Someone reported the confiscation of a 1.6 gig hard drive.  It is as I have
feared it would be.  The movement is growing.  But let me tell my tale from
the beginning so as not to confuse.
 
Long ago in our computer business we noticed parts missing.  Sticky fingered
employees?  Inability to count?  It couldn't be determined (though we did
for the most part rule out the sticky fingered employee theory....as we
don't have any...employees I mean).  The quandry went on.  Where were all
the parts going?  Then the culprits got a little lazy I guess.  To confident
in their abilities.  Our first clue to the true culprits of this mysterious
case was a 486DX2 66 CPU moving across the floor(bubble wrap and all) in the
mouth of a ferret.  Oh we laughed at this antic.  Ferrets are so comical and
cute.  But of course we quickly took back the CPU (they were very expensive
back then) still laughing at our "cute" little darlings wanting to help
daddy build the computers.  If only we had known.
 
The next incident was not long to follow.  UPS showed up one day with their
typical assortment of boxes.  Being the good (and knowing the distributors)
worker that I am, I opened the boxes immediately to make sure everything was
there.  Yep it was, hard drives abounded, floppy drives where everywhere,
lovely green IO cards were nestled in their wrappings.  It was a good day.
Off I went to enter the invoices into the computer, returning soon to place
our new goodies into stock, when what did I see?!  A ferret coming out of a
box with a floppy drive in his mouth.  Of course at this point it was still
funny and chuckles about the ferret super computer had just begun.
 
Needless to say, many parts later the chuckles are a little forced and the
mythical super computer is only whispered about.  Imagine the heart stopping
fear that raced through my body when I found out there was a "Ferret
Central" and a "Legion of Super Ferrets".  I was afraid to go there, knowing
what I would find.  Frightened, yet driven, I approached it slowly and was
much relieved when I found them to be human internet contact points, not
ferret contact points.  I laughed at my silly self for even thinking what I
was thinking about our sweet innocent ferrets.  Life went on and the parts
kept disappearing.  Then one day as I sat at my computer one of my sweet
babies danced across the keyboard and a game was started (oh the fun we had
back then).  Going back to my work when the game was ended, my fingers were
stilled before they even touched the keys.  Typed on my screen was my name.
Nothing else, no garbage, just my name.  The fear settled over me with a
cold chill(okay so I'll never make it as a suspense writer) and I knew that
the myths and fears were all reality.  There IS a super computer somewhere
hidden in my house after all.  The electric bills have gone up, the parts
still come up missing.  But I pacified myself that at least they had no
outside contact.  Now I fear I am wrong.  Your 1.6 gig missing is only the
beginning.  Don't do as I did and pass it all off as a cute incident.  I
think we must all admit to ourselves that the words "Ferret Central" and
"Legion of Super Ferrets" will soon hold totally different meanings.
 
Excuse me for a moment....there is someone at the door
 
        "Excuse me!....What do you mean where do I want the T1 line?!"
[Posted in FML issue 1442]