Both A Jerk and a Loser

Anyone who releases a virus in this day and age is truly scum. Well, scum apparently still exists as the recent release of the Anthrax e-mail virus proves. The author tricks victims by putting "anthrax" in the subject line and includes a Visual Basic executable as an attachment. He or she is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, as the worm doesn't work.

Hawking, Take Two

Stephen Hawking shocked us all when he argued that we humans need to fiddle with our DNA so we can remain superior to machines and thus keep machines from taking over.

But that kind of fiddling may be our undoing, Hawking now argues. Through genetic engineering, we may inadvertently unleash a horrible virus, and, if we can't learn how to live in outer space, the human race could be wiped out.

Big Brother is A-OK

Larry Ellison is once again grabbing the spotlight. Larry got gobs of attention when he predicted, again and again and again, that network computers would take over the computing world (he got a lot less attention when that notion withered like a worm on a hot sidewalk).

More from Doug Take an unusual tour of industry happenings, and explore the interesting and the insane with Doug Barney's NetNews Weekly.

Larry's latest crusade is more sound. He suggests a national ID card -- not exactly an original idea but one whose time may have come. The core, as you might expect from Oracle's chief, is a database with handprints and personal information against which the card can be checked. You could hand over your card and have your identity fully verified.

Larry, always seeking that good PR hit, offered to donate Oracle software to do the deed. Wouldn't it be funny if the feds chose DB2 instead?

Speaking of Privacy

Famed (and convicted) hacker Kevin Mitnick is complaining to anyone who will listen about his lack of privacy. Kevin is upset that the U.S. government, under the new Patriot Act, can peek into any electronic communication. Mitnick calls the act "ludicrous."

In times of war, such as this, I'm willing to cut the feds some slack, so I must politely disagree with Mr. Mitnick. But once this crisis is over, we must fight to regain those freedoms and the privacy we've lost.

Quality is Job One, PCs are Job Two

Ford Motor Co. entered the modern age not with a restyled Thunderbird but with a program to give all its employees home PCs. With sales down, however, Ford halted the effort, after having doled out more than 160,000 units. Employees who missed out on the deal have been offered an unlimited supply of Firestone Wilderness AT tires.

Circulation Questions?

Magazines send a lot of mail -- we're always aiming to entice new readers and hang on to those we have. Unfortunately, it's not as much fun as it used to be to receive mail. So what should we do: bombard you with e-mail, bug you on the phone, send mail clearly marked with the return address of your favorite publication or send large postcard forms so you don't have to open any envelopes? Drop me an e-mail (or send me a postcard) with your thoughts.