The big news in the tech world today is confirmation of the rumour that was circulationg last week about Google buying video sharing site YouTube.

It seems like a natural fit, though it’s hard to imagine how they got the $1.65 billion valuation. That kind of math is above my calculator’s range.

Still, YouTube’s video and sharing chops are better than Google’s. And while the copyright issues could still derail the whole yellow brick road to video Oz, YouTube nearly simultaneously struck deals with a couple content providers So, you’ll still be able to lipsync to your favorite tunes and share that performance witht the world. And Google is already good at fighting off copyright infringement attacks.

So, what’s odd is a deal that looked like destiny was poo pooed by some pretty bright folks, including the usually reliable Ars Technica. Cnet’s Buzz Out Loud (link to audio file of Friday’s show) also didn’t think this was going to happen.

That’s why I seldom try to predict what I will have for breakfast tomorrow, let alone what will happen in the tech world.

Update: The latest TWIT (This Week in Tech) also thought the idea of a Google buyout of YouTube was ridiculous. I love TWIT so I am not trying to disparage their prescience. Only making a point predicting the future is, at best, a tricky proposition. BTW, TWIT’s recently redesigned site was built using Drupal (see the Open Source Web Development category)