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Duck And Cover (4/4/00)
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We all know that computer viruses can be harmful to one's data, but who ever figured on receiving an email message that actually detonates the computer? Yup, that's right; according to The Register, no less an authority than the Weekly World News is reporting that it's "already possible" for an unscrupulous ne'er-do-well to email you an attachment that alters the "electrical current and molecular structure" of your computer's central processing unit, "causing it to blast apart like a large hand grenade." Not just any hand grenade, mind you, but a large one. Holy Silicon Shrapnel, Batman!
Well, that does it. We're configuring our mail server to reject all attachments-- at least until we find out whether the PowerPC is vulnerable to this form of attack. We wouldn't be surprised to hear that only high-clock-speed x86-based chips are affected, since they're already running hot and overtorqued. But any hacker technology that can actually change the molecular structure of a CPU is too dangerous to be ignored. Even if your G3 can't be detonated, it wouldn't be nice to pop open your suddenly-unbootable Mac and find that the processor's been replaced with a small lump of egg salad.
What we're hoping, of course, is that Macs are completely invulnerable to this form of attack, just as they're generally unaffected by many other email viruses that cause corporate America so many headaches. If that turns out to be the case, we anticipate a whole new direction for Apple's advertising: "Our computers may crash, but at least they don't explode." "Buy a Mac, or buy the farm." "That Gateway doesn't seem like such a great deal now, huh, dead boy?" The possibilities are endless.
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SceneLink (2205)
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 4/4/00 episode: April 4, 2000: Apple finally releases Mac OS 9.0.4-- er, what was it supposed to do, again? Meanwhile, a "Redmond Justice" settlement is still possible, though a fast-track ticket to the Supreme Court is more likely, and a new email virus can actually make your computer explode-- are Macs vulnerable?...
Other scenes from that episode: 2203: Same Ol' Same Ol' (4/4/00) It's here! It's here! After literally months of false starts and dashed hopes, Mac OS 9.0.4 is finally here! Remember back in early January, when Apple's first bug-fix update for Mac OS 9 was still going to be 9.0.1, and the buzz was that it was in "final candidate" stage?... 2204: Fast Track To Oblivion (4/4/00) Geez, everyone's always out to step on our buzz. As soon as we started doing our little happy dance about how the "Redmond Justice" conclusions of law virtually guaranteed that the show would be on the air for years to come, a plethora of articles suddenly appeared to remind us that, since the penalties have yet to be determined, a settlement is still technically possible...
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