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Twitter calls Google (GOOG) a "good role model," but says it isn't ready to rush down the road to advertising.

Nonetheless, an ad-based revenue model is something that cofounder Biz Stone says they "will be looking to do down the line." But, for now, he continues, Twitter is focused on "creating value for our users." For now, revenue generation ideas are being put on paper, "and we're definitely going to get to them," Stone says.

Google (GOOG) is letting a few developers peek behind the curtain. The early look the company's new operating system, Chrome, is happening in true Google style: by invitation only. When it's released, which should be in time for the holidays, developers will be able to bang away at an open source solution, tapping an army of volunteers who are eager to work for bragging rights.

The open source version is called Chromium OS, which will hit the market a year before the "consumer" version is ready, which is how Google will be able to tap the wisdom of developers around the world. In a blog entry, Google explained, "This means the code is free, accessible to anyone and open for contributions." The project includes the code base, user interface experiments and some preliminary designs, all of which can be used for ongoing development efforts. To energize the potential base of contributors, Google said that "development will be done in the open from this point on."

Yahoo! (YHOO) is the latest company that wants to optimize its search results for Twitter. This follows moves by Microsoft (MSFT) and Google (GOOG) to integrate Twitter data into their search results. Unlike its competitors, however, Yahoo! wants to do this without spending a dime (well, without giving a dime to the hot new social media platform).

Twitter's microblogging service has become famous not only for its rapid growth but also because it's found no way to turn it into revenue. Its recent discussions with Microsoft and Google demonstrated that Twitter can indeed bring in some cash -- by licensing its data for use in fine-tuning search engines. With two of the top search engines now optimizing for Twitter, it was only a matter of time before Yahoo! would rush to join the party.

GameStop (GME) posted what I thought was a mediocre third quarter. Total sales went up about 8%, and earnings per share increased a few pennies to 31 cents. When you think video games, you think growth. That doesn't feel like growth, does it? Not the kind that sends a stock to the moon, certainly. Furthermore, same-store sales saw a decrease of 7.8%, driven by lackluster hardware transactions. Indeed, we may be hitting a point in the console cycle where the demand for systems from Sony (SNE), Microsoft (MSFT), and Nintendo (NTDOY) has essentially been satiated.

Here's the big question on the mind of traders: unimpressive Q3 or not, should GameStop be bought now?

U.S. stock futures declined Thursday morning, pointing to a lower start on Wall Street as investors started weighing the possibility that stocks have run up too far and too fast ahead of the economy -- the economic recovery may not be as robust. The retail sector is in focus with several retailers reporting earnings. The tech sector could also experience pressure.

On Wednesday, stocks ended lower with technology shares leading the decline, and the Nasdaq composite down nearly half a percent. Results from Salesforce.com (CRM) and Autodesk (ADSK) weighed on the sector as Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Microsoft (MSFT) were among the leading decliners in the Dow.

Once upon a time, Mac users could brag they were much safer from malicious electronic attacks. After all, in the days before Google (GOOG), when Microsoft (MSFT) was the only uber-player in town, Windows was the perpetual malware target. Phishers, however, aren't discriminating; they're just looking for an account to plunge. So, both Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft users are threatened. Virus writers do tend to focus on the Windows operating system, which owns 90% of the OS market, but phishers are platform independent.

Phishing involves attempts to get a user to reveal information about their accounts. Once the soon-to-be victim clicks that link or fills out a form, the "transaction" is complete -- no operating system interaction necessary. As a result, there really isn't any advantage to using a Mac over a PC.

Amazon, Inc. (AMZN) is in the clouds. So are Google, Inc. (GOOG), EMC (EMC) and Cisco (CSCO). Now, Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is joining them, having announced on Tuesday its new Windows Azure cloud computing system. The new product will be released on January 1, 2010 -- a new solution for a new year.

Azure will deliver an online platform for the software development set to build their own mousetraps and provide plenty of storage space for users. Testing began a year ago, and full live version will be celebrated next year. For the first month, Azure will be free. The charges start in February.

Morale has plunged among military personnel in Afghanistan as a result of record violence in the war, according to the U.S. Army. A battlefield survey found that the situation is particularly problematic for soldiers on their third and fourth combat tours, and junior enlisted soldiers are most likely to experience marital problems because of deployment. Though it's not a complete solution, the study did find that limited doses of technology – either through video games or internet access – can help.

The study, obtained by NBC News, revealed that more than 20% of soldiers are experiencing combat stress, and half of them are having difficulties getting professional help. Combat Stress units in Afghanistan, the report says, are "undermanned," and this type of unit has no presence in the southern part of Afghanistan, where most of the combat is taking place.

Michael Moe knows how to make headlines: Talk about Twitter and predictably people will bite (I'm proof of that). He led the team at NeXt Up Research that calculated the value of the micro blogging service and arrived at $526 million to $674 million -- half what Twitter is generally believed to be worth.

Really?

The team estimates that Twitter will generate revenues of $114 million to $134 million in 2013. In 2014, Twitter is expected to post revenues of $126 million to $148 million. This is far more conservative than the valuation implied by the company's most recent round of venture capital investment, which puts the company's worth at more than $1 billion.

It's easy to save the world when you've already taken care of yourself. But, we rely on these mavericks -- the wealthy who realize they can make a difference -- to do what we cannot on our own. So, it comes as a relief that Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft (MSFT) believes executive compensation is still too high.

It's a murky topic, and some forms of regulation, Gates believes, won't help. In a discussion on philanthropy at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, where many of the people Gates criticized send their kids for early education, the former CEO and still rich guy cites the $1 million executive salary cap required by law in 1993 as a big mistake. While compensation has to be controlled, he believes this measure backfired and thinks that other, similar efforts are doomed to fail now.

Even the thought is hard to believe for anyone who's been watching Apple Inc. (AAPL) over the long run. Once upon a time, the company was presumed dead, while Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) continued its march to market dominance. Today, Apple's $180 billion market value is evidence of a new era. Though it's still behind Microsoft's $250 billion, the company's rapid ascent and substantial market presence make at least speculation of catching up to the Redmond giant worth a few minutes of thought.

Microsoft is currently the most valuable technology company in the world, according to a Reuters report. Even Google, Inc (GOOG), with its astounding brand recognition and position as gateway to the internet, is worth "only" $136 billion. Apple, which was once considered a computer company that sold into education and appealed to some graphics geeks, has reasserted itself as a major global presence.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says that as numerous stories are mulled over anew, the reasons for selling seem silly.

The lack of important data today forces market participants to revisit stories that got tossed out over the last few weeks simply because of earnings ennui. People are now doubling back to see what they have forgotten, or more important, why they sold certain stocks they most likely shouldn't have.

For example, why did JPMorgan (JPM) (Cramer's Take) go from $47 to $44? Bad loans? Credit quality? No, not really. Nothing like that. Why did Goldman Sachs (GS) (Cramer's Take) go from $192 to the $170s? Some of it was Meredith Whitney, but there is also a sense of entitlement that makes the firm hated, as if somehow it is too much of a pariah to invest in.

It's not the first time this happened, and likely not the last. The European Commission has objected to Oracle's (ORCL) acquisition of Sun Microsystems (JAVA) after U.S. authorities have approve the $7.4 billion deal.

The issue is Sun's database product, MySQL, which European antitrust authorities fear wouldn't be developed after the acquisition since Oracle has its own database and therefore it would hurt competition in the database business. Together, the two will have quite a large share of the market, the EU contends. The U.S. authorities disagrees, saying there are enough competitors in the market and that "the merger is unlikely to be anticompetitive."

The Twitter ecosystem may be changing constantly, but most of that comes on the back of individual developers and outside companies. They beat on Twitter APIs to create new products that may win them glory, recognition or cash. Over the past month, though, Twitter itself has gotten into the game, releasing or announcing a handful of new features.

A new function for "retweeting" (echoing another's tweet to your own followers), changes to how trending topics are managed, and the ability to create lists are new tools intended to engage users ... on the Twitter.com website. Considered within the context of Twitter's changed terms of service this year, the upgrades may be part of a broader ad-based revenue plan.

The latest litigation has Intel Inside.

The State of New York is going after Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) over antitrust allegations. State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is accusing the largest chip manufacturer in the world that it is trying to secure a global monopoly for microprocessors.

For several years, Cuomo said that Intel has pushed the likes of Dell (NYSE: DELL) and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) to agree to the exclusive use of Intel's gear in exchange for billions of dollars in payments. The hefty cash outlays have given what Cuomo called a "stranglehold" on the market.