Spam accounts for over 50% of all email, costs the U.S. economy an estimated $250 billion each year in lost productivity, and has been targeted by both software and hardware manufacturers. Microsoft leads the way with "Block XP", offering protection above and beyond previous software measures, with mail filtered by "specially trained third-world laborers. These workers, or 'Spam Blockers' as we like to call them, will personally check each and every one of the e-mails you are getting," said Bill Gates, while Steve Ballmer danced around chanting, "Unspamable! Unspamable! Unspamable! Unspamable!".

Not to be outdone, Yahoo has developed their own Spam Sponge. "We use an automated name generator to seek for possible account names that do not yet exist and we create an account in that name. Then automated bots subscribe these fictitious accounts to as many mailing lists as they can find." Yahoo claims to have set up millions of bogus e-mail boxes, just to soak up spam. Bulk e-mailers take issue with the practice. "Kathleen Gipson of Enhance Your Rod, Inc. called the move 'deceptive and harmful. We want our message about member enlargement to get to the people that want it.' "

Hewlett-Packard has developed a combination printer/shredder to ease the heavy corporate burden of employees printing e-mails. "Boy, this is really fantastic, I'm loving it," said a Human Resources Director. "I can now, for example, send my ideas for improving the company's health plan straight to the printer/shredder instead of bothering with getting it turned down by management."

Concerned about losing market share, Spam Assassin, a leader in anti-spam software, has taken the next step with their HomeAssassin product. "All you need is the HomeAssassin software, a webcam, a computer and one of our specially trained Ninja Assassins." A webcam phototgraphs those knocking on your door, and rule-based recognition determines if the visitor is welcome. False positives are reported to be low.

To combat the appearance of industry taking the lead in the anti-spam crusade, the government has begun its own stepped-up anti-spam campaign. Agreeing that a national "do not spam" list will be largely ineffective, the Senate has passed a Kill-A-Spammer initiative, and the House is expected to follow suit. "The FCC has already prepared a "most wanted" deck of cards depicting the 52 worst spammers, to be distributed free to professional bounty hunters or any other interested individual."

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