Virus Alert

[Andrew Dinn]

...I guess Andrew's in a good mood today.

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
RICHARD ROMEO writes:

> I've been told of a virus spreading via e-mail which has the word Happy
> in subject or something to that effect.  If you view message your hard
> drive will be wiped clean and the CPU will be given a rather complicated
> mathematical request which will burn that out as well.  I hear this is
> legit so  delete the message is what I hear to save yourself.  Beware...

Yeah, the virus is called Infinite Jest and you can recognise it by
the subject line which is just one of those smiley faces - compose the
characters '-', ':' and ')' in order 2, 1, 3 if you don't know what I
mean (at your own peril, of course - I'd recommend doing it on paper)

The math problem relates to transfinite cardinals and works through a
variation on Cantor's infamous diagonal technique. It's sort of like
it sends your memory management hardware on a wild goose chase
following invisible pointer links.

The worst of it is that the virus is intermittent. When it grabs your
computer you never know how long it will take before it hands control
back. With the net result that you sit there watching, waiting for the
dumb beast to respond. Terribly cruel joke on someone's part, I'd say.


Andrew Dinn
-----------
And though Earthliness forget you,
To the stilled Earth say:  I flow.
To the rushing water speak:  I am.