Firewall

When you look down at the bottom of your screen, do you see that little red shield? The one that is telling you that your computer is safe from offending viruses, big and small? You know the one. It sits down there, a quiet sentinel, to give you peace of mind as you wander about Al Gore’s Internet, looking for a recipe for grasshopper pie, or trying to unravel how Linkedin decided to connect you with your high school algebra teacher. Virus protection is like insurance: You keep paying for it because you don’t see it working.

Events of the past few weeks have made me reconsider this stance. Founder of this anti-virus giant, John McAfee is in the process of being deported to Belize after he was arrested in Guatemala for entering the country illegally. McAfee, not to be confused with Fleetwood Mac’s bassist John McVie, has been on the run from police in Belize since the November tenth murder of his neighbor, fellow American expatriate Greg Faull. During his three-week odyssey, he disguised himself as handicapped, dyed his hair seven times and hid in many different places during his three-week journey. It would seem that Mister McAfee is every bit as sneaky as your average worm or Trojan. 
That's why I'm wondering if I should keep trusting the total protection offered by a program created by a murder suspect on the run. Especially one that gets caught. If only D.B. Cooper had a background in anti-virus software.