Pr3++yG33kyTh1ng

As I'm expecting a giant job offer to arrive by email any second, I've taken to reading all my email a little more closely.
In an effort to drag this blog back towards the geeky (since the "pretty" part is in-freaking-arguable) I'll take a moment to discuss an email I got from Lynda Rodgers late Wednesday afternoon.
Now, this email turned up in my spam folder. The subject -- "Re: Of sing in headquarters" left no doubt that the spam folder was the correct place for it.
Knowing that the safeguards in my operating system and the mail program are set to block anything nasty (worms, trojans, pop-up ads) I opened and read:

"How the time wears, I know not; until I am recalled by my she really is a - he seemed to be describing clouds about himself, muffled him in a towel and shut him up there, whenever my aunt was Now I was ragged, wanting to sell Dora matches, six bundles for a if my calculation is correct, amounting to forty-one, ten, eleven Street, fronting Hyde Park, on which he had always had his eye, but them, and finding it empty, and a good fire burning, I took him in lay that book upon the table, and look at it outside; compact in When, under cover of the night, I flew to Miss Mills, whom I saw by He had provided himself, among other things, with a complete suit Is that all? repeated my aunt. Why, yes, thats all, except, on seeing me come in; and having welcomed me as usual, took her and wildness returned upon her, and she fled afore the very breath You are a dissipated fellow, as all the world knows, he said, green then, and the day being sunny, a pair of glass doors leading when I saw you pass again, to ask you to step in and speak to her. that they may believe in him. For this reason, I retained my removed from me. When we had engaged this domicile, I bought some or carry something there, or take something up, or put something I thankee agen, sir, he said, heartily shaking hands. I know beach; and stood in knots, talking compassionately among unaltered mile of the rich country and its pleasant streams, were looking over one another, bore one another down, and rolled in, in once shook the foundations of the sacred confidence and usage, in about the people being hungry and discontented down in the North, his face, he looked, to me, as vigorous and robust, withal as in my sense of responsibility to Dora and her aunts. I will only Peggotty, once more, looking but for her dress as if she had such charge and trouble on you, and who would have made your home a pernicious absurdity, that but for its being squeezed away in a figure without trembling; for this gloomy end to her determined the wandering faces. I never speak to him at such an hour. I know took up his position behind her. The air of wicked grace: of have a bloodhound at his back, than little Mowcher. are a generous boy - I suppose I must say, young man, now - and I"

It looked familiar. But why would a spammer (who also included an unsolicited stock tip) include a block of random text from David Copperfield?
Because Lynda and her spamming cohorts are doing an internet-wide reset of the spam filters we all rely on. Eventually, enough text slips through that the spam definitions evolve and suddenly a lot more will be getting into our actual in-boxes. I thought I was onto something cool, then saw an article in the Wall Street Journal that proved I was a step behind the real spam police.

While I've sent personal notes to most people who have offered job leads I'd like to thank everyone all at once in public as well. I've got awesome friends. You guys rule.
I'm not getting any better at tennis, unfortunately. My pro-career took a permanent detour when my seven-year-old laughed at me. Several times. Long and loud. With youthful abandon.
I'll continue to practice but I'll need a source of revenue soon.