It's a dangerous world we live in. In the old days the villains could be easily spotted; they wore black. Now, the bad guys invade our homes and bring us viruses or steal our identities through a cable or phone line. Perhaps we should board-up our windows, build tall fences, cut the phone lines and shoot strangers on site! Maybe not. I think it's time for some perspective.

In 1790, half of all Americans were under age 16 and the average person did not live to see their 30's. By 1900, lifespan in the United States grew to 49. In 2000, world-wide average life span was 66. Today the average American can expect to live more than 77 years! It is technology that directly made this happen. Advances in medicine, food production, electricity, transportation, communication, and, don't forget, air conditioning (its 100 degrees outside in Texas as I write this), have contributed to our longevity.

Our technology is creating roads, cars, cell phones, seatbelts, helmets, longer life and unfortunately crowded cities and dangerous highways. Now is NOT the time for you to get Internet-phobia, unless you enjoy the traffic in downtown Dallas or Los Angeles in your climate-controlled, GPS equipped, anti-lock breaking, front-radar, air-bag, surround-sound, $3 per gallon, stuck-in-a-traffic-jam vehicle.

The internet now allows you to research and shop from home. Access to information and choices are almost beyond imagination. From the comfort and security of your home computer, boxers and a tee-shirt, you can look up specifications on almost any product on the market. You can read reviews from others that have bought, compare alternatives and locate the nearest servicing-dealer that has one (tractor, mower, chainsaw... ) in stock. If you need parts, you can view online diagrams, select the part, enter your credit card and have it shipped right to your front door. Is the internet a way to get stuff cheap? Maybe. More importantly, it is a high-value tool that saves your time. Remember the old phone company saying; "let your fingers do the walking"? The internet takes that to a whole new level.

Just as we have had to add seat-belts and air-bags to our cars for security, we also have to learn safety rules when using the internet to keep from getting scammed or being a victim of identity theft. I potentially had my identity stolen as a student at the University of Texas. Someone tunneled into their database and copied student files. So, regardless of you choosing to use the internet or not, you could be a victim of modern criminals. Guess where the best place is to find out how to protect yourself from identity theft... the internet. By the way, I think the bad guys only wore black in the movies.