My spam finds Connie Willis confusing, thinks the Doc Strange movie was a masterpiece, and is angry
Originally published at Scott Edelman. Please leave any comments there.
When I woke this morning, I found 185 new spam comments intended to go live on my blog which had instead thankfully been caught by my spam folder. That was an unusually large amount of spam to appear over one night.
And what was even more unusual was this-these weren’t just any spam comments, the standard random nonsense filled with embedded links to purveyors of payday loans, male enhancement drugs, and UGG boots. No, these were spam comments that could almost pass a Turing Test … filled with embedded links to purveyors of payday loans, male enhancement drugs and UGG boots.
To see just how close this spam appeared to real comments, check out these two computer-generated comments that were caught before they could appear on separate posts of mine which mentioned Connie Willis:
I’m confused. I bhougt doomsday book’ a few yrs ago; discovered it was part of an unfinished trilogy so decided to wait and not read it. i then bhougt To say nothing of the dog’ and again waited. the inside back cover strongly implied the final part was all clear’. now it seems all clear’ is the second part to blackout’. could someone please explain what belongs to what and if there is then still a third book to come or ???much appreciatedJeff
I’ve been a big Connie Willis fan for years, but there were several asepcts of Blackout/All Clear that I found confusing and dissatisfying. First, why does Mike think he has to fake his death to help Polly and Merope get out? It was not explained, and I can’t think of a good reason. (Maybe I’m just thick.) Second, where and when did Stephen Lang meet Polly prior to 1944? He’s about to tell her when he’s interrupted, and the topic is never revisited, even though enough time is spent on it to make it seem important. Third, who is the unnamed character who appears in the tube station at the end of Blackout? Colin? But I thought he couldn’t get through to that time. Any help clearing up these points would be most welcome.
And look how on target this one seemed that never made it through to litter a post I’d made about the Stoker Awards:
:The first half of the book scared me. All those times when we got an iinlnkg of the ghost but nothing overt. Those types of psychological teasers always disturb me, but as he got stronger and more forward, I was significantly less impressed. Sorry this one didn’t jive for ya so much. I do want to read 20th Century Ghosts very much. I feel like he might be scarier in shorter chunks.
And here’s what was attempted in response to a post I’d made about rejection slips:
I’m always seokchd when an editor doesn’t drop onto her knees and beg me to allow her the privilege of publishing my story.All joking aside, rejections can hurt, even after you’ve had plenty of submissions accepted. Personally, I grab a bag of M&M candies, allow myself to wallow in my pity party for an hour or two, then get back to work.Your post gave excellent advice about taking a second look at the manuscript and tweaking it if need be. After that, send it out again!
Here’s one that was meant to appear on a Readercon post:
The Way the Future Shouldn’t Be Steve Davidson Grasping for the Wind A discussion of how good hard sf is hard to find noaaywds. I’d disagree, thinking of Schroeder, Watts, and Vinge (to name just three who come immediately to mind, all white men admittedly) but on the media end of things I suspect this is sadly true: Now, science fiction seems to only serve the entertainment function. Practitioners seem to distance themselves from prognostication as if it were an illegal or socially unacceptable activity.
And one from a post related to the Ad Astra convention:
I have attended every San Diego Comic Con (aka Comic Con International) since 1976 and may have gone beofre that. The corporation running the operation no longer cares about its loyal fan base and has been squeezing out comic book vendors for the past decade. Now they are making it harder and harder for senior citizens to come back. I was shocked in 2011 when they no longer allowed fans to re-register at the Con. They used the BS argument that by relying Online they avoid scalping. What about people like me who have been there for them for decades? I am terrible when it comes to Online registration and true to form, it failed every time I tried to register. I wrote a letter, but CCI never replied. After repeatedly telling my tale of woe to newspapers and on Facebook, someone graciously helped me get a badge. I have noticed the cheap and junky toys at the west end of the hall are crowding out the old comic vendors and fewer of the comic shops are present anymore. All the resting places are gone in the hall and half the number of lunch tables were gone this year. As well, I loved the art auctions, as it allowed me to rest in the hall and watch the artists work, and I invested in art knowhing the money went to a good cause (hearing and handicapped). Until 2010, I believed this really was a loving non-profit charitable organization that honored its devoted members. Now I am livid with anger over where it has gone and wonder if I will be able to find a badge for next year?
Here’s something that popped up as a response to something I’d written about Al Feldstein and Golden Age comics:
a0Phantom Lady was a creation of the Iger Studio for Quality Comics, and was orllniagiy drawn by Allen Peddy and others in a manner that today would hardly be described as “good girl art”.a0a0 She first appeared in Police Comics #1 (August, 1941) and was a regular in that title until her series ended in issue #23 in August, 1943.a0 After a 4 year hiatus, the character was repackaged by Iger for the Fox Feature Syndicate, where she made her debut in Phantom Lady #13 (August, 1947) (this title had been Watalife Comics up to that point).a0 It is in this issue where the great Matt Baker took over the character and worked his magic.a0 Not only did Baker make the character a much more voluptuous super hero, he also changed her costume from a yellow and green one piece outfit, to a skimpy blue and red costume with a plunging neckline.a0 The character’s popularity soared under Baker’s hand, and continued until 1949 when Fox ceased operations.a0 In 1956, DC Comics acquired the rights to the Fox characters and has published several incarnations of Phantom Lady since reintroducing her in the pages of Justice League of America #107 (October, 1973).
And finally, here’s what was attempted on a post about Jack Kirby:
I have seen that Doc Strange movie several times and it is OK but just OK. Compared to the cabirle of superhero movies fans could expect back in the day, it was a masterpiece, though. Did you ever see that Aquaman pilot? I think it was actually a student film, so in that context, well done. But for years I thought it was an official pilot, and I had nightmares.With the kinds of comic book inspired movies we are getting now Iron Man, Batman and just how fantastic they are, wouldn’t you love to see Doc Strange get the same treatment? Top of the line script, special effects, the whole enchilada? Man! I salivate just thinking about it.I realized a long time ago that even when I disagree with Spurgeon, I respect his opinion and his presentation.I enjoy Heidi’s site, but yeah, some of the comments are just too funky. Oh well, we can always just scroll.
I may be the last to realize this, but it seems that someone has written software which can analyze content and then auto-generate spam comments which can almost pass for genuine, relevant responses. I suspect that other bloggers less wary than me might read and approve such comments and not notice the hidden junk urls within.
Either that, or the Internet has become self-aware, and is trying to tell us what it thinks of us.