First, I want to let everyone out there in Cringeville know that I did in fact survive the InfoWorld Christmas party last week (or was that the week before?). A big thanks to Skip McJingle for pinch-hitting for me in my brief absence. Now... has anyone seen my pants? Before we kiss 2007 good-bye, I wanted to tie up a couple of loose ends. First, thanks to all those Cringesters who offered up song titles that des First, I want to let everyone out there in Cringeville know that I did in fact survive the InfoWorld Christmas party last week (or was that the week before?). A big thanks to Skip McJingle for pinch-hitting for me in my brief absence. Now… has anyone seen my pants? Before we kiss 2007 good-bye, I wanted to tie up a couple of loose ends. First, thanks to all those Cringesters who offered up song titles that describe how they feel about the RIAA. Cringster W. K. sums it up nicely, I think: “Every Breath You Take” by The Police – and – “On the Border” by The Eagles. Both are songs of stalking, and hint of the tactics and attitude of the RIAA, I believe. Of course, I own legal copies of both songs; first on vinyl and now also on CD. But I would NEVER consider making copies…Other notable candidates, followed by the initials of the Cringe fans who submitted them (when known): “Clash with Reality” by Pantera “Trampled under Foot” by Led Zeppelin (H.T.C.) “Please Mr. Customs Man” by Arlo Guthrie (G.M.) “Sue Me, Sue You Blues” by George Harrison (D.F.) “Get Over It” by the Eagles (R.J.L.) “Fight for Your Right (To Parrrrrrtttaaaaaaayyyy!)” [and rip CDs to MP3s] by the Beastie Boys (J.R.) Who knew Cringesters had such varied musical tastes?Next: Google and Virgin, two great disrupters that could disrupt great together. Several readers served up their ideas of what a merger of these two media giants should be called. I think the winner has to be Virgo, submitted by several folks. The description from Astrologycom says it all: A critical eye for detail, combined with your ceaseless pursuit of perfection, endows you with an irresistible urge to improve everything and everyone (whether they need it or not!)….Although you often have altruistic motives in helping others, you do have a teensy tendency to act the martyr when your offerings are ignored.Yep, that sounds about right. Happy New Year. Thanks for reading and writing in 2007, and check back in on Wednesday for my predictions on what will happen to tech in 2008.Got hot news? Seen my pants lately? File your reports below or email them to me here. Top tipsters qualify for cool Cringe swag, newly improved for 2008. Think you’ve got the right stuff to pass our tech quizzes? They’re not as easy as they look: • The InfoWorld News Quiz • Test Your Geek IQ • Test Your Network Security IQ Software DevelopmentSmall and Medium Business