SOA: As two SOA governance interoperability initiatives are developing on parallel paths, tech experts at the Burton Group’s Catalyst conference questioned whether the industry needs both the Governance Interoperability Framework and the SOA Link. “It doesn’t benefit to have a standard that is not a standard,” says Charles Stack, Flashline CEO. Notes from the field: Microsoft, it seems, is ticking off plenty of folks with its “Windows Genuine (dis)Advantage” validation tool, Cringe reports, including some who are being prohibited from downloading updates until they install WGA. Microsoft fesses up that WGA phones home every day, too. That and the fact that Google unveiled a Web-based spreadsheet service have Ballmer allegedly remodeling his office. Microsoft validation hell, Google outexcels Excel.Security: Excel is home to a new vulnerability, which comes from an e-mail with a malicious document attached, according to a blog entry posted by a Microsoft security program manager. But he provided no details about what the malware does when downloaded. Podcasts: In his Interviews with Innovators series, Jon Udell speaks with Mike Frost, the CEO of Site Controls, about intelligent energy management. The energy Web ought to be a national priority, Udell explains. But it’s not, and that’s where entrepreneurial efforts such as Site Controls come into play. Best of the blogs: In the midst of commentary on the World Cup, Matt Asay calls for more candor from the open source vendors, such as what Red Hat’s Matthew Szulik produced when admitting that JBoss’s implementation is superior to Red Hat’s own JOnAS effort. And Dave Linthicum asks are there any good SOA design tools? Technology Industry