Sometimes in technology, the biggest news is no news at all - and the absence of something anticipated makes more noise than the debut of something unanticipated. Confused yet? Take a look at two separate announcements today from a pair of the most-scrutinized companies out there - Google and Apple, both of whom had to discount rumors that they had big plans in the works.

In the last few months, and especially so following Microsoft's pre-announcement of Zune, there has been a hotbed of discussion around the possibility that Apple would be adding wireless capabilities to their incredibly popular iPod lineup. While Microsoft has recently dialed back expectations on Zune's wireless capabilities, rumormongers have discovered patents from Apple that would indicate the company is looking to add wireless, even if just for synchronizing away from the host computer. In fact, one report said that Apple had dispatched company representatives to Asia to help train people on the music players new features.

Turns out that's a bunch of hooey, if Apple's denial of that news today is true. The company took the unusual step of commenting on rumors by denouncing them outright. This could be a typical Apple ploy to downplay expectations, but if they were to consistently lie to reporters and customers, that would be a very poor PR move, and I don't expect that's the goal here.

In parallel, Google recently announced that they had enabled wireless Internet access for the search engine's home community of Mountain View, California. Given their interest, everyone expected the next move for Google was to debut a nationwide wireless network under the Google brand. But, as with many dreams, it appears that it too will not come true. Just as Apple did, Google said they have no plans for national Wi-Fi service, despite efforts in Mountain View and San Francisco. They said that the goals were to demonstrate the "value of competition" in providing Internet access, and to experiment with new business ideas. 

So, while other companies would salivate the opportunity to get press and fans talking about what they are doing, Google and Apple are going out of their way to slow down the discussions. Maybe they're hiding secrets up their sleeves, and maybe it all depends on what the definition of "is" is. We'll all wait and see.

Listening to ''Sandstorm'', by Pete Tong (Play Count: 3)

Last week, AOL made headlines through a huge public relations gaffe where the Internet giant released the search records from hundreds of users. Though the users were not identified by name, their very personal searches were unearthed for all to see, and it didn't take detectives to rapidly match some names with their search terms (New York Times). This once again has the Web abuzz over what data should be kept private, and what should not.

With that discussion ongoing, Google has very publicly stated that they have no intention to stop recording user searches, and will use this data to help shape future services. But the time to worry about being anonymous on the Web is long gone. Savvy marketers and blog owners know your every click. They know what search terms you used, what Web site directed you to theirs, and what pages you clicked on when you got here. They know whether you use Mac or PC, and whether you use Firefox, Safari or IE. That's standard, whether content owners are utilizing the highly-popular SiteMeter, or more advanced tools, like WebTrends and LeadLander.

In parallel, Amazon.com has raised eyebrows by its acknowledging that they are going to request even more data from their users, including sexual orientation and religion, in addition to the standard address information and accumulated preferences through ongoing site purchases.

If there is a tool that marketers can use to more nimbly target their products and help you to buy more, they are going to use it. With technology improvements taking place all the time to aid the selling process, we're naive if we think we can surf idly from site to site without somebody paying attention. And it's not a moral crisis either. It's big business. We should just accept it. As Tom Formenski writes, "this data never goes away," adding "Your every click and keystroke online is being collected by many different organisations, and that means that at some point it will be possible to track it all, and identify most of it. Welcome to the future transparency of your life."

Listening to ''The Hush - Think'', by Bedrock (Play Count: 4)

Although it has been a while since we officially endorsed another site, it's certainly not for a lack of quality reading, learning and entertainment out there. Though I've referenced Guy Kawasaki's excellent site off and on since the beginning of the year, he's not received the official louisgray.com stamp of approval - until now.

Kawasaki, who rose to prominence as the chief evangelist at Apple Computer during the iconic computer maker's earliest times, has tremendous credibility in the Silicon Valley marketplace, and continually offers advice to those who want to break in or expand in the market. This evening, he posted a great "how to" on obtaining a job in Silicon Valley. Both informative and humorous, the piece gives job prospects that edge that may mean the difference between winning a position, and finding yourself back on the street.

As I had commented on the blog, one of the major things to do before any job interview is research the heck out of it. Learn as much as you can about the company and what they do before setting foot in the office. Make sure you not only can discuss their product, but also their market. Learn who their potential customers are, and why they have advantages over the competition. If you're just there because you badly need a job, and you haven't done your homework, that will be quickly discovered.

A few years ago, when speaking with a prospective employer, I was asked if I felt I could take on the task of running the Web site of one of their competitors - a major public company. If I said I couldn't do it, it would show weakness, but it was a large proposal. When I said, "Yes I could do it, but it would be a major cleanup job," the interviewer said, "That response just earned you an offer." That showed me that a little bravado can do you well, especially if you not only show the willingness and energy to excel, but the knowledge of the competition, to say what you believe they would want to hear.

Guy Kawasaki is a guy (no pun intended) who knows his craft, and is doing a great service by extending his consultancy to the blogosphere. If you're interested in business, technology, marketing, presenting or venture capital, his site is a must read.

Listening to ''Primer'', by Christopher Lawrence (Play Count: 6)

Cross-posted at Athletics Nation...

As you can see above, it's pretty clear the San Francisco Giants aren't going anywhere this season - except to their vacation spots and retirement homes, come October. In contrast, the Oakland A's are very much a part of playoff contention, having won 9 of 10, pushing the team to a division lead of 4.5 games.

As you can imagine, there are probably a good number of Giants "fans" who are unhappy with their horse, and would give anything to join the bandwagon to follow the hot team on the other side of the bay. Yet, they are tied down to expensive season ticket packages at Phone Booth Park, and can't financially make the move.

I propose that the A's aggressively market to this unhappy group of baseball fan wanna-bes through a one-time amnesty program aimed at converting them and their friends to the A's fold for good.

I propose:

* The A's will grant 2006 playoff ticket rights to those Giants fans who turn in their remaining 2006 season tickets. To gain full playoff rights, the Giants fans will be given the opportunity to purchase an equivalent number of equal or lesser value A's tickets for half price.
* The A's will offer half-price day of game tickets in exchange for any two used 2006 ticket stubs from AT&T Park.
* The A's will offer a 25% discount on 2007 season tickets of equal or lesser value to any holder of 2006 Giants season tickets.
* The A's will offer a 40-50% discount on A's merchandise in exchange for Giants merchandise in very good to excellent condition. We simply want it off the streets, for the betterment of our community.
* Upon trade-in of any active or future Giants season tickets, the A's will gift the Giants ticket holders new A's caps, free of charge.

The questions to you:

* Would the A's be interested in converting Giants fans?
* Do you want to sit next to these bandwagon fans?
* Do they deserve to take playoff seats from true A's fans?
* Would this program be successful?