The Spam Victim Strikes Back!
Ever want to exact revenge on one of those annoying e-mail spammers offering a fortune if you'd just share your bank information? I did.
THE REWARDS OF SPAM
After reading Mark Pothier's article on "spam revenge" (Perspective, September 14), I think my wife and I each added about 10 years to our lives. It has been said that a few really good laughs are a great life extender. We had to read the article at least three times because we were laughing so hard that our eyes were watering.
JOHN MCPHEE
Beverly
Those e-mail spammers get my blood boiling, too. As I am less tech-savvy, I am nervous about interacting with anything junk online, and that's the only thing holding me back - but Pothier has done it for me! Maybe if we all had fun taking up spammers' time engaging in dialogue, there would be less spam out there, and we'd all improve our creative writing skills at the same time.
CHRISTINE SCHELL
Natick
I, too, occasionally confront these people but never with the depth of humor Pothier showed. Thanks for making a gloomy day memorable.
SCOTT SPARKS
Guilford, Vermont
I usually negotiate for a higher percentage, but Pothier's responses are much more creative and probably more fun.
SID MCDONOUGH
North Weymouth
Beautiful! Several coworkers and I do the same. We've focused on the "someone died," "just pay the taxes," and "winning the British lottery" spam. In our contest, the game is to see who can get the most correspondence from the person before he or she quits. The office best is six - Pothier seems to be beating us! May he keep up the resistance.
MATT DEAN
Tewksbury
I don't want Pothier's credit card numbers - just more articles like this one. I laughed until I cried.
ANKER LERRET
Cambridge
THE DOCTOR IS IN
Regarding the woman with a PhD who wants to be called by "Dr." in the doctor's office (Miss Conduct, September 14): Would J.J. advocate cutting the labels out of her clothes and sewing them on the outside so that us commoners would know it's a DKNY (or whatever is in vogue), even though we can't appreciate the panache?
GEORGE BINNS
Beverly
I work in a large teaching hospital and can say why J.J. was called by her first name in the doctor's waiting area - HIPAA privacy regulations. At our hospital, patients are called by their first name in the waiting areas, then asked to verify their last name quietly and asked their date of birth as a final identification. This is done because first names generally do not reveal much about the patient's identity. Of course, medical record numbers might be a better idea, but who wants to be called by a number, like at an auction house?
ANNE FOLEY
Boston
I am a ChFC and CFP, which is the financial practice equivalent of a JD. I would never expect anyone to address me as such, never mind care about the silly letters. One earns respect by demonstrating character, not by taking several courses of study, regurgitating the information, writing about said information, passing exams, and being awarded a degree. This woman needs to understand that in her world the "Dr." and the "Professor" matter; the rest of the world is not as impressed with her as she is.
MICHELLE REID
Wakefield
From the Editors: Part 2 of our series on campaign issues ("Sick of It," August 17), on healthcare and the town of Hull, contained an incorrect and a misleading use of statistics. It should not have compared Hull's cancer rate against that of other towns, only against the statewide average. And it should have made clearer that the number of cases was so small that a high cancer rate could have been merely a result of chance. We regret the errors. A number of Hull residents had complained we unfairly singled out their town. But we stand by our decision to highlight Hull, as it followed the premise of our series by focusing on one issue's impact on one town.
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