[SGVLUG] E-mail "stamps" -- someone finally did it, it seems...

[Emerson, Tom]

Someone using an e-mail address of "spindel56 at comcast" has installed something that sent an automated request for $0.37 in order to "release" my e-mail to him/her.  Perhaps a little overpriced for e-mail, but "the current rate" for traditional mail, so as good a starting point as any I presume.

If anyone knows who this is, I'd like to find out more details of this system -- a couple of years ago I did some work on the same idea [e-mail stamps] and I'm curious as to how much "matches" what I came up with [I got to a "proof of concept" stage where I had a working stamp-dispenser server / stamp cancellation service, but ran low on interest and enthusiasm around then...]

All that aside, however, I think there needs to be a bit more tweaking to his or her system - after all, it is a bit rude to sign up to a "list", and then turn around and charge people posting to the list [i.e., the program should have recognized the fact that this came by way of sgvlug.org/net in some fashion and quietly accepted the message.]  Of course, automatons know nothing of "rudeness" per se, they just do as they are programmed...