For me, the TradeMe story is the biggie of the week. I asked eBay's Aussie MD once if there were any plans to operate in New Zealand and he was up-front that the strength of TradeMe posed a big barrier to that.

TradeMe roundup
Anyhoo, I've ferreted out some trans-Tasman comment for yous fullahs. First here's my old boss, Tom Burton, on big media's hunger for top web properties. It includes, at the end, a handy list of deals done in the past year. Our own Herald chimes in with some weekend analysis of TradeMe's rivals here, and points to areas where the company can find growth here (Scoop has the press release here with a chart). The Melbourne Age similarly warns TradeMe's position is not unassailable as well as providing a detailed portrait of the company and its technology. Finally, Stuff reports Kirky reassuring users fees won't rise under Fairfax.

Google's literary land-grab
Bloomsbury Publisher Nigel Newton is wrong to call for a boycott of the Google search engine in protest at its plans to scan books, says Chris, who mentions the widely blogged story in his Podcast Roundup. Although Google's contextualised advertising might be argued to cheapen the literary greats in Google Book Search, Newton underestimates readers' abilities to totally ignore that advertising, or to dismiss it as opportunism. It doesn't reflect on the work of Dickens, Kafka or any of the greats.

Matters arising
Chris also notes this week brought great news for fans of real food: falling sales have forced the closure of 25 UK McDonald's branches. Could this be a tipping point, asks TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Nearly 20 years on from the death of one of the greatest musicians ever, it’s time to reassess the life and death of Jaco Pastorius, and to remember that genius is no insurance policy against going off the rails.

The Institute For Interactive Research is a very cool site discovered by NZBC cub reporter Joe Bowman (aged 11). Just don't bother clicking on anything when you get there. Joe also asks us to check out this slightly disturbing picture, and this disturbing Korean animation show website.

"Put it in Mixed Lollies!" says Joe. Did we mention he's 11?

TNR Online’s Keelin McDonell has taken on the assignment of watching The New York Times, “its foibles, its chase after chic, its horrendous editorial mistakes over several years, its goo-goo politics…”

Via NZBC reader Chris McBride, sexagenarians, drugs and rock and roll. Tim de Lisle explains why wrinklies keep rocking. Finally, Peter Taylor investigates how an innocent man was shot dead after the London terrorist bombings.

Oh, and you have two days left to vote for us in the Netguide awards! Rock on.