Spam Kings 127
| Spam Kings - The Real Story Behind the High-Rolling Hucksters Pushing Porn, Pills, and @*#?% Enlargements | |
| author | Brian McWilliams |
| pages | 333 |
| publisher | O'Reilly |
| rating | 9 |
| reviewer | Michael Gracie |
| ISBN | 0596007329 |
| summary | Excellent spam history and reference. |
Spam Kings is a pseudo-chronology of the exploits of the biggest spammers of the late nineties and new millennium, following their trail right down to the lunch menu, with the underworld's anti-spam fighters of the day taking the order. The book details the comings and goings of the likes of Sanford Wallace, an early spam king who claimed constitutional authority to send UCE, up to the present-day powerhouses such as Ron Scelson and Scott Richter, whose wealth and influence keeps the heat off of them. [Though Richter's finally gotten some heat where it counts -Ed.] In between, it runs across characters such as Jason Vale, Thomas Cowles, and Rodona Garst, who have all seen some serious time in court and/or jail for their actions, and some, like Brad Bournival, who tangled with the monster called AOL and is still awaiting his fate, and Karen Hoffman, a one time spam hunter who has turned to "the dark side."
But the real (and underlying) story is about two individuals, Susan Gunn, of NANAE fame, and David Hawke, a former neo-Nazi and notorious spammer who continues to elude the massive AOL lawsuit judgments against him.
The antagonists' and protagonists' paths cross often, but they never seem to directly butt heads. What makes the saga so interesting is that their actions affect each other's lives in profound ways, exemplifying the intensely close-knit nature of the spammer and anti-spam communities that surround them, and sometimes, their disloyalties. Furthermore, the lines between spammer and "anti" sometimes blur beyond natural reason, reflecting the deep knowledge of systems and processes each side attains during their trials and tribulations, and the monetary value of that knowledge in the open (if sometimes seedy) market.
What I found most appealing during the read was the relevancy of events that take place throughout, and the meticulous references to the news of the day. I found myself wondering where I was, how much spam I was getting, and whether I could remember receiving any scurrilous product pitches from the characters within. I am now checking old email archives, just for posterity.
The book ends with an epilogue that outlines what is happening in the spam world, right this very moment. CAN-SPAM doesn't seem to be working, other countries have instituted new laws that are, and people of all shapes and sizes may be complicit in the ongoing problem. The epilogue winds up with a "where are they now" for most of the major characters. Many are retired and/or have moved on to new (but not necessarily unrelated) professions, some are still drowning in legal judgments, while some are...educating your children! But you can be sure others have stepped in to take their places; just check your junk mail folder.
The book also contains an excellent glossary of technical and business terms used throughout. If you are a sys admin who saw the term chickenboner or mainsleaze on a help forum, and are embarrassed to ask what that means, then your bases are covered in this book. If you are a regular everyday email user, and are curious what these "blacklists" and "whitelists" are and what they mean to you, the glossary will again prove very useful during and after your read. The work also contains a deep notes section, which I found extremely helpful -- McWilliams conducted in-depth interviews with many of the characters (and they are characters). And let's not forget the center illustration section, complete with numerous photos of the biggest spammers of all time, at work and at play, as well as some gratuitous mug shots (which I am sure is all you really want to see if you despise spam as much as I do).
I knocked this puppy off in two quiet evenings. While the type is appropriately sized and spaced, and the material not overly technical, what drove me was the fact that the work was a bit of a "page turner" -- I had a hard time putting in down.
In my opinion, Spam Kings is a publication for both the technology/history buff, as well as the everyday email user still wondering where the heck all those Viagra ads in their inboxes really comes from.
Spamroll is the latest creation of Michael Gracie, who thinks spam and phishing represent some of the greatest threats to ecommerce and online world in general. You can purchase Spam Kings - The Real Story Behind the High-Rolling Hucksters Pushing Porn, Pills, and @*#?% Enlargements from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Spam with trigger words in the pictures (Score:3, Interesting)
They change the bogus names and email addresses, of course, but the ads clearly are coming from the same source.
"Spam Kings" is Crap (Score:5, Interesting)
The resulting book does not only not tell the full story, but engages in several rounds of make-believe, inventing situations and supposing events and circumstances which could not have been known by the author.
His focus on Susan Gunn after she explicitly asked NOT to be included in his book has done naught but damage to her.
The reader will not know this, however, and think that they are getting a front-row seat on what's really going on out there. McWilliams has done a massive disservice in this.
Far from telling a true story, this book contains much that is fabricated from the whole cloth.
I should note that while he was writing this book, I had several contacts with Mr. McWilliams. I am thankful that he chose not to include me in it, but rather disgusted at what he managed distort of what others told him.
Re:Spam with trigger words in the pictures (Score:3, Interesting)
my rules are set to roundfile anything with html in it that's not from a known source. (some of my online billpayments send html confirmation emails that I want to see)
Re:Punishment (Score:3, Interesting)
Oh come on, I receive about 50 spam emails per day (which makes me lucky). It wouldn't take long for it to become "usual".
Be specific (Score:5, Interesting)
SamSpade deserves its credibility (Score:2, Interesting)
There is no doubt you, your site and your work deserve lot of credibility in "the business." What I am trying to do with Spamroll is not upend anyone's credibility, but instead try to enhance it by letting the general population know that you actually exist.
Whether or not Brian's book appeals to the technical set, it will get good shelf space. That means an everyday email user may get curious and pick it up. And that means they will realize a fight IS going on, and quit complaining to their sys admin or ISP everytime they get spammed. They become more aware, and learn to deal with the problem in the interim, as well as avoid the "user errors" that exacerbate the problem in the first place.
That makes yours and your colleague's job easier, and that should be a good thing, eh?
Also, note in the introduction that Spamroll is classified as "new", hence there is no reason to believe you would or should have heard of it. If you have some suggestions on how I can spread the word in a more effective (or more credible, which ever you prefer) manner, please let me know. I have provided a link to your sites tools section (long ago), but would be overjoyed to get your additional input.
Regards,
Michael
Re:Be specific (Score:3, Interesting)
Afterburner did have a signature line claiming he handled spam complaints for Erols.
AOL didn't use the RBL to filter mail.
Sam Al of BulkISP didn't call Kelly a bitch, he called another MAPS staffer who was not involved with the RBL, a bitch.
Sanford Wallace stopped spamming in late '97, long before he started discussions with Jim Nitchals about "going straight" in '98.
Those are errors that even the laziest intern can disprove in a few minutes. I'm sure they're not the only ones, but I'm not going to do your research for you.