Back at Acme Labs two little mice busily scheme and plot "to take over the world."

"Are you pondering what I'm pondering, Pinky?" says Brain.

"I think so, Brain," replies Pinky, "but this time, you get to saddle up the ostrich."

"No, Pinky, we shall lure all these people to the World Wide Web, then hypnotize and re-program them." With that, Brain scrambles off and makes elaborate notes on how to pull off this almost perfect plan. 

The Internet…the World Wide Web…those words must have struck a chord in the minds of mice and men. W-O-R-L-D W-I-D-E. "Hmmmm," they mused and planned, well Brian did anyway, Cranky – oh sorry, Pinky seems to be along for the ride. 

An off-the-wall scenario? Are you…sure? Saturday morning cartoons have nothing on reality. At least Brain planned ahead.

There was a time when software was created and extensively tested before ever hitting the market. "Bugs" were almost unheard of. But technology races ahead at the speed of light now, and being "first" has taken priority over being "best." Today, our wide assortment of software that isn't always functional in it's original form. And so, the industry has invented "patches" for these bugs to make the stuff work like it was intended to in the first place. 

And since the speed limits have all but been erased, and "patches" have been added to the corporate version of Webster's dictionary, we've been spoon fed a steady diet of 'all-you-need-is-our stuff' programming. Hey, it's easy. First they get us used to incomplete software, then we become hypnotized to the process of being patched and re-programmed. Someone saw an open "Windows," and found a way to put one in virtually every computer --and it comes with patches, too. 

Oh, what a tangled web we weave. Now the Web itself has eyes. They can peer into our hard drives, selecting out the information of choice as we sit in our underwear, surfing the Net in ignorant bliss. They can infect our files with sophisticated viruses, even plant subliminal messages if they want to. With hidden eyes they can already track our system "fingerprint" every time we visit a site . And if you read the news, you've surely been aware that there's at least one person out there trying to make sure his company's products are a part of every household, every school, every library, every system -- at any cost -- and with total disregard to how we may feel about it. Are you scared yet? 

No, I'm not totally berserk. Perhaps just half a bubble off plumb. The scenario I painted used extreme colors. But even put in the proper perspective for today's reality, I feel a sense of forboding. It's important to be aware of what happens around us, and not simply throw all caution to the wind. 

Watching characters on a television screen act this way in a Saturday morning cartoon is immensely amusing. But how entertaining is the real life version? What if we wake up to discover that and slowly, sublimely unnoticed, our choices have vanished, and we're left with one provider, one set of programming…and an ostrich parked in every garage… 

"Are you pondering what I'm pondering Cranky?" 

"I think so Brain."