Holy Hannah, it's not really Friday the 13th, is it? Not that we're particularly superstitious here at the AtAT compound, mind you, but, you know, surviving an attack by an axe-wielding, hockey mask-wearing, nigh-unstoppable force of evil while employed as freewheeling strip Monopoly-playing camp counselors lo those many summers ago has made us a bit skittish. (Interesting note: we saw beneath that mask in our struggle to avoid dismemberment. It was Steve Ballmer. Aiiiieeeeeee!!!)

So anyway, yeah, we've come to associate this day with bad luck, negative karmic realignment, cosmically-inflicted evisceration-- call it what you will. Consequently, this is a day on which we traditionally avoid such fate-tempting activities as juggling live grenades, stuffing rabid wolverines down our pants, and-- riskiest of all-- completing big-ticket transactions over eBay. Don't get us wrong; we love eBay, but any system with an audience that big is going to attract at least a few bad eggs who are looking to rip you off on the purchase or sale of some easily-fenced Mac equipment.

Case in point: Eric Smith is a New Orleans college student who auctioned off his PowerBook with the intent of buying a new iBook with the proceeds. Lucky him-- he found a buyer in Chicago willing to pay $2900 for his TiBook, an AirPort Base Station, and other accessories. The only trouble was, "Steve Matthews" paid for the goodies COD with a forged cashier's check. D'oh! Suddenly Eric had a $3000 hole in his bank account just before Christmas, and-- more importantly-- no PowerBook. Oh, the depths to which some people will sink.

But if you're starting to get all depressed over the black moral state of the human condition, cheer up; this story has a happy ending. Sort of. See, Eric posted his tale of woe to the PowerPage, asking for people in Chicago to help him track down the guy who had scammed him out of three grand's worth of Mac gear. Well, the Mac community leapt to his aid, offering up any number of helpful suggestions, as well as heartwarming offers to beat the culprit senseless with a tire iron should his true identity ever be discovered.

Well, we don't want to ruin the whole rollicking tale of adventure and intrigue for you (which Eric has detailed on his own web page), so we'll just go ahead and spoil the ending. As faithful viewer Jailhouse Smythe reports, when they put their virtual heads together, PowerPage readers discovered that "Steve Matthews" was running a "massive counterfeiting scam" that had defrauded dozens of trusting eBayers; thanks to a pooling of resources and some serious 21st-century Hardy Boys action, Eric has reported to the PowerPage that the fiend was arrested yesterday. All's well that ends with the bad guy in stir.

Of course, that doesn't get Eric his PowerBook back, although the police are trying to recover it. But even if he never gets the goods or collects any damages, at least he can take a bit of solace in knowing that he put a scumbag behind bars-- the worst kind of scumbag, the kind that preys on the Mac community. The moral of the story? In Eric's own words: "When will criminals learn? You just shouldn't mess with Mac people." Amen to that. And can we just say that it's nice to know that Macfolk are willing to commit acts of violence and mayhem in support of their brethren? Now we know who to call the next time Steve "Jason" Ballmer starts sniffing around here with a machete.