Virus Valentine

Add your Windows-based computer to the list of love-sick beings this Monday. Italian artist Luca Bertini has introduced a pair of separate lover 'virii'--Yazna and ++--which each enter a computer via a Visual Basic Script attachment and search for each other. The title of the project is Vi-Con, which is the error message displayed on Italian T9 mobile phones when 'Ti Amo' [translation: I Love You] is attempted as a text message. Unlike most computer viruses, Yazna (female) and ++ (male) are illogical and harmless; but like many lovers, they engage in elaborately telegraphed head-games. One minute ++ is laying in wait for Yazna in the Temporary Files folder and, of course, the first thing Yazna does when she gets to the host computer is look for ++, who may have already fled via the contacts in your Microsoft Outlook Address Book. While the signs of the coded foreplay are subtle, if you find a mysterious text file stating 'I layed on your computer,' you need not suspect your roommate of decoding your password. - Sara Greenberger