Top 10: Michael Jackson and the 'Net, Nortel woes, Apple's porn app

CNN may have said it best: "How many people does it take to break the Internet? On June 25, we found out it's just one -- if that one is Michael Jackson." The death of the iconic pop star at the age of 50 underscored how much so many of us rely on the Internet for information and to connect with our social networks for commiseration and comfort. And for more than a few of us, the screeching halt of AIM, Google, Twitter and other sites made it tricky to do our jobs. While there was other news this week that mattered more in the larger IT world, nothing else came close to dominating attention and headlines worldwide.

1. Michael Jackson's death knocks Google and Twitter offline, Jackson's death a blow to the Internet and Michael Jackson spam spreads, malware attacks likely : A massive surge in Internet traffic occurred as word circulated that Jackson had been taken to the hospital in cardiac arrest, leading to Google, Twitter and various news sites being inaccessible, and also explained why we suddenly were booted off of AIM at the end of the work day in Boston. Thankfully, the telephones were still working. As always with a major news story, the spammers and malware-creating miscreants quickly started to seep out of the woodwork to do their dirty deeds.

2. Avaya reportedly offering $500M for Nortel enterprise biz and FAQ: What's going on with Nortel?: Nortel is said to be close to selling its enterprise division to Avaya on the heels of news that it is close to selling certain wireless assets to Nokia Siemens. The "deconstruction" of the company raises a lot of questions that Network World endeavored to answer.

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