Pre-Marketing: Microsoft may help Dell deal

* Prevent defense: Microsoft may help finance Dell buyout

* Mark MacLeod: VCs that entrepreneurs should avoid

* No hire lists: What Apple and Google didn’t want you to see

* Morning Call: U.S. futures flatEuropean shares climb and the Nikkei falls.

* Confidential: The full list of Davos attendees

* Survey: JOBS Act hasn’t impacted IPO volume

* Bulls over Broadway: David Tepper talks… and sings

* Oops: Best Buy coupon fail

* Q&A with Rick Thompson: The über investor for gaming

* Kevin Roose: Fix the Debt group lives on

* Get Term Sheet: Sign up for our daily email on deals & deal-makers

* Reid Hoffman: If, why & how founders should hire a “professional” CEO

* Tweet of the Day: @darrenrovell: Greatest part of Mickelson’s tax rant? 1 of his main sponsors is KPMG, which has a tax advisory division.