The Good Times Virus is a hoax. It is virus-like only in the sense that the rumor spreads through a population of e-mail readers, fades into the background, and then comes back to spread again, aided by the sincere efforts of people to warn others. More recently, in fall 1996, several similar hoaxes have appeared under the names "Deeyenda" and "Penpal Greetings." The common element is the claim that the very act of reading e-mail can unleash a virulent infection. It can't.