Remember Apple's classic '1984' ad campaign? Funny how they ended up employing Big Brother's turn-and-burn on the truth, the difference being: George Orwell labeled it "doublespeak," and Apple passes it off as advertising.

The Hype Machine is cool even if you aren't. The music startup seems really simple: index MP3s linked from popular music blogs and make them easy to find and listen to and brag about to people who haven't found whatever the Youngs will be sick of before they even hear it. Blame it on cofounder Taylor McKnight (pictured here at Lollapalooza, how retro!) for being so blonde and damn easy to talk to, and for designer Zoya Feldman for the gorgeous little logo. Because you can't buy cred, but you can buy cute. (Photo by Kaela Hill)

A tipster tells us Hype Machine founder Anthony Volodkin has a "$10 million Viacom offer floating around." Hype Machine, a website which aggregates music uploaded to blogs, has grown 125 percent in the last year, with 127,000 monthly visitors, according to Compete.com. Another source familiar with Volodkin's plans for Hype Machine can't confirm Viacom's offer, but said an acquisition would be the next logical step. Volodkin has been very careful to avoid taking venture capital, "despite VCs going hard after him," this second source tells us. Update: A third source says Hype Machine has been sold, but not for $10 million and not to Viacom. Whoever the buyer is, the sale rumor, if true, captures a frustrating state of affairs for technology's financiers.