SPAM And Pop-Ups

No, this isn`t about what to serve for brunch. It`s about the tremendously disturbing advertising that infiltrates our E-mail accounts. SPAM is not an acronym for Silly People Annoying Me. SPAM, or junk E-mail , got its name from the spicy canned meat and here`s how: The British comedy troupe Monty Python performs a sketch in which people are trying to have a casual conversation in a restaurant. � In the background others are reciting ��Spam! Spam! Spam! Spam!�� in reference to the menu which includes the Hormel product in every dish.

� As the people struggle to continue their conversation and desperately try to ignore the mantra, it becomes louder and louder until it eventually takes over and drives everyone in ear shot almost insane. � This is exactly how the unsolicited E-mail we get each day affects most of us.

When you log onto Paradise or Xtra or open up your hotmail, you expect to find a lame joke with 350 lines of return path info on it from your sister-in-law who doesn`t know how to copy and paste so she forwards everything. � What you don`t expect, or want, is the offer for affordable Viagra, the great deal on alien abduction insurance or a hyperlink to free nude photos of Britney Spears. You didn`t ask for this stuff. (Well, most of you didn`t.) It simply finds its way to you and much like your Aunt Mavis, who loves pointing out how much weight you`ve gained since last she saw you, it`s quite unwelcome.

Every magazine and newspaper, as well as the bus you take to work, is littered with print ads. � You can`t watch the telly without 10 to 12 interruptions in any given hour. Even paying $14.00 to a movie theatre doesn`t exempt you from the hard sell. � You`re forced to sit through the same commercials you see on TV before the feature presentation. �

With advertising being such a large part of our world, is it any surprise it`s all over the internet, another large part of our world?

Pop-ups are another way to grab your attention when you go online. � There are software programs like Ad Muncher and Adaware which will intercept many of the pop-ups, as well as some banner ads. � However, you cannot possibly avoid them completely. � Try using any search engine and you`ll be inundated with pitches for