Some inside the Googleplex believe that Crowley got the code for his new friend-finding startup Foursquare from Dodgeball, the startup he sold to Google for an estimated $40 million in 2005. And after Valleywag reported their suspicions, a source tells us Crowley has been going around telling people at South By Southwest that he did reuse the code, and that he doesn't expect Google will do anything about it.

But that's not what he told Dan Fost of the Los Angeles Times when asked about the charge. Fost credulously printed Crowley's reply:

The code is all brand new. I didn't understand that story. I'm sick as a dog and pasty because I've been holed up for two months writing this stuff.

If only Fost had thought to factcheck that with, say, any of the South By Southwest attendees to whom Crowley confessed. Or with engineers who have inspected Foursquare's code and found elements directly lifted from Dodgeball. That would be work, though — an element curiously missing from much of today's tech journalism.

(Photo by thenextweb)

Lie #1: "We learned our lesson last time. And we're going to cash out before this bubble pops."

Is this list Fost's way of saying "It was my editors that made the Web 2.0 spread so nauseating! I'm a cynic just like you!" or is the man just sharing his personal demons?

The Top 10 Lies of Web 2.0 [SF Chronicle; photo by Scott Beale]
Earlier: Digital fellatio: The SF Chronicle's slobbery tribute to Web 2.0 [Valleywag]

The spread (ambiguous illustration shown here) comes, of course, just in time for the Web 2.0 Conference, held by Tim O'Reilly (who coined the phrase) and his company O'Reilly Media at SF's Palace Hotel.

Dan Fost writes all five chapters of this psalm. Here's a rundown.

• DIGITAL UTOPIA: A new breed of technologists envisions a democratic world improved by the Internet: Fost gives the usual run-down of this glorious future — "the wisdom of crowds," "citizen media," and other gagologisms. Fost's piece is light on heavyweight sources, instead opting for quotes from up-and-comers like consultant Chris Messina, former visionary for the troubled makers of social browser Flock. His most relevant source is Nick Carr, the author of "Does IT Matter?" and always good for a contrarian quote.
• What exactly does Web 2.0 mean? Well...: Ugh, this question again? It's like 2001, when every article about blogs began with a definition. But this time reporters aren't content with one paragraph; no, they need a whole second article. So what is Web 2.0? It's just what the Internet looks like now compared to six years ago — Google Maps vs. Mapquest, YouTube vs. Ebaum's World, blogs vs. homepages, and Yelp vs. the local alt-weekly's restaurant reviews. It's more social, it's prettier, and you can add shit to it.
• Web 2.0 words — from ajax to wiki: Hey, this is helpful. Some of the definitions start with vapid histories ("Podcasts: The iPod portable music player created a boom in the once-sleepy world of Internet audio...") but most are as clear as dictionary entries.
• The people who populate Web 2.0: After Dan Fost chides Newsweek in "What does Web 2.0 mean" about trying to rename the movement "The Live Web," he uses another failed name, "Digital Utopians." (How 80s!) This is a decent guide to the people Fost didn't source in his other articles.
• Key Web 2.0 sites: The tricky thing about this list is that some entries (MySpace, Wikipedia, YouTube) dominate the Web, whereas others (Dodgeball, YouthNoise, Blogger) are non-starters or dying brands — even if the core San Francisco crowd uses them. Not sure if that's a flaw — because I'm not sure what use this list is.

I found Six Apart VP Anil Dash, dressed in a sweater. He welcomed me to the "kid's table" (I was in a jacket and a t-shirt reading "You Were Plan B") and we plowed through a crowd of suits and dresses that cost more than we do. Here's what I learned about some of Valleywag's favorite targets.

• Larry Ellison, Oracle CEO: Class act with a strong handshake. Looks damn good for 62 — Chuck Norris meets Dave Zimmer from Men's Warehouse. Gave SF Chronicle writer Dan Fost some commentary on the HP leak scandal; said he'll remodel the house again soon to make it feel more welcoming.
• Larry Page, Google co-founder: Dressed in a slick suit, rocking the urban mullet (seriously, he looks good in it. Very Hollywood). Recognized me when his girlfriend, Stanford grad student Lucy Southworth (also looking Hollywood), smirked and said "I know that face." Larry just stood there, hands in pockets. Awkward moment. Thankfully, a friend of theirs relieved the tension by yelling at me about my blog. As she spoke, Larry and Lucy slipped away. Lame. Larry's co-founder Sergey would have been a real man and punched me in the face. Still, it's flattering (though scary) that they've heard of me.
• Marissa Mayer, Google VP: Surrounded by college-age-looking kids. Stanford students? Cub reporters? When one gentleman tried to introduce me to her, she giggled (oh dear lord that giggle) and ran away. Must have been late for one of her famous fourteen-hour e-mail sessions.
• Kara Swisher, prominent Wall Street Journal writer: Threatened to physically beat me up. Afraid she was almost serious.
• Scott McNealy, Sun Microsystems founder, chairman, and ex-CEO: Didn't meet him, but saw him in just a white button-down (I hear that's all he ever wears). His successor Jon Schwartz wasn't present.
• Gavin Newsom, San Francisco mayor: Never heard of Gawker, thank God. Hair slicked back in its usual shape; I'm convinced he's actually a droid like Joe the Gigolo in "A.I."
• Melanie Craft Ellison, romance novelist: Not in tech, but married Larry Ellison. Charming, witty, and self-effacing. By far the best person to meet at this event. She's now writing a young adult fantasy novel and would like to hear about fantasy books with strong female leads. Any suggestions?

Also see Dan Fost's report: Where Hollywood, politics and Silicon Valley collide [SFGate; Photo from Chronicle]

Digg partner Stamen Design won Best Costume by dressing as a team of dapper carpet salesmen.

Upcoming.org founder Andy Baio just licks the salt off these things and puts them back on the bar.

Diggers Daniel Burka and David Prager celebrated the launch with a day lying sideways on the beach. They do not regret getting these bizarre sunburns.

After the jump: "They call me....Mister Digg!"

One Tic Tac watch, Tic Tac iPod case, and Tic Tac flashlight later, gadget geek Philip Torrone's mouth smells like a mint factory.

Digg founder Kevin Rose can't run a site and shave at the same time.

Fucked Company founder Philip "Pud" Kaplan shows his no-nonsense version of "the shocker."

Diggnation podcaster Alex Albrecht: "We're hoping to get Mark Wahlberg to play me in the film, but I'm willing to do his stunts."

And that's how star power gets you written onto a guest list.

Digg co-founder Jay Adelson just thought of the perfect joke about midget sex, but he struggles against the inappropriate urge to blurt it out on stage.

OMG screenshot!

SF Chronicle writer Dan Fost to Microsoft manager Niall Kennedy: "Look, I'd like to make you the next Robert Scoble, but I don't have that kind of power."

Tier 1 founder Andy Shroepfer about gigablogger Om Malik: "Om said I could make fun of his John Travolta hair if I funded his next blog."

Digg v3 party photos [Laughing Squid]

This past weekend, Chris and I (as well as a huge number of other people) were behind a very successful WineCamp, yet, when reported by the media, Chris was the only one mentioned as being behind it.

Funny, Tara, that sounds familiar. Kinda like Fost's note before heading to Winecamp:

The event is part of Chris Messina's Bar Camp un-conferences.

Oh really, Dan? So Barcamp's founding fathers —

Andy Smith (back left), Ryan King (back right), Tantek Celik (front left), Matt Mullenweg (front right), and the Eris Stassi (founding mother, not pictured) — Chris (center, squinting) didn't mention them when you fact-checked with him?

You...you did fact-check about Barcamp, right? I hear fact-checking separates real journalists from unreliable blogs like Valleywag.

Sometimes, being a PiC really sucks [Tara Hunt]
TECH CHRONICLES [Dan Fost at SF Chronicle]
Photo: BarCampPlanners, where are you now? [Ryan King on Flickr via the ryan king]

Just because a conference has no organized agenda and no featured speakers doesn't mean it will devolve into chaos. Instead, groups formed instantly with verve and enthusiasm, and discussions ranged from highly geeky topics like the Drupal open source software to how to help nonprofits use technology.

Maybe I'm lowbrow, but normal people don't call that a successful conference. They call it a lousy camping trip.

Survivor: Winecamp [Dan Fost at SF Gate]
Photo: Wine Camp Calaveras [Tara Hunt on Flickr]

The original story: A former dot-commer released tumbleweeds upon South Park during the Bust. But who? Why? With what PR firm egging them on?

After Valleywag bugged Dan for background, he dug up the weed-tumbler, Lisa Meckler. The former Wired Magazine employee gathered some tumbleweeds in 2002, issued a press release, and scattered them across the South Park lawn. Above, a photo of the event coaxes poetry out of Dan.

Two sidenotes after the jump.

Tumbleweeds: The Back Story [Tech Chronicles]
Home of dot-com revolution to be given final valediction [Send2Press.com]
Earlier: Tumbling tumbleweeds [Valleywag]

Note that according to Meckler, the tumbleweeds "just sat there." Fost originally wrote that they "roll[ed] across the lawn." Career-breaking fact-check scandal?

Also: In her press release, Meckler described a "fog-like unease" blanketing San Francisco. I think it's called "fog."