Ol’ Dutch is probably Fan #1 when it comes to the Internet. It's so nice to be able to access any type of information I want – or need – at my fingertips. And the smartphones enable us to carry that access around with us night and day, never being without something we need to know. 

Way back in the day, Ol’ Dutch used to go to the library at school to read the encyclopedia. I know, sounds boring, but there was a world out there beyond the four walls of that school and I loved to read about it. Fast forward to today and I can look at things all over the entire planet without ever leaving my recliner. Which is exactly how I like it. 

I have already told you all how I like to peruse the Internet for things to buy that we need for the farm but I also can spend countless hours watching videos of everything from history to news stories, to UFO’s to Bigfoot. And speaking of Bigfoot, someone contacted me about the time Ol’ Dutch and Miss Trixie saw Bigfoot in Creede, Colorado and about which I wrote a column. 

The man that contacted me had done a Google search on Bigfoot and my story came up just because of the keyword “Bigfoot” in the title. He was disappointed to hear that we saw the hairy creature exit the music store up there carrying a banjo – you can't make this stuff up – and it took some convincing to get him to finally “see the light.” It's a great story and if you have not read it feel free to email me and I can forward it to you. 

But what it does show us is the power of the search engines online and how any information is all tied together and will pop up whenever we ask for it. 

With the growing use of online services, the demand for bigger and faster servers to carry all that bandwidth is exploding. We all want fast phones, streaming services, home computers, appliances tied into the web, cars that give us GPS, photo storage and the list goes on and on and on. 

Those of you that remember dial up Internet and how it used to take long waits for information to be found really appreciate just exactly how fast it is now. 

Jerry Clower the famous Southern comedian once said, “too much of anything ain't good.” And he was right. No matter how good something is, too much is well, just too much. Too much food, too much exercise, too much work, too much family, or too much sex, ain't all good. Well, maybe not that last one but you get my drift.  

So, the vastness of the Internet and its capabilities has come with a price. Scams. Like anything good, man will find a way to corrupt it given enough time and the Internet is no different.  

I am sure you all recall getting the emails from the African Prince who wanted to give you money? And that worked because just as P.T. Barnum said, “there is a fool born every minute and someone waiting to take his money,” So people fell for it enmasse.  

Of course, scams are a lot more sophisticated now and just this past week Miss Trixie, her gorgeous self, was hacked in her Linkedin account. For those of you unfamiliar with that platform, it's primarily used as a place to post your talents, job experiences etc where you can network with others seeking your expertise.  

Poor Miss Trixie spent most of the night changing passwords and repairing damage this hacker had done to her account. And Ol’ Dutch supported her all night too by snuggling deep in the down comforter in our king size bed snoring away. I know. I am good like that.  

Ol’ Dutch also had a few hackers attempting to get into my accounts and they were from Dubai, Thailand, Singapore, Somalia and Mozambique.  They are persistent, for sure.  

The one thing the experience taught me is the scammers must really be bored if they think impersonating Ol’ Dutch is a good use of their time. I mean, I am pretty much one of a kind and hence impossible to copy. To which Miss Trixie just said, “thank God.” 

Kevin Kirkpatrick spends his days fishing, hunting, ATVing, hiking or making people laugh. His email is Kevin@TroutRepublic.com. Additional news can be found at www.troutrepublic.com or on Twitter at TroutRepublic.