There might yet be a silver lining to the economic downturn being reported nationally, at least as far as parents are concerned: teens are learning to be thrifty — and liking it.
Facing the likelihood of $4 to $5 gallon gas this summer and fewer employment opportunities, teenagers are curbing their propensity to buy $100 jeans and $60 shirts in favor of bargains, with the Associated Press recently reporting that secondhand clothing chains have experienced booming business among teens and their parents looking to buy brand names for less while “stalwart retailers of teen apparel” have taken a hit.
“It is way cooler to get a super deal on that shirt rather than being able to spend the most money on something,” Anna D’Agrosa, director of Consumer Insights at The Zandl Group, told the AP. “Kids are becoming really aware of what is happening to their economy and to their families.”
As part of this growing trend of frugality, Ellegirl.com, a teen-focused brand of Elle magazine, has even launched a video feature called “Self-Made Girl,” teaching viewers how to make their own clothes and accessories, the AP reported.
Of course, 30 years from now, today’s teens will recollect this period of penny-pinching for their own child-rearing benefit: “Back when I was your age, I had to make my own prom dress using Webcast instructions,” they’ll tell their offspring. “We didn’t have extra money lying around for trips to the movie theater; we stayed home Friday nights watching high-definition DVDs on our 50-inch plasma wide-screens.”
Parenting, like the economy, is cyclical.
Misuse of malware — is there any other kind?
It appears computer hackers DO respect intellectual property rights — at least when it comes to their own work.
California-based Symantec Corp., a leader in IT risk management, recently blogged about discovering a virus software suite with a licensing agreement that “promises penalties for redistributing the malicious code without permission,” according to the Associated Press.
The software in question is used to hijack computers, controlling them remotely, to create a network of “zombie machines,” according to the AP.
Under the agreement, violators face being reported to antivirus companies by the virus writers themselves, who would offer information on how to take apart the zombie network so that violators could not cash in on the illegal use of the illegal software. It appears to be an empty threat, however, as the virus writers would end up giving away their own trade secrets in the process.
“We know they can’t actually enforce it, and they probably wouldn’t try,” Zulfikar Ramzan, senior principal security research with Symantec, told the AP. “What’s funny is they put more effort into their EULA (end-user license agreement) than traditional software companies might.”
The hackers will just have to hope that the old proverb is right, that “there is honor among thieves.”
— Kimberly Hilden, SCBJ Assistant Editor
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
