  We give a brief summary of results and ongoing research in the application of
linearized theory to the study of black hole collisions in the limit in which
the holes start close to each other. This approximation can be a valuable tool
for comparison and code-checking of full numerical relativity computations. The
approximation works quite well for the head-on case and this is motivation to
pursue its use in other more interesting contexts. We summarize current efforts
towards establishing the domain of validity of the approximation and its use in
generation and evolution of initial data for more interesting physical cases.
