Pop quiz.

What's the easiest way to make money in a gold rush?

Answer: Sell shovels and let people dig a hole for themselves.

Even if there's no shiny stuff in the ground at all, you're not the one stuck in the mud.

That's what's going on with Facebook right now, reports BusinessWeek.

Facebook is so hyped right now that people are creating companies that exist for the sole purpose of holding Facebook stock and then selling stock in those derivative companies.

One fund, EB Exchange, requires a minimum investment of $100,000 – with 5% going straight into EV Exchange founder Larry Albukerk's pocket. If Facebook ever IPOs (reminder: it probably will, but it might not), Albukerk gets another 5%.

Albukerk isn't the only one getting in on this cottage industry, of course. Some others include Felix Investments LLC and GreenCrest Capital LLC, which is raising a $100 million fund.

What's risky about all this is that despite all the investors, Facebook remains a private company. Meaning, it doesn't have to tell anybody how well its business is doing. Reports say the company's revenues will reach $2 billion this year, but they are all cited to unaccountable sources. The truth is, growth could be much slower than it should be at a company with 500 million users and investors would have no real way of knowing.

Albukerk seems plenty aware of this.

“I don’t necessarily know if it’s a good investment or not -- I just know people want to invest and we provide a means for them to do that.”

The SEC has rules to prevent this kind of investing, but Facebook is very carefully restricting how much stock it gives out in order to avoid going public.

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See Also:

• Facebook CEO: "Being Private Is Better" Because Of "Big Risks We Want To Take"
• Russian Investor In Facebook, Zynga, Groupon Files For IPO
• Travel Startup Kayak Files For An IPO, Hopes To Raise $50 Million

Apple snuck in a nice bonus in the iOS 4.2 update: now anyone can use the "Find My iPhone" feature without paying for a MobileMe account.

Find My iPhone, allows you to view the location of any iOS device from the iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone. If you have a MobileMe account, you can also use the web-based locator.

The app lets you send a message to the device, so if anyone finds it, you can tell them how to get in touch with you.

If you suspect your phone is stolen, you can remotely wipe or lock all your data so the thief can't access your contacts, photos, or other vital information like your current Angry Birds ranking.

If you are trying to locate an iPod Touch or wifi only iPad, the device must be turned on and connected to the Internet. You also need to download the app to each iOS device you plan on tracking.

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See Also:

• UPDATED: The iPod's Amazing Evolution
• Apple Bans Snuggie Porn From The App Store
• iPhone Update Loses Your Songs: Here's How To Fix It

While riders may not pay much attention to how their cabbie is dressed, the city reportedly wants taxi drivers to take better stock of their own appearance.

The New York Times says the Taxi and Limousine Commission is planning a new dress code for cabbies that would require them to "present a professional appearance.''

The current dress code bans tube shirts, tank tops and bathing trunks -- with fines for violators.

Read More...
More on NY News

But I think we'd learn more if we took a look at one of my goofs: I supported George W. Bush's idea of partially privatizing Social Security, which he tried to enact after he was re-elected in 2004. This was a close call for me at the time; it seems positively idiotic now that we've experienced the Great Recession -- and the idea of private investment has finally regained proper perspective. Investment is about risk; Social Security is about certainty. A fair amount of certainty is crucial when it comes to retirement. Why, you might ask, was I blind to this simple proposition at the time?

It's Black Friday and time to go on a literary shopping spree, not the way James Franco went on a spree buying up film rights to books, but learning from the best characters in books when you need to get out there and spend some cash. Some of them did it with real panache, so before heading out to brave the stores, you might want to see how the greats of literature have faced the mayhem. And let us know who we missed.

The executive director of the National Football League players union said a player lockout next season is a "near certainty," and that it would cost the U.S. economy an estimated $5 billion in lost wages, taxes and other revenue if the entire season is canceled.

In an interview on "Political Capital With Al Hunt" airing this weekend on Bloomberg television, union chief DeMaurice Smith said if NFL owners lock out players in order to get concessions in a labor dispute, it would be devastating to local communities as the country struggles with a 9.6 percent unemployment rate.

Mobile analytics company Distimo took a look at the pricing across mobile apps, with particular attention paid to Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 app store.

Turns out paid Windows Phone 7 apps are the cheapest out there, costing half the price of Windows Mobile (its old app store) apps. The average price for a top 100 paid Windows Phone 7 app is $2.54. For other app stores it's $3.05.

Of course, paid apps are only a small sliver of the app market. Most are free. Regardless, it's interesting to note that the average price of a paid app is less than $4. And most people are still reluctant to pay for apps, which must drive developers crazy.

Via: TechCrunch

Follow the Chart Of The Day on Twitter: @chartoftheday

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LOS ANGELES — When the Eubank family plans a trip, airplanes are usually out of the question. That's because the family's oversized dogs – a Great Dane and a pointer – are coming, too.

"Our dogs are part of the family. That's why they go everywhere we go," said Mike Eubank, 51, of Overland Park, Kan., who piles the dogs, his wife and three kids into a motorhome for trips to a lake where Eubank keeps a boat.

To quote Dwight Hansen, I do know a thing or two about a thing or two and as such I’m allowed, sometimes, to prognosticate. Even as we thrust our fists into the air triumphantly when we snag the last tattered box containing a Kung Zhu hamster value bundle, the IT industry never sleeps and, like a shark, it must keep moving to survive. Based on what we’ve seen this year, let’s take a look at what we can expect to see next year when we once again fall into the Black Friday Breech.

Chrome OS Laptops and Tablets – We know that Chrome OS is coming in 2011 and I wouldn’t be surprised if early versions start appearing at CES. Why is this important? Because Chrome OS is an OS for the everyman. It is “just” a browser which means, in theory, that the problems related to many OSes won’t be a problem here. It will, in short, be the ultimate “default” OS for beginning users and it will save us all from the Microsoft and Apple “taxes” simultaneously. If Android is any guide, the first versions will be garbage but by November 2011 they should be in the second release (Peanut Butter Cup or whatever they’ll call it).

Blackberry Playbook – We’ve been pretty hard on the Playbook because Matt and I don’t think Blackberry can make non-keyboard devices for a general market. The Storm, if you’ll recall, was a piece and the Storm 2 wasn’t much better. But a brand is a brand and a Blackberry device will sell. Best Buy even wants to sell it, which can make or break a device. Also look for an upcoming Palm OS slate from HP.

Impressive Playstation Phone – This came out of left field but it seems quite interesting. Sony Ericsson is working on a new phone designed for game players. It appears to be PSP compatible (we aren’t sure yet) and it will launch in February. Our own tipster told us that the screen and game playing experience were “incredible.” If they can pull this off and offer great games in the Android store SE will finally have a winner.

iPad 2 – MG created a speculative history about what would happen when the iPad 2 drops and it sounds pretty exciting. First, you’ll definitely get a front facing camera and a nicer screen and, if all goes according to plan, you’ll be running it on Verizon.

Google TV Powered Cable Box/DVR – Cable isn’t going anywhere, even with the rise of a la carte and general TV piracy. That’s why Google TV needs to end up in more devices and that’s why it needs to be integrated more deeply with a general set top box experience. If there’s one thing I enjoy about the Logitech Revue it’s how it plays quite nicely with the DISH box. However, if all of that were integrated into one uniform UI, you might be able to sell the device to more than just hard core geeks.

Nintendo 3DS – This year’s hot toy will be the Kinect. Next year’s will be the Nintendo 3DS. Like the Kinect, the 3DS is kind of a gimmick but it will breathe life into the DS platform and give Nintendo another piece of hardware to sell until they come out with a new console in about 2012.

The Kackel Dackel – Sorry. I just had to put this in here.

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AAPL Up On Black Friday As Market Dives
The market is down today on speculations that China's slowing its economy. But shoppers flock to retail stores on Black Friday, including to some Apple's 300 stores. Shares are up over $2 today as a result. Upcoming catalysts for Apple include monthly NPD data (Mac / iPod business); holiday iPhone and iPad sales updates and carrier expansion (Verizon); new content revenue streams such as video, books, newspapers and social (Ping); moving iTunes into the cloud; and the uptake of refreshed Apple TV. AAPL trades at 15x Enterprise Value / Trailing Twelve Months Free Cash Flow (incl. long-term marketable securities).

Where Will Shares Of AAPL Be This Time Next Year? Greater Than Where It Is Now (CNBC)
Apple shares have taken off year-to-date (not to mention over the last decade). Fast Money traders discuss where the stock will be at this time next year:

• Guy Adami of Drakon Capital believes shares of Apple could fall to $285.
• Joe Terranova of Virtus Investment Partners anticipates Apple to be at $413 a share.
• Metropolitan Capital Advisors of Karen Finerman puts Apple at $360
• Tim Seymour at EmergingMoney.com guesses the stock will climb to $361.
• Patty Edwards of Trutina Financial guesstimates slightly higher at $375.

Overall, general consensus believes the stock will be about 15% higher than where it currently trades.

Apple Ponies Up $300 Million For Old HP Campus (Mercury News)
Apple‘s takeover of the old HP campus is complete. According to real estate experts, the company has allegedly ponied up $300 million dollars to acquire the 98-acre lot. The old HP campus is double the size of Apple’s current lot. No one knows what Apple plans on doing with the new space they’ve acquired, but they now own quite a large chunk of land in Cupertino.

MacBook Air Super-Charging Apple's Laptop Business (ChangeWave Research)
Apple is going to sell a lot of laptops in the next month and a half, according to a new report from ChangeWave Research. The company is seeing an "explosive leap" in interest for Apple laptops; "the highest level of planned buying ever for Apple in a ChangeWave Survey." The uptick in interest is likely attributable to the new MacBook Air. Interest, not surprisingly, is greater than Dell or HP laptops as well. See Business Insider's Chart Of The Day.

Apple's Patent Suit Could Ban Motorola Touchscreens In The U.S. (The Wall Street Journal)
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will review Apple's patent (touchscreen and multitouch technology) claims against Motorola, an action that could lead to an eventual ban of Motorola's smartphones in the U.S. Although at this point, not likely, would be a huge win for Apple. Some of the patents involve technology used in Motorola's popular Droid lineup of phones, which use Google's Android operating system. Touch-screens have now become a common feature in mobile devices, raising the stakes in ownership of the technology.

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See Also:

• THE APPLE INVESTOR: Apple Channel And Supply Checks Investigated In Insider Trading Bust
• THE APPLE INVESTOR: Apple Hasn't Bought Back A Single Share Since 2003. What Gives?
• THE APPLE INVESTOR: Only 10 Companies In The World Are Worth More Than The iPhone

Apple TV is down to no. 73 in Amazon's list of its 100 best-selling electronic gadgets. (It was no. 12 two weeks ago.) It's being outsold by one Roku device and a LOT of Blu-ray players. The Boxee Box is no. 342.

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Rep. Allen West drew a ton of attention -- I think he's the most-analyzed freshman of the transition -- after briefly selecting radio host Joyce Kaufman as his chief of staff. But West's slip-up over the hiring of a controversial outsider seems to be a one-off. Other Republicans newly elected to Congress seem to be tapping DC insiders, some of them with lobbying experience. For example, here are the chiefs of staff to six new members.

Guests lounge around the pool at Pearl's Rainbow, soaking up the sunshine and tropical vibes typical of a Southernmost guesthouse. Not a man is in sight -- and that's the way these vacationers like it.

But over this Thanksgiving weekend, Key West's only lesbian-exclusive resort is going ``all welcome.''

The decision was made public about the same time Pearl's Rainbow was honored in October by Curve, the best-selling lesbian magazine, as the guesthouse that had the greatest impact on lesbian culture over the past 20 years.

From The Rainforest Action Network:

For Black Friday and holiday shoppers, the Rainforest Action Network put together a guide to inform consumers on which book publishers are doing their best to protect the rainforests. Use it to find out how the publishers of your favorite kids' books are doing.

For more information about which publishers are "rainforest-safe," download the full report and pocket-size shopping guide HERE. A supplementary list of "rainforest-safe" book titles can be found HERE.

To mark this holiday, Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) took to the floor of the House of Representatives on Tuesday to explain its history. At one point, he opined, "It might be helpful to think back and say there's more to Thanksgiving than the Pilgrims." He explained that they were "a group of people who were willing to change the system, to think of different ideas."

LONDON — Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone suffered a minor head injury when he was attacked outside his London office this week and robbed of jewelry worth $314,000.

The 80-year-old Ecclestone was treated at a hospital after being punched and kicked by four men following his arrival at the offices of Formula One Holdings on Wednesday night, London Police said Friday.

When World War II veteran Stanley Letkiewicz invited a beggar he'd befriended outside his local Aldi to live with him last year, he hoped for a little companionship and help around the house.

But the beggar returned the 94-year-old's kindness with two vicious beatings that ultimately claimed his life, police said

A recurring refrain in my Twitter feed is the coded question, “11 or 13?” Despite it’s religious overtones, this is not a reference to passages in the Bible. It is a question familiar to any Apple-obsessed consumer: Should I get the 11-inch MacBook Air or the 13-inch?

If you’ve been asking yourself the same question, today the price difference will not be the deciding factor. Although the cheapest 11″ MacBook Air is still $999, a Black Friday deal on the the 13″ models makes the lower-end one with 128 GB of memory the same price as the higher-end 11″ model with 128 GB of memory. It is actually a dollar cheaper, $1,198 versus $1,199.

Apple has other Black Friday deals, most of them rather meager, but this is the one that caught my eye. The MacBook Air replaces the hard drive with flash memory, and as a result is a lot faster for many tasks than even more powerful MacBook Pros. You can read MG’s loving review for more details.

If you are thinking about getting one today, the only reason not to get the 13″ MacBook Air is about half a pound of extra weight.

APOPKA, Fla. — Deputies say someone burglarized the Florida home of boxer Christy Martin while she was in the hospital with gunshot and stab wounds.

Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Solomons says a friend contacted authorities after going to the Apopka-area home to pick up some belongings for Martin. It's not clear if anything was stolen.