Frito Haystacks for Lunch

This is a family favorite, a recipe I got over 25 years ago from a college roommate. It is soooo good and we are having it again.

Pets vs Humans

Got a chuckle from the results of a survey printed in this month's Reader's Digest:

Spyware Check-Much Discovered

My favorite radio and TV computer geek is Leo Laporte. He recommends that Windows users run at least 3 different spyware programs as well as keeping an antivirus program running and updated.

If you are going to run Windows, he says, you have to become a security expert and there are plenty of free programs you can use. He wasn't kidding. I use the 3 he recommends: Ad Aware, Spybot and Microsoft's Beta Spyware catcher and AOL's spyware cleaner, too - as well as an anti-virus program and a free version of Spyware Doctor. I keep the immunizations options running, too.

I ran Ad-Aware and it found the usual spyware cookies that I get every day. Then I ran Spybot and it found about 6 more programs running spyware! Then I began to wonder what else could be on my system so I ran a thorough check with Spyware Doctor and I found about 5 more programs including a key logger that records my passwords and send them on. The other programs missed this entirely!

Wondering how far I could take this and having some time, I downloaded the trial version of Webroot's Spy Sweeper (Leo's favorite commercial program) and, yes, it found SEVERAL more spyware items. I am not talking about the "minimum threat" items, but actual threatening spyware.

Whew! This machine can so easily be a conduit for spyware. My husband says he read that we can not catch ALL spyware, but we just hope to catch MOST of it.

While I love and use Windows, Leo has a point about recommending an Apple computer to new computer users. It doesn't have spyware and virus problems. As for myself, I like to boot from a Linux CD just for browsing the Internet. It also does not have these problems.

The moral of the story is to keep your Windows computer well-monitored or get something else. An acquaintance told me that he is afraid to do any online banking due to all the problems out there. Now, I can see why he'd be afraid if he does not keep his computer well-protected.

Baby Porcupines

I hadn't planned to turn this into a cuteness blog -- but this photo from Jennifer C. was too adorable to ignore. I wonder if they are painful to hold. Even more, I wonder if the mother is a bit angry.

Cute Flash Animations

Move your cursor in the box here and let the little guy catch it, then see what happens. There's more cute flash animations (but scroll down a ways on the page - that first big box is just an ad).

When a Dog is the First Thing They See

This is what happens when a bunch of baby ducks hatch and a dog is the first thing they see.

I hope that dog can teach them how to swim -- but aw, this is so cute.

How Many People in the World are Older?

I am 49, but I feel older than that from taking this quiz. (Thanks to Fragments from Floyd for this link.) Also, I have an age calculator on my genealogy pages (look down the page on the right). As of right now, I am 18,017 days old (and it lists weeks,  minutes, seconds, etc. Alas, it only works in IE.) You can find out what day of the week any date falls on, too.

Has Earth Reached the Point of No Return?

I don't know. Should we throw up our hands in hopelessness and accept our fate since it is too late to do anything? Should we take drastic steps to conserve because we might have a chance, still? Or is this just another round of scare-mongering by overly dramatic people who don't understand the long-term cycles of the earth's weather?

I don't know the answer, but the comments to this link on Digg.com are interesting. I even got a chuckle out of some of them. (If it is indeed too late, we might as well laugh while we can.)

Global Warming Discussion