Social Networks

The smartphone revolution has invaded every facet of modern life, even the sanctity of the saloon. But there are some useful applications that can take your beer-hunting into the digital realm. Apart from the all-purpose apps like Yelp and the social networks, here are a pair of useful options for your iPhone or Android device that can help you find places to drink, discover new beers, and even remember what was in last night's ill-advised flight of imperial stouts. TapHunter is an app that can help you find those elusive brews that you've been hunting.

Gene Morphis keeps busy online. He has, it seems, more than 100 friends on Facebook, about 400 connections on LinkedIn and nearly 600 profile views on his personal Blogger site. But one of those sites may have gotten him fired. Morphis was removed from his position as chief financial officer at Francesca's, a growing apparel and accessories retailer that went public last year. The company said Monday that it terminated his employment after finding "that he improperly communicated Company information through social media.

SAN FRANCISCO -- If he were on Facebook, Stuart Smalley would probably update his status: "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!" Turns out that Smalley, played by Al Franken in the "Saturday Night Live" skit, knew a thing or two about human nature. One of the main reasons people turn to Facebook? Daily affirmations of their self-worth. That's according to a new study from University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Catalina Toma and Cornell University professor Jeffrey Hancock.

Channing Tatum lowers his green eyes and stares at the camera. "Your friend wanted me to tell you that they think you're pretty awesome," the 31-year-old actor says. "And they love hanging with you. " Tatum's performance wasn't from a movie, but a "Sweet Nothings" video that marketers for his new film, "The Vow," posted on Facebook in advance of its opening last weekend. It worked: The romantic tear-jerker blew past expectations to open at No. 1 with $41.2 million in North American ticket sales.

Borrowing from Twitter and other social networks, LinkedIn will now let its users follow specific individuals and receive their updates. The professional social network announced Tuesday that users will be able to subscribe to 150 "influential thought leaders" to receive their posts. Previously, LinkedIn users could get updates from companies and industries but not individuals unless those individuals approved the connection. LinkedIn follows other social networks who have this feature including Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Instagram.

Times technology writer Salvador Rodriguez is at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, testing apps and smartphones in between catching sets. One of the things Rodriguez will be keeping tabs on is how good cell service is at the festival. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint are all trying to make a good impression with their customers there. The four major wireless carriers say they're going out of their way to make sure there is enough network capacity for their customers to make calls, send texts and upload photos and videos to their social networks.

Teenagers coping with  chronic health problems like asthma or obesity already have it tough. But a new study says they face another obstacle as well: making friends. Researchers have long known that people who have more friends tend to be healthier. Arizona State University sociologist Steven Haas wondered if the reverse was true as well. Haas and his research partners found that teenagers were less likely to say they are friends with a fellow student if he or she is sick.

Perhaps anything is possible with social media -- but even so, this story caught me off guard: A man donated his kidney to a stranger after seeing a plea on Facebook. Jeff Kurze's kidneys were failing, according to the story . His wife, Roxy, posted on her wall in desperation: "Wishing a kidney would fall out of the sky so my husband can stop suffering," the 30-year-old Web designer wrote. "So if anyone knows of a live donor with type O blood, PLEASE let me know. " Ricky Cisco, a 25-year-old comedian, saw the post and messaged Roxy, saying he wanted to help.

Scientists have uncovered a key property of comatose brains that differentiates them from normal brains and may explain what goes wrong during severe brain injury. The report , published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, utilizes graph theory, which uses data to determine how well connected each part of a network is to every other part of the network. The approach has been used to study social networks like Facebook and circuit engineering for electronics.