Just a minor rant, as I clean out the trap of another spam filter (gmail, this time)

Awhile back, I had subscribed to the MinutemanHQ.com (link deliberately left out, if you want some of this, find it yourself) newsletter. All was fine for quite some time, but then I noticed I started getting the same emails from several different addresses. “Right v. Left”, “Christian (something), etc. At first I assumed it was an short-term error, so I adjusted my filters to shuffle them all off into the same folder and ignored the duplicates. Then more poured in. And more.

Let me just say I’ve never subscribed to any of the “extra” sites or newsletters… just the Minuteman site.

I asked them to unsubscribe me using the links provided in the email. I was not unsubscribed. I did it again and I think I have been unsub’d from the one I signed up for, but according to the filter I just emptied out, not the others.

For whatever reason, the Minutemen have chosen to share their mailing list without permission. Their friends/allies/whatever are sending the *exact same* emails as the main list, only from a variety of different addresses. I could well understand if they had their own mailing lists and duplicated another newsletter to their own, but this is nonsense. I honestly think these people have good intentions, but are simply naive.

I have no idea how to contact these other groups without breaking the cardinal rule of spam-fighting by replying or following links in the unwanted messages. Most of them are now being caught by the several spam filters I’ve placed between me and my email, so it shouldn’t really bother me too much anymore, but that’s not the point.

I’d really hate to make a federal CAN-SPAM case out of it, since I doubt malice is the root here, just complete ignorance.

/rant off…

I just noticed the counter to the right has passed 10,000 (10,001 at the time of this writing). Ugh.

TheReligionofPeace.com Turns 10,000!

In the mind-numbing aftermath of 9/11, who would have guessed that within just a few years American politicians would be campaigning on promises to ensure the comfort of incarcerated terrorists… that Hollywood writers would be generating reams of scripts replete with noble Muslim characters persecuted by fictitious American bigots… that footbaths would be making their way into airports and public universities… or that Muslim travelers would be chasing lawsuit dollars by scaring the hell out of fellow airline passengers with deliberately provocative behavior.

Why are people so willing to give in to bullies?

24: The Unaired 1994 Pilot

Happy Birthday, United States Marine Corps!

I spent the past few days helping out a co-worker and neighbor set up a small “haunted house” for Halloween. Personally, I can’t imagine inviting hundreds of strangers to traipse through my house and yard, but he’s been doing it for a few years, and it all seemed to go over pretty well. Next year, provided I’m still in the area, I plan to start helping sooner. His efforts to date have centered around a short skit in the living room, followed by a walking haunt in the backyard. The indoors portion is packed with excitement (his whole family takes part!), but the rest was thrown together without a lot of attention to detail. Sure, the maniacal, chainsaw-wielding frightener in the back yard was effective, and the girls playing as “broken dolls” were downright creepy, but the overall effect seemed a bit less than it could be.

I did a little roaming about on the ‘net in search of ideas, and wow, did I find some coolness. Starting with the Monster List of Halloween Projects, a few choice personal pages, and on to the apparently famous “bucky” skeletons from the Anatomical Chart Company, I think next year can be quite a lot more interesting.

The tinkerer/craftsman in me is inspired. I plan to work on some ideas throughout the year, as time and resources become available.

Got ideas/resources I may not have seen? I welcome your suggestions! Toss links in the comments to show off your own Halloween creations!