Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2002 17:59:52 -0800 From: Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com> To: Dave Hayes <dave@jetcafe.org> Cc: Brad Knowles <brad.knowles@skynet.be>, Harry Tabak <htabak@quadtelecom.com>, dever@getaclue.net, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Bystander shot by a spam filter. Message-ID: <3E10FA18.4BF5A1CB@mindspring.com> References: <200212302331.gBUNVW176452@hokkshideh2.jetcafe.org>
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Dave Hayes wrote: > > Why don't we start with your response to my other message, > > about systems engineering and emergent a complex behaviours > > that result from simple rule sets? > > Because the assumptions you call "systems engineering" and "emergent > behaviors" may not apply when dealing with a large space of humanity. Sure they do. Human behaviour, at least relative to groups, is both quantifiable and predictable. > > Personally, I'd like to argue about raising the cost of the > > sending of repeat SPAM, while leaving the cost of sending > > non-SPAM and/or initial SPAM, fixed. > > I'd actually agree with you there. In fact, this is programmed into my > mail filters. If you send the exact same message (same meaning "MD5 > checksum") to my mail filters, it only lets the first one through. > > Of course this is trivial to defeat. Only because it doesn't cost money to register a new domain, in order to defeat it, because the system does not enforce against sending SPAM through it on an expense item basis. In other words, there is no closed negative feedback loop in the design of the system, as it exists today. > > Are you arguing by omission that it's impossible to design > > such a system? If so, how do you address my example of the > > inability of people to deny the existance of gravity and > > inertia? > > Your analogy is arbitrary. People -do- deny the existence of both > those forces. Whether they are "right" or not depends on the circle > of people they are addressing. I certainly wouldn't address a PhD in > physics with this denial, I might address a group of new age > "spiritual" people that way. Yet a falling anvil from the top of the building will not respect their beliefs. Beliefs that contradict reality are unconvincing to reality, even if they convince other people... until reality smacks them on the head with an anvil, as part of a negative feedback mechanism built into the fabric of the universe. All this means with regard to SPAM is that it behooves us to build a negative feedback mechnaism into the mail delivery infrastructure, and let people argue with it when it smacks them on the head with an anvil. You can't argue with the laws of physics (well, you can... but you will always lose; gotta love the laws of physics...). -- Terry To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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