The last thing that this world needs is another rant against the evils of spam. Then again, I believe that if you can't be first, you might as well be last since that too is a memorable position. Although, espousing that philosophy didn't stop me from developing several serious neuroses when they were choosing sides for the neighborhood baseball and street hockey teams of my childhood. Many of those neuroses are still with me today, but I digress.
It should be easy to spout off against spam. It is not. The English language does not offer adjectives adequate to describe its vileness. Pond scum provides infinitely more value to society than the people who distribute this stuff.
My rage is understandable. When I turn on my computer each morning, it rarely greets me with fewer than 150 emails--and often closer to 200. The messages continue to inundate my mailbox throughout the day. Among all of this electronic bilge, there are normally no more than a very small number--often zero or one--that are of any interest to me. At least, I think there are seldom more than a few useful emails, but I cannot be sure; more on that later.
In the unlikely event that the culprits are literate and reading this, let me say that I am not bragging, but I have no use for lotions, potions, or contraptions that will enlarge and/or firm any of my body parts, especially those parts usually associated with the other gender. In addition, I have lived in my condo long enough to have paid off my mortgage, and my car is mine free and clear, so please don't offer me an incredibly low interest rate loan. While we are on the subject, regarding the amazing mortgage that you labored so hard to tailor specifically to suit my family's unique needs, which is only available to people living in the United States, your offer lacks a little credibility when directed at a single person living in Canada, such as myself. And, if Mrs. Seise Seiko, widow of the former vice president of Nigeria, is reading this, I am sorry, but you will have to find someone else to front you the $10,000 that you desperately need to liberate the millions of dollars that the cruel bureaucrats and/or bankers have locked up. I am sure that you are sincere and that your plight is truly dire, but I really cannot afford to help you. Besides, if I did, I would have to help all of the other Mrs. Seise Seikos as well. Where would it all end?
If you read a TechTip of mine that MC Mag Online published earlier, you know that I have set up Outlook to flag in red all emails from people in my address book. That way, I will not accidentally delete them as I skim far too rapidly through the vast spam stream in which they are buried. The problem is that this does not help me to recognize notes from very important people who try using email to make a critical first contact. As the editor of this publication can attest, I am likely to inadvertently delete their messages without reading them. It was only a totally coincidental telephone call that I placed to the editor a couple of days after she sent me her email that resulted in my articles being published here.
I recently solved part of my problem by installing a spam filter and setting it at high level. Now, I no longer accidentally delete valid emails along with the spam; instead, the filter does that for me automatically, thus saving considerable time. Actually, the only thing the software does let through is cleverly worded spam.
If you really want to get in touch with me, I suggest calling. However, please don't give my number to any more telemarketers. Otherwise, I may have to stop answering the phone. Then, when telemarketing calls, spam, and regular junk mail fully clog all other forms of communication, the only remaining option will be to accept visitors to my home office, and I really don't want to have to clean up my place.
Joel Klebanoff is a consultant, a writer, and president of Klebanoff Associates, Inc., a Toronto, Canada-based marketing communications firm. Joel has 25 years experience working in IT, first as a programmer/analyst, then as a marketer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science and an MBA, both from the University of Toronto. Contact him at
More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.
TRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now! Request Now.
Forms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.
Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:
Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
LATEST COMMENTS
MC Press Online