Here’s a smattering of news and rumors on the web that may be of interest to Wikinomists everywhere:

 Apple and Jay-Z are crazy in love: while this is most definitely just a rumor right now, the blogosphere is once again running rampent with speculation that Jay-Z has left Beyonce for Steve Jobs. Er, I mean that Jay-Z and Apple are launching a music label together, a move that could be a real game changer for the music industry (though the other story would probably make bigger news). The BoyGeniusReport is most commonly credited with reviving this rumour… we shall see.

A six-person team with a picture of a puppet on their website and about $2 Million in the bank are apparently going after Google… which sounds about as crazy as a guy from Kuczek going after Pamela Anderson. But this team is led by Rich Skentra, who’s background gives him a lot of credibility, several early Googlers are involved, and it seems to almost be personal. To quote Skentra: Page Rank wrecked the web. Google is the cause of all this, and Google is going down with it. High Five!” (note: he didn’t say High Five). On a similar note, Wikia – Jimmy Wales’ shot at taking down Google – is going to go live next week apparently.

More home computers needed for alien signal hunt. For those that are unfamiliar with Seti et all, basically the Internet is used to connect all kinds of home computers in order to get the processing power needed to effectively search for E.T. and Alf. They’ve got a new telescope, so they need more computers. Alternatively, you can join similar projects to (say) help cure cancer if that’s more your thing.

It’s official – Facebook Mania has taken over Toronto. You have to live here to know how rapidly this happened and how weird it was. For example, being a slightly older Net Gener, I didn’t have the Facebook in University,  but I noticed all the new graduates were holding onto their accounts when they left school… and I wanted to feel young again. Then it swept through my core social group (I’ll make the joke for you: all three of them!) sometime around April, then it seemed to sweep through the office buildings that would allow it, and then one day I woke up and it seemed everyone’s parents were on there all of the sudden and that’s when I really knew we were in trouble.

Here’s a interesting piece in the NY Times: Forget Second Life. The real virtual world gold rush centers on the grammer school set.”

Back to Canada (and the story in the U.S. is the same, just more dramatic), our top hundred CEO’s have already made as much in 2008 as most of us will for the entire year. Wait – scratch that – they’d made that much by Wednesday at 10:33 am. I only bring this up because it appears that such disparities (and widening gaps) are starting to get a lot more attention all over the world, and (rightly or wrongly) they could lead to some big, big changes in global trade patterns as elections come and go.

Finally, popping over to Saudi Arabia, in a sadder story outspoken blogger (Mr Fahran, who focuses on social issues and is one of the mostly widely read in the country) is being held for “purposes of interegation.” General Turski responded by noting Mr. Fahran is not being jailed, nor is his violation a security violation – it’s simply that “they will get the information that they need to get from him then they will let him go.”