Spam: Volume 2

So now people are advertising their books and get rich quick schemes in the comments section of my blog. I am left with the same question I have with the email spam: How did they find me and why did they think I would be interested in the advice of a total stranger, especially as that advice somehow involves me parting with money? What I do find interesting is how, at first, the comments almost seem appropriate to the posting, but then take a strange turn into the realm of "buy this random thing which will change your life."

Sometimes I think it is just me, that I am an imperfect capitalist. Everyone hates spam, commercials, and, in general, the experience of being sold something. Yet we are all consumers and part of what we consume are advertisements. I can appreciate a subtle or clever pitch as much as the next guy. What I can't stand is the heavy handed and invasive approach which the spammers employ. Of course, the invasive approach the spammers employ in their selling tactics is nothing compared with the all out attack they have planned for one's bank account.

Of course, I am not so sure that spam is even advertisement at this point. I have commented before that some spam waxes poetic. I have lately noticed the addition of non-sequiter signatures to certain spam emails, incomplete phrases which seem to have absolutely nothing to do with organ enlargement or credit extension. I am beginning to wonder if, perhaps, spam has become the way in which spies or terrorists communicate and those of us without the code book are left to merely scratch our heads and wonder at all the additional information included with the so-called stock tip. Or maybe ghosts have become trapped in cyberspace and are desperately trying to make their presence felt.

Here is an example of the sort of thing I am talking about (taken from one email which was encouraging me to check out Southwestern Medical stock):

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