Now there’s a surprise. The last thing Google wants is serious competition (even if it’s unlikely that a MS-Yahoo merger could provide it). It’s almost enough to make one feel sympathetic to Microsoft.

This is going to get very boring over the next few months.

Meanwhile, Microsoft continues to be one of the few companies that still funds basic research. It’s just announced that it’s opening a new research lab next door to MIT. Headed by a woman too. Hooray!