We'll hand it to IBM's researchers. They think big - really big. Like holy-crap-what-have-you-done big.

Sun turns to Neil Diamond for Amazon utility 'killer'

Here's Sun Microsystems. Ahead of the curve with utility computing? Check. Interested in gaining the business of today's internet companies? Big check. Full of server-side software skills? Check. Behind Amazon.com of all companies in actually putting these things together as a product or service companies can buy? Yep.

Yesterday's top story: Palladium stars as investors focus on future ...

The report said an 'impressive wave of funds' had moved into the metal's two ETFs since last November and the funds saw a further increase in February.

However, the trend in positions in Nymex platinum futures was an 'atypical near inverse relationship to the price', with net longs declining by almost 270,000 ounces (or 36%) from their recent peak in January.

The report said this was suggestive of Nymex speculators taking profits in February, in part selling into strong demand from ETF investors.

Platinum Technical Analysis

Standard Bank advised reduced long positions in platinum as the 'bull trend' has reached the $2,150 level and there were currently no further upside projections. (Although the metal price is now around $100 higher than this level.)

The report said the move off the $2,192 high was threatening the sustainability of the bull trend from a near term perspective and the bank now took a mildly bearish view.

Spring break slip-ups will cost you

And then there's spring break, those few short weeks from mid-March to mid-April when families visit theme parks or grandma's house and college students whoop it up at beach parties and nightclubs.

Trialist wants to stay

Cheltenham trialist Sean Evans has revealed he is interested in joining the Robins on a permanent basis in the summer.

The left winger admits he always faced an uphill task establishing himself at Old Trafford but is now looking forward to a fresh start at a new club.

RIAA Crackdown Prompts Forum on File Sharing

Students downloading illegal files in Isla Vista are not subject to the crackdown, as they do not make use of the campus network.

Official university policy prohibits illegal activity on university networks or computers.

Mozilla may be eyeing online services space à la .Mac, Windows Live

Mozilla Labs vice president Chris Beard has expressed interest in the possibility of creating an open and extensible infrastructure for developing online services similar to Windows Live and .Mac. Beard is intrigued by the possible advantages of closing the gap between the browser and the Internet cloud.

Beard notes that existing web services aren't broadly designed with browser integration in mind.

Extra! UIdaho Student Found Shot to Death

A 21-year-old University of Idaho senior was found shot to death early today in his Moscow apartment.
David Robert Boss, a history major and Boise native, was found dead by a roommate about 2 a.m., Moscow police officials said. Boss roommate apparently arrived at the apartment at 1218 S. Main St. about 2 a.m. and found the victim on the floor in the kitchen area of the apartment, according to a press release. The roommate called police. The death is being investigated as suspicious, said Moscow Police Department Assistant Chief David Duke. The apparent cause of death is a single gunshot wound to the head. No gun was found in the apartment, Duke said.

Office Live Small Business gets a revamp and loses price tag

Now, Microsoft is releasing a new version of Microsoft Office Live Small Business that not only merges all three versions, but also expands and improves the whole service. With only one product now, the name has been "simplified" to just "Microsoft Office Live Small Business." The new offering is completely free. In other words, current and new customers are getting more and paying less. Great move Microsoft!

Microsoft hopes to take advantage of the fact that many small businesses do not yet have a high-quality web site—a huge mistake according to the software giant. "Today, having a professional Web site is as essential to running a small business as having business cards," said Baris Cetinok, director of product management and marketing for Microsoft Office Live Small Business.

Court Questions Patent Damages Against Microsoft For Guatemalan Patent ...

Microsoft has been fighting for years against a Guatemalan patent holder, Carlos Amado, who claims to hold a patent on the concept of linking a database to a spreadsheet. The patent itself has been thoroughly debunked. Even the patent itself admits that it's merely taken a bunch of concepts that were widely used before and combining them -- which is exactly the type of thing that the Supreme Court has said should not be patentable. Microsoft has appealed the ruling, but the Supreme Court turned it down. However, it then appealed the amount of damages, and the appeals court has now thrown out the lower court's damages based on the fact that it appeared to pick the damages number out of thin air. It seems likely that Microsoft will still have to pay damages for infringement (though, the court also admits that new Supreme Court rulings may impact the amount as well), but the lower court is going to at least have to justify how much Microsoft needs to pay Amado for basically putting such an obvious idea on paper and filing a patent.

Around Montana: Ash hires receivers coach

Rob Ash completed his Montana State football coaching staff on Wednesday, hiring former Kansas State quarterback Jonathan Beasley as the Bobcats' receivers coach.

Computer Model Developed For Osteoporosis Diagnostics

This method provides more meaningful results than pure density measurements (DXA). After two years we demonstrated a mean increase of 30% in bone strength."