Google shares closed up today to end the trading day at $427.44, an increase of $0.94 or 0.22% over Wednesday's close. With the Office 2.0 convention happening in San Francisco this week, I mused today on how more and more of the things we do every day in computing have shifted to the web browser from the local desktop.

But will the Office suite move as well? I highly doubt this, unless Internet connectivity -- high speed to boot -- becomes so completely ubiquitous that our apps and data are always at hand, whether we're connected to the net or not.

Some comments have agreed with me, and I feel pretty strong that although may things will shift to the web -- that are not already there -- many applications most of us use every day simply will stay local. The network *is* the computer, but only when the network is available. But, on that front, a rather humorous piece with a smidgen of insight came in today as I enthusiastically pored over who is the bigger moron -- Mark Cuban or Google CEO Eric Schmidt. What's your take?

So, is Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt a moron? Charlie Cooper over at CNET ponders this question with great flair and also brings up a person whose blog I've been following for quite some time -- Mark Cuban. Cuban has been on record now -- many times, in fact -- saying that any company that buys YouTube is completely off their rocker.

And then, just about this time last week, vicious rumors started swirling like Midwestern tornadoes that Google was in fact in the process of acquiring the web's largest social video-sharing site. But, it's one rife with copyright problems that have been put a little under control, but not enough to satisfy Cuban -- and many others, for that matter.

Does Google see the future of the web with non-text and non-graphic interactions? Apparently it sees something, but even spending $1.65 billion in stock is just a small touch for Google and its war chest of cash. The purchase price was small, all things considered, but it must prove its value to GOOG shareholders in the years ahead.

After reading Cooper's column though, I couldn't help but be struck with a rather interesting similarity between what Cuban did over six years ago when he sold Broadcast.com to Yahoo! for over $5 billion. This has allowed Cuban to cash out handsomely, but was one of many idiotic mistakes made during the height of the dot-com boom when billion-dollar deals were floating around like crazy (deals that would later evaporate).

Perhaps YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley had this same mentality and decided to "cash out" of YouTube and leave a Internet bellwether holding the bag? Interesting parallel here, since I see many similarities between today's web environment and the one of 1999. So, who's the bigger moron in this situation -- Cuban or Schmidt? Only time will tell.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) shares ended the week up on a high note, as rumors swirled 'round Friday on a possible YouTube.com acquisition. Though Mark Cuban tends to decry any acquisition of YouTube -- something I mostly agree with due to YouTube's content and tons of risk -- Google would probably like to turn Google Video into YouTube.

Wait -- that makes no sense (or does it). Don't you just love it when a stock's performance goes nuts over a rumored acquisition that seems totally out of Google's character of past acquisitions -- and about a questionable pursuit at that?

GOOG shares closed Friday up 2.11% or $8.69 from Thursday's close to end the trading week at $420.50 per share. As Google turns to academia to let loose details on the most popular readings at the Google Books website as well as a global literacy program aimed at connecting all kinds of teachers and academic personnel to grow the global literacy rate, these are the types of subjects that are most likely more worldly-important that the acquisition of a video-search website -- albeit the most popular one on the entire Internet.

Here are some Google highlights from this past week:

Google takes it search expertise to the millions of lines of computer code

Google's place as a personal librarian

Google's AdSense search effectiveness

Google gets a reprieve on advertising copyright infringement dilemma

Is Google a $200 stock that trades at $400?