8 Resolutions for 2008

The first ever New Years Resolution was supposedly made in 153 BC by the
mythical King Janus of early Rome. Janus had two faces, one on the front of his
head and one on the back. He could thus look both backward and forward at the
same time. At midnight on December 31, the Romans imagined Janus looking back at
the old year and forward to the new.

The first New Year Resolution that Janus supposedly made was that he would
focus more on the year ahead, than on the year gone by. But like most new year
resolutions, Janus probably didnt fulfill it, since he couldnt keep the eyes
at the back of his head closed forever.

In any case, the ancient Romans began a tradition of exchanging gifts on New
Years Eve by giving one another branches from sacred trees for good fortune.
Later, nuts or coins imprinted with the image of Janus became more common New
Years gifts.

So much for legend. As we start a brand new year, I thought it would be an
opportune time to lay down 8 New Year Resolutionsthat spell Fortunes for
2008:

Raju Chellam

• Firewall: I will henceforth remember to turn off my PDAs and notebooks
  Wi-Fi adapter when Im on the road or not using Wi-Fi. This move will not
  allow my PDA or notebook to connect to a malicious hotspot and risk get
  hijacked or hacked into, which has happened to me before. Moreover, it will
  also extend my laptops battery life.
• Organize: I will organize all my data files into logical folders, both on
  my notebook PC as well as on the server. As of now, I have a huge number of
  data files and downloaded attachments staring at me on the desktopand dozens
  of junk files in my Temporary folder.
• Redundancy: I will ensure that I back up all my data and programs
  regularly, both at home and in the office. I will attempt to have at least
  100% redundancy. Since the cost of external hard disk drives has fallen
  drastically, I will resolve to have 200% redundancy of my critical data, which
  I will back up at least once every week.
• Tuneup: I will make it a point to tuneup my personal and professional
  notebooks by running Adaware to check for any spyware every morning when I log
  on to my account, emptying my browser cache every time I have accessed my bank
  account, running DiskClean every night before logging off, and Defragmenting
  my files every weekend.
• Update: I will not only turn on the automatic update feature on Windows
  and Office, but will also run live updates every morning to download the
  latest virus signatures. I will update my spam filter. Every weekend I will
  update the whitelist and blacklist websites that my browser can or cannot
  accept, and read all security updates that are flagged to me.
• Network: I will never assume that I am alone on my computer network,
  either on Wi-Fi or LAN or WAN. Experience tells me that there are smarter guys
  than me who can crack my Wi-Fi encryption, my WEP encryption, and even my MAC
  address.
• Encrypt: I will use a data encryption program to send secure emails to
  anyone working in a bank, or government, or a corporation, or anybody where a
  data breach could implicate me.
• Share: Finally, I will attempt to share more of my wealth, good fortune
  and benevolence bestowed by fate, with those whore less fortunate than me. I
  will paste Mahatma Gandhis Seven Sins on my desktop where I can see it every
  day: Wealth without work. Pleasure without conscience. Knowledge without
  character. Commerce without morality. Science without humanity. Worship
  without sacrifice. And politics without principle.

And on that spiritual note, heres wishing all DQ readers a safe, secure,
sparkling, sunny and successful 2008.