"Stock-price watching is fast replacing baseball as the American national pastime, but years before cab drivers
and fry cooks were discussing the Nasdaq, computer geeks had their eyes locked in on the stock of their
favorite companies. This is how it happens: Every so often, some geek becomes an amateur investment advisor
and tells his fellow geeks that the best way to support their favorite company, in good times or bad, is to buy
stock in Company X. This is why any decent Macintosh site will tell you how AAPL did today...."
"Yes, it's true, on some levels stock price does matter to a company's well-being. Generally speaking, a
company with a hot stock has more financial options and greater flexibility than a company with its ticker in the
toilet. And yes, the fate of a company or group of companies can have a personal and professional impact on
its customers and adherents."
"But unless you plan to acquire enough stock to plop yourself on the board of directors, don't waste your time
investing in stock to support technology. Remember, on any given day a massive financial institution could buy
up millions upon millions of dollars worth of a stock to put in a mutual fund or pension plan. And yes, such
major trades cause short-term spikes or dips. But the long-term meaning of stock value is set by just that-the
long-term. Trying to jigger a stock price is a losing proposition unless you're backed by Gordon Gekko. If you
don't believe me, consider a sad tale from not so long ago."
