Things you just don't get !

[John Galt III]

In TV sitcoms, the ugly guy's date is always an attractive blonde, and everyone acts like it's normal.

[W2R]

Thing I just don't get - - - Spammers! Why would anybody DO that? Every day every person on the internet is barraged with a multitude of spam e-mails. Have you ever bought something from a spam e-mail? I mean SERIOUSLY. I don't think anybody is that dumb any more. And besides, the spam e-mail titles seem to be competing in the "Most Offensive Title of the Year" contest. And do you ever see ads for a professional spammer, experienced preferred? Are these jobs snapped up so fast they can't even be advertised before they are gone?

So anyway, two things I don't get are (1) spammers; and (2) why anybody would send money to a spammer, assuming that even one out of the 7 billion people now alive does.

I'd read a book entitled "Biography of a Spammer" (but not if I had to buy it from a spammer).

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Galt III In TV sitcoms, the ugly guy's date is always an attractive blonde, and everyone acts like it's normal.

And all those 60-something male actors portray guys whose girl friends are about 35 at the most. Get real!

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut And all those 60-something male actors portray guys whose girl friends are about 35 at the most. Get real!

You have obviously never been to Sarasota ,Fl . Most of the older guys have girlfriends or wives that look about 25.

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg I don't get when you go to certain stores ( Walmart ,K mart , etc. ) they say "Have a good one ". What exactly are they referring to ?

They are probably referring to "day." That is, "Have a good day."

Regarding spammers, when you send out literally millions of emails, you can make money even with a very low response rate.

And the "back in 45 minutes" is simply written by someone who doesn't think.

[Major Tom]

A back in 45 minutes sign isn't entirely useless. If the person who posted it is good at timekeeping, it means you won't have more than 45 minutes to wait, at the worst.

I think most of us here are familiar with the concept of expecting a possible range of outcomes, with one particular worst case scenario aren't we?

[gromit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut And all those 60-something male actors portray guys whose girl friends are about 35 at the most. Get real!

Dick Van Dyke, who is 86 and a widower, got married on Leap Year day to his makeup artist. She's 40. I guess she can keep making him up to try to conceal some of their 46 year age difference.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl Regarding spammers, when you send out literally millions of emails, you can make money even with a very low response rate.

But even a very low response rate would imply at least some finite number of people who actually respond and send money to the spammers. I don't believe it! I have never known anyone who would send money to spammers, have you?

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R I have never known anyone who would send money to spammers, have you?

No, but I'm confident there are enough intelligence-challenged individuals out there to fall for a few of what most of us wouldn't dream of clicking on. The Darwin Awards are held each year to honor some of these folks.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl And the "back in 45 minutes" is simply written by someone who doesn't think.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major Tom A back in 45 minutes sign isn't entirely useless. If the person who posted it is good at timekeeping, it means you won't have more than 45 minutes to wait, at the worst. I think most of us here are familiar with the concept of expecting a possible range of outcomes, with one particular worst case scenario aren't we?

Yes, it has some value. But I agree with T-Al about 'not thinking'. It is just as easy to write, "Will be back by 1:00", and that conveys sooooo much more information for no more effort. If you can do more with no more effort, and don't, your brain is not engaged (ignoring the fact that they may not really want you to know when they will be back - they might be smart after all).

If you stop by at 12:55, and have to leave at 1:15, you know you can meet the person in time if they say back at 1:00. But maybe not if the 45 minutes just started. So what do you do?

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Quote: Originally Posted by TromboneAl Regarding spammers, when you send out literally millions of emails, you can make money even with a very low response rate. But even a very low response rate would imply at least some finite number of people who actually respond and send money to the spammers. I don't believe it! I have never known anyone who would send money to spammers, have you?

What's not to get? This is a self limiting problem. If not enough people responded to make it worth their effort, they would not do it. The response rate is so low that it should not be surprising that we don't know anyone who responded. We probably don't know anyone who won the big jackpot in the lottery either, doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut And all those 60-something male actors portray guys whose girl friends are about 35 at the most. Get real!

What's not to get? We are just jealous. What would you do if you could cast the show?

-ERD50

[Major Tom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 Yes, it has some value. But I agree with T-Al about 'not thinking'. It is just as easy to write, "Will be back by 1:00", and that conveys sooooo much more information for no more effort. If you can do more with no more effort, and don't, your brain is not engaged (ignoring the fact that they may not really want you to know when they will be back - they might be smart after all). -ERD50

I'm going to split hairs and say that it may take a little more effort to write a sign saying what time you will be back, as a "Back in 45 Minutes" sign can be written out once and used until it falls apart. Unless the person goes on break at the same times, he/she will either have to write out a number of different signs, or a custom sign for each individual occasion, involving more effort.

I do agree that a sign with the actual time when he/she will be back would be more useful though.

However, I'm the guy in line at the Post Office who can never figure out why people are grumbling about having to wait in line for 10-15 minutes, though I do derive quite a bit of entertainment from listening to their moaning (and predictable rants about government workers.)

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Thing I just don't get - - - Spammers! Why would anybody DO that? Every day every person on the internet is barraged with a multitude of spam e-mails. Have you ever bought something from a spam e-mail? I mean SERIOUSLY. I don't think anybody is that dumb any more. And besides, the spam e-mail titles seem to be competing in the "Most Offensive Title of the Year" contest. And do you ever see ads for a professional spammer, experienced preferred? Are these jobs snapped up so fast they can't even be advertised before they are gone? So anyway, two things I don't get are (1) spammers; and (2) why anybody would send money to a spammer, assuming that even one out of the 7 billion people now alive does. I'd read a book entitled "Biography of a Spammer" (but not if I had to buy it from a spammer).

When you spend a couple hundred bucks to send out over seven billion spams and get a 0.0001% response rate, that's still over 7000 customers. If they spend ten bucks on your worthless product then you've just earned $70K on your $200 marketing budget.

I get the most amazing spam commentary on the blog. I could write a post a month titled "What are they thinking?!?" Text that reads as if it was translated from the original Hindi/Romanian/Polish, hundreds of gibberish characters, links made up of random letter combinations... it's fascinating.

I also get some pretty disturbing commentary from people who've decided that a military subject makes me a right-wing 2nd-amendment gun-toting ultra-conservative grammar-and-spelling-challenged hater... just like them!

[scrabbler1]

I don't get very many of those outright spams from parties unknown such as lottery winnings or money awaiting me from a bank account in Nigeria or the UK. Maybe a few a year and I just delete them. Although I don't get them but have seen them, I am aware of those phony emails asking for online banking info via a fake link.

The types of quasi-spam emails I get which I do something active about are those multi-forwarded emails trying to ask me to do something or others which are purely political (i.e. often anti-Obama). Because I usually know the person who sent me the email, I take the time to do some research on it, such as in factcheck or snopes (for those many urban legends). I will then hit "Reply All" and gently scold everyone about blindly forwarding all of these myths and point them to my multiple sources which expose the false and/or distorted information within them.

I figure I can at least get a few of those on the other end of my email to stop forwarding the emails and perhaps go to one of the links I include to check things out for themselves beforehand. Or, if anyone else on the other end doesn't like my scolding them, then they take me off their distribution list for future similar emails. Either way, I win to some degree.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo No, but I'm confident there are enough intelligence-challenged individuals out there to fall for a few of what most of us wouldn't dream of clicking on. The Darwin Awards are held each year to honor some of these folks.

I have lived such a sheltered life... I just can't imagine someone capable enough to be permitted to handle money, who would do that.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R I'd read a book entitled "Biography of a Spammer" (but not if I had to buy it from a spammer).

Oooooh!! I just searched Amazon and found a book along these lines!

Amazon.com: Inside the SPAM Cartel: By Spammer-X (0792502668603): Spammer-X, Jeffrey Posluns (Editor), Stu Sjouwerman (Foreword): Books

If it wasn't $33.42 for paperback (Kindle edition $30), I'd buy and read it. That price is completely ridiculous IMO. However, reading the free portion on Amazon I read an interesting statistic. The spammer gives an example of a spam porno e-mail the he sent, and 14% of those he sent it to clicked on the link.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Oooooh!! I just searched Amazon and found a book along these lines! If it wasn't $33.42 for paperback (Kindle edition $30), I'd buy and read it. That price is completely ridiculous IMO. However, reading the free portion on Amazon I read an interesting statistic. The spammer gives an example of a spam porno e-mail the he sent, and 14% of those he sent it to clicked on the link.

Well, he spammed seven billion people, and seven thousand of them bought the book...

[Chuckanut]

When it comes to older guys and younger women, I am not jealous. Ben Franklin said the following about older women


"1. Because as they have more knowledge of the world and their minds are better stored with observations, their conversation is more improving and more lastingly agreeable.

2. Because when women cease to be handsome, they study to be good. To maintain their influence over men, they supply the diminution of beauty by an arguement of utility. They learn to do 1000 services small and great, and are the most tender and useful of all friends when you are sick. Thus they continue amiable. And hence there is hardly such a thing as an old woman who is not a good woman.

3. Because there is no hazard of children, which irregularly produced may be attended with much inconvenience.

4. Because the more experience, they are more prudent and discreet in conducting an intrigue to prevent suspicion. The commerce with them is therefore safer with regard to your reputation. And with regard to theirs, if the affair should happen to be known, considerate people might be inclined to excuse an old woman who would kindly take care of a young man, form his manners by her good counsels, and prevent his ruining his health and fortune among mercenary prostitutes.

5. Because every animal that walks upright, the deficiency of the fluids that fills the muscles appears first in the highest part. The face grows lank and wrinkled, then the neck, the the breast and arms, the lower parts continuing to the last as plump as ever. So that covering all above with a basket, and regarding only what is below the girdle, it is impossible of two woman to know an old one from a young one. And as in the dark all cats are grey, the pleasure of corporal enjoyment with an old woman is at least equal, and frequently superior, every knack being by practice capable of improvement.

6. Because the sin is less. The debauching a virgin may be her ruin, and make her for life unhappy.

7. Because compunction is less. The having made a young girl miserable may give you frequent bitter reflections, none of which can attend making an old woman happy.

8thly and lastly. They are so grateful."

[marko]

I understand it when people still say "We're the richest country in the world"....

What I don't understand is why nobody ever takes 'em up on it and says: "Newflash: no we're not! we're broke!!! Borrowed money doesn't count as 'wealth'!

[Major Tom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marko I understand it when people still say "We're the richest country in the world".... What I don't understand is why nobody ever takes 'em up on it and says: "Newflash: no we're not! we're broke!!! Borrowed money doesn't count as 'wealth'!

It's not quite that simple though is it? Our entire banking system depends on money being loaned to others. If there were no borrowing, our economy would grind to a halt.

Debt is not always a bad thing.

[marko]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major Tom It's not quite that simple though is it? Our entire banking system depends on money being loaned to others. If there were no borrowing, our economy would grind to a halt. Debt is not always a bad thing.

I'm seldom clear in making my point!! My bad.

What I meant is that people can't say that the US is the 'richest country in the world' when WE (as a country) are $57 Trill in debt.

U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time