Death to worm writers

Writing on Slate, Steven E. Landsburg presents the economic argument for executing people who write computer worms. Yes, there is one:

Let's do the math. What do we get out of executing a murderer? Deterrence. A high-end estimate is that each execution deters about 10 murders. (The highest estimate I've ever seen is 24 murders deterred per execution, but the closest thing to a consensus estimate in the econometric literature is about eight.) That's 10 lives saved, with a value—again a high-end estimate—of about $10 million apiece. (The closet thing to a consensus estimate in the economics literature is about $7 million per life. I am rounding up.) So let's say the benefit of executing a murderer is roughly 10 times $10 million, or $100 million—and that's probably at the high end.

Compare that to the benefit of executing the author of a computer worm, virus, or Trojan. There seems to be no good name for such people, so I'll make one up—at least until some reader sends in a better suggestion, I'll call them "vermiscripters." It's estimated that vermiscripting and related activities cost the world about $50 billion a year. So if a single execution could deter just one-fifth of 1 percent of all vermiscripting for just one year, we'd gain the same $100-million benefit we earn by executing a killer. Anything over one-fifth of 1 percent, and any effects that last beyond the first year, are gravy.

Even if you don't buy Landsburg's tongue-in-cheek argument -- well, I'm pretty sure it's tongue-in-cheek -- you might be interested in his enlightening explanation of just how economists came up with those valuations for human life.

Top toilet touted

There's an award for everything. The one for America's nicest restroom goes to the Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisc., CNN reports. It's given out by Cintas Corp., described as a major provider of restroom hygiene services.

You are not just your data

SF Gate columnist Mark Morford offers a, um, rather intense "sanity check" for those worried about compromising their privacy when they take part in the online economy:

This is the gist. I have left an enormous e-trail of purchases and site visits and account data. My credit card number is lodged in a hundred different company servers, if not more. I have doubtlessly generated some sort of meta-profile somewhere that indicates which ads I'd like to see more of and which products might interest me and I'm probably the target of a thousand advertisers who think they can reach me in some significant or profound way.

But this is what gets lost in the morass of e-commerce and credit cards and alarmist privacy concerns: They cannot touch me. They cannot actually reach me in any significant manner, ever. I am protected and secure and absolutely, thoroughly immune, forever. And you know what? So are you.

No go on this nickname

Shanaaz Ismail, of South Africa, picked up the nickname "Nazi" as a baby and has used it for most of her 34 years. But when she put it on a personalized license plate, the complaints started rolling in.

Bomb threat unintentional

Yes, it's apparently possible to make an accidental bomb threat. A Florida man said he was busy playing the videogame Grand Theft Auto when he blurted out "There's a bomb in the building. There's a bomb in the building. Everyone needs to get out!" over the phone to a restaurant co-worker. Now he's in jail for making a false report about planting a bomb or explosive.

A self-finding golf ball

Here's an idea for how to get RFID technology into the hands of ordinary people: a golf ball that you'll never lose.

Office space shrinkage

If your office seems to be getting more cramped, it might not be your imagination. "From advertising agencies and law firms to insurers and industrial giants, the corporate work station is shrinking," the New York Times reports. Cost-saving isn't the only reason; experts say that equating spacious digs with status is on the outs.

Gaining on Google

The gap between Google and competing search engines is narrower than you might think, according to a new study that found Yahoo!, Ask Jeeves, MSN and Lycos returned results almost as good. CNN/Money has the details -- and notes that in that context, the famed simplicity of Google's interface may be a big selling point.

Meanwhile, SearchEngineWatch summarizes some recent findings on a little-studied topic: the behavior patterns of search-engine users.