Spam Maps

The palindrome title should clue you in that I've got some random stuff for you today (as if all my other entries weren't random as it is):

... We all hate spam e-mail, right? I know I sure do. Occasionally, though, one will come along that actually makes me smile and/or laugh. Usually, the chuckle comes from the unusual names that the spammers put as the sender on the message. Lately, there have been a stream of spams that have a random word from the dictionary followed by a random middle initial, followed by another random word from the dictionary. The results are often amusing. If it wasn't for the whole unsolicited and annoying e-mail factor, wouldn't you at least crack a smile when you got an e-mail from Frustrating Q. Featherduster or Longish K. Lagoons? Coming up with those names might be almost as fun as coming up with random band names from everyday life.

But I digress. The latest junk e-mail that actually piqued my interest was as follows:

Call out Gouranga be happy!!!
Gouranga Gouranga Gouranga ....
That which brings the highest happiness!!

As it turns out, according to Wiki, Gouranga is a term originating in the Hare Krishna religious movement. So, as positive as the message seems to be, it's still spam. I'll stilll take this over the less-than-savory messages that usually flood my inbox, though.

... Daryl posted today about a new catchphrase he's gleaned from the latest William Shatner/Ben Folds collaboration. I like catchphrases. I can get behind that.

... This week, Amazon is celebrating its 10th anniversary, which culminates in a concert they're streaming live this Saturday. There's all kinds of hoopla going on, including a deal where UPS is having celebs make "special deliveries" to Amazon customers by letting them deliver the orders personally. I think you pretty much have to live near a celeb for this to happen, though, so maybe you Californians and New Yorkers will get lucky.

What this really says to me is how drastically shopping has changed the past ten years. I can remember finally convincing my parents to order a set of books for English class from Amazon, being the first person at high school to order anything online, and just marveling at the ease of it all. Back then, Amazon only sold books. Now you can get everything from toasters to gardening tools, and the store's been behind numerous innovations in online shopping. So, even though my English professors always said Amazon was contributing to the demise of small, independent bookstores - here's to another decade!

... Finally, I just wanted to thank you all for your comments on entries, especially Gina and Katie's reports over the last few days. You guys make it fun to post things! I encourage you all to check out the new recent comments if you haven't already, and as always, the archives are open to visitors.