[Email] on [Internet]
Many years ago, a friend showed me a clever way to reduce your spam, which has now become commonplace.
When posting an email address online, instead of using a hyperlinked email address, spell out the address as though someone were reading it. So instead of Derek@NeoSprockets.com use Derek at NeoSprockets dot com.
The justification for the strategy was that Internet evil-doers scour the web looking for the [name]@[site] pattern and build large email mailing lists. Spelling out the address supposedly impedes spambots from processing your email from the Internet. Clever, I thought. I unconditionally accepted this explanation, and followed the advice to this day.
I realize now that this strategy is the Internet equivalent of holding your breath when driving past a graveyard.
Googling the following if you don’t believe me.
For Sale: Murderous, Demonic Motorcycle
El Diablo Rueda Dos
I hate/love Nigerian spammers. I hate that these people prey on the gullible and scared innocent well-wishers on the surface of the Internet. But I love it when they try to prey on me.
To quote Anthony Hopkins from “The Edge”: “Why is the rabbit unafraid? Because he’s smarter than the panther.”
Guest-contributor Blaine was trying to sell his motorcycle on Craiglist when the unthinkable happened: some no-good scammer tried to make him a rube! Thankfully, the ever-vigilante Blaine saw through the ruse and together we decided to fight back.
And hilarity ensued.
“Celebrity Baby House” – Wed 8/7c PM on FOX
New spammer! It has been almost two years since the Mr. James adventure, and I had not received one direct scam email. Early this summer however, I stumbled upon this Craigslist post.
$1200 / 5br – 5 beds, 4.5 baths, 3,248 sq ft (Manhattan Beach CA)
This ad seemed (rightfully) too good to be true; a 2 bed apartment in Manhattan Beach can easily run for twice that amount. But I couldn’t resist the bait. Apparently my two year Nigerian scammer ban had been lifted…
LCROSS
LCROSS - Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite
“No, we’re not going to break the moon. But we’re gonna put a dent in it.”
It’s Thursday, June 18th, 2009 and LCROSS is patiently waiting atop an Atlas V-Centaur at Cape Canaveral Florida. Patience is the word of the day. 2700 miles away at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in Redondo Beach California, James Wehner, the LCROSS Deputy Program Manager, is taking questions from a roomful of engineers and their families.
LCROSS, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, was a dual build between Northrop Grumman and the NASA Ames Research Center. What was described as a “fast-track, low-cost” project, LCROSS is billed as an overwhelmingly successful display of system engineering. A piggy-back to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), LCROSS was quickly designed and built by Northrop Grumman to fill excess space on NASA’s launch vehicle. Using many recylced and off-the-shelf parts, LCROSS was delivered early this year — on-time and under budget.
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