RAMBLINGS - The Hong Kong Brother

Junk E-mail

I don't know if you are like me, but I get so much junk e-mail now that I can hardly FIND the messages that are genuine.

Now, I know my ISP (which is in the States, by the way, I access it from here in HK) has a "spam filter" for e-mail accounts; but by all reports it is VERY possible that these filters (which, in case you don't know, "filter" out the junk advertisements from reaching your account) can (and DO) sometimes filter out (delete) legitimate messages from people or places you really want to hear from.

So, since e-mail's so important to me, and because I can't STAND the thought of missing messages, I have NOT signed up for the spam filters for my account.

BUT, just so you can get SOME idea of what amount (and variety) of ads I receive each day, here is the actual list of the junk e-mails that I have received in the last 24 hours:

Forever Flashflight ("the last flashlight I'll ever need!")
Free IQ test
2 x VIAGRA advertisements (uh, ... huh?!?)
EZ Money ad ("need extra cash?")
5 x "low-interest" loan offers
Credit Repair offer
Long-distance degree program ("need to get ahead in your career?")
Hotel discount offer
"Found money" alert ("unclaimed funds!")
Dating service offer ("Still single?!?")
Low Long Distance rate offer
$900 computer offer
Satellite TV ad
Cable TV descrambler ad
Perfect skin ("perfect skin at any age at no charge!")
NFL barbeque grill ad ("a BBQ grill shaped like an NFL helmet!")
Weight loss ad
Sonic key finder ad ("never lose your keys again!")
Fast DSL internet connection ad
Auto insurance ad
...plus 3 e-mails from some company that sends these "cutesy" e-mails about "friendship" and "love" and that kind of thing...

Now, that may sound like a LOT of junk e-mail for just one guy in one 24 hour period, but actually, it's missing some of my favorites. For instance, I am a BIG target for the "Beer-Of-The-Month Club"... And apparently I am also the kind of guy who needs to make a LOT of money "for no effort whatsoever" -- at least that's what they keep offering me, the chance to make LOTS of money for no effort whatsoever. This is to be contrasted, of course, with the offers I normally receive to "get paid while surfing the web" (which, I suppose, does take SOME effort)...

I also normally get about two e-mails a day offering me low-cost breast enlargements.

However, I am pretty sure that if I hold out a little longer I can get it done for FREE. So stay tuned...

This article was first posted: 15 October 2002

Here are some of the things I think about:

*Yo-Yo, Ma?*	*The Human Touch*
*If Me Is A Dog*	*I Walked A Mile With Pleasure*
*What's The Rush? (Part 1)*	*What Are Missionaries Like?*
*What's The Rush? (Part 2)--Rated "PG"*	*Is That Your Final Answer?*
*The NEW Yo-Yo's*	*A Rose By Any Other Name*
*Hair Like Osama*	*True Patriots of the P.R.O.C.?*
*Buying The Onion*	*Lip Van Winker*
*Eat Like You're Hungry*	*Celebrity Heads*
*Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow*	*Things I'm Thankful For*
*The Water Bicycles of Tin Shui Wai*	*My Biggest Fan*
*CD Firecrackers*	*Shaolin Kung Fu*
*Hot Pants*	*Junk E-mail*
*China's Next Great Leap*	*Internet Time*
*Don't Drink The Water*	*May I Touch Your Guts, Please?*
*A Death In Hong Kong*	*Love Kites*
*Introverts: UNITE!*	*Overdos (of cool)*
*The Wonders of English*	*Solo And The City*
*Writing 2004 -- #1: "The Third Eye"*	*The Politics Of Masking*
*Writing 2004 -- #2: "The Time Machine"*	*Tiananmen Mothers*
*Everything's Fake In China!!*	*What's Up, Doc?*
*BEN's TEAM -- 2004*

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The homepage URL is http://www.hongkongbrother.com
Contact me at glenn@hongkongbrother.com
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