A Gnu Year

TOF has purchased a new computer, one that actually boots up without any back-talk or hesitation, one whose keyboard evinces no reluctance to express the space bar, one which does not freeze over the display of moving images.

Unfortunately, it does exhibit an inordinately large number of warnings regarding threats to its integrity, and when these warnings are dealt with, they reappear on the instant. TOF tries to SKIP and to DEBUG AND RESTART, all to no apparent effect. Is this due to Kaspersky replacing Norton? Was TOF sold an inferior warden by agents of the KGB? And what is with all these REGISTER NOW invitations. TOF was never before so popular. As Homer once wrote:

As Herakles did the many-headed hydra fight
And the son of Acoetes among the serpents writhe
So too does TOF war upon dread adware wage

 Also the keyboard spacing differs from that to which the TOFian fingers are accustomed, resulting in sundry misspellings of a manic nature as the muscles must now learn new memories.

Also, TOF must fall to considering as he contemplates how to get all his browsing bookmarks -- and there are more than a few -- from the old machine, which we will call Grumpy after its disposition -- to the new one, which is called Asus by its maker. Pronounced ay-SOOS, somewhat as the Spanish pronounce the name of Jesus.

His musical files and photographs also languish behind. Mr. Backup Drive did not evidently back everything up.

In any case all of TOF's skiffian works are now in their new home and yesterday marked the first new fintertaps on those paragons of Western literature since the onset of Christmastide.