What comes to light

So, I had my email sorta hacked into recently -- some nefarious decepticon-type entity managed to send a message from my account to the first fifty names in my address book. In light of this, some things have occurred to me.


1. Of the first fifty names in my address book, 15 bounced back to me immediately because the account in question was no longer active, probably 6-8 more were merely duplicate addresses that I had for people, 4 or 5 were people I either haven't emailed directly in years or only have them in my contacts because I reply-alled to some other email, and the first 50 addresses only get me up to the D's. Perhaps it's time for me to do some Hotmail spring cleaning.

2. Not often does someone get to send his dad, his sister, his brother's girlfriend, his ex-girlfriend and a couple of ex-co-workers a link to an ad for a Viagara-like medication. And usually when it does happen, it's the basis of a reality show that airs on Showcase on Friday nights.

3. And really, if I possessed the awesome ability to hack into Hotmail, I highly doubt the best use I could come up with for this talent would be the further propagation of spam. Seriously, if it's money you're looking for, start scanning emails for credit card numbers, or advertise for a legitimate product. Conversely, if you're just enamored with the thrill of getting away with stuff (as depicted in immortal cinematic masterpieces like Sneakers and Hackers), then send everybody in a given contact list a generic suicide note. That'd get people talking.