5:30 PM -- Sigh. The third person today just pinged me about the Google/Blackberry deal. I hereby declare the peak of the Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) hype. Not necessarily the stock price (that's coming soon, too), but the hype.

After 12 or so years in technology journalism, I have a pretty finely tuned hype-o-meter. Two words: Remember Pointcast? Peaks in technology hype are actually quite clearly defined, and I'd say for a specific company, there are four key indicators: 1) Cutesy glossy magazine photo shoots; 2) news of fabulous wealth and riches; 3) stories of world domination; 4) arrogance and pretention.

Google is currently off the charts on all these metrics. It's worse than Netscape 1996. And we know how that story ended. (Netscape seems to currently be working a gig as a promotional browser attached to AOL IM client, incessantly spewing celebrity gossip once you open it.)

Now, I know what you're thinking: We're part of the problem. True. But, what can you do? You need to meet demand with supply. And given the traffic numbers that Google stories get, there's plenty of demand.

But like everything, the public tires of stuff over time. And there will be always be something new. I think right now, it seems as if interest in all things Google is peaking.

— R. Scott Raynovich, Editor in Chief, Light Reading