Virus Stricken

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I know there is an increasing trend to live our lives online, bonding with and being consumed by technology to an extent never previously thought possible. I don't like it and have tried to wean myself off the iPad and Smartphone, concerned at an increasing habit of checking them perhaps as much as hourly. Imagine my surprise, therefore, to learn that looking at them 12 to 15 times a day isn't really a problem, let alone an addiction. The generation to which my children belong, apparently needs to check their screens at least ten times that level on an average day!

That sci fi future we used to read about when we were young has finally caught up with us and the blur between man and machine is happening.

On my return from Switzerland, imagine therefore my frustration to find my desk top computer invaded by not one virus but several, each transmogrifying into something more sinister, revelling in such dubious and threatening names as Palikan, DNS.Unlocker, and Reimager.  The post-capitalism nightmare: a computer invaded by thousands of adverts.

Worse still the boundaries between human and machine became indistinct when I too began to suffer and, for the second time this winter, took to my bed with a variant of flu. No anti-malware, rebooting or re-installations for me, just time-proven bed rest.

In truth  the two cannot be linked (at least I hope not) but in both cases I have learned that prevention is better than cure. No more dodgy downloads or clicking on suspicious links and first in the queue next October for the flu vaccine. Retirement is too precious to waste fighting viruses that are best avoided where possible.


Comments

Sue B said…
12 to 15 times a day is definitely not an addiction. My teenage grandchildren are constantly on theirs checking for messages from their friends. I wish you a speedy recovery from both types of virus.
17 March 2016 at 19:47
Debra Journet said…
Hope you recover from ALL your viruses soon!
17 March 2016 at 21:26
Caree Risover said…
Thanks for your good wishes. 10-12 times may not be an addiction but it certainly feels like an intrusion that I struggle to prevent. However, I have been trying hard to reduce the number of occasions that I check it and now people complain that they can't get hold of me! (Unlike my children, I do not constantly carry my phone with me when I go around the house) Does nobody use the landline any more or is it the sole preserve of telesales companies?
21 March 2016 at 22:48
Caree Risover said…
Getting there, although I suspect the computer may still be feeling better than me for a few days yet especially as it seems to be running at double speed after its complete clean out
21 March 2016 at 22:51
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