the Linux operating system when a judge last week threw out the majority of claims brought against IBM by the SCO Group in its $5 billion intellectual property rights case. [Yahoo! News: Technology News] 

Colonial Williamsburg turns to podcasting (AP).

AP - Thomas Jefferson isn't about to start listening to an iPod, with telltale earbud wires dangling from under his three-cornered hat as he walks the streets of Colonial Williamsburg.

Review: WingNuts 2: Raina's Revenge. FreeVerse delivers the oft-promised sequel to the 2001 top-down scrolling arcade game. Does this latest version of WingNuts live up to the hype that's built during the half-decade wait?
 

Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.4.7 Update. Mark H. Anbinder (~300 words)

Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.4.7 Update -- Apple last week released Mac OS X 10.4.7, a free update to Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, with a variety of improvements and bug fixes. Separate installers are available via Software Update or the Apple Software Downloads Web site for the desktop version of Mac OS X on PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs, and for Mac OS X Server, which so far is available only for PowerPC-based Macs. Along with a wide variety of small fixes, some of which address security holes, the 10.4.7 update includes several enhancements to Mail, such as improved reliability retrieving IMAP messages with attachments using an unreliable Internet connection and connecting to mail servers through a SOCKS proxy; improvements for video conferencing and transferring files in iChat; and better iSync support for Motorola cell phones using Bluetooth and .Mac accounts.

iTunes, iPod Firmware, and QuickTime Updated. Jeff Carlson (~180 words)

iTunes, iPod Firmware, and QuickTime Updated -- Delivering on a promise made in late May, Apple has updated iTunes and iPod software to work with the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, a gadget that links an iPod nano with Nike+ shoes to track a runner's performance (see "Grab your iPod and Run"). iTunes 6.0.5 enables synchronization of data to nikeplus.com. The 19.8 MB update, also available via Software Update, additionally patches a security hole that could be exploited by a malicious AAC file.

Microsoft Buys iView Multimedia. Adam C. Engst (~390 words)

Now here's an unexpected bit of news. Microsoft has bought iView Multimedia, makers of the iView MediaPro and iView Media digital asset management applications. iView MediaPro in particular is well-regarded as a photo cataloging tool, since it can catalog files in over 120 formats, leaving the originals in place and providing browsing of the catalog even when the originals are offline (stored on DVD, for instance). iView MediaPro even has some image editing capabilities, though I always found them rather confusing and difficult to use, at least in comparison to Apple's iPhoto.

In the zone with Zsa Zsa. The road to fame isn't always glamorous.
Putting yourself out there, approaching strangers, selling something that's unfamiliar to many it's not always an easy ride into stardom. [News Review - News] 

Some Intel-powered Mac users need to update to Mac OS X 10.4.7 again.  

If you are eager to get your hands on any update from Apple (as I am), then you may need to apply... [MacDailyNews]

Five of the world’s top 500 supercomputers are based on Apple Xserve systems. The Top500 list of the world’s fastest supercomputers shows that five of the world's top 500 [MacDailyNews] 

Apple adds two new MacBook models to lineup. Apple has expanded its available MacBook models from three to five... [MacDailyNews] 

CrossOver Mac allows Mac users to run Windows apps without Microsoft Windows. CrossOver Mac -- CodeWeavers' latest Windows-compatability product -- is on its way... [MacDailyNews] 

RUMOR: Apple to unveil ‘Mac Pro’ with new enclosure design, Intel Core 2 Duo at WWDC next month. When Apple unveils its Power Mac G5 replacement at its Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) next month... [MacDailyNews] 

Geodesic domes: 'Doing more with less'. A leading maker of geodesic dome kits advances Buckminster Fuller's vision.
Photos: Domes for all occasions [CNET News.com]