I missed the fun to. Drat. =(
Also, I am going to have to build up my macro collection on the laptop. One board I used to visit, "Macro Slaps," spammers. It got to be quite fun....and cute when the LOLkittahs would come in to play.
Ok, about the spamathon situation...
Re: Ok, about the spamathon situation...
Looks like the spamathon is over. Must've been the result of Conficker, when it came alive in early April (but not, of course, on the first).
Re: Ok, about the spamathon situation...
I dunno how that stupid thing was supposed to have caused spam postings on boards, though. 
Re: Ok, about the spamathon situation...
Several days after its supposed April Fools' activation date it actually activated. The timing matches fairly closely, and bots capable of such spam—including defeating those anti-bot word tests—are commonplace. Ergo, it's feasible that the virus created a botnet used to run bots such as the spambots we saw. Th bots would have preassigned messages, and either a list of known boards, or some kind of program to find them.
It also explains the eventual disappearance of spam. Most people whose computers were being used most likely didn't know until the activation, after which they would experience slowness both from their CPU and network/internet connection from the running bots. Thus any botnet has a limited lifespan, due to users finally realizing that they're infected and dealing with it. So you get a burst at first, then some stragglers, and eventually it fades right off.
Of course, I can't say for sure, but the timing fits very well.
It also explains the eventual disappearance of spam. Most people whose computers were being used most likely didn't know until the activation, after which they would experience slowness both from their CPU and network/internet connection from the running bots. Thus any botnet has a limited lifespan, due to users finally realizing that they're infected and dealing with it. So you get a burst at first, then some stragglers, and eventually it fades right off.
Of course, I can't say for sure, but the timing fits very well.
Re: Ok, about the spamathon situation...
Huh... I wasn't aware that bots were actually capable of posting spam on boards like that. I just thought they could hijack your address book and send email spam, like they usually do. Kooky. 
Of course, I gotta wonder how many people actually get suckered in by the type of spam that showed up on the board here. Only total morons get their identity stolen by ads for FREE VIAGRA!!!!!11one or MAKE THUOSANDS OF DOLARS FAST!!!!or whatever, so maybe we should let some Internet Darwinism occur and let them get weeded out.
Of course, I gotta wonder how many people actually get suckered in by the type of spam that showed up on the board here. Only total morons get their identity stolen by ads for FREE VIAGRA!!!!!11one or MAKE THUOSANDS OF DOLARS FAST!!!!or whatever, so maybe we should let some Internet Darwinism occur and let them get weeded out.