Goofing off old school

From Six Chix the Comic Strip (could not find a link to the original.

Conficker Worm activating April 1

Did you know if you are a PC owner that your machine may be hiding a dark secret? As many as 10 million PCs are believed to be infected with a worm program called "Conficker C" which is currently dormant, but appears set to activate on April 1. What the program will do on April 1 is unknown, but it may allow some remote criminal to take control of the entire network of computers.

More likely, though, said DeBolt, the virus may try to get computer users to buy fake software or spend money on other phony products.

Experts said computer hackers largely have moved away from showboating and causing random trouble. They now usually try to make money off their viral programs.

DeBolt said Conficker C imbeds itself deep in the computer where it is difficult to track. The program, for instance, stops Windows from conducting automatic updates that could prevent the malware from causing damage.

The program's code is also written to evolve over time and its author appears to be making updates to thwart some of the Conficker Cabal's attempts to neuter the worm.

If you own a PC without up-to-date virus protection and the latest updates, you have 6 days to deal with this. After that point, if you are infected then you are at risk for anything from stolen personal information to someone piping illegal materials thru your machine. Now is the time to get right. Or get a Mac (sorry, couldn't resist).

Basic computer instructions

I ran across this post about basic computer instructions today over my lunch break and thought it was interesting. As the computer tech for my company I have more stories than I can count, still it amazes me when people who use computers every day have to be told, "you have to turn it on for it to work" or "you have to plug in the computer for it to work" (sometimes back to back). What are some of the best stories Mod-Bloggers have about this type of thing. I do ask that we not mock those of older generations who are just not used to computers, but people that use them all the time are fair game.

Commodore 64 Turns 25

I remember when Nomad saved up to buy a Commodore 64 when we were young. It was a great computer that opened up a new world for us. Video games, word processing and programming were the main activities that we used it for. CNN has up an article on the C64 as it turns 25 years old.

Visionaries...

People are always trying to see or understand how things are going to work in the future. I just found this video from the 1960s on how shopping and banking would be done in 1999. It's interesting and kind of funny. From the page I found it on:

Many visionaries who tried to forecast what daily life would be like for future generations made the mistake of simply projecting existing technologies as being bigger, faster, and more powerful. They often failed to anticipate that future technologies might take very different forms, might be put to previously unconsidered uses, and might accompany (or even help bring about) significant social changes.

I see at work every day