Note: This column represents the opinions
of the writer and as such, is not purported as fact
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We all get far too much spam -- that is certainly a fact beyond debate.
Most of that spam comes from overseas companies or individuals who often
use open mail-servers to relay their irritating messages in a manner that
makes it hard to track the real sender.
It's an unfortunate fact of life that there's not a lot we can do by way of
local legislation that will affect the flow of spam we receive from foreigners.
In the past few months however, we've seen a marked increase in
the number of spams originating right here in New Zealand, and that's an issue
that government can address by way of anti-spam laws.
Check Out The Aardvark PC-Based Digital
Entertainment Centre Project
Updated 2-Dec-2002
The only problem is that it seems they're either too lazy or just not willing to do so.
According to a posting
on the usenet newsgroup nz.general, IT minister
Paul Swain has allegedly responded to the issue by saying:
"There are currently no government plans to introduce any legislation to
tackle spam."
"Essential, it is because it is currently too difficult to legislate against.
i.e. - How would you design rules/legislation to prevent people sending unsolicited
emails?"
Oh please! It's too hard???
How would one design laws to stop spam?
How about simply following the lead of several states in the USA where those
who send spam become liable to fines of NZ$100 or more for each individual
spam email they send?
Spam a thousand people, pay $100,000 in fines or damages. That'd make people
think twice before they wasted our time and bandwidth wouldn't it?
So how do we define spam?
How about: any multiple emailing where the recipient has not previously agreed
to accept such messages from the sender and the purpose of the message is
to promote, directly or indirectly, some product or service for which a payment
or other consideration is involved.
Is it really that hard Mr Swain?
And speaking of spam, it seems that I was mistaken in my
Wednesday column because,
according to OnTheList.co.nz, their recent mass-emailing was not spam at all. They have
sent a right of reply which I've published in
accordance with my policy of letting all parties have their say.
It is important to note that, thanks to Mr Swain's "it's too hard" attitude,
OnTheList are quite correct when they say that they did nothing illegal. Isn't
it time this was changed?
Lighten Up
In the USA it's quite common to see customised versions of muscle-cars and
other huge vehicles. These customisations include wide wheels, super-sized
engines, fancy body-work and the like.
Well here's the way they do it in The Netherlands, where the cars aren't quite
so big. My favourite is this Lowrider (animated GIF, let it load).
I bet the Southern Californian Hispanic population would go crazy over this beast.
The rest of the collection can be found here.
It appears as if Whacko Jacko's "baby on the balcony" antics have triggered a
wave of new online FLash games.
Enjoy, but mind that baby!
Yes, You Can Donate
Although the very kind folks at iHug continue to generously sponsor the
publication of Aardvark, the bills still exceed the income by a fairly
significant amount. It is with this in mind therefore that I'm once
again soliciting donations from anyone who feels they're getting some
value from this daily column and news index. I've gone the PayPal
way of accepting donations because the time involved in processing a bunch
of little credit-card billings sometimes exceeds the monetary value they
represent. Just click on the button to donate whatever you can afford.
NOTE: PayPal bills in US dollars so don't accidentally donate twice
what you were intending :-)
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