allthingsd

BoomTown was intrigued when Mind-Your-Own Biz Stone, one of the co-founders of Twitter, penned a blog post yesterday about the microblogging service changing its prompting question.

Now, above the little Twitter box, it reads, "What's Happening?" and not the original tweet query "What are you doing?"

While the blogosphere covered as if it were a moment of monumental meaning, most were ignorant that the true beacon of innovative What's-Happeningness does not reside in Silicon Valley.

Hollywood director James Cameron is well known for his heavy use of special effects and techtastic techniques in his movies, which have included "Titanic," "Aliens" and the first--and best--two "Terminator" blockbusters.

In a few weeks, Cameron is hoping to hit geek gold again with a 3-D sci-fi juggernaut called "Avatar," which comes out in mid-December and is about an indigenous blue-colored tribe and their inevitable enemies.

Thus, cue the Smurfs!

Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin is certainly giving her Facebook fan page a workout this week, as she nears one million fans.

Using the site to flack her new book, "Going Rogue," which comes out officially today, it got a big boost today with her interview with Oprah Winfrey, clocking in at close to 995,000 fans last night.

In comparison, her Twitter page was as empty of followers as the great outdoors.

Oh dear, just a single week away and Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and every gossip site on the Web is aflame in expectation of the second installment of the young-vampires-in-lust movie series, "Twilight: New Moon."

As pictures of its are-they-or-aren't-they-holding-hands (um, they are) stars of the film, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, rocketed around the Web last week, prepare for an online and offline outpouring of teenaged swooning over the whole overwrought love story, which is set to debut just after midnight on November 20.

In this ruthlessly funny video--especially for such a sweet-looking young lady--singer Taylor Swift manages to ice pretty much everyone who ever dissed her.

And Kanye West's antics at the MTV Music Awards in September are not the only ones getting a musical smackdown from the 19-year-old, who won the Country Music Association's entertainer of the year award last night.

Sing it, sister.

While at a book party for author Ken Auletta in San Francisco last night, BoomTown took the opportunity to ask those gathered whether they were scared or not of Google and its growing power.

The Auletta book covers a lot about the search giant, but also drills in on how many have become increasingly wary of Google's hegemony over key businesses on the Web.

Nonetheless, the Silicon Valley types I queried were not even slightly worried and, oddly enough, many mentioned how they loved the food served up at the Googleplex.

Hmmmm....

Guess what? Google has too many Spocks and not enough Captain Kirks.

That was one of the many interesting insights BoomTown gleaned from a video interview last night at a San Francisco book party for well-known New Yorker scribe Ken Auletta, who has just written a new book, "Googled: The End of the World as We Know It."

This "lack of emotional intelligence," said Auletta, reminded him a lot of the subject of one of his previous books: Microsoft.

Oh, the delicious irony!

While sales of Windows 7 are doing well, Apple is continuing to slap the Microsoft operating system software around.

There were a bunch of mean-spirited "Get a Mac" ads right when Windows 7 was released in late October, stressing consumers dying to switch to Apple when faced with the prospect of upgrading their Microsoft software.

Now, there is a name for them: "PC Switchers." It sounds a little naughty.

Hollywood is selling the end times hard this week with the opening of "2012," a blockbuster-style movie about the last days of the world for humanity.

Apparently, we were warned!

It's based on the junk theories about how the 5,125-year-long Mayan Long Count calendar ends on December 21, 2012, which can only mean that so goes the universe.

So, until the apocalypse, enjoy the trailers.

Guess what? It's yet another online company going gaga over Twitter integration--this time LinkedIn is announcing a partnership with the microblogging service.

Microsoft and Google recently announced various ways they were lacing their various services with Twitter's feed, mostly around search.

Here is an adorkable video about it with LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman and Twitter's Biz Stone.

ABC certainly has been taking its sweet time in releasing the first episode of "V," a sci-fi television series that debuted earlier this week on the Web in any substantial way.

The premiere of a redo of a 1980s miniseries about an lizardy alien invasion disguised as a peace mission by outerspace hotties turned out to be a big broadcast hit, but it is hard to watch online.

Until tomorrow, that is.

Here is a video interview BoomTown did with Bob Visse, GM of MSN Product Management today at Microsoft's offices in San Francisco.

The new MSN homepage debuts tonight with a redesign cutting clutter, adding the ability to access both Facebook and Twitter, a local focus and with Microsoft's new Bing search service everywhere.

Also, some Microsoft interviews with MSN staff about the changes.

Here's the new trailer for the upcoming videogame-to-live-action Disney fantasy adventure movie, "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time."

It still looks an awful lot like a videogame and is chock full of special effects--but the adaptation also seems to feature much in the way of shirtlessness and mascara-wearing on the part of star Jake Gyllenhaal.

BoomTown is also not quite sure what to think of another new advertising campaign from an Internet giant--this time by eBay.

With the tag line, "Come to Think of It, eBay," the print, television and online marketing campaign start today to "boost its standing as a holiday shopping destination."

Interestingly, it has been crafted by San Francisco-based Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, which has also just nabbed the lead role in the $100 million advertising campaign by Yahoo.

Now, BoomTown likes a good jingle as much as anyone else, but this new one from Microsoft's Bing search service is sticking in my head like a piece of chewed gum.

Shot at Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham, Pa., it uses 400 very adorable sixth graders who are dragooned into one very large "Bing Goes the Internet" dance--complete with logo wear. The kids rock, the jingle not so much.

Here is a funny but decidedly creepy new commercial from Microsoft, in its ongoing marketing campaign to push its Bing search service.

Titled "Vampire Decision Engine," the software giant taps into vampire mania, playing into Halloween and the next chapter in the "Twilight" movie series, "New Moon," set to debut in November.

Load up on garlic, Google!

Quincy Smith, the high-profile CEO of CBS Interactive, is planning on leaving his job at the media giant in January to start an advisory firm in Silicon Valley, according several sources.

But, in an interesting twist, Smith will remain an adviser to CBS under a multi-year contract, sources added, making it his first client. Apparently, Smith will focus intently on authentication issues for the company.

Here are the three new Apple commercials trying to take a smack on the launch of Windows 7, the new operating system from Microsoft.

The "Get a Mac" advertising features the PC and Mac guys, as usual, but are quite a bit meaner than usual.

A gauntlet of wildly cheering sales people dressed in bright-colored t-shirts, a sleek, white store, a simple but elegant design.

You will be excused for thinking this video below is from an Apple store, but it is actually from the opening of a Microsoft Store in Scottsdale, Arizona today.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

One word: Shameful.

So, no surprise that Yahoo, which is trying mightily to burnish its image worldwide, quickly apologized for the presence of lap dancers onstage at its Open Hack Day in Taiwan over last weekend.

Top Yahoo execs were at the hack event, although it's not clear if they attended the lap-dancing part of the program, which seems to have a history of this sort of Pussycat-Dolls-meets-geeks tone.