A very important thread. . .

. . .is currently up at Lucianne.com, and it behooves anyone with a computer and an internet connection (that would be you) to check it out.

I'm one of those people who are fortunate enough to be called upon when friends start having problems with their internet boxes. These days, the problem is almost invariably spyware. There are a lot of links on this thread posted by some very smart people. Follow their lead and your computer will give you many more productive (yeah, right), trouble-free hours.

And, if there is one bit of advice I'd like to give to everyone out there, it is that those "FREE!" neato smileys and cute little cursors are never "FREE!". There is a catch. Otherwise, why would anyone go to the trouble of designing all those neat little bells and whistles? There has to be something in it for them.

Well, that something is information about your web surfing habits. Keep that in mind as you point that cute little Snoopy cursor toward the link to your online banking site.