When we invest in a stock, it s not just our money that goes on the line, but our ego as well. Too often that leads us to seek out or interpret data only in a manner that reinforces our perspective. If we re bullish, we devour bullish news and ignore everything else.

The protests in Iran have focused even more attention on TwitterAs a side note, you can follow me on Twitter here

Turns out the networking hosting muscle behind Twitter is NTT America, a subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), in which my fund currently has a position.

“ NTT Com s i-Aroma device (Courtesy NTT)”

The company received positive attention and thousands of press mentions after Twitter delayed their system upgrade in response to the Iranian protests. In a blog posted last week, Twitter wrote that We chose NTT America Enterprise Hosting Services early last year specifically because of their impeccable history of reliability and global perspective. Today's decision and actions continue to prove why NTT America is such a powerful partner for Twitter.

Of course, you can t spend good publicity and I m the first to admit NTT so far this year has been a deep disappointment, dropping some 25%. At a recent $19.60, I d look to initiate new positions over $21.60 looking for a move back to the year high near $28.

NTT s next advancement? Try Internet fragrance. The company is soliciting volunteers to test its i-Aroma service, which emits smells linked to auto/visual content on the web, as well as being matched to the rhythm of daily life, such as waking, working and going to sleep according to the press release.

Only the stock will tell if it smells like sorrow or success.

Nortel Fades to Black

Last year I warned about picking a bottom in Nortel, once the largest stock on the Toronto Stock Exchange and one of the world s leading telecommunications companies. Think technology isn t competitive? The company, in bankruptcy since January, announced this weekend it plans to liquidate, selling its business piecemeal after failing to restructure or rehabilitate. This is a company that not too long ago accounted for more than a third of the total valuation of the firms listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The lesson is that markets are anything but stagnant, and as the environment changes, so should your portfolio. Just as was the case with General Motors, the fact that this once-dominant market leader ended up in liquidation exemplifies how you can t put your investments on autopilot. Tomorrow s market will undoubtedly be different than today s.

You Outta Be in Pictures

One industry thriving even during the recession is the American Cinema. According to box-office tracking company

, 2009 s ticket sales are up by 17.5%.

The price action of many film-related companies would seem to confirm this trend. While I ve yet to delve into the sector, three small-caps I m considering include

(

), a provider of information and analytics to the entertainment industry,

(

), which manufactures its large-format movie production equipment and facilities and

(

), an established first-run theater chain with 2,200 screens nationwide.

Media by Numbers

Rentrak Corporation (RENT) Imax Corporation (IMAX) Carmike Cinemas (CKEC)

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Rentrak Corporation (RENT), Imax Corporation (IMAX), Carmike Cinemas Inc (CKEC) 1 year

The Money Museum

One of the unfortunate byproducts of 9/11 was the closing of the NYSE Visitors Gallery, where over the years thousands of visitors had crowded into the cramped gallery to get a view of the historic trading floor at work. As a young boy, I remember pressing my nose up against the glass, completely mesmerized by the floor s collage of colors, sounds and excitement. Of course, nowadays, there s also simply also less to see. Automated trading has diverted much of the action from the floor to the computer screen.

A runner up for finance nerds in visiting New York is The Museum of American Finance, the nation s only public museum specifically devoted to entrepreneurship and free market capitalism. An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and located in the former headquarters of the Bank of New York, the museum features exhibits on banking, the financial markets and, through January 2010, an exhibit covering the Woman of Wall Street.

Opening the exhibit are comments from Muriel Seibert, chairwoman of Seibert Financial (SIEB) and the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. For those looking to be inspired by the historic accomplishments of American finance over the years, the museum is simply a can t-miss.