Where one industry stumbles, another rises up. 
Obama will win the 2012 election, thanks in part to the tech community rallying behind him due to issues like SOPA, visas, and free speech.
When you break it down, Yahoo! is a Very Large Display Advertising business, with a hefty side of search and a bit of this and that on top.
Making media companies that you hope to sell is not a lot of fun for anyone who cares deeply about making media.
I think ad networks is an ongoing story. Federated was a chapter in that story, and it continues to write a new one. 
The Web 2.0 world is defined by new ways of understanding ourselves, of creating value in our culture, of running companies, and of working together. 
I left 'Wired' before it was sold to Conde Nast and Lycos, so I didn't experience that transition. 
The only thing Google has failed to do, so far, is fail. 
Google is a global Rorschach test. We see in it what we want to see. Google has built an infrastructure that makes a lot of dreams closer to reality. 
Search, a marketing method that didn't exist a decade ago, provides the most efficient and inexpensive way for businesses to find leads. 
WordPress makes it drop-dead easy to start a site. Take my advice and go do it. 