The Washington Post reports that “

[s]ome of the top technology companies, including Intel, Microsoft, Dell and Advanced Micro Devices joined forces Tuesday to form the PC Gaming Alliance, which will try to promote the PC as a gaming platform.  e alliance will bring hardware makers, software companies and game publishers under one roof to ‘accelerate innovation, improve the gaming experience for consumers and serve as a collective source of market information and expertise on PC gaming,’ the alliance said in a statement.”

PCMag.com today has an interesting article on “[c]omputing’s final frontiers.”

The Mercury News writes that “[a]n elite group of young wanna-be entrepreneurs from around the world got the full Silicon Valley treatment this week: lessons in refining business plans, making funding pitches to the Sand Hill Road crowd – and engaging in ‘team-building’ like it’s the dot-com ’90s.  Microsoft and British Telecom invited six college student teams to spend about two weeks in the valley to get a crash course in how to turn tech innovation into tech riches.  The 24 participants were finalists in the third-annual Imagine Cup, an international competition for student teams who employ technology to solve complex problems. Improving education was this year’s theme.”

According to ZDNet.com, “Venture capital funding in Chinese information technology companies was $992 million in 2007, down 9 percent from 2006, according to data from Dow Jones VentureSource.  The slowdown in venture funding for technology companies is striking given that funding in China hit its highest level in six years with $2.49 billion invested in 241 deals. That’s a 5 percent gain from 2006.”

The International Herald Tribune reveals that “three Internet providers in Britain have gotten together to try to grab a plump piece of online advertising for themselves. Last week, BT, Carphone Warehouse and Virgin Media announced a deal with a company called Phorm, whose technology tracks Web users and serves them ads related to their interests.  Phorm said it was setting up a new online advertising platform called the Open Internet Exchange, which any Web site will be allowed to join. Proceeds from ads that are shown on these publishers’ sites will be shared with BT, Carphone Warehouse and Virgin Media, which together represent more than two-thirds of the Internet access market in Britain.”