Microsoft's worm hunt, Britain's dental hygiene

Good day for good bait, Bad day for dentist-phobia

GOOD DAY FOR: Good bait, after Microsoft said it would give $250,000 to anyone who led investigators to the computer pirates behind a particularly virulent computer worm, called Conficker. The worm has infected millions of PCs, largely on corporate networks, making the computers vulnerable to attacks, although none has yet been launched. A Microsoft virus bounty in 2004 led to the arrest of a hacker in Germany. (CNN)

BAD DAY FOR: Dentist-phobia, after British consumer watchdog Which? reported that about three million Britons have tried some sort of self-dentistry, such as pulling out a tooth with pliers or a string around a doorknob, or gluing back in a crown or filling with household products. Which? extrapolated its results from an online survey of 2,631 adults, leading Britain’s Chief Dental Officer to call the findings “ludicrous.” (The Telegraph)

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