Peel back the skin
If you are an avid user of Windows Media Player, there is a Bonus Pack that you can download that will allow you to apply skins to it. There is even a WinAmp Skin Importing tool

Resistance is futile
REDMOND, Wash. - Dec. 21, 2000 - Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq "MSFT") today announced it has reached an agreement to acquire Great Plains Software Incorporated (Nasdaq "GPSI"), a leading supplier of mid-market business applications. Microsoft's acquisition of Great Plains will accelerate the success of small and medium companies globally with integrated, extensible business management software solutions needed to succeed in an increasingly interconnected economy. The acquisition will also create new opportunities for Microsoft and Great Plains partners to grow their businesses by delivering and integrating next generation solutions that take advantage of the powerful .NET foundation of small and medium business applications that Microsoft and Great Plains will provide. [Full PR]

President Unveils New Medical Privacy Regulations
On December 20, President Clinton presented the final version of medical privacy regulations drafted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The regulations are the first federal privacy protections for medical information and will apply to both paper and electronic health records. The White House has distributed a fact sheet on the new regulations and the full text of the final regulations is available from HHS.

NVIDIA Quadro2 Workstation Graphics Line Achieves Broad Industry Certification
SANTA CLARA, CA ? December 20, 2000 ? NVIDIA? Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) today announced the recent certification of its workstation graphics line, Quadro2?, as compatible with the most widely used software programs for digital content creation (DCC) and computer-aided design (CAD). As they continually gain broad industry support, the Quadro2 Pro? high-performance workstation solution and the Quadro2 MXR? mainstream workstation solution now boast verified compatibility with industry-leading software programs including AutoCAD?, 3ds max?, Maya?, Microstation, Pro/ENGINEER, SoftIMAGE?|3D and more. [Full PR]

NVIDIA Workstation Graphics Chosen by Compaq
SANTA CLARA, CA ? December 20, 2000 ? NVIDIA? Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) announced today that Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE:CPQ) will offer the NVIDIA Quadro2 Pro? graphics solution on the company's Deskpro Workstation AP250, Professional Workstation AP550, and Professional Workstation SP750. Combined with OpenGL? ICD and software extensions like ELSA POWERdraft?, ELSA MAXtreme?, and NVIDIA QuadroView?, the Quadro2 Pro provides the most powerful overall 3D solution available for mid-range workstation applications including CAD, CAM, DCC, GIS, solids modeling, and visual data analysis. [Full PR]

More
I'll surely have some more news for everyone in a bit. I have a dentist appointment in a couple hours, where I will have one of my teeth pulled out. It's going to suck, and I am not looking forward to it in the least. I should be outta the dentist office by around 2:30, so I will be back with you then... Fido Out!