peHUB First Read

* Galleon is only the beginning, as federal investigators are working a whole slew of insider trading cases. This first one has plenty of VC/PE ties, but one wonders if future connections will be a bit more direct.

* The 50 best places to launch a business.

* Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer last week held an off-the-record breakfast with a group of Boston-area VCs and entrepreneurs. Here’s some of what they discussed.

* Morning Call: U.S. futures signal rebound, London rises early, European shares rise on banks and commodities, the Nikkei edges lower and both Shanghai and Hong Kong experience gains.

* One year later: Warren Buffett’s “Buy American”

* Cory Doctorow: Why your idea to save journalism won’t work (a checklist).

* Is there a statistical connection between household debt and television-watching patterns?

* Andrew Ross Sorkin’s book on the banking meltdown comes out tomorrow, weighing in at 2.15 lbs.

* How much has NBC cost GE?

* Larry Cheng: Is it good, bad or neutral that HBS alumni are taking over Boston’s venture capital scene?

* I’m hopping a plane soon for the Quebec City Conference, an invite-only gathering of VC/PE-focused GPs and LPs. Today I’m moderating a panel of big-name institutional investors, and tomorrow will interview Henry Kravis. Look forward to seeing some of you up there…