Friday, June 7, 2013

We will always have ignorant computer users

I once thought that one day everyone would be computer literate. It was only a matter of time the older generation is succeeded by a generation of computer literates. I was wrong big time. As the years passed I kept discovering younger colleagues who were only slightly less clueless than those who have passed on. They were better only because they didn't think smoke would rise from the display if they hit a wrong key on the keyboard. They learn faster because the had less fear.

Just as we have jay walkers, irresponsible drivers, we will always daft computer users. But I think we can and must do better. Far more people are killed in action on the Internet than on the roads. There will be greater supervision and more security measures. These are still early days.

Other than the common sense measures how do I keep safe? It helps that the best in the game aren't interested in me. If I am adventurous, all I need is to let the careless trip the landmines before I do. There was a time I had to among those pushing the envelope. I made sure I had protection then. The principles are as simple as those use for bio hazards. E.g., use a different PC for your frontier experiments, and don't be an idiot to use that machine for Internet banking.

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