News to know: Conficker; Patch Tuesday; Fiber optic sabotage; App Easter eggs

Here are today’s notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily.  For continuous updates see BNET’s around-the-Web tech coverage. 

Ryan Naraine: Patch Tuesday heads-up: 8 bulletins, 5 critical

Conficker botnet stirs, with a scareware business model

• Dancho Danchev: Fake "Conficker Infection Alert" spam campaign circulating
• Christopher Dawson: More "scareware" - no kidding, right?
• Ed Burnette: Can good worms solve the Conficker problem?

Phil Wainewright: Opening the kimono on Salesforce.com's green crystals

Silicon Alley Insider: YouTube Is Doomed  

Zack Whittaker: Office 14 to become Microsoft Office 2010

Mary Jo Foley: Microsoft disbands its Live Labs group

• Microsoft revisits 'Apple tax' ahead of Tax Day
• Microsoft's free XP, Office 2003 support ends April 14
• What is Microsoft SiArch (and why did they hire a Sun chip guy)?
• Microsoft patent loss: It's about activation not validation

Gallery: Time for the Easter egg hunt (right)

Sam Diaz: Fiber optic line damaged in Silicon Valley; impact is far-reaching

• Techmeme

Paul Greenberg: Who Do You Think Is On Top in Enterprise Technology Innovation?

BoomTown: Who Will Be Twitter's Bestest Search Friend?  Google and Microsoft Engage in Yet Another Pick-Me Face-Off. 

Richard Koman: Courts' PACER system hides law, exposes private data

Dana Blankenhorn: What open source should tell the FCC

• It's the recession stupid
• FDA orders new approvals on old medical devices

Jason O'Grady: Apple hoarding NAND flash memory, 32GB iPhone here I come!

• iPods reaching the saturation point? Not so fast

• NY Observer: Mayor Bloomberg: Facebook in Talks to Open New York Office  

The five defining characteristics of cloud computing

• iCloud virtual desktop public-beta launched

Gallery: Riding the PUMA

• Amazon launches BlackBerry app; Leaves Storm out