Scariest Story of the Week So Far

So it turns out that file sharing might not just be bad because the Machine might sic their lawyers on you; you also might find your private information shared with the world. Consider what happened to this guy:

Don Bodiker uses a popular file sharing program to swap music and other information over the internet. He also uses his computer to prepare his taxes.

He never thought the two had anything to do with each other, until he got a call. "I had no idea who he was or what he was. I just thought he was a typical telemarketer," Bodiker said of the call. "And he wanted to inform me that my tax returns were being posted out on the internet. I was very skeptical but he then proceeded to tell me some very specific details about my tax return."

File sharing software allows you to download files stored in certain shared folders on other users' computers. The flipside is they can also download files from your shared folder. There's a folder on their computer the Bodikers use store the music files they wanted to share. What they didn't realize is that their tax return software saved their returns in the very same place.

--from WTOC-11, as quoted in Michelle Malkin, The Perils of P2P (Hat tip: InstaPundit)

Needless to say, Read the whole thing.

Incidentally, it worked out for this guy; he didn't lose any info...but still, it's a constant reminder to be careful when you do sensitive stuff like that on your computer.

Words from the wise: I was starting to get pretty overwhelmed this week with all the things I have to do and the lack of time in which to do them. Halfling gave me some much-needed perspective tonight, and I also found a good quote online about the virtues of taking a break every now and then:

If you ever wish you could have more time to get something done, just remember: if you did have more time, you wouldn't get more done. The extra time would melt away, and you'd be back feeling pressure to get it done in too little time. You might as well enjoy the free time and not moan about the things you didn't achieve. Idle moments at the dining table, talking about this and that, are much more your real life than all those grand accomplishments, achieved and unachieved.
--Ann Althouse, from her Sunday post (hat tip to Insty again)

I couldn't have said it better.