Sorry to jump in here - The latest gook I received is below.<snip>
The main message was marked as SPAM for other reasons, but this thread has gotten me thinking a bit.
Rather than trying to build a rule to find obvious incorrect letter combinations, shouldn't we be able to get SA to recognize this as junk the same way we as humans do? We look at that mess and instantly realize that it is gibberish because we don't recognize any of the 'words'.
Going OT here...but...
Perhaps because an intelligent human being is very adept at pattern matching, even when items are unrelated or somewhat out of context. It takes many times longer to codify this "logic". A computer would not be able to analyze the patterns any faster, but will do better at volume.
Software will read the message serially, from beginning to end. Our "human" spam filters can spot many things with visual reference, and do not rely on actually reading the text. For instance, read the following word: rhinoceroses . Most people who have a normal vocabulary and normal vision will only focus on a two or three of the letters (small focal point). The general shape, length, and orientation of the letterforms around the letters "noc" are enough for the brain to match up with the concept of "a fat beast which has a horn upon its nose...and a friend or two".
You see gibberish because the arrangement of "stuff" around your visual focus does not have a logical reference. It may also loosely resemble previously viewed gibberish.
When you see "spam", it takes a fraction of a second. You aren't reading it. The patterns match, and your reflex is to hit delete. Junk mailers had a two-second rule. If you looked at the mail for more than two seconds, there was a higher probability that you would read it or open it. That's why they printed their envelopes to look like personal letters, official correspondence, or financial material. Some spammers use similar tactics. The internet soccer moms and other blithering idiots who forked out $99 for a CD never had a clue to begin with.
My 2 cents. YMMV. - Alan
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