More on the ABout.com and MarketWatch buys: NEW YORK (Reuters) – Newspaper publishers, often seen as stodgy and slow-growing, will pay whatever it takes to grab a bigger piece of the fast-growing online advertising market — if two recent deals are any indication. — Reuters, 2/18/2005

WSJ buying MarketWatch, NYT buying About.com. the Washington Post Co. buying Slate. and a virtual horse race of big Internet players buying up startups with promising technologies all point to the telltale signs of Internet Bubble II. These may all be good deals, but expect to see a lot of money burned on mergers and…

OK, I mumble. But I think what I’m saying is clear. So follow these random mumbles to see where they lead.