One of my online students posted a reference to your exegesis on spam. It is coherent, analytical, and a little depressing. I will use this article in future semesters. The course is a sociological one on modern social problems, in which the first discussion is on whether spam constitutes a true social problem. You have made an excellent case for it being so.Thank you. I am honored that my article is to become part of your curriculum.

I think in a deeper sense, the spam issue merely represents a new shape to some longstanding social problems, not really new. Instead of an itinerant snake oil salesman with a cart and mule, we have virtual purveyors of things that seem, and are, too good to be true, delivered impersonally by wire and even through the air.

I am saying the medium of delivery is all that has really changed — that and the speed of delivery. And perhaps the sheer volume.Thank you.You are most welcome.

I just received a spam message from the lowest life form on planet Earth — a phony anti-spam corporation. Here's the message: Hi Paul,

I was wondering whether you sell logo/banner space on your page: http://arachnoid.com/lutusp/antispam.html.

I would be more than interested in discussing any deal you are open for where [ ... ] AntiSpam Corporation would provide your sites with free email filtering in return for some link on your site back to our website or something.

Looking forward to your response!

This takes my breath away. This "anti-spam" corporation spammed me, specifically to get advertising space on my anti-spam page, in exchange for an e-mail filtering service that clearly can't keep them from spamming me, and on top of that, they want a reciprocal link, another low practice I discuss here.

Honest to God — I wish I were making up these clueless hypocrites.

"No matter how cynical I get, it's just never enough to keep up." — Lily Tomlin.