Let me warn you right now: There's no known cure. Soon your eyes will be squinty and red from trying to interpret indecipherable squiggles of 19th-century handwriting. Your right arm will begin to be more muscular than your left, the result of cranking reels of microfilm in search of clues about your ancestors. Your mouse-clicking hand will start to develop a cramp and assume a permanent claw-like shape. You may find yourself taking what other family members consider an unhealthy interest in cemeteries and tombstones.

You've caught the genealogy bug. The good news is: Although you're suddenly spending a lot of time thinking about dead people, it's not fatal.

It is catching, though. According to American Demographics magazine, genealogy is America's fastest-growing hobby. Depending on what source you believe (and family historians know all about conflicting sources!), genealogy is the nation's second or third most popular leisure activity. It's the second most frequently found topic on the Internet.