[Write On!]


Spam Prompts

by kitten
Posted to Exercises, Ideas on Tue Feb 07, 2006 at 12:43:01 PM PST
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Most of us ignore the daily influx of spam; we've either trained ourselves to look over our inbox quickly and delete the offensive, the inane, the nonsensical, the pornographic, or the  just plain weird.  Some have taken a more technical approach, applying filters to either their clients or their servers to search for keywords, analyze patterns, check against blacklists and whitelists.  ISPs have begun offering spam protection on their mailboxes, and most corporations deploy some form of protection as well.  With all of these anti-spam measures in place, the spammers have had to become slightly more clever in their unending quest to enlarge our penises and breasts, increase our stamina and decrease our mortgage rates, lower our blood pressure and our prescription drug spending.

Surely, something positive can come from all this.


Like most of you, I have spam filters in place, but sometimes it slips through anyway.  I don't always delete it immediately -- sometimes, I like to look and see what new tactics the spammers have come up with to defeat my countermeasures.  Strangely, I am also bothered by grammatical errors in my spam, but that's another issue.

One of the more common methods used by spammers is to insert a large amount of innocent-looking text either before or after their ad text.  This is supposed to confuse or defeat Bayesian filtering, which analyzes the statistical relevency of text and makes a determination to send the message to the inbox or the trash.  The idea is that if there are enough actual English words, the filters will allow the message to go through, even though a human reading it would instantly realise that it's nonsense.

When I am looking for a story idea, I often get stuck, and need only a starting point, or an image with which to work.  Not long ago, therefore, I began collecting some of the nonsense text from my spam folder and keeping it in a list.  Much of it is worthless, but there are some gems in there that may, given the right sort of mindset and mood, provide the inspiration someone needs to build a story around.

Here's a brief sampling of what I've collected thus far:

The science teachers practiced fighting..
cheese burger and cheese fries .... mmmmm.
Were those science teachers missing walking a few days ago?.
I didn't dislike cooking at home..
Have you already loved sleeping?.
Don't you frequently dislike shaving?.
The librarians don't remember skiing for more than an hour..
The guards don't often love reading..
Were those science teachers missing walking a few days ago?.
I made my original programs available to the teachers around me. They were getting the same kind of success. I finally decided I had to make my noun program available to teachers and parents around the nation. We have been working on it for over 2 years. Many of you have waited patiently. Thank you for your patience..
I don't hate studying in London..
Don't you frequently dislike shaving?.
Have you liked skiing yet?.
Don't you regret eating about once a week?.
That computer programmer isn't enjoying swimming behind the post office right at this time.
That flight attendant is not missing playing below the bridge at this exact moment..
The janitor doesn't generally like praying..
Doesn't Sarah remember shouting slowly?.
Jackie has disliked writing since five weeks ago..
Did Debbie love jumping in front of the restaurant?.
But this is where you come in: Between now and November, you, the American people, you can reject the tired, old, hateful, negative politics of the past. And instead you can embrace the politics of hope, the politics of what's possible because this is America, where everything is possible..
i need to get a pedicure. my feet smell and itch.
Betty Sue wasn't enjoying working..
I'll study as soon as you have liked skiing..

Why is a computer programmer swimming in a pool behind a post office?  Why doesn't he enjoy it?  Is there a reason this person is jumping in front of a restaurant?  Poor Betty Sue hates her job, and I wonder if that flight attendant had her heart broken beneath a bridge on some autumn afternoon.  Librarians skiing, science teachers walking en masse, a man who despises shaving, a janitor in the midst of a religious crisis.  

There are stories here, waiting to be told.  What's in your spam box?

Full discussion: http://www.write-on.org/story/2005/12/26/23059/107