So here’s the deal: Whenever Steve Jobs doesn’t emerge from his office or subterranean hiding place for a few weeks, the rumors about his health begin anew. Certainly his expected lack of visibility at the forthcoming Macworld Expo, where marketing VP Philip Schiller is slated to deliver the keynote, fuels the speculative files still further. […]

No doubt loose lips spoiled the big surprise about the $7.4 billion merger between Steve Jobs’ “other” company and Disney. Regardless, if the counterculture atmosphere at Pixar can remain intact, it augers well for the company’s future. But I’m not writing this column to deliver still another analysis on whether this high-profile marriage will succeed, […]