Getting back to the subject, why is it that no matter how much time or opportunity I might have during 'normal business hours', none of the hardware in my life EVER goes wrong or breaks until 5 seconds after any possibility of getting the needed repairman or part. And this is in spite of the fact that I know a lot of service people in the world will come after hours. Ask any heating and air conditioning repairman how many times he's worked on holidays and weekends fixing stubborn units. In my sign business, I've always tried to work with various professions on weekends, like truckers, for instance, because that's the only time they have.

It's just very frustrating that this happens with such regularity. The basement floods only after the local hardware stores in town have gone home (pumps). I find out I need more material only after the current order has left the dock. And the only time I ever really needed a doctor's attention? You guessed it, after 5. Best I can tell, Murphy's law is alive and well.

If you do much e-mailing, then you have probably received a few virus warnings lately. There is a particularly annoying version going around right now that will usually contain some sort of gibberish and the offending bug, which is easily picked out by most virus checkers. Another version of that same bug also sends you e-mail telling you that your computer is sending out the virus, which is a lie perpetrated by this virus on someone else’s infected computer. So, Don't Believe It! 99% of the time, you are not sending out any virus. If you'd like to learn more about this, go to http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/[email protected] and read up on the section called "spoofing." A good rule of thumb is, if you have updated virus checks, and you have run a full system scan, then it's most unlikely that you have anything to worry about, no matter what your e-mail might tell you.

On the other hand, lets say a file has come to your computer via e-mail, disk, whatever, and you don't know what type file it is. Assuming you'd like to know what it is, and only after you have run your virus check on it, you can go to FILExt from CKNOW.com (http://filext.com). Here you can check out what type of file it is, or more importantly, what program will open it. This is very handy in my business, for instance, where we might receive any number of graphics or publishing files from tens of programs, and not automatically know what program to use on it. You may also want to check out Webopedia (http://webopedia.internet.com) which contains similar information and then some.

And now, for something completely different...

Have you always dreamed of someday becoming a burrito? Well, you're not alone. Or so says 'The Site That Turns You Into a Burrito! (http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/4916/burrito.html), where you can pick you own fillings, toppings, and special sauce. This is a little dangerous around some households (we like burritos), but give it a shot, if you dare.

So, you're afraid of frogs, but been embarrassed because you don't know what to call it? Go to The Phobia List (http://phobialist.com) to find your special terror. This is not a self help link, by the way.

Love Elvis? The authors of 'Why I Think Elvis Is Dead' (http://members.tripod.com/~teaser5) should be able to offend equally. Don't send me your complaints, please.

Oddly similar, there is a fellow from Australia who believes black computers are faster (http://www.dansdata.com/black.htm). Supported by a quoted, though unknown study (who knows, governments will fund anything, and we wonder where the money goes), he goes on to say color effects lots of product's performance. After all, everyone knows red cars go faster. Okay.

Want a piece of the Moon? At Lunar Property (http://www.moonshop.com/pm/lunar.html), we have an innovative, if ambitious, real estate agent who can help you get your property staked out, if I read this correctly, AT ONLY $20/acre (plus tax, shipping & handling charges, etc, of course) on either the Moon or Mars. I recall someone selling the Eiffel Tower a century ago, twice.

Don't forget, the first edition of the Roster, a local sports magazine, will be out Friday. You can get yours at one of the three Major Markets around town.

Feel free to send your opinions to [email protected] or go by the website at http://surf.to/nethotspots and see what you might have missed. There are all sorts of links including the ones you've seen in the articles as well as local links to interesting sites about our area.

Thought for the week: For every credibility gap, there is a gullibility fill.

Take care.