As with the last batch this is the spam the text-filters find after the blacklist filter is done. I had actually meant to do this again sooner than ten days after the last batch, but at least it’s a nice rounded period. It’s also seeing some pretty big shifts from last time.

For a start three categories present last time are empty this week, and  four new categories have entered the fray. Also, compared to the last batch, there aren’t nearly as many emails offering to increase penis size by a specific length, as a result of which the cumulative offered increase has dropped even though the number of emails more than doubled. Some of the miscellaneous “better sex” emails were probably actually penis enlargement as well, but not clear enough about it in the email to be counted as such.

Number of emails: 80

Number of penis size increases offered: 34

Penis size increases offered (cumulative): 60 centimetres (24 inches)

Number of pharmacies: 20

Number of miscellaneous “better sex” emails: 12

Number of “Rolex” (or similar brand) watches offered cheap: 6

Number of sex sites: 3

Number of casinos: 3

Number of quick online “degrees”: 1

Number of nonsense mails (probably meant to throw off filters): 1

Number of cheap/illegal software copies offered: 0

Number of Chinese/Japanese offers not translated: 0

Number of stocks recommended to buy: 0

If you come here more often you may notice the background image for the site has changed. It’ll probably continue to change slightly over the next few days, though I’ve now settled on the new basic image. The problem with this, as with any site background image, is balancing clarity with filesize.

The current version of the image, its 10th version at least, is an acceptable compromise for now, but will change when I think of the next tweak to improve it.

This may go nowhere, but it seems like a fun idea right now, so why not. I emptied my spam box today, roughly a week after the last time I emptied it (can’t remember whether the last one was Thursday or Friday, I’m guessing Friday for the title to be on the safe side). I figured it might be interesting to regularly post scores for the amount of spam I receive in this box.

First a little about the setup. I get very little spam in my actual inbox thanks to filtering. My ISP has filters that dump everything from blacklisted IPs entirely, and kick everything other filters (text and header clues mainly) consider spam to a special spam box. I still check this regularly just in case, though in the years that I’ve been using it I’ve had mail I wanted to see sent to my spambox only once.

Anyway, this little sample of non-blacklist spam is what I checked today and here, for the first time ever, are the scores:

Number of emails: 50

Number of penis size increases offered: 16

Penis size increases offered (cumulative): 1 meter (40 inches)

Number of pharmacies: 12

Number of cheap/illegal software copies offered: 6

Number of Chinese/Japanese offers not translated: 5

Number of stocks recommended to buy: 4

Number of sex sites: 4

Number of “Rolex” (or similar brand) watches offered cheap: 3

I haven’t written much since November – with the exception of scripting Three Edged Sword – but it looks like that’s finally changing. It’s not really steady yet, but I’m writing at least a little each day again. So far 1000 words on the 11th is the best, but I’ve managed at least a few hundred words a day since.

I’m pretty sure it’s mostly just a question of time-management to get the daily count back up. The urge to write is certainly back in full force, I just need to find the time to do it. Ideally I’d like to get that 1000 words per day as a steady rate again. I know from past experience I tend to lose contact with the story slightly when I’m writing slower than that, especially when I’m juggling two storylines, which is what I’m doing at the moment.

Of course any problems of that nature which do crop up can be handled pretty easily when it comes to editing, but I prefer not to make the mistakes in the first place.