Can You Afford to Be on Facebook?

How would you like a potential employer to look at your Facebook "Likes" and conclude that you are not smart enough for the job?  Or, equally bad, that your sexuality is incompatible with the employer's views?  But, you say, nothing in your Likes speaks to these issues.  So you might think, but a joint study between Cambridge University and Microsoft Research predicted a large group of Facebook users' IQ's, sexual orientation, and other traits to a high degree of accuracy using their Facebook Likes.  Here is a link to an article on the study:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/03/facebook-like-research/

Not convinced of the method?  It really doesn't matter.  These studies are being done, they will be found on the internet (or otherwise) by employers, and quite probably incorporated into hiring decisions whether they are accurate or not. 

As this type of use is made of Facebook data, more people will have to ask themselves whether they can afford to be on Facebook.  And that is not a question that will be good for Facebook's business. 

To Sell Google or Not to Sell Google, That is the Question

I bought Google at $537 per share (after in an earlier life buying it at $247 and selling at $320 -- there is perhaps another lesson there).  As some of you may have noticed, Google has spiked dramatically to over $600 per share after reporting earnings.  I do believe that it's worth much more than $600 ultimately but it's tough not to sell it after the recent upswing because I think the world generally is in for more negative economic news which will once again depress Google.  I'll think on this some more but why do I think Google is worth much more?  A host of reasons but compare it to Microsoft, which is arguably a proxy for similar growth.  Google began life trading at less than $100 per share.  It now trades for 6x that.  I dare say that Microsoft is now trading at far more than 6x its initial offering price.  Yes, I know, there are differences but rough measures in these instances are useful, I think.  Also, new computers using Google Chrome are selling quite well.  One more step toward the browser as operating system, the "dumb box" computer accessing a smart cloud, and Google eclipse of Microsoft.