18 June 2004

Spam names

I love the new algorithm that spammers have been using to spoof the spam filters. Well, I guess I love them in concept, not for the end result of me getting 80% of my maibox filled with junk email even though I only go to legitimate Web sites wink wink. At least we have Ad-aware and Zone Alarm to save the day.

So I've been getting spam from some of the most creatively named people. Who are these individuals?

I can't find the link (this'll bug me, so there'll be an update soon), but within the last year, spammers came up with a new way to defeat Baysian spam filters using blocks of text from free online libraries. There's irony in there somewhere. That's where these creative names came from. Such as (these are actual names I've received, I-am-not-making-this-up):

Backpedalling U. Parlayed
Bestriding P. Dejected
Commuters K. Funding
Copper I. Oscillated
Corrects I. Bistros
Delegating I. Proceed
Demeter V. Seasickness
Depended R. Upgraded
Discursive A. Caper
Duns K. Uneconomical
Hob L. Creepies
Poisonously P. Aguilar
Pompadours T. Splash
Position A. Coercion
Postmodern S. Motherhood
Swamp H. Longitude
Unaccepted E. Complies

Postmodern Motherhood indeed.

When I lived in Fairburn after college, one day I drove by a delapidated sign that read "Beaurest Q. Softside." I immediately imagined a character with a southern accent a la Foghorn Leghorn demandin', I say implorin', that you listen to him. Cogitate, that is. So I have a creative soft-spot for ridiculously named spam.

(Beaurest Q. Softside, I realized, was an ad for a Beautyrest Queen Softside bed, but the mold had been cast.)

(Dye, that is.)

I eventually put Beaurest Q. Softside in a cyber-punk story I wrote. That name was too good to pass up. I never did find a use for the other silly name I came up with: Mamie van Ha Ha.

The mind boggles.

[ posted by sstrader on 18 June 2004 at 11:26:43 PM in Misc ]