Think the semantic web is all hype with no bite? Paul Allen backed semantic startup Evri will announce tomorrow that it has been acquired, we’ve learned from a reliable source. The service specializes in extracting the names of people, places and things from raw streams of text in order to facilitate smart user navigation and related content recommendation.

For obvious reasons , we care about what goes on in various parts of the world, particularly New Zealand and other areas that are underserved in terms of Internet access. So, we were quite excited to learn this evening of a new proposal that would give New Zealanders – including a couple RWW staff members – a better broadband experience

When it comes to tech conferences, the first thing most people think about is the parties. They might think about networking opportunities or learning experiences, but all too often, these are brushed off as mutual admiration societies and redundant, unoriginal chatter. I’ve heard every critique imaginable about some of the best-known tech conferences – but are there still valid reasons for shelling out a thousand dollars or more to spend a few days “partying” with your peers?

The U.K. Statistics Authority’s Richard Alldritt is an expert in how governments fudge the numbers

A Connecticut telephone company starts the first local, public packet-switching network. It paves the way for the always-on internet access we know today

As the cloud is getting more players and interfaces, best and worst practices are emerging. As the market grows and more companies try to plug in, the cloud may benefit from guiding principles. Similar to new technology movements in the past, a natural process is underway to define “what is good”, which, for some in the industry, equates to “what is open”.

Street Fighter gets bendy. Ms

Since the announcement went live yesterday about the Google Marketplace , we’ve had a number of companies come to us about how its applications will fit with the service. We’ll do a fuller look at these companies this week but for some immediate perspective we decided to take a look at Zoho , a service that competes with Google Apps.

Angry users sue Classmates.com after it decides to make previously private data public, just as Facebook did in December. Will its defense be, “I learned it from watching you, Zuck?”

With its heady mix of heavy themes and technology, The Dark Side of the Moon remains the best concept album ever, even 37 years after its release. Plus: 10 more concept albums in Dark Side ’s shadow that deserve a slice of the spotlight.