UPDATE: Microsoft opens its kimono a bit and embraces more of an open-source and interoperable mindset. Yawn. Allen has a nice summary of the conference call here.

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Who needs Yahoo! when you have billions sitting around ready to be invested in other companies? Microsoft has never been famous for sitting on their hands.

Allen Stern is reporting on a wire story that Ballmer and team are making a “significant company announcement” this morning at 8:30 AM PDT. And no, it’s NOT about Yahoo. Hmm.

The details and the conference number can be found at Center Networks.

My guess is something related to gaming or home entertainment.

Timely, well-written, substantive blogging:

http://www.centernetworks.com/seesmic-is-a-video-message-board

Nice work (as always), Allen.

n.b. this post that you’re reading is not timely, not well-written, and not substantive. Which is why Center Networks gets like a zillion hits a day and I get you, my grandma, and me.

Center Networks hosted Rick Turoczy Wednesday and asked him to dish about his man-crush on the Silicon Forest.    Portland’s one-day moment in the sun was spectacularly dashed on Thursday, when the Gray Lady brought truthiness back into vogue with the article Seattle Taps Its Inner Silicon Valley.  Tech hasn’t seen this kind of MSM smackdown since Walt Mossberg’s early-onset senility in 2005 when he suggested that Apple wasn’t the True Faith Incarnate. Of course our ongoing dominance over our little sister to the south has nothing to do with Microsoft, Amazon, Real Networks, Adobe, or the approximately $1B per year in startup financing; no, according to Oren Etzioni of the UW:

“People aren’t distracted by too much sunshine,” he said. “They sit in their offices or garages and get creative.”

What? If that were the criterion then we’d all run operating systems written in Inuit++. I feel the reasons have to do with our massive native intellect, coupled with a dashing entrepreneurial spirit, leavened by two scoops of common sense and healthy sprinkling of manly Northwest vigor. All of which we have in spades over Portland.  Portland is like the Birmingham Barons before Michael Jordan arrived.  With the right amount of fawning press coverage, they can still be spectacularly mediocre.  Ha ha ha ha ha.

Sorry Allen!