GOOG, Death & taxes

The Internet Stock Blog » The Most Important Two Minutes From Google’s Conf Call (GOOG)

'In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.', Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, 1789

I'm reading an updated version of Benjamin Franklin's autobiography which has some great information about the man, and his impact on the future of the United States. He tried an interesting experiment where he laid out 12 (later 13) ways of living virtuously, and then rigidly documented them on a daily basis (In the spreadsheet of the day, a piece of paper). He found he was failing in some virtues, and really awful in others (humility?) but overall he said the process helped him become a better person.

Google's motto, "Don't be Evil, should really be 'Do Good' but I think that one's taken by the Boy Scouts (or is it 'Be Prepared'). Don't be Evil has two negative words, while the Do Good phrase signifies happy thoughts. Happy thoughts are what the shareholders need right now, after Google's earnings call opened a can of whup-ass on them.

Down 15.9% after-hours yesterday. That's a buncha billions of market cap right there.