I'm Afraid I Can't Do That, Dave

So, over the weekend I learned that my dad can't tell a screen saver from a virus. 


Maybe two years ago when he first got his laptop,  my sister and I amused ourselves over Christmas vacation by playing with the different settings and customizations. One thing I distinctly remember doing is entering "HAL 9000" as the text in the 3-D Text screen saver that comes with Windows. 


I'm not sure exactly how, but between then and now he's only noticed the screen saver twice. The first time it happened, I wasn't there. My mom was, though, and she remembers how he freaked out, ran a complete virus scan, and was super-nervous about hackers for a while. The second time it happened was on Friday, when he and I were messing with his router in a vain attempt to create a wi-fi signal so I could use my iPod Touch instead of his laptop to check my e-mail. Apparently our argument over how to hook things up lasted long enough for the screen saver to kick in. When he noticed it and started mumbling about how it must be that HAL 9000 virus again, I had a hard time controlling my laughter. Needless to say, he didn't find it very funny at all. 


Sigh. Good times.