radioactive data

Dear David,

You mother and have searched our hearts, read our books, consulted with our faith and have decided that by-and-large, we do not want to use corporal punishment.  We are opting for "natural consequences" discipline instead.  However, you need to understand something:  if you grow up to be a computer programmer and you design programs that sneak onto innocent people's computers and wreck them, the natural consequence will be for your father to beat you like a rug, extradite you to whatever country has the most draconian internet crime laws, and abandon you.

Love,
Dad

I share this with all of you because I love you: If you are reading this email on a PC and you don't have an internet protection program running that was updated a few minutes ago, then your computer is being infected with programs created by high-school kids who are really bitter because they cannot get a date.

I am not saying that there is a chance.  I am not saying that you are "at risk."  I am saying that you are, as you read this, being attacked.  The Web has simply become radioactive and you must don your radiation suit if you are going to go online.  Even that is not enough.  When you log off, you will then need to clean out the nasties that get past whatever form of protection that you think is protecting you.  Picture it this way:  the internet is a flood zone of hostile code and when you sign on, you are opening your window and letting the waters in.  Not only do you need sandbags of Norton Internet Security outside the window, you need a Spyware Sweeper sump pump inside the house.  

I could go on for awhile about the nightmare of my diseased computer this last week, but I won't bore you.

You Mac users can just refrain from emailing me with snide comments.  Your life is about to get more difficult as well.  

later, data victims