Top Stories for the week of January 5 - 9, 2009

The Consumer Electronics Show kicked off this week in Las Vegas without Bill Gates, and Macworld opened in San Francisco without Steve Jobs, but the universe didn't implode. The CES keynote "didn't seem to suffer much from the lack of Bill Gates," says End User. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer warmed up with details about the Windows 7 beta, which is downloadable today. Says Signal to Noise: "The wording of the announcement is tantamount to admitting defeat on Vista." To lighten the air of quiet desperation, Ballmer flashed funny messges from Gates, Barack Obama, Rob Blagojevich ("How to you delete email that's already been sent") and Jerry Yang ("Steve. Why do you keep ignoring my Facebook friend requests?"). More on the PaidContent CES channel, including why things could get really scary for Facebook and Slide in '09.

Morninpaper.com says "Macworld was a bust for Apple/Mac fans." StrangeGlue is less harsh, noting Apple debuted "some relatively un-amazing products, though to be honest, for people not expecting iJesus iNcarnate, they were all relatively beneficial." There's no iPhone Nano, no Snow Leopard update to OS X, but a 17-inch Macbook Pro whose non-user replaceable battery is sure to be unpopular, says TUAW. There's "a major update to the iLife suite of applications" including Garageband and iPhoto, says MacRumors. Biggest news: now most iTunes music will be sold without copying restrictions at prices from 69 cents to $1.29, based on popularity. For existing DRM-locked music files, Apple is charging a 30 cent per song to unchain your melodies, Audioholics explains.

In tech beyond the big shows, an 18-year-old hacker calling himself GMZ admitted that he guessed the password of a Twitter administrator ("happiness") and hijacked high-profile Twitter accounts, including Obama's, Wired's Threat Level reported.

In the actual world, the Obama family moved to Washington this week but they have to reside at the Hay-Adams Hotel for now--and the hotel's restaurant, bar, and rooms remain open to the public. "Just prepare to be frisked," says The Plank. Obama has raised $27 million and counting for the star-studded Jan. 20 inauguration, The Swamp reports, adding; "With Steven Spielberg backing it, the inauguration could be as good a show as the film starring Roy Scheider--Jaws--that Spielberg directed in 1975." Polichicksonline reports that the prez-elect will wear a Hart Schaffner single button, notch lapel tuxedo. He's also still clinging to his Blackberry notes The Other McCain.

Other politicos are not having such swanky arrivals in DC. Al Franken sort of officially won a Senate seat after the Minnesota recount finished, but a lawsuit by opponent Norm Coleman is delaying things, says Talking Points Memo, which has unearthed a vintage clip of Franken impersonating Mick Jagger. Radar scoffs: "Let's just hope SNL doesn't invite him back on the show right when it was starting to get funny again."

Senate Democrats led by Harry Reid gave a frigid shoulder to Roland Burris, appointed by Illinois' scandalized Democratic Gov. Blagojevich to fill the Senate seat Obama has vacated. "The battle...is one that we Republicans can only sit back and enjoy," says Power Line. Reid created a losing scenario by building support against a Burris seating that's likely inevitable, says Balloon Juice: "I swear that you have to be part masochist to be a Democrat." Adds Culture11: "If you're not careful, Harry, you could end up being The Biggest Loser."

Meanwhile some of Obama's latest cabinet choices are under fire. Fox News' Bill O'Reilly suggested that Leon Panetta' as CIA chief would bring on a terrorist attack, notes Crooks and Liars. But sentiment seems to be that "Obama has probably made the right decision" on Panetta, says Where's the Outrage? Obama's choice of CNN doctor Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General is raising more blood pressure. "Just what we need, huh?," says Kenny's Sideshow. "Another pill-pushing, vaccine-pimping Washington bureaucrat with ties to Big Pharma." The trouble with Gupta, says Paul Krugman, is that Gupta inaccurately said Michael Moore' 'fudged the facts" for his healthcare doc Sicko when in fact he didn't. "What next?," asks known Dem-basher Michelle Malkin. "Judge Judy for the next Supreme Court opening? Duane 'The Dog' Chapman to head the Border Patrol?"