Photojournalist Brings Spam to Life, but is it Lifelike?
Spam is many things: irritating, dangerous, and potentially devastating. It’s sleazy and unsavory. It’s deceptive. Designed to make your life miserable, it’s pervasive. In a world where everyone has a…
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Stupid Is as Stupid Does
“The marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation defines a robot as “Your Plastic Pal Who’s Fun To Be With. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the…
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‘Spam Nation’ Shines a Light on the Dark and Sleazy World of Cybercrime
Spam is a funny thing. In invades our inboxes and our lives and wreaks havoc on what would otherwise be a pleasant experience, this email…
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When Spam Comes Knocking: If Spam Could Talk
Spam. A sleazy, despicable product of a sleazy, despicable cross-section of human waste. Only the lowest of the low could be responsible for the stuff that…
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‘Spam: A Shadow History of the Internet’ Takes a Hard Look at Dark Science
“Spam” is a word with remarkable properties. As this history has demonstrated, the meaning of this word has remained surprisingly consistent through enormous shifts in…
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If I Was a Spammer…
My Dear, In all your humble awareness, this is best understood by also playing the song If I Had a Million Dollars by the Barenaked…
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Bad Spam! Bad!
Is your spam e-mail giving you problems? Did it go potty on the carpet again? Is it getting covered in mud and jumping up on…
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Russia, U.S. Celebrate an Early Christmas
In a fine example of international relations, Russia and the United States exchanged gifts early this year when they announced that the two countries are…
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Spamfoolery: Sucks to be You Edition
In an increasingly litigious world, it’s easy to tune out when you hear that one company is getting sued by yet another company for infringements…
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Spamfoolery: Why it’s Okay to be Mediocre
All war is based on deception. – Sun Tzu Spam. We hate it. We curse it. We dread the moment, every morning, when we open…
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Spammers, Support Groups, and Twelve Steps
This week, we explore a dark and disturbing social disease caused by spamming, an ever-growing problem for young spammers in the wild: out-of-work spammers. A…
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Why You Need to Pamper Your Spam Filter
If you send emails a lot (and we assume you do), then it’s a safe bet that you know how to work with spam and…
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“Blue…No Yellow!” Make-Up-Your-Mind Edition
Fans of the venerable Monty Python and the Holy Grail will undoubtedly remember the classic scene at the Bridge of Death, when the bridgekeeper confronts…
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Sweet Home Nigeria
Okay, it’s doesn’t have the ring to it that immortalized Lynyrd Skynyrd and the iconic Sweet Home Alabama, but as it turns out, it’s okay…
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Spam Turns 35, Still Shouldn’t be Left Home Alone
Get out the party favors, the cake and the noisemakers: spam turned 35 years old this week, even though it doesn’t look a day over…
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FBI Declares ‘Gameover,’ Link to ZeuS
Whether they’re being ironic or moronic – most likely both – malware developers seem to appreciate a little humor when it comes to naming their…
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If Dr. Seuss Was a Spammer
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and what better way to take a look back at the year in spam than poke a…
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The Zombie Apocalypse May be Led by Corporations
Fans of Resident Evil and The Walking Dead, rejoice. For years now, you’ve been warning your co-workers about the impending apocalypse. It’ll probably be masterminded…
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Q: When is Spam not Spam? A: When it’s Bacon
We haven’t defeated the spam monster, not by a long shot. It’s a roiling, angry whirlpool of unwanted messages that often challenge the sanity of…
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Nigerian 419ers Get Their Phreak On
HELLO MY BELOVED IN THE LORD. I AM MRS. ALICE FLORES DUNU, A NATIONALITY OF BELIZE FORMERLY BRITISH HONDURAS, BORN IN THE STATE OF OHIO…
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Phishing Isn’t Always about the Benjamins
If you can step back and look at it objectively, phishing is a bit of an art form. Unlike ‘regular’ spam, which often intentionally dumbs…
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Spam Hall of Shame
Spam sucks. Okay, Shakespeare it’s not but there’s no truer credo for emailnauts who, on a daily basis, fight bulging inboxes and scour junk folders…
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British Watchdog Group Says Marketing Spam is Getting Out of Control
Ah, marketing spammers. You crazy kids. Spewing out your junk as if you’re doing the world a huge solid, when in fact that nasty discharge…
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Game On? Australian Researchers Think Spam Filters Can Learn from Game Theory
If you’re as much a fan of games as I am, you’re going to love this one. Spam, which is some of the most low-utility,…
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