Earlier this week, rumors were flying that Google was in the process of purchasing the social buying site Groupon (group + coupon), which offers its members daily discounts at local businesses. With a reported $6 billion offer, the deal would have been Google's largest acquisition yet, and a way for the company to tap into online advertising from local businesses. But the deal fell apart, TechCrunch reports today. As it turns out, Groupon might not even need Google's billions: "Our source has also verified that Groupon’s annual revenues are now at a $2 billion run rate, which is much higher than the figures that had previously been circulating." This is the part where everyone else remembers they're in the wrong industry and considers jumping ship to float away together in a happy tech bubble, never to be popped.

Confirmed: The Groupon/Google Deal Is Off [TechCrunch via Runnin' Scared/VV]

Jon Corzine signed New Jersey’s medical-marijuana law before leaving office in January, and Governor Christie, predictably skeptical of it, has been negotiating the particulars since. But yesterday, Christie agreed to six growing and distribution sites for the plant within the state, after previously calling for only two, and now medical marijuana could hit the market in New Jersey in a few months, according to the Post. And while the Christie administration had pushed to require qualifying patients to exhaust every other treatment before receiving weed, yesterday's compromise applies that restriction to only patients with seizures, glaucoma, and muscle spasms. Among the states that allow it, however, New Jersey will become the only one to limit the amount of psychotropic chemical permitted in the marijuana, to a non-trippy 10 percent.

This week we saw an overflow of burning disgust for Serena and Dan’s trip down relationship-drama lane and an equally vehement debate over whether the no-blood-relation factor keeps their love on the legit side. We’ll just have to wait and see what exactly will happen to everybody’s favorite socialite/hipster duo (return of half-brother Scott, anyone?). As for the machinations of the “Witches of Bushwick,” few tears were shed over the rapid exit of Juliet, Jenny, and Vanessa, except by the cosmetics and hair sponsors of the show, who will surely lose money when the excessive need for eyeliner, hair dye, and frizz-ease suddenly evaporates. So, without further ado, sit back and enjoy this week’s recap of the recap, hopefully as much as Nate enjoys staring meaningfully into Dan’s eyes whilst sitting on his front stoop.

In an unexpected departure from the scheduled release of its trove of a quarter-million diplomatic cables, today's WikiLeaks discharge zeroes in on the past three years of personal and quasi-professional correspondence of one "Claire," a 30-year-old office assistant living in New York City. Much of the information, released exclusively to Intel, is mundane — a significant portion of the Gmail documents from her Inbox, for example, come from the website Daily Candy and its subsidiaries (despite the fact that records also show Claire sent the company an "Unsubscribe" e-mail on January 13, 2008 and again on May 5, 2009). But over the course of reviewing the some 5,000 documents from a variety of digital platforms (including but not limited to instant-message conversations, Gchat transcripts and Facebook messages) Intel's data team, who received the raw files a month ago for perusal, found that a portrait of distinct character emerges — a person of general decency and good humor who not infrequently succumbs to the bouts of pettiness, bitchiness, insecurity and Schadenfreude common to middle-class residents of New York City in the year 2010.

A summary of our findings and selections from the documents are after the jump.

As hearings on "don't ask, don't tell" continue, Republican Scott Brown is flashing some of his famous maverickiness by coming out in support of repeal, with a very nice, heartfelt statement.

"I have been in the military for 31 years and counting, and have served as a subordinate and as an officer. As a legislator, I have spent a significant amount of time on military issues. During my time of service, I have visited our injured troops at Walter Reed and have attended funerals of our fallen heroes. When a soldier answers the call to serve, and risks life or limb, it has never mattered to me whether they are gay or straight. My only concern has been whether their service and sacrifice is with pride and honor."