Ewe. Really? That is so gross!

I think it's something we've all done at least a few times: take a break from pulling weeds or mowing the lawn to take a nice big slurp of cold water, straight from the hose. Well, as it turns out, that probably wasn't such a good idea. Most garden hoses are made from PVC, which contains lead as a stabilizer. Lead can leach out into the water, and, bammo, you're drinking water that has 10 to 100 times the acceptable amount of lead in it.  Plus bugs, don’t forget about the bugs.But, we all did it, and did not think twice about doing it.Drinking water from the kitchen faucet, a water fountain in school, even from the garden faucet at the park after playing, was a very safe thing to do.  But alas, epidemics of water-borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, cryptosporidiosis, E. coli infection, etc. hit the news and water awareness rose to a higher level.  We never drank water from the faucet again.  This gave rise to bottled water as an alternative.  Suddenly, having water dispensers and buying from the neighborhood water station became the standard practice in almost every home.   
Now that green living and self-sustainability have become the new standards for living, more and more people in the US  question the environmental friendliness of bottled water.   Environmentalists estimate that  29 billion plastic bottles are manufactured in the US every year and this requires more than 17 million barrels of crude oil –- enough to fuel 100,000 cars for a year.  Producing 29 billion plastic bottles also contributes to an additional 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide produced –- something we can do without.  Thankfully, there is a move to shift the water habits in the US and hopefully, the rest of the world.  

We had no idea what was in the water we were drinking, and we did not care enough to worry about it.  When was the last time you just went into the kitchen, turned on the faucet, and let the water run?  Putting your finger in the water stream, waiting for it to get cold, and then filling a glass to drink?  If you knew about all of the “junk and gunk” in that water you were drinking, you would feel sick.

Is this not what we have done with our computers? Just a few years ago, the magic of personal computers changed the way that we work, live and play.  It was in the 80’s that using a PC was starting to change lives. The concept of using a computer in the home, or in the small office was a game changer; similar to having running water in your home.Guess what?  If you knew what was really (really) going on inside your computer, you would say “Ewe! Really?  That’s so gross!” 

Do not drink water from a garden hose.  Do not drink water directly from your kitchen faucet.  

And - do not use “free” virus protection, malware protection, anti-spam tools or use free defragmentation tools, or use anything else that you got for “free” off the Internet, or that came for free with your new computer. Spend a few bucks here to protect yourself, trust me on this one. This is not the time or place to think that "free" is good enough. There is a reason why these oh so very important "tools" came free with your computer. Ewe. Free? Really? That is so gross....