h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Cos I got exams, I gotta make this quick.

Anything important get said up there? (sorry cant check)

Nothing that important. Ado has been by and we talked about arthritis. Apart from that stay away from ILOVEYOU messages cos there's a virus about. Everything OK? I'm arranging for you to have your own suite here, behind that stout oaken door with the brass hobnails

So... what's up with this "I Love You" virus? What's it do? One great thing about owning a less popular OS is that people who make viruses rarely bother to make duplicates on the Mac platform So I don't worry, but I'm interested.

~Irving

The email header is ILOVEYOU and the attachment is i-love-you.txt.vbs and it basically replcates itself to everybody in your address book if you use Outlook. It started in the Philippines.

I always explain an attachment at the top of the email. If the email is empty of text I won't touch the thing, no matter who it's from. Anyway, estimates are that 30% of UK is affected and get this, 80% of Sweden. Must be cos everybody has the same last name there

H2G2 is acting flaky. I got a page-not-found error trying to get to the Cafe just now! And another one to come here. I had to go to the Front page and come back to my home page, to refresh it. And now it's behaving quite snappily again.

Maybe everyone in Sweden is lovesick?

Well, if they weren't before, they sure are now!

Don't diss the swedish anyone...they gave us vikings and death metal. tempting though it is

i done lots of french work today, and i reckon it's helping. got latin and art exams as well tomorrow, but they can rot in hell cos their signifance pails in comraison to french *^_^*

i'd appreciate a lonely chamber to touxch up my frenchg in please

arthritis sux

What a coincidence! I've just spent the whole day engaged in an overdue french assignment!

Vous, bien fait les deux!

Mike, I have a table and chair pulled up close y so you can study but be amongst the group. Meanwhile, I shall organise the Nephew Suite, tout suite!

I could give you a full description of what the ILOVEYOU worm does but Lil outlined the main points quite well. It's sort of like what happened with the Melissa worm, but instead of email just ten people in the address book, it mails all of them. So it get's into big corporation who's policy os outlook and has a centrally maintained address book that everyone uses...oh dear that's a big mess
It also exploits a hole in outlook which means even if you don't open the attachment, but only open the mail it still can run.

Mike, I've been told for many years now by my mum that I should learn latin. Not only because it's a language with a much more structured grammar than english, but also because it'd help with learning French and Italian.

Latin is structured. You know the english rule about not splitting infinitives? It's from Latin -- because in Latin it's *impossible* to split an infinitive. Because "To Be" or "To Fly" is just one word in Latin, and therefore can't be split.

But I still like to usually keep my infinitives together (and yes, that was on purpose!)

~Irving

Oh, that's bad! But what amounts to opening an email in Outlook? When mail is downloaded, whichever is the most recent to be downloaded has its content shown in the lowere frame. Does that mean it's open?

I'm just glad I don't use outlook anymore

I've never used Outlook... or Eudora, etc. I hate those crap things

I don't believe it's quite that bad. I haven't read that it can infect if you just open the mail. You got a source for that info Phil?

Nice sainthood, Sporky! Between your creative truth and my graphic detail, we could start a tabloid. Maybe the H2G2 Post needs a Sun type of competitor! (Amurricans: the Sun is the lowest of the low, designed for subliterates with credulous limbic brains)

I don't see how it could infect me just by opening the mail to which it, the virus, is attached. It's a task image, so it ought to just crouch there until I double-click on it.

Welcome to my salon, ddombrow! If you can't be bothered to read the backlog, we can summarise the whole story for you. It's not much, really. The sloth sleeping on the hearthrug in front of the fire is my ISP, Mindspring. The purple bot lurking in the corner is Ampton, serving as housebot while Garius and Affy are away on missions. The new gallery is down that corridor, my private aprtments are beyond the kitchen, the studio is over there, and these are moebius doughnuts, which Crater Labs has especially made for them by Joanna's doughnut stall. My nephew Mike A is off doing major revision for his exams, and these other gentlemen are ... well, the proper word would be habitués. Should I put up a list of habitués on the Atelier page?

Would like a doughnut? Tea? Punch? I have no idea what's in it, but we're all still standing. Sitting. Lounging.

Right then! It's been wonderful sitting here you fine folk, but I must away I've to get onto an aeroplane in Melbourne (of all places) to fly to Canberra (of all places). All the best of luck with your exams Mike A, Stay gorgeous Lil and eat celery seeds, I'll bring some of those pies back from Canberra to share with you all upon my return.
Seeyas --- Ado!

Wait! How long are you to be gone for?

About 3-5 days. I might be able to check in somewhere if I can steal some internet time.

Well then, have a safe trip, and we'll expect you here after you've unpacked.