Super-scientist Stephen Hawking says that mankind has less than 100 years to escape from the Earth. He has warned that artificial intelligence will soon take over.

Thanks for the tip, but I’ve got news for you, Steve. For some of us, it already has. My DVD player has been blinking since the first Bush administration. My home computer doesn’t compute because, after years of working and paying cable bills to Sprint and Verizon, it now says I am not connected to something or other. So I give up. Meantime, here’s a guest column from a federal computer expert who fears that she and her high-tech husband will wind up where others — like me and her parents — have already gone. She says:

“As I inch toward retirement from federal service, I wonder if, like my parents before me, I’ll soon cross over that invisible threshold into technical obsolescence. I’m certain you’ve seen older parents, grandparents or friends who struggle with computers and other modern tech.

My octogenarian father-in-law tries to keep up, but we’ve already had to bail him out more than once from self-inflicted system crashes. My husband is a computer systems engineer; his every visit to the folks is a busman’s holiday.

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My question is this: how do I avoid crossing over? How do I stay savvy, current and adept at using digital technology? Do I have to start virtual gaming or hang out in the world of Zelda? Do I have to upgrade my smartphone and PC every 2 years? I thought I was pretty “with-it”, until a recent occasion smacked me with a wakeup call.

One of my siblings messaged a photo of her PC screen last week, showing that she’d stumbled on the “Windows Defender” virus scam. This pernicious beast lies hidden in those annoying side-bar or bottom-of-the screen ads. The ad or article link seems legit, but one click activates a popup window and a browser hijacker. Suddenly you are presented with a dire warning: Windows Defender has detected malware/a virus/a Trojan/Zeus and your system is being hacked.

There’s usually a warning: “Do not shut down or reboot your system or your personal data will be compromised, including usernames, passwords and credit card information.” The popup provides a toll-free “Microsoft” support line (the use of which enables the scammers to reel you in like a carp). Scary stuff.

I assured my panicked sibling it was a hoax, and with input from hubby told her to do a hard shutdown by holding down her power key, then rebooting and running a virus scan. I lightly scolded her for falling victim to “clickbait” and mentally (and smugly) clucked my tongue. After all, I’d never fall for that particular scam.

A few days later I was reading a news article linked from a very reputable and widely used newsfeed (I won’t mention them by name but it rhymes with “bugle”). The source was a lower-tier online news provider, one that was heavily reliant on advertising. I must have inadvertently tapped the touchpad when scrolling down the page. Suddenly my screen “blew up” and presented me a full-page spread of adult content (pun intended), fronted by the now all-too-familiar Zeus virus warning. I knew what to do, so my (non-government-supplied) system was not compromised.

It left me wondering again, however, just how long it might be before I forget my training and let my technical skills lapse. With so much research, business, interfacing and commerce done online, I’m sure the day will come when my cyber age will show.”

—A. B

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