Notes from the field: Cringely points out that Karl Rove and SCO have something in common. (Though I imagine neither would appreciate the comparison in the slightest.) “As for the company itself, SCO ain’t dead yet, but it’s on a respirator, and the Penguinistas are jumping up and down on the air hose,” Cringe reports. SCO: going, going, gone? “SCO fans had better hope the company’s move into the mobile space pays off, because it sure looks like the legal strategy won’t.” The bigger question, of course, is where have all the SCO fans gone? Columnist’s corner: The cast of characters in this week’s Off the Record includes the author, Boss, Doom and the secondary Prez. It’s a classic game with no winner. To set the scene, author hires Doom to help with growing company that wants to keep IT staff small, thus Boss and Prez happy. The two get on great at first. Work hard, play hard. Until a backstabbing occurs, that is, leaving no mystery about whodunit in this one, folks. Applications: While Google’s announcement that it will bundle Sun’s StarOffice into Google Pack has Eric Knorr saying that the free suite means “Microsoft may be in a tougher spot than it’s ever been,” Ephraim Schwartz maintains that “there is an almost imperceptible undercurrent that could spell trouble for the search giant’s future.” In The demise of Google, Schwartz is referring not to office suites but, instead, to the crop of “niche, vertical, boutique — call them what you will — search engines.” The news beat: Nokia says that 46 million cell phone batteries are in danger of overheating, though a spokeswoman claims there is no threat of them catching fire. The record-breaking Storm Trojan is linked to a rise in spam. Oracle says it will charge for four add-ons to its 11g database, including some of the most anticipated features. And Scotland hopes to lure Indian outsourcers with the capability of setting up call centers that boast multilingual staff. Technology Industry