Yesterday I taught my boss how to use AIM.

She's working with some researchers in California, and a colleague had told her that AIM was a good way for quick communication.

Now, while I realize that a lot of people are using AIM for this kind of thing, in businesses and such, it's still primarily used for social purposes by college students and 13-year-olds who type in acronyms. And I think my boss was having trouble shaking this stigma.

It also didn't help that, despite being a leading expert on making computers efficient for people to use, she is very easily flustered by computers herself.

It didn't get any better when Chandler, one of our west coast colleagues, sent her an IM. His buddy icon is a picture of a small, weird monkey wearing large eyeglasses.

"Why is it asking me if I want to accept a 'buddy icon'?" she asked.

I explained that since Chandler was IMming her, it was trying to send her his buddy icon.

"What's a buddy icon?" she asked.

I explained that everyone can set their own little icon that other people see when they IM them.

A beat.

"Why is it a monkey?"