Weekend news picks (11.11)

Facebook is king in the reign of the Web 2.0 ridicule: I’m cool with the “Web 2.0" revolution, but when I see at least a dozen sites reporting only on web startups getting serious funding like there is no tomorrow, I have to ask myself the question, did I miss something or is it 1999 all over again? TechSpot Blog.

EA donates original SimCity game to the OLPC initiative: The blockbuster 1989 game credited with giving rise to the city-building game genre—to become available to each computer in the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative. EA Press Release.

Democrats: Colleges must police copyright, or else: New federal legislation says universities must agree to provide not just deterrents but also "alternatives" to peer-to-peer piracy, such as paying monthly subscription fees to the music industry for their students, on penalty of losing all financial aid for their students. News.com.

Microsoft to launch test build of Internet Explorer refresh in December: Microsoft is readying a refresh of its Internet Explorer (IE) browser that will remove an interim “Click to Activate” control setting. ZDNet.

John Carmack on the Nintendo DS: So I heard that you created the engine for Orcs and Elves for the DS in four days. Truth, or an exaggeration? If it is true, how the heck is that possible? IGN.