Unpredictable. Unfocused. Just like life.

According to Information Week, anti-virus software vendor Sophos says there were 959 new viruses released on the Internet in May, a 2-1/2-year high. That's almost 31 viruses every day of the month. I'm not sure what is more astounding - that number, the fact that all of them can be researched and protected against, or that somebody can come up with that many unique names.

These numbers are always reported by anti-virus software companies who have a vested interest in convincing users that the virus threat is substantial and growing. Just how much can this information be believed? Having spent years in the software development business, it is amazing that these companies can analyze viruses and write code to patch them that quickly. It also saddens me that there is that much intelligence and creativity being wasted in the development of viruses, not to mention the time and economic cost to users and companies who are so negatively affected by them.