Visit a college campus and it's obvious that the MySpace generation can't live without mobile devices. And, of course, they want smart devices that are sleek and cool.

No doubt, this is a big opportunity for Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), which needs to find new markets for its software.

So, today the company announced it is purchasing Danger, which has a platform that helps to deliver mobile applications.

The company focuses primarily on the T-Mobile Sidekick family. Some of the capabilities include: IM, real-time email, HTML browsing and social networking. There are about 923,000 subscribers and revenues hit $56.4 million last year.

A big problem: over 90% of revenues come from T-Mobile. That's certainly a risky proposition.

Interestingly enough, Danger recently filed for a public offering. But in light of the recent market turbulence, a deal with Microsoft certainly seems less dangerous for shareholders.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates DealProfiles.com.

Got Crocs? If you're a student at Thompson Elementary in North Andover, Mass., you'd better leave them at home along with your bubble gum, guns and flip-flops. Principal John McAller has banned Crocs and all other footwear that does not completely cover his students' feet. He says he's "looking out for his students' well-being on the playground and in the event of a fire emergency," according to Boston's WHDH-TV.

Sure, one elementary school banning the wildly popular resin footwear might seem like a nonsensical concern for investors in Crocs, Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX). But with the stock currently at stratospheric levels (CROX hit an all-time high today at $91.18, and is only going higher in after-hours trading) and many other safety concerns, from the dismemberment-by-escalator stories (I know, I know, I'm exaggerating!) to simple day-to-day trials of too much bark dust in kids' feet, the tide could be turned quickly. One too many cases of banned or boycotted Crocs and investors could see some of their amazing profits turn to ... so much bark dust.

Do you love or hate Crocs? See our gallery for more.

It was only a few weeks ago that I started reading about the plight of commercial bees in Oregon, where I live, and other nearby agricultural states: some mysterious force was causing what's called "Colony Collapse Disorder" for untold (but, by all guesses, large) numbers of bees used for pollinating crops up and down the Pacific Coast. One beekeeper said that the vast majority of his colonies had just disappeared -- the bees would leave, and never return to the hive, presumably dying from hunger. Despite the seeming widespread nature of the problem, agricultural authorities wouldn't confirm its severity, and no one had solid numbers.

Until now, a variety of unrelated and unsatisfactory theories had been surfaced, though none even seemed half-right. Global warming. A bad batch of the high-fructose corn syrup typically used to feed commercial bees. Genetically modified crops. Pesticides. Mites. In the past few days I've seen several bees around my home, buzzing in and then fizzling out, dying slow, awful deaths on the sidewalk or windowsill. My stomach began to sink. Bees are vital to the health of so many of the world's plants. What could be done?

Now a report from Britain, where bee losses are still denied by agricultural authorities, although beekeepers are raising the alarm (U.S. beekeepers claim 60% of West Coast populations and 70% of East Coast bees have vanished): cell phone signals are disrupting bees' natural navigation systems. While alarmist, it makes sense; when cell phones are on, they're constantly crying for attention, pinging whatever tower is nearby every few minutes so that the home tower can keep track of the signal and send in whatever calls or messages come its way. Think of all the millions of pings that bounce back and forth across agricultural areas every week.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist and never worried about fears that cell phones cause brain cancer and cell death (although the reports seem to indicate this could be true). But after reading these reports my first urge is to turn off all the cell phones in the family and only use them for emergencies. If this is true, cell phones could become the SUV of 2008; a public display of a human putting its own comfort above the needs of the environment at large. And I'm sticking to land-based stocks for now!

Next time you have a hankering to listen to your iPod during a thunderstorm, you may want to do that inside. Jason Bunch could tell you that from first-hand experience. The Colorado 17-year-old was listening to his iPod when lightning struck on his lawn.

The earbuds conducted the eletricity right into Bunch's ears, rupturing his eardrums, singing his hair and burning him from his ears to his feet. Experts say that any electronic device held up to a person's ear (including cell phones and, we're certain, Microsoft's new iPod "killer") could direct the current from a lightning bolt similarly.

[Photo ocean yamaha]