Either it's true, or it's simply a rumor that won't die. According to Kara Swisher at BoomTown, Google is close to buying Digg.

For what it's worth, the Google/Digg rumor, which has seen more copy than a Xerox machine, has been seconded by ValleyWag. But the truth is that Google buying Digg has been a long-running internet rumor.  

So what's really going on here? Truth be told, Swisher didn't spend much time in her most recent post worrying about who would finally write Kevin Rose a big check. Instead, Swisher chose to focus on the big deal that wasn't -- Microhoo.

Microsoft had been expected to launch a proxy battle or quit the field entirely if a deal wasn't reached this weekend. But now it appears the three-month saga will last at least a little longer given the fact that there was no deal and Microsoft hasn't yet made its decision. Swisher told Jerry Yang to quit his posturing and implored Steve Ballmer to either make a move or go home. But it is Swisher -- and the rest of us -- who are caught up in the will they/won't they Microhoo drama.

Marc Andreessen of Netscape fame tapped two well-known corporate lawyers to sketch out the minutia of a potential deal between the two firms, while CNET ran a piece about how some members of Yahoo's board are "battle-tested proxy fighters." Over at TechCrunch, Michael Arrington is predicting the hammer will fall sometime this week. That timeline seems reasonable, but then again, nobody thought the saga would last this long.