I apparently have demons residing in this box.

They’re not the same kind of deadly creatures that cratered my computer the night before Easter, which thankfully were hunted down and vanquished by my friend Craig. No, these are the hobgoblins that spawn endless pop-ups, even when one does not click on anything. In fact, I have found that if I walk away from the computer for a few hours, I come back to find it hopelessly clogged with pop-ups, many of which are primed to download some crap if I click anything other than the word “NO.” These annoying cyber-vermin also launch a Lycos search where my bookmarks normally appear each time I do a Google search.

Between that and the comment spam (more on this hateful phenomenon another time), I have just about lost my patience. I run Ad Aware (the free version) every night, and each night it finds a dozen or so new cyber turds in my computer, which I dutifully zap, but the nasty ones escape detection.

If I am not too tired later, I am going to download “Spy Sweeper,” as that seems to be pretty good stuff, at least according to the reviews. The part I like the best is that, according to the review, “after one quick download automatic installation begins.” We’ll farookin’ see.

Speaking of pop-ups, one wonders if the New York Times knows that every time one opens its web page, the reader is treated to a pop-up ad pitching, not penis pills but rather big companies like “American Express.” I wonder whether the Times or American Express seriously thinks that this is a way to foster goodwill.