I'm struck by how profoundly destructive the spam phenomenon has
been.  Spam itself is an inconvenience, but the pathological and
extreme responses to it -- from individuals and ISPs and others --
has been even worse.

> Most likely the user's ISP is blocking mail with RFC821 MAIL
> FROM:<> as a (misguided) anti spam measure.  All OK/Confirm cookie
> msgs are sent with RFC821 MAIL FROM:<> (as required by RFC821).

It ranges from this and AOL's recent, um, to use the word loosely,
strategies, down to the fact that, like lots of others, I've set my
lists to private, set the size limits to 150 lines, and prohibited
attachments (all three of which decisions have been the major
labor-intensive characteristics of the lists ever since).

I remember getting the first one -- the Green Card scam -- and
having not the faintest idea that it was the crack in the ozone layer
that would end with everybody having to wear body armor to go outside
. . . I wasn't a listowner then, and had I known, maybe I never would
have been.

                                  -- Russ
                                __|~_
Russell A. Hunt            __|~_)_ __)_|~_    Professor of English
St. Thomas University      )_ __)_|_)__ __)  PHONE: (506) 452-0424
Fredericton, New Brunswick   |  )____) |       FAX: (506) 450-9615
E3B 5G3   CANADA          ___|____|____|____/    [log in to unmask]
                          \                /
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.StThomasU.ca/~hunt/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~