Creative spam
Spammers can certainly be as creative as they can be annoying. With MailWasher, I am bouncing and deleting an average of 30 messages a day, probably twice that on weekends. I am assuming that those weekend spammers have real jobs during the week. :-) I received an email in my box today, but before I had MailWasher bounce it, I caught the name: [EMAIL PROTECTED] You gotta love that! Also, I have noticed that as soon as I register a domain name, two or three days later I am getting spam sent to generic names at that domain name. I can control that somewhat by turning off the email "catch all", but I did get some to the administrative address, which means that they are harvesting email addresses from the Whois database. How annoying! For those of you not familiar with the "Abby Normal" reference, it is from Young Frankenstein, another really bad movie that you love to watch! (DVD available at Wal-Mart for $9.00!) >From the IMDB quote page Dr. Friedrich von Frankenstein: Igor, would you mind telling me whose brain I did put in? Igor: And you won't be angry? Dr. Friedrich von Frankenstein: I will NOT be angry. Igor: Abby someone. Dr. Friedrich von Frankenstein: Abby someone. Abby who? Igor: Abby Normal. Dr. Friedrich von Frankenstein: Abby Normal? Igor: I'm almost sure that was the name. Dr. Friedrich von Frankenstein: Do you mean to tell me that I put an abnormal brain into an, 8 foot tall, 300 pound, gorilla? ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Creative spam
Gary Nunn wrote: > > Spammers can certainly be as creative as they can be annoying. > > With MailWasher, I am bouncing and deleting an average of 30 messages a > day, probably twice that on weekends. I am assuming that those weekend > spammers have real jobs during the week. :-) Actually, I get *less* spam on Saturdays and Sundays than during the week. (I've been keeping a tally for over 3 months now, to check for trends such as this one.) Unfortunately, neither of the outgoing mail servers I use will relay bounces back to the senders. :( So about all I can do is delete all the friggin' stuff. But it takes a lot less time than downloading and deleting. > Also, I have noticed that as soon as I register a domain name, two or > three days later I am getting spam sent to generic names at that domain > name. I can control that somewhat by turning off the email "catch all", > but I did get some to the administrative address, which means that they > are harvesting email addresses from the Whois database. How annoying! Yeah. I got a message bounced back to me by some hypervigilant spam-blocker indicating that our domain had been used for that sort of thing, which really pisses me off. If the spam-blocking services would do something like "mail from domain X is invalid unless it goes through mail server Y, in which case it's legitimate", that would be nice. If they *are* doing that, then maybe I should contact them and see what we can do so that *my* legit mail gets through to the people I need it to get to, while the crap that has nothing to do with us gets killed. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Creative spam
--- Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Gary Nunn wrote: > > > > Spammers can certainly be as creative as they can be annoying. > > > > With MailWasher, I am bouncing and deleting an average of 30 messages a > > day, probably twice that on weekends. I am assuming that those weekend > > spammers have real jobs during the week. :-) > > Actually, I get *less* spam on Saturdays and Sundays than during the > week. (I've been keeping a tally for over 3 months now, to check for > trends such as this one.) > > Unfortunately, neither of the outgoing mail servers I use will relay > bounces back to the senders. :( So about all I can do is delete all > the friggin' stuff. But it takes a lot less time than downloading and > deleting. > > > Also, I have noticed that as soon as I register a domain name, two or > > three days later I am getting spam sent to generic names at that domain > > name. I can control that somewhat by turning off the email "catch all", > > but I did get some to the administrative address, which means that they > > are harvesting email addresses from the Whois database. How annoying! > > Yeah. I got a message bounced back to me by some hypervigilant > spam-blocker indicating that our domain had been used for that sort of > thing, which really pisses me off. If the spam-blocking services would > do something like "mail from domain X is invalid unless it goes through > mail server Y, in which case it's legitimate", that would be nice. If > they *are* doing that, then maybe I should contact them and see what we > can do so that *my* legit mail gets through to the people I need it to > get to, while the crap that has nothing to do with us gets killed. I am working on an even better solution than spam blocking. Well, I say "working on" but at this point it is just an idea I through out last night to a friend or two. Here is the gist: You create a mailpass key. It's a public key which you pass to anyone who you want to actualy -give- your email address to. These people would then simply add your key to their mail tool as your mailpass key. When they send you mail the mailpass key would travel along with the mail. On your end, if the mailpass key was not correct the mail would be dumped into the trash and you would never have to look at it. You can do this today. You simply give everyone you want to send mail to you a string which must allways be placed in the "to" field. Curently you probably get mail with a -to-field that read seomthing like this: "Jan Coffey" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> All you need to do is give out your e-mail adress as something like this: "mailpass key" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> That is the whole thing including the quotes, the bit in quotes, and the chevrons. Now in your mail tool create a "filter" or "rule" which moves all incomeing messages that do not contain "mailpass key" without the quotes to the trash, or some extra directory. Maybe if we all did this the spamers would get so few hits they would discontinue the practice. If websites that asked for your e-mail would also ask for a mailpass key then you could have 2 or more keys hich you could give out based on who you were giving the adress to. = _ Jan William Coffey _ __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Creative spam
At 10:12 AM 8/23/03 -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: Gary Nunn wrote: > > Spammers can certainly be as creative as they can be annoying. > > With MailWasher, I am bouncing and deleting an average of 30 messages a > day, probably twice that on weekends. I am assuming that those weekend > spammers have real jobs during the week. :-) Actually, I get *less* spam on Saturdays and Sundays than during the week. (I've been keeping a tally for over 3 months now, to check for trends such as this one.) Something I have noticed, and I don't think it is just sensitivity to the issue on my part, is that many weeks it is on Sunday morning that the most explicit p*rn spam arrives in significantly greater quantity than any other day . . . -- Ronn! :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Creative spam
Just in case you missed this. > > I am working on an even better solution than spam blocking. > > Well, I say "working on" but at this point it is just an idea I through out > last night to a friend or two. > > Here is the gist: > > You create a mailpass key. It's a public key which you pass to anyone who > you > want to actualy -give- your email address to. These people would then > simply > add your key to their mail tool as your mailpass key. When they send you > mail > the mailpass key would travel along with the mail. On your end, if the > mailpass key was not correct the mail would be dumped into the trash and > you > would never have to look at it. > > You can do this today. You simply give everyone you want to send mail to > you > a string which must allways be placed in the "to" field. > > Curently you probably get mail with a -to-field that read seomthing like > this: > > "Jan Coffey" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > All you need to do is give out your e-mail adress as something like this: > > "mailpass key" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > That is the whole thing including the quotes, the bit in quotes, and the > chevrons. Now in your mail tool create a "filter" or "rule" which moves all > incomeing messages that do not contain "mailpass key" without the quotes to > the trash, or some extra directory. > > Maybe if we all did this the spamers would get so few hits they would > discontinue the practice. > > If websites that asked for your e-mail would also ask for a mailpass key > then > you could have 2 or more keys hich you could give out based on who you were > giving the adress to. > > = _ Jan William Coffey _ __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Creative spam
--- Gary Nunn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Spammers can certainly be as creative as they can be > annoying. > > With MailWasher, I am bouncing and deleting an > average of 30 messages a > day, probably twice that on weekends. I am assuming > that those weekend > spammers have real jobs during the week. :-) > > I received an email in my box today, but before I > had MailWasher bounce > it, I caught the name: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > You gotta love that! Lo, these many years ago, in college Organic Chemistry, I and a friend created the 'O-chem Personality Wheel,' with categories from Ortho-normal (your basic staid and sedate microbiology major) on to Para-normal (included mushroom-tea drinkers) and Epi-normal (off-the-ringers who were fun at parties but not invited to all-night study/gossip sessions); Abi-normals were of course those too weird to relate even to D&Ders or SCAers! ;D Debbi Meta-normal Herself Maru :) __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Creative spam
Deborah Harrell wrote: > > Lo, these many years ago, in college Organic > Chemistry, I and a friend created the 'O-chem > Personality Wheel,' with categories from Ortho-normal > (your basic staid and sedate microbiology major) on to > Para-normal (included mushroom-tea drinkers) and > Epi-normal (off-the-ringers who were fun at parties > but not invited to all-night study/gossip sessions); > Abi-normals were of course those too weird to relate > even to D&Ders or SCAers! ;D > > Debbi > Meta-normal Herself Maru :) I give, what does meta-normal mean then? ---David Gram-Schmidt Orthonormalization? ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Creative spam
--- David Hobby <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Deborah Harrell wrote: > > > > Lo, these many years ago, in college Organic > > Chemistry, I and a friend created the 'O-chem >>Personality Wheel,' with categories from Ortho-normal > > (your basic staid and sedate microbiology major) on > > to Para-normal (included mushroom-tea drinkers) and > > Epi-normal (off-the-ringers who were fun at parties > >but not invited to all-night study/gossip sessions); > > Abi-normals were of course those too weird to > relate even to D&Ders or SCAers! ;D > > > > Debbi > > Meta-normal Herself Maru :) > > I give, what does meta-normal mean then? Well, as my friends and I didn't want to consider ourselves 'normal' 'weird' *or* 'sedate,' Meta-normals were of course practically perfect in every way... On Casual Aquaintence I'd Seem To Be Ortho-normal Actually Maru ;D __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Creative spam
From: Deborah Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Killer Bs Discussion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: Creative spam Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 12:06:21 -0700 (PDT) --- David Hobby <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Deborah Harrell wrote: > > > > Lo, these many years ago, in college Organic > > Chemistry, I and a friend created the 'O-chem >>Personality Wheel,' with categories from Ortho-normal > > (your basic staid and sedate microbiology major) on > > to Para-normal (included mushroom-tea drinkers) and > > Epi-normal (off-the-ringers who were fun at parties > >but not invited to all-night study/gossip sessions); > > Abi-normals were of course those too weird to > relate even to D&Ders or SCAers! ;D > > > > Debbi > > Meta-normal Herself Maru :) > >I give, what does meta-normal mean then? Well, as my friends and I didn't want to consider ourselves 'normal' 'weird' *or* 'sedate,' Meta-normals were of course practically perfect in every way... On Casual Aquaintence I'd Seem To Be Ortho-normal Actually Maru ;D MY question was 'what in the heck is "mushroom tea"', which, when googled prompted the following url: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/ANS00650.html Full text follows: FDA CAUTIONS CONSUMERS ON "KOMBUCHA MUSHROOM TEA" FDA has been receiving inquiries about "Kombucha mushroom tea" -- a product which has been mentioned in media reports lately for many uses, from inducing a general state of well being to treating diseases such as AIDS and cancer. FDA has not approved this product as a treatment for any medical condition. The following information can be used to answer questions: Kombucha mushroom tea, also known as "Manchurian tea" or "Kargasok tea," is not actually derived from a mushroom, but from the fermentation of various yeasts and bacteria. A starter culture is added to a mixture of black tea and sugar, and the resulting mix is allowed to ferment for a week or more. The product contains considerable quantities of acids commonly found in some foods such as vinegar, and smaller quantities of ethyl alcohol. Because the acid could leach harmful quantities of lead and other toxic elements from certain types of containers -- some ceramic and painted containers and lead crystal -- such containers should not be used for storing Kombucha tea. The unconventional nature of the process used to make Kombucha tea has led to questions as to whether the product could become contaminated with potentially harmful microorganisms, such as the mold Aspergillus. Such contamination could produce serious adverse effects in immune-compromised individuals. FDA studies have found no evidence of contamination in Kombucha products fermented under sterile conditions. FDA and state of California inspections of the facilities of a major Kombucha tea supplier also found that its product was being manufactured under sanitary conditions. However, the agency still has concerns that home-brewed versions of this tea manufactured under non-sterile conditions may be prone to microbiological contamination. FDA will continue to monitor the situation and encourages consumers to consult appropriate health professionals for the treatment of serious diseases. Yuck. Jon GSV Hallucinogens (We Know What Mushrooms Are For Class) Le Blog: http://zarq.livejournal.com _ Get MSN 8 and help protect your children with advanced parental controls. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/parental ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Creative spam
Deborah Harrell wrote: > > --- David Hobby <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Deborah Harrell wrote: > > > > > > Lo, these many years ago, in college Organic > > > Chemistry, I and a friend created the 'O-chem > >>Personality Wheel,' with categories from > Ortho-normal > > > (your basic staid and sedate microbiology major) > on > > > to Para-normal (included mushroom-tea drinkers) > and > > > Epi-normal (off-the-ringers who were fun at > parties > > >but not invited to all-night study/gossip > sessions); > > > Abi-normals were of course those too weird to > > relate even to D&Ders or SCAers! ;D > > > > > > Debbi > > > Meta-normal Herself Maru :) > > > > I give, what does meta-normal mean then? > > > Well, as my friends and I didn't want to consider > ourselves 'normal' 'weird' *or* 'sedate,' Meta-normals > were of course practically perfect in every way... > > > On Casual Aquaintence I'd Seem To Be Ortho-normal > Actually Maru ;D > So "ortho" means "close", "meta" means "medium" and "para" means "as far away as possible"? Note that Chemists can not be perfectly normal, as two groups have to attach to different carbons in the ring... I like "abi", which is probably not actually Greek. ---David ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Creative spam
--- David Hobby <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Deborah Harrell wrote: > > --- David Hobby <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Deborah Harrell wrote: > > > > Lo, these many years ago, in college Organic > > > > Chemistry, I and a friend created the 'O-chem > > >>Personality Wheel,' with categories from > > Ortho-normal...on to Para-normal...and Epi-normal; > > > > Abi-normals were of course those too weird to > > > relate even to D&Ders or SCAers! ;D > > > > Debbi > > > > Meta-normal Herself Maru :) > > > I give, what does meta-normal mean then? > > > > Well, as my friends and I didn't want to consider > > ourselves 'normal' 'weird' *or* 'sedate,' > Meta-normals > > were of course practically perfect in every way... > So "ortho" means "close", "meta" >means "medium" and "para" means "as far away as >possible"? Note that Chemists > can not be perfectly normal, as two groups have to > attach to different carbons in the ring... Close enough, and Yep. :) Although "Paras" are still *on* the 'ring of normality,' whereas Epis and Abis are completely *off* (in several senses, potentially :} ). > I like "abi", which is probably not actually Greek. Latin, I think - merely a play on 'abnormality.' :) Debbi who did other silly things in college like *singing* one of the Milton pieces we had to study (an Elegy? something about a 'lost lamb,' anyway) -- no alcohol involved, just tremendous sleep deprivation! __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l