I bet you didn’t know what Amazon’s (AMZN) e-book reader, the Kindle, was even around a year ago. Hell, most people probably didn’t know what it was until Oprah called it one of her favorite gadgets back in October. And now the general consensus is that the Kindle is a big hit. Some are even calling it the iPod of the book world—high praise for a product that we really don’t know much about.

Many novice investors think it’s tough to get into the stock market: They think they have to buy a truckload of books, pore over them, then memorize a bunch of equations to do well on Wall Street. But here’s a thought: why not pay attention to the real world around you to get stock ideas? Investing in the brands you know and love is a great way for novice investors to get into the stock market.

It sure is more entertaining that using stock screens and reading The Wall Street Journal. It makes it easier to learn the financial mumbo-jumbo and anchor yourself with something you truly care about.

I'll be the first to admit: I love going to Best Buy (BBY). I could spend hours in there looking at computers, video games, speakers, CDs, DVDs-you name it. Even the car-stereo stuff looks pretty sweet. For someone like me that loves gadgets and anything else you plug in, this place rocks.

But there's one other thing I enjoy going to Best Buy for: the entertainment. For those of us with above-average knowledge of technology (do you know what a modem is? Boom - welcome to the club), listening to the stuff coming out of Best Buy sales employees is astounding.

Most people were pissed off when the CEOs of the big three automakers traveled to Washington in private jets to ask for a bailout. It was like having a beggar come up to you on the street and ask for $20 while checking his email and listening to Rihanna on his iPhone.

The economy being what it is (and what it has been), flashing any kind of bling is suddenly very taboo. Times are so rough that no one wants to be "that guy" flaunting his money when everyone else is eating Ramen and counting their pennies.

I hate shopping for clothes (disclaimer: I’m a guy). Something about going to the mall, browsing, and trying things on makes me feel like I’m wasting my time. I seem to be living my life just fine without new clothes, so why do I need new threads? Granted, this sometimes makes me look like a schlub, but whatever. My wife, however, likes to go places with a husband instead of a dork dressed in acid-washed jeans and a Members Only jacket. So I try to shop, but it’s hard for me.

A couple of years ago, we went to an outlet mall and one of the stores there was Perry Ellis (PERY). The brand sounded familiar, but it was the first time I ever saw a whole store devoted to just its clothing. I reluctantly went inside, but I immediately found a bunch of stuff I liked. I tried some shirts on and they fit great—no small feat for someone with my body type (think Michael Phelps without the muscle or adoring throngs of ladies).

I love technology—there’s nothing more exciting than reading about some up-and-coming whiz-bang gadget that could revolutionize the way we play games, listen to music, or use our cell phones. Take my new G1 phone from Google (GOOG) and T-Mobile (DT)—it lets me use the phone as a barcode scanner to compare prices everywhere I go. Pretty cool, huh?

So I’m down with high tech, but what if it’s so high tech that the company making it can’t make any money off it? In other words: can technology be a bad thing for business?

Remember when you got a check earlier this year thanks to the stimulus package that gave everyone an automatic tax rebate? That was cool, but that was before the economy fell off the face of the earth.

You might be thinking: Since things are even worse, don’t we deserve some more money? Well, now there’s talk of another stimulus package, only it might not be as exciting as the first.