Internet Problems

I was having some Internet problems last night, constantly being disconnected, and now I know why:

TOKYO - A computer virus “worm” triggered worldwide Internet trouble earlier in the day, Internet security companies said Saturday. According to F-Secure Corp, a Finland-based company, problems such as slow access occurred as the virus randomly sent out massive amounts of data in a bid to infect targets.

As a result, five of 13 computers called “root servers” located in countries including Japan and the United States received the most serious damage, it said.

The worm has been given several names including “SQL Slammer.”

The Internet trouble hit Japan and other Asian countries on Saturday and lasted about 12 hours but gradually tapered off.

Category: General

Responses:

I should patch my PC when I get home tonight. :)
You’re lucky, Mac users always just see this stuff pass by. :)

03.01.27 16:48
Posted by Patrick
Yeah, I have to say that Mac users are pretty lucky for that. I’ve been a Mac user for close to 2 years now, and I’ve never had a virus on my computer, and have never done any virus checks. The only problems are when whole networks are affected.

03.01.27 20:49
Posted by Jean
- I’ve never had a virus on my computer
- and have never done any virus checks

Now perhaps these two statements have something to do with each other. ;) :)

03.01.27 22:01
Posted by Patrick
Well, I’ve never had a problem with my computer, so I don’t think I’ve gotten any viruses. It’s usually after your computer totally fucks up because of virus that you start doing regular scans of your computer.

03.01.28 20:37
Posted by Jean

Reply:

Jean Snow lives and breathes design and pop culture in Tokyo -- sustained by an unhealthy addiction to magazines and frequent visits to his favorites cafes. He has reported on these obsessions for the following online/offline publications: Time, Inside (Australian Design Review), Gizmodo, Gridskipper, Kotaku, Tokyo Q, Superfuture, OK Fred, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, I.D. (International Design), Metropolis, Azure, MoCo Loco, Kateigaho International Edition, Game|Life, and The Japan Times. He also manages the gallery space at Cafe Pause.

The Superfuture Superguides are a series of PDF travel guides to some of your favorites cities, updated monthly, and obsessively compiling the best places to shop, eat, and drink. The Tokyo guide is edited by Jean Snow.

Jean Snow is the design/culture editor at Neojaponisme, a web journal covering social and cultural aspects of Japan. Read the manifesto, by founder and chief editor W. David Marx, here.

PauseTalk is a regular series of events that take place at Cafe Pause on the first Monday of every month, with a start time of 20:00. The idea is to create a forum where Tokyo-based creatives can get together and discuss their own projects, as well as cultural currents of the city. The next edition happens May 12.