Comments on: Quasi-intelligent comment spam http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/ Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:04:21 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: James Wimberley http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-157309 James Wimberley Mon, 29 May 2006 15:06:59 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-157309 Evolutionary logic predicts that the first true artificial intelligence - defined as one that passes the Turing test - will be a psychopathic spambot. Evolutionary logic predicts that the first true artificial intelligence – defined as one that passes the Turing test – will be a psychopathic spambot.

]]> By: Jacques Distler http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-157060 Jacques Distler Fri, 26 May 2006 15:01:22 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-157060 Hand-crafted comment spam is the only kind I ever get. (Yes, I'm <strong>quite</strong> sure it's not robotic; I have my ways of telling.) Some of the spammers are quite clever. Some go to the lengths of setting up a fake blog (leaving that as the URL). Once they've accumulated enough comments on other sites, they switch-out the fake blog (whose content was usually stolen from elsewhere), and replace it with the usual spammy alternatives. Hand-crafted comment spam is the only kind I ever get. (Yes, I’m quite sure it’s not robotic; I have my ways of telling.)

Some of the spammers are quite clever.

Some go to the lengths of setting up a fake blog (leaving that as the URL). Once they’ve accumulated enough comments on other sites, they switch-out the fake blog (whose content was usually stolen from elsewhere), and replace it with the usual spammy alternatives.

]]> By: abb1 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-157057 abb1 Fri, 26 May 2006 14:39:48 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-157057 I fed this post to <a href="http://www.titane.ca/concordia/dfar251/igod/main.html" rel="nofollow">iGod</a> and got this response: <blockquote> God: Is that your final answer? Where did he get it? Perhaps. Let's talk more about AI. How do you assume this statement holds true for me? </blockquote> I fed this post to iGod and got this response:

God:
Is that your final answer? Where did he get it? Perhaps. Let’s talk more about AI. How do you assume this statement holds true for me?

]]> By: Doug http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-157050 Doug Fri, 26 May 2006 13:32:26 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-157050 Some time back, Making Light posted about having your comment script automatically add a "nofollow" tag to the links in comments, so that Google would not notice them. That wouldn't by itself stanch the spam flow, but it would make CT not useful to spammers, which they might eventually (or quickly, given the speed of evolution) figure out. Some time back, Making Light posted about having your comment script automatically add a “nofollow” tag to the links in comments, so that Google would not notice them. That wouldn’t by itself stanch the spam flow, but it would make CT not useful to spammers, which they might eventually (or quickly, given the speed of evolution) figure out.

]]> By: Peter http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-156987 Peter Fri, 26 May 2006 06:33:05 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-156987 <blockquote>Have any of you seen political comment spam?</blockquote> Some of the commentors at http://www.washingtonmonthly.com believe that a couple of the posters are spambots regurgitating republican talking points. "Sockpuppet" also comes to mind.
Have any of you seen political comment spam?

Some of the commentors at http://www.washingtonmonthly.com believe that a couple of the posters are spambots regurgitating republican talking points. “Sockpuppet” also comes to mind.

]]> By: treefroggy http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-156975 treefroggy Fri, 26 May 2006 02:35:40 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-156975 Semi-relevant posts ? You're probably just getting some of the usual suspects from the Hit-and-Run blog comments section. Most posts there devolve into semi-relevancy after about the third post. Semi-relevant posts ? You’re probably just getting some of the usual suspects from the Hit-and-Run blog comments section. Most posts there devolve into semi-relevancy after about the third post.

]]> By: Mike Maltz http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-156973 Mike Maltz Fri, 26 May 2006 01:56:01 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-156973 The comment by Roger (#9) reminds me of a solution to junk (snail) mail I saw in a recent (20-30 yrs ago) issue of Village Voice. The writer had gotten postage-paid envelopes from both religious zealots and pornography purveyors -- and cross-fertilized the two by sending each the other's mailings. I think he added a bunch of other stuff, to increase the weight -- and cost -- of the mailings. The comment by Roger (#9) reminds me of a solution to junk (snail) mail I saw in a recent (20-30 yrs ago) issue of Village Voice. The writer had gotten postage-paid envelopes from both religious zealots and pornography purveyors—and cross-fertilized the two by sending each the other’s mailings. I think he added a bunch of other stuff, to increase the weight—and cost—of the mailings.

]]> By: Adam Kotsko http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-156969 Adam Kotsko Fri, 26 May 2006 01:34:02 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-156969 Do you ever get the spam that doesn't even have links or anything? For a while, I was getting a few messages a day that just said something like "Have a nice day." Do you ever get the spam that doesn’t even have links or anything? For a while, I was getting a few messages a day that just said something like “Have a nice day.”

]]> By: Seth Edenbaum http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-156962 Seth Edenbaum Fri, 26 May 2006 00:06:09 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-156962 Poetry Spam? Sounds like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0880015330/103-2436157-5989427?v=glance&n=283155" rel="nofollow">Phil Rizzuto?</a> <a href="http://www.cosmicbaseball.com/oholycow.html" rel="nofollow">Holy Cow!</a> The Bridge Two balls and a strike. You know what they had on TV today, White? Bridge on the River Kwai Everybody should have gotten an Academy Award for that movie. I don't know how many times I've seen it. About forty times. Alec Guinness! William Holden! Three and one the count. I just heard somebody whistle. You know that song? That's what they whistle. Nobody out. And he pops it up. Poetry Spam?
Sounds like Phil Rizzuto?

Holy Cow!

The Bridge

Two balls and a strike.
You know what they had on TV today, White?
Bridge on the River Kwai
Everybody should have gotten an Academy Award for
that movie.
I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it.
About forty times.
Alec Guinness!
William Holden!
Three and one the count.
I just heard somebody whistle.
You know that song?
That’s what they whistle.
Nobody out.
And he pops it up.

]]> By: modus potus http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-156960 modus potus Thu, 25 May 2006 23:14:30 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-156960 See <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_V_Shaney" rel="nofollow">Mark V Shaney</a> for some background on what might be happening. I was a regular reader of USENET when "he" was around; people would actually get into arguments with him and, at times, his posts made more sense than most of the others in a thread. See Mark V Shaney for some background on what might be happening. I was a regular reader of USENET when “he” was around; people would actually get into arguments with him and, at times, his posts made more sense than most of the others in a thread.

]]> By: Sharon http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-156959 Sharon Thu, 25 May 2006 23:11:05 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-156959 You only just started to get these? The evolution of spam is remarkable. Me, I rather miss the primitive phase of seemingly randomly generated strings of words that were turning up a few months ago. They were just surreal. People who write effective anti-spam plugins should be cherished and rewarded. (I'm currently using Akismet, by the way.) You only just started to get these?

The evolution of spam is remarkable. Me, I rather miss the primitive phase of seemingly randomly generated strings of words that were turning up a few months ago. They were just surreal.

People who write effective anti-spam plugins should be cherished and rewarded. (I’m currently using Akismet, by the way.)

]]> By: sara http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-156956 sara Thu, 25 May 2006 22:07:58 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-156956 Have any of you seen political comment spam? I can't link an example right now, but it seems tailored to express crude political sentiments (knee-jerk liberal, in the case of the blogs I read) and then offer a link to some alternative-medicine product site. Have any of you seen political comment spam? I can’t link an example right now, but it seems tailored to express crude political sentiments (knee-jerk liberal, in the case of the blogs I read) and then offer a link to some alternative-medicine product site.

]]> By: KCinDC http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-156954 KCinDC Thu, 25 May 2006 21:55:55 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-156954 MPowell, lots of them do. Today I got a spam message containing a paragraph from <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> (preceded by various creatively spelled, spaced-out drug names with links). MPowell, lots of them do. Today I got a spam message containing a paragraph from The Lord of the Rings (preceded by various creatively spelled, spaced-out drug names with links).

]]> By: mpowell http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-156953 mpowell Thu, 25 May 2006 21:36:12 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-156953 I wonder why email spammers don't include paragraphs from random texts. It would seem to be a lot easier than trying to generate coherent text on your own. I wonder why email spammers don’t include paragraphs from random texts. It would seem to be a lot easier than trying to generate coherent text on your own.

]]> By: roger http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-156947 roger Thu, 25 May 2006 20:40:31 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/05/25/quasi-intelligent-comment-spam/#comment-156947 I recommend slagging the companies being advertised. On my blog, after being spammed by some Crofton Steelware advert, I commented on Crofton Steelware's unique discount for Al Qaeda members (15 percent off for potential suicide bombers) and its new, insecticide recycling teflon surface, great for inducing Alzheimer's and diarrhea. Etc., etc. I was happy to see that comment mount, in the Googlestakes, when Crofton Steelware was searched for. I recommend slagging the companies being advertised. On my blog, after being spammed by some Crofton Steelware advert, I commented on Crofton Steelware’s unique discount for Al Qaeda members (15 percent off for potential suicide bombers) and its new, insecticide recycling teflon surface, great for inducing Alzheimer’s and diarrhea. Etc., etc. I was happy to see that comment mount, in the Googlestakes, when Crofton Steelware was searched for.

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