Google's Blog Search, TiVo Share Headlines With Katrina

Google's entry into the blog-search universe has certainly caught the attention of the Internet community. At least 12 of today's top 40 blog posts and five of today's top 10 links discuss Google's beta blog-search interface. John Battelle leaked the story; "a big milestone," says Six Apart's blog, and Robert Scoble aches for a comprehensive blog search engine comparison. The Blog Herald's review rings with disappointment.

The TiVo "upgrade"
The other technical development getting blogosphere traction is TiVo, the latest upgrade for which doesn't allow users to save certain shows or move them to other formats. BoingBoing uses the change to provide a new definition of TiVo ("like a VCR, but it it's evil enough to screw you over if some rightsholder demands it"). The PVR Blog (today's top blog post) provides more details about what's on the red-flag list.

The official Katrina response
More fallout from the response to Katrina today includes a New Orleans Congressman's use of National Guard troops to visit his storm-damaged home and remove his stuff (today's No. 2 most-shared news story) while thousands of other waited for evacuation. And although Michael Brown has taken the fall at FEMA, attention is now turning to Homeland Security czar Michael Chertoff and his response -- or lack of it -- to the hurricane. In the Washington Post, E.J. Dionne Jr. uses the hurricane story to proclaim the end of the Bush era. Really? BlogPulse Trend Graph looks at which key federal player is generating the most Katrina-related buzz:



To pledge, or not to pledge...
Lawyer Michael Newdow (today's second burstiest person) is back, this time again trying to get the words "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance, something U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton (today's burstiest person) has already ruled. It now goes to the Supreme Court again, where Newdow lost last time on a technicality because he didn't have custody of the daughter on whose behalf he filed the motion; this time, he represents families with kids.

I feel economically recovered, don't you?
Who knew it was that simple? All Majority Leader Tom DeLay had to do was declare the federal budget (and the largest deficit in history) in great shape, and that was that. Today's No. 2 most-shared link provides the amazing details.

And yes, the baby...
Today's BlogPulse Spotlight blog has news of Britney's new baby boy.