Spam is learning our language

Slowly, possibly through some sort of neural net: “My name Shakira i girl ,im search friend, send me messages [email redacted] i send me foto:)”

August 22, 2008 · 1 min · shanethacker

We just really like Zeppelins

I love the idea by Rudolf Martin in 1908 that Germany could successfully invade Britain by Zeppelin, carrying 350,000 troops in each wave, not the least because of the need to build ~7,000 of them. I’m trying to imagine how you would hide that preparation. A million acres of camouflage netting? Paint them bright colors and put on a really long air show? Don’t bother to hide it, but try to convince the British you’re actually planning to land in Scotland? ...

July 11, 2008 · 1 min · shanethacker

Completely Insubstantial

I can’t remember where I ran across this the other day, but a blog post described the new version of some electronic product as “50% smaller and 100% lighter.” 50% smaller is good. 100% lighter is great! Up until you accidentally throw it into space. :)

April 18, 2008 · 1 min · shanethacker

Shooting at Northern Illinois

Damn it.

February 15, 2008 · 1 min · shanethacker

What's for Spam Today?

Ah, this subject line brings back memories: Your most magnificent toy ever, unleashed amongst women with a vengeance. Aside from my Commodore 64 – which was not a toy -- the first thing that came to mind was ROM - Space Knight. That thing was so cool. I’m not sure why women would care about it, though. It did have blinking lights… :)

February 7, 2008 · 1 min · shanethacker

Poetic Spam

From today: french was not her strong point by any means. the word ’limes’ was like fire to powder,seeing. tired with her short journey, beth any circ’mstances." of life. holding up an oddly shaped linen bag, with to new york?

January 1, 2008 · 1 min · shanethacker

Become a real man...

A spam message I received this afternoon, with responses: You Do not like your machine size. Well, you know us programmers, always looking for a bigger machine. Women laugh at you. Oh, great. I thought they were laughing with me. You have unique chance to solve this problem. Yay! Try our male aggregate enla’rgement and Chicks will adore you surely enough. Well, I am male, and I have been enlarging ever since college…good food, good times. But as far as adoration, well, I already thought that ladies love me, girls adore me, I mean even the ones who never saw me…. So I’m not sure how that would be better. ...

December 28, 2007 · 1 min · shanethacker

Bob Ross, Cat

moar funny pictures

December 14, 2007 · 1 min · shanethacker

Tad Safran is Still Single

What a huge surprise, given his extraordinary empathy and deep…oh, wait…he’s the one who wrote this article: American Beauty? I get it now. I’m thinking insulting both British and American women when he lives in both countries probably won’t work for him. Unless he watched The Pick-up Artist and decided to be really ambitious. I really hope this was supposed to be A Modest Proposal, particularly given the selection of pictures of Charlotte Church and Paris Hilton to illustrate. ...

December 13, 2007 · 1 min · shanethacker

Notes from the morning

I went out to my car a bit ago and there was a squirrel sitting on one of the tires. It was eating a seed. I shooed it away before I thought to take a picture of it. I felt a connection with it. Squirrelly (by definition) and loves seeds. I can understand that. I got a dollar bill in change this morning. On the back of the bill someone wrote the words “I LOVE YOU.” “How sweet,” I thought. Then I turned the dollar over. On the front was the word “ASSHOLE.” I don’t think I’m going to use that bill for legal commerce with another person. I shall probably use it in a machine and pass it on to someone else anonymously. If you run across this dollar, it’s probably best to read it front to back. ...

December 10, 2007 · 2 min · shanethacker