http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCqJro837zA&feature=player_embedded#!

* Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took the stage for the company’s final C.E.S. keynote, which mostly played up eccentricity and flash over substance, including an appearance by Ryan Seacrest and a “Tweet Choir” (see video above) that sang Microsoft- and CES-related tweets. Ballmer did make mention of progress on the gaming front: the company’s Xbox 360 game console has sold more than 66 million units since hitting the scene in 2005. Meanwhile, more than 40 million Kinect motion-sensing controllers have been sold. (CNNMoney and VentureBeat)

* Also hot at CES: tech like Smart TVs that help viewers better navigate all that entertainment content. (The Wall Street Journal)

* Google (GOOG) is rolling out changes to search engine results that will pull and promote content from its social network, Google+. As colleague Miguel Helft reports, searching for a friend’s name for example may result in that friend’s Google+ profile topping the search results. (Fortune)

* Oracle (ORCL) is getting aggressive about its new Big Data Appliance, priced just north of $500,000, or significantly less that what analysts had predicted. The goal? Become a staple in enterprise data warehouses and upsell other systems. (ZDNET)

* With a “promotion and retention” award of 1 million RSUs (restricted stock units) given to Apple CEO Tim Cook in 2011, some outlets suggest he may be the highest paid CEO of 2011. Colleague Phil Elmer-Dewitt argues that’s not so. (Fortune)

* Techcrunch columnist MG Siegler hates Android, and it’s not just because he loves Apple design. (parislemon)

* MySpace lives on (sort of) in the form of a Web TV service. According to All Things D, the entertainment hub will offer TV programming paired with interactive features. (All Things D)

Don’t miss the latest tech news. Sign up now to get Today in Tech emailed every morning.