Although most viruses and malware are easy to avoid for the "informed user" the "naive user" is still a humongous target. I could NOT keep malware and viruses and unwanted Firefox toolbars off my kid's computer. I lectured them and told them how to avoid most of them (don't install things without asking me), took away their admin rights, etc. It did no good, the stuff kept appearing, even though we've tried both AVG and Norton. I think most of them are appearing because my daughter likes to Google Image search for cute puppy pictures. It makes me wonder if the malware distributing population has figured out kids are the best conduit to getting their apps on your computer. So now they're using Linux. Took them 10 minutes to figure out where everything was. Plus the machine is much faster without an antivirus running and checking everything they do.

It's ridiculously easy to be tricked, as an interviewer, in technical interviews. Tricked in both directions. Some people are stupendous programmers, but they have to look up everything (ever been asked to create a COM+ object from scratch without use of MSDN or the internet? Even a competent programming genius can have problems with this). Others will bring you code samples and say "I wrote this" and explain it in great detail, only to reveal later that someone wrote it for them and coached them through the whole thing (yes, this happened to me, dammit!)(but she was VERY cute). The same goes for "pointing to apps they created." Unscrupulous people would point you to plagiarized stuff. It's WAY too easy to take credit for other people's work, or app storefronts. The only REAL way to hire people and know their skills is to hire by trial. My favorite two ways of hiring are giving the candidates a competition task. I.e., write an app that does this. Then review the code. It's quicker, but a LOT of work for the interviewer reviewing the code if the task is easy enough and everyone completes it. The other way to hire by trial is simply bring them on as a temporary employee (1099) until they prove their worth. This is the method that works out for me the best, although some interviewee's are skeptical, most of the good ones don't seem to have a problem with this.

.....it's easy to simply leave it home when you don't want to be tracked/eavesdropped. I feel sorry for anyone who is trying to eavesdrop on my on my mundane days.

talking to Al.

I'm having a similar problem right now. An app I'm working on which does some low level socket networking keeps being flagged by Symantec's active scan as a virus. I'm not sure why, yet, but IT keeps telling me my computer is infected (as discovered by their nightly scans). I've explained more than once that it's an innocuous program that I wrote myself, and have assured them many times that it is NOT a virus. But they believe Symantec over me. It's VERY annoying when I compile the app and Symantec decides to delete it an hour later. Or when it's running and suddenly stops because Symantec suspended the process. It was funny the first time. (where'd the exe go? I know it was here somewhere...) but it's gotten quite tiresome. Then there's the OTHER conversation. "Why did you disable your antivirus? That's against company policy" "It keeps flagging my project as a virus" "Well, then don't write a virus...."

Yeah, no, I based my opinion on the posted website alone, which was weird and sparse. After reading many other Slashdot comments and Googling the game, I decided I jumped to conclusions too quickly. People obviously love the game. It must not be crappy, lol.

.....an easy way to get Slasdotted aka free advertising on a crappy game. Has anyone actually confirmed this claim of Paypal wrongdoing, which was in a blog the developer himself posted? Seems like a lot of people here are quick to believe a story from a guy who obviously needs advertising on a fledgling game.

There's always the chance they'll put you on a list and stop believing you. And there's LOTS of hassles of owning a business/website in Philly. And working there. And living there. And buying stuff there. Which is why I'm not there, anymore.

Being from Philly, I have had similar experiences. In my case, my website was registered to a Philly address, so they automatically sent out the "you must have a business license" letter. I was making no money. It's their number one automatic letter. My 3 year old daughter got one, once, even. (we're not sure how, in that case). All a person has to do is call the number on the letter and say "this isn't a business" and they'll put a check-mark in the "not a business" box. They don't care about the miniscule $50 every two months businesses. Just the profitable ones. This is why, when I lived in Philly, I always had a PO box or location outside the limits for business/website purposes. Mostly to avoid the hassle. The current township I live in is MUCH more reasonable, thankfully.

I wasn't aware that a router name of "GoogleEatMe" would give away my identity. I guess I'll be more careful in the future.

That must have been SOME DREAM you were having. ;-)

If Google is wrong, maybe I really DON'T need a hysterectomy and a vasectomy.

...I'm not sure I'm very comfortable with using Chrome as a browser. I didn't detect any network traffic from Chrome other than what I requested of it, but that could quietly change in the future.

...I wonder what happened to my wife?

...a telephone. Gasp!