When it comes to infectious diseases, home computers might as well wear a bull's eye. With the recent spread of infections like the Code Red and SirCam worms, antivirus authorities are warning that unprepared home users are fueling the expansion of security threats. The Internet's instant messenger services are the next best thing to being there. If you're life is draped in paper, there is a new and improved tool for transforming printed pulp into malleable computer files. If you're still trying to decide whether to buy Windows Me or Win 2000, decision-making is about to become a lot easier.
Summer is a dangerous season for computers.
But when the rest of the world goes dim from electrical storms, rolling brownouts and power overloads, your machine can keep on running. These are increasingly desperate times on the Web frontier, and surreptitiously gathered information about your activities and identity are increasingly for sale. Peggy Rogers, a journalist for 20 years, taught herself computing during that time.