Trust in Microsoft
            

            That new scrolling investment ticker at the top of Moneybox has not been a
universal hit. Personally, I like it (although I can't figure out why it runs
on my desktop but not my laptop--presumably that has something to do with the
browsers I'm using on the two machines). But some of you find it intrusive, and
others are bothered by the perpetual pop-up box asking whether you want to
install Microsoft Investor Ticker.*

            I can understand why you'd like that box to go away once and for all--our
crack techies are working on a solution to the problem, but as they say, it's
not trivial--but before you do, recognize that the copy in that pop-up box is
absolutely remarkable. Here's how it read when I installed the ticker:

            "Do you want to install and run Microsoft Investor Ticker signed on 11/4/99
9:23 PM and distributed by Microsoft Corporation?

            "Publisher authenticity verified by VeriSign Commercial Software Publishers
CA."

            "Caution: Microsoft Corporation asserts that this content is safe. You
should install/view this content if you trust Microsoft Corporation to make
that assertion."

            Then comes the kicker at the bottom, with a little box you can check to
assent to the following statement:

            "Always trust content from Microsoft Corporation."

            Always? God only knows what Judge Jackson will make of this.

            * The Microsoft Investor Ticker is available only for users of Internet
Explorer 4.0 or 5.0.