What would you do to spammers?

It’s a pain in the ass having to deal with spam, isn’t it? For the longest time (relatively speaking), it was just e-mail spam that I had to sort through. You know, the the offers to “get bigger” or for a free online degree (an offer I should have taken a long time ago) or offers for Viagra-esque products (I’ve never had that problem in life…EVER). It was annoying, to say the least, and recently, has gotten pathetic. When a pest rears its ugly head, technology comes around to destroy that pest. Then the pest evolves, then more technology. So, now all I get are e-mails with the subject lines that make it beyond obvious it ain’t something I want to be reading. Would you open an e-mail that says “m@ake urSElf smrtare”? JUNK/DELETE.

Anyway, it’s not the whole e-mail spam that’s got me all pissed off. It’s the damned blog spam (among other things we won’t be going into right now). I either get “comments” chock full of links, or I get the same comment over and over with no links, but the name they “write” in (undoubtedly someone with too much time on their hands creating a program that does all the spamming for them) is the hyperlink, thinking people will click on the name. Luckily, the lovely plugin that USF has preinstalled for these blogs, Spam Karma 2, catches 99.9999% of that crap. The only pain in the ass is having to look at each one just to make sure it’s not a legit comment and make myself look like some kind of ass by not “allowing” the comment.

Honestly, I’m not one for violence…for the most part…but, I have a new idea for dealing with people who make a living off of spamming e-mail and blogs and whatever else they can think up of: shoot them. Take them out back, behind the shed, and shoot them like a racing horse that just broke it’s leg. The fact that it’s profitable enough for these people to do this is beyond depressing, especially when you think about it. In order for this to be profitable, it actually requires people to follow these links they get sent, or they see. If no one ever did that, spam would go the way of the nation’s surplus. It’s idiots like people that sit on their couches eating potato chips watching infomercials and buying the crap that’s being sold. STOP CLICKING.

Sure, it makes the IT guys and gals work for their paychecks in developing new technologies to keep this crap out of sight and then out of mind. But you know what, this blog, a blog that is about as useful and informative as network news, will get well over 50 spam comments in a 4-6 hour period, and that’s sad. I get about, on average, 200-300 hits on a daily basis, even less unique hits. Are they just targeting the USF blogs, in general? For the sake of my ego, I’d like to think so.

People need to get real jobs, not sit on your ass and spam the fuck out of people’s e-mails and blogs. It makes me want to cry to think that people are that lazy. If only natural selection still had its grip on the human race….

Stop clouding the immigration issue

This whole immigrant issue has been sorely screwed up. Lawmakers, and many people in the country, want the laws about illegal immigration strengthened and/or reshaped. Since this is our country (our being the people who have been born here, have been granted citizenship, are legal immigrants, etc.), I believe we have the right to control our borders. It’s important we do so because if millions of people can successfully pour across the border without being caught, who’s to say some of those people aren’t members of al Qaeda or some other group looking to terrorize people in this country? I’m sorry, but, if I had to choose between allowing people to come in whenever they wanted, illegally, so those people can make some more money for their family and also letting some people in with, say, a dirty bomb or plugging the hole and controlling immigration, I’m all for controlling immigration.

These people who are organizing the protesters, and the people who are protesting, are doing whatever they can to twist the facts to meet their agenda. They’re instilling “fear” into the immigrants already in this country legally by telling them the U.S. wants to stop all immigration from hispanic countries. Basically, they’re feeding these people lies and bull shit to suit their political needs and desires. Sadly, these protesters are believing every word spoon fed to them.

Now, they’re looking to have a massive strike and student walkout on May 1st. Good idea, nothing says “fuck you, America, we have no clue what’s going on” like following through with that. You know what it says to me? It doesn’t say you’re right, we’re wrong, we need you, it says you don’t care about this country and about your education. It says to me you like having illegal immigrants mooch off the rest of us. Yeah, this country was built on the back of immigrants, but that was before immigration became an issue and a concern for the world and before terrorism was a serious issue. No one is saying “stop letting people into this country,” they’re saying control the flow, like we do with every other immigrant from every other country. Don’t act like you’re being singled out.

so, here I am, trying to sleep

and I started to thinking and remembering. You know, I think this all started when I filled out my application for the internship thing. Having to write down previous jobs and such, having to look those two places up on the internet for the address and phone number. Seeing names and pictures. Now, I’m laying in bed, with half-unconscious thoughts of what would be said if I went back and saw all those people again. You know, the whole “reminiscing” thing, mixed with a hint of nostalgia.

And, for some ungodly reason, I started to think about good ol’ Acton, all the sights (or lack there of), being able to remember and picture all the different places, the roads I used to frequently drive down, all the backroads I used to take when I was out for some driveage. Compared to California, Acton and the surrounding area had some style, had something to it that made it so enjoyable to be able to just cruise. The roads weren’t full of morons (actually, the roads weren’t full at all), just people driving around who were just as crazy as I. For some reason, I really miss all that.

Of course, then I have to remember all the people who graced that tiny town with their presence I call friends. Those were even better times, life was simple, and friends were damned fine good friends. At times, I wonder why I even left that place. A man could live there all his life. Of course, if I had never left Massachusetts for school (and the parents hadn’t left for California), I’d probably be seeing a different tune. I can picture Kirwinism reading this, and what his reaction would be. Probably a roll of the eyes. Then again, he’s been in Cali for a wee bit now, he might even be nodding his head in agreement…to an extent.

Anyway, I needed to get that all off my mind so I can sleep. Semester is coming to a close, then I gotz to head back to Cali-forn-i-a for one more trip, at the least. I suppose, in a way, I can’t be too upset that life has played out the way it has (in the grand scheme of things). Though, I probably would have been able to say that with a little more feeling and a little less hesitation if I were to say it in January…or the beginning of last summer. Sadly, I don’t know if I would change all that has happened since then, either, seeing as I think I’ve learned a lot about myself, and, hopefully, I’m changing for the better. Who knows what would have happened if I still called 204 Newtown Rd home. Yeah, I remember my old addy, I even remember my old phone number. Try me.

Ah, memories.

I’m freakin’ out, man

Yeah, so, I finally got a huge hit with the whole internship thing recently. I was “introduced” electronically to a nice young women who graduated from USF by my advisor. She, too, had done one of these internship dealy-o’s for the same major, and she had said that the place she was working out always is looking for interns and such. So, that was quite useful.

After a couple of weeks, we get the ball rolling the other day. I fill out some kind of application online, save it, and e-mail it to her so she can forward it to the dude who does the actual deciding about people like me. You know, if I get the internship or if I just get shot out of a cannon. Of course, I’ve always kinda wondered what it’d be like to get shot out of a cannon, but, I’m thinking I’d rather get an internship for the fall. Might be better for me in the long run.

Of course, today, I get asked if I can head down there for an interview this coming week. Good deal, considering I don’t have a car and it’s all the way down in Bradenton and my grandma (who would help me out in a heart beat, bless her soul) is out of town. So, if I can get down there this weekend, it’s going to require me calling in some kind of huge favor from a friend or a “friend.” Why would it be a huge favor? Because, I’m going to feel the need to drive. Why am I going to feel the need to drive? Well, if you know me somewhat, you know that I, since the spring of ‘05, have had issues being a passenger in a car. In fact, I just have issues in general.

So, that’s why I’m freaking out. The semester is coming to an end, I’ve got so much to do that I can’t seem to be able to bullshit, I’ve got to get this internship thing taken care of before I head back to Cali (ugh), and I need a ride down to Bradenton. Good thing I’m writing this rather than trying to b.s. my way through my business plan thingy for my Professional Writing class. Which, by the way, is bullshit, seeing as I’m not a god damned business major and I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to business. I hate my life…kind of…wait, I just thought about it, and I do hate my life. Nothing seems to be going right. Sweet.