Control, Alt, Delete

Remember the commands; Ctrl, Alt, Delete? Yes it was a chance to restart your computer, restart your whole life or so it seemed when computers were so new and difficult to use. But now, alas, things are much simpler. Just hit the App with your favorite logo and bingo you have arrived.  Yes you have arrived all right.

Until you try to sign on to an old web site that you haven’t used in awhile.  It asks for your Username and password.  So you type it in and get a terse reply, usually in red, “sorry incorrect username or password, please try again.”  So you do and do it more slowly to be sure you don’t make a mistake.  Same response. “sorry…”.  Frustration starts to form.  You try again hitting the keys a little harder or if its on a cell phone you hold down a micro second longer making sure the keyboard understands.  Still a negative message arrives.  So you go through the process of getting a new password, and maybe even a new username, a new you as it were.

Success you think is now assured.  Ha Ha. Your Username has already been used and your password is too weak.  You must put an uppercase letter and one numeral in your password.  That wasn’t what it used to be.

And so it goes.

It makes it seem a joy to want to rid your life of such malevolent  impositions.  But, like an alcoholic or an addicted drug user you are hooked. It’s too hard to go on without submitting to the commands of the cyber boss. So you ask for help from a friendly geek you know or wait until the caffeine wears off and you try again.  Finally success arrives.

But then you read an article that says Facebook has let loose your identity to a Russian oligarch and a bit of fear strikes.  Will they empty my bank account? Kidnap my grand children, run up the bill on my credit cards? It takes a moment or two to catch your breath.  As you finish the article you feel a little safer but, who really knows.

Google now has more information about you than your mother ever did.  So does the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Just give them even the slightest hint that you made contact with someone from a foreign country and boom it’s up on an analyst’s screen.  This concerns you but you finally say to your self;  “What the hell”.

If your peace of mind has gone and you start looking over your shoulder when you walk in the Preserve, take your dog for a walk, or shop at Piblix instead of the much closer Winn Dixie, here’s your answer:

Hit the Ctrl, Alt, Delete buttons all at once on your computer and the rest of your life too and enjoy the respite from your subjugation to the silicon chip.

Ha ha.  But then your phone buzzes and your back to square one. “Is your health Insurance up to date, don’t hang up”, you hear. “Your vehicle needs an extended warranty to avoid high repair costs.”  Press 1 for an agent now!

And so you do the next best thing, pour a glass of wine.