You know how I'm always including only 3 links for each "Life" post? I'm going to go out of my way to break that habit today. Ready? OK, here we go.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team and the Department of Homeland Security recently recommended against using Microsoft Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer is woefully broken. It doesn't support Internet standards properly. It introduces vulnerability after costly vulnerability into your system. And though you may not be able to get rid of it (because it's so dreadfully entangled into the Microsoft Windows operating system), you must stop using it.

This time around, Internet Explorer has been exploited so that software hailing from Russia is silently installed on your computer. Not only does it then log all of your keystrokes --- such as passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal and private information --- it also watches for banking transactions. Does your bank use encryption over the web? HA! Joke's on you, buddy. Internet Explorer lets this invisible software step just into the space where the information hasn't yet been encrypted before it leaves, and after it's been decrypted when it arrives. Your information is plainly visible and being monitored.

I'm emotionally ravaged about this. Please, for your sake. Please, for your family's sake. Please, for my sake! Stop using Microsoft Internet Explorer. Go download Mozilla Firefox. Please.