Google Chrome is cool!

My brother turned me on to the Google Chrome browser when I was staying at his place on my recent trip to Cali. I've been a dyed in the wool fan of Firefox for several years now, but Chrome is faster. Its also really easy to use; perhaps even moreso than Firefox is.

I just installed it a very short while ago, and I'm wondering what took me so long to do it. Check it out; it may very well be the best browser available.

dangit

What a hassle. I downloaded what I thought was a codec for Windows Media Player, and it turned out to be chock full of spyware. I had a moment of weakness, didn't look deeply enough at what I was doing, and have spent a few days without my 'puter to sort it out. I suspect that I'm not done yet, either.

Makes me wonder, though: who's responsible for all this spyware, malware, jackassware, jerkware, etc. etc. Is it the companies that make spyware detection programs? In the end, I suppose it doesn't matter, because Webroot got $20 from me for SpySweeper anyway. This program comes recommended. Of course, you need to run right out, so to speak (its not easy to run right out online), and buy this program because some guy said he bought it on his blog.

Aha! Perhaps therein lies the difference: my blog is a self depracating blog. Look at the title. How could you not trust such a blog antiestablishmentarian? How could you not believe in a guy that can spell antiestablishmentarianism, and even know what it means and how to conjugate it? See that? That's called credibility!

If you're gonna take something useful away from my blog, it should likely be this: the online world has become a rotten place. Sure, its a great tool and a fantastic communication aid. But its also become the place where there are probably a million people out there writing malicious junk to get in your computer and make your life difficult. Use the 'net as a tool and have fun, but keep your guard up. People that wouldn't step to you in "real life" are out to wreck your stuff and cost you money, and perhaps attempt to ruin your life, when you're in front of your computer. Don't ever forget to push the chair back, stand up, and go outside.

What do I need a blog for?

After several years of wondering what I might need a blog for, now I have one. I still don't know what I need one for, but several of my friends have 'em, so I guess I got jealous.
The world supposedly revolves around blogs. Ask the news. They're all up in it, especially come election time. To me all they prove is that the Intarweb has revolutionized communication. The interesting thing about that is that its about the only medium where its potentially a one, two, or multiple (perhaps into the hundreds of millions) channels can send information in more than one direction. F'rinstance: the news comes into your TV (if you even watch the news anymore; I rarely do), but its the channel sending info to you. You can't interact with it. The Intarweb allows for that...but it doesn't have to be that way.
The beauty of the Intarweb (and one of the major drawbacks) is that if you choose to hide behind your computer screen, its not that hard to do. Check out any forum on any subject anywhere on the net. On some quilting forum somewhere, somebody's flaming somebody else for their opinion, and hiding behind their keyboard. I was recently banned from a forum...and I have no idea why. None was given. I sent an e-mail to the admin of that forum asking why. I just wanted to know why; I wasn't asking for reinstatement. I got no response.
I guess where I'm going with this is, if you're going to interact with people, you're gonna make somebody mad. Nothing wrong with that; nobody other than Jesus can make everybody happy. (Yes, I realize a lot of people are going to be mad about that statement) But if you're gonna take action because of it, stand up and let them know why. Its the right thing to do, even if its not the easy thing to do.
....And I still don't know why I need a blog. That question may take a while to be answered.