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Milestones in the Annals of Junkmail

Posted by timothy on from the your-royal-highness-you-are-getting-a-dell dept.

fdc writes: "Web pages are a great source of postal addresses for direct mailers. Judging by some of the addresses we've seen recently, it's evident that the data is harvested not by humans, but by computer programs that scan web pages for names and addresses. Several weeks ago we (the Kermit Project at Columbia University) announced a new release of our Kermit 95 communication software for Windows -- SSH, secure FTP, etc; cousin of C-Kermit for Unix (search Freshmeat). Since this was a major release, we chose a new icon for it: the Columbia crown. A web page explained that this is the emblem of Columbia University: the crown of King George the II of England (1727-1760), who founded Columbia in 1754. JUST ONE WEEK LATER guess who received a postcard from Dell."

6 of 227 comments (clear)

  1. Dude... by InterruptDescriptorT · · Score: 5, Funny

    Thou art getting a Dell!

    ---
    I'm tired of waltzing for pancakes. -- Gwen Mezzrow

    --
    Karma: Excellent Birds (mostly as a result of listening to Laurie Anderson)
  2. Time to seed some pages by SeanTobin · · Score: 4, Funny

    I would just love to throw out a page with addresses like:

    Zephram Cochrane
    c/o Phoenix Research Institute
    186000 Miles Avenue
    Central, Montana 01701

    Seven Nine
    2349 Tendara Street
    Unimatrix, CA 79301

    John Kelly
    2032 Gravaton Ave.
    Mars, NC 02376

    Tobin Dax
    2135 Bajor Parkway
    Symbiant, UT 02230

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    Karma: SELECT `karma` FROM `users` WHERE `userid`=138474;
  3. Re:Mod Parent Up by binner1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    The person responsible for this spam has just been sacked...

    The person repsonsible for the person responsible for this spam has just be sacked...

    Or something thereabouts! Sorry MP.

    -Ben

  4. Re:Isn't Dell the company... by istartedi · · Score: 3, Funny

    uses prison labor to make their computers?

    Dude, you're gettin' a cell.

    --
    For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
  5. The true test by Fat+Casper · · Score: 3, Funny
    Is whether or not ye King gets a pre-approved credit card application. Make sure the bills are sent c/o the office of Exchequer.

    --
    I spent a year in Iraq looking for WMD and all I found was this lousy sig.
  6. Let's use the system by Bouncings · · Score: 4, Funny
    Here we go:

    The Devil
    1 Microsoft Way
    Redmond, WA 98052


    Jack Fuck-me-in-the-ass Valenti
    MPAA
    15503 Ventura Boulevard
    Encino, CA 91436

    Just to start off with a few.

    --
    -- Ken Kinder ken@_nospam_kenkinder.com http://kenkinder.com/