Cyber Defense

Regrettably and reluctantly, I have enabled the spam-blocking word verification option on both Tao 61s. It's become too humbug to keep deleting the amusing but annoying and irrelevant comments in--and by--Chinese characters.

It seems the verification program uses the same technique as naming pharmaceuticals, to come up with "words" like SYCHI, PILEEZ, TYPERACK, CHOMYT and JUTSY, not far from ONGLYZA, a new diabetes drug I just heard an ad for. (I kinda like "TYPERACK," maybe something to alleviate smoker's cough suffered by writers.)

So, in a gesture meant to protect my readers, or myself, from inadvertently launching a Chinese porn site or a virus distributor, I humbly transfer my amusement at the comments to my readers, who I hope find the verification words as entertaining as the comments.

In this action, I am visualizing myself as the elegant swordswoman I saw in May in Suzhou, taking down a hacker by the city wall. Less cyber than saber defense. Actually, this woman was being photographed with a young man, we thought for wedding photos, possibly for advertising. The "hacker" was doing a light-reading on the wet stones.

I asked my guide, "Is she pretty?"

"Only with makeup," she replied, with a little disdain. Well, I thought the sword added an edgy quality to her look. I'd like to arrive at a business meeting done up like this.

Her companion, my guide said, was also unattractive; too short and eyes too small. I thought he was kinda hot. I hope the paid photographer did not include the row of public porta-squatty-potties I unthinkingly captured in the background. If the photos were bad, I wouldn't want these clients coming after me.

Saying "Qi" (or, possibly, "Sha!"**)

** "Sha," I have learned from excessive indulgence in martial arts movies, means "Kill!"