Well, only days after I posted that message about Spyware, I had to cleanse my system of two such components. This afternoon, while searching for a better piece of software via which to track and record my eBay purchases, I ventured into some new software sites. Before I knew it, one of them had forcibly installed a couple of search bars for Internet Explorer. I got suspicious, did some sleuthing and found that I now had two programs I didn't want on my computer, running and intermittently phoning home with God-knows-what-data. They're gone now but I'm keeping both eyes open for similar invasions of my privacy. It's a jungle out there.
Caught the first episode of Phil Donahue's new MSNBC show. He spent an hour talking and, between breaths, allowing his guests to say something…but since one of them was Pat Buchanan, that wasn't necessarily bad. Buchanan was on to decry the Pledge of Allegiance decision and for some reason, he kept saying, "Our children are now forbidden to say the Pledge of Allegiance in school" and Donahue never said, "No, just the part about One Nation Under God." I'm still searching for a debate show host who corrects his guests when they say silly stuff like that.
I was in a video store the other day where someone had filled a shelf with DVDs but put them in backwards. Ergo, the spine on every one read, "Security Device Enclosed." Very helpful. It got me to thinking: What will happen if someone produces a movie called Security Device Enclosed? This comes from the same part of my brain that responds when I drive down that block on Hollywood Boulevard where there's a store that advertises "All items, 99 cents" and on the opposite side of the road, there's a shop that proclaims, "All items, 98 cents." I always think, "Price war!" and imagine people telling the clerk, "No thanks, I can buy it cheaper across the street."
I've gotta get to bed. Sweet dreams, Websurfers.