The year 1965 brought us some wonderful things, like AstroTurf. But it also brought us the movie "The Human Duplicators", a movie similar in ambition to the block of cheese you've left in the fridge a few months too long.

Starring Richard Kiel (James Bond's nemesis "Jaws") and Hugh Beaumont (The dad in "My Three Sons"), the plot is the usual alien-scientist-making-clones-for-world-domination.

But "The Human Duplicators" lost its focus. It didn't realize you can't just clone things willy-nilly: When cloning, take the best parts from the original, make something new, then improve on your clone to make something better than the original. See the cloned dinosaurs in "Jurassic Park" or the superhuman ninjas in "American Ninja 2" as examples.

The world of free instant messaging software is full of clones. Though all messenger packages do pretty much the same thing – allow real-time chats and file sharing between you and your buddies - some are far better than others. It's fine to use a clone. Just make sure it resembles a T-Rex, not a dodo.

Don't limit yourself to Yahoo Instant Messenger, Microsoft Messenger, Google Talk or others. It's annoying when you have to use multiple programs to talk to friends who use different instant messaging software.

Two excellent, free, instant messaging clients are Trillian (http://www.ceruleanstudios.com) and Gaim (http://gaim.sourceforge.net). The best for you depends on your preferences and situation.

Connect to everyone

Both programs are "multi-protocol". You can use a single program to connect to all account types: Have it manage your connections with friends on AOL, Yahoo, Microsoft and others. Both programs are ad-free and easy to set up.

Extendable

Trillian and Gaim have "plugins". These files give you features beyond the standard program. Spellcheck your text, display local weather or get immediate package shipping information. Gaim plugins are free. Trillian plugins are only available in the $25 "Pro" version of the software.

Good visuals

Be flashy and fun, or streamlined and simple. Trillian has a snazzy interface, but is also a little slower. Gaim has a cleaner, but less impressive, interface. Both programs can be customized further with "skins". Skins let you customize the look and feel to your own preferred backgrounds, colors and other visuals.

Quirks

Gaim doesn't remember Away or Invisible statuses between sessions. You may have to reset your availability status every time you launch the program. Trillian remembers your status settings between uses.

Gaim is for Windows, Unix, Linux, and MacOS. Trillian is for Windows PCs only.

Trillian supports multiple users sharing one machine. Gaim is designed for only one user.

The antagonist in "The Human Duplicators" arrives on Earth in what looks like a flying Christmas ornament, the scientists do their duplicating work in a literal dungeon (complete with jail cell), and clones come out of the cloning process with the same hairstyle as their original. The movie had a skewed attention to detail. But with so many choices for us, it's an important skill. Look closely, and you can tell the clones apart.