X-Message-Number: 23652
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 14:02:28 -0500
From: "Kevin Q. Brown" <>
Subject: CryoNet Queue and Archive Bowdlerization Option

In message # 22413 (Spam SOAP RSS MIME):

     http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/dsp.cgi?msg=22413

my solution for protecting email addresses in CryoNet
archive files from spambots involved JavaScript-encoding
those addresses in the "dsp.cgi" output and preventing
direct access to the archive files by password-protecting
the "archive" directory.  But that also had the side effect
of password-protecting the CryoNet queue, making it no
longer publicly accessible.

During the past few weeks, events have unfolded at such a
fast pace that the once-a-day CryoNet digests have not always
been able to provide a timely update on cryonics-related news.
Providing safe-from-spambot public access to the queue
would help alleviate that problem, though, so now you can
access the CryoNet queue via URL:

     http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/dspq.cgi

The overall summary it provides is encoded in JavaScript
to protect it from both spambots and search engine robots.
Furthermore, the entire text (not just each email address)
for each message it links is encoded in JavaScript.
But people viewing the messages in ordinary, graphical
web browsers (which, by default, have JavaScript enabled)
will not notice any difference.

This technique of encoding entire messages, not just email
addresses, creates an opportunity for bowdlerizing the
display of CryoNet archive files without destroying any data
(or confusing any of the CryoNet site's internal indices).
But why would one want to do that?

Usually, when someone regrets his CryoNet posting it is
because Google (or another major search engine) has found
the message.  Subsequently, anyone who Googles for his name
easily finds that CryoNet message, which he thought was
good enough to post to CryoNet but doesn't want to be
associated with when the whole world is looking. ***

By adding the message number for that embarrassing message
to a list of messages that the "dsp.cgi" script should encode
_entirely_ in JavaScript, the search engines then will see
only a garbled string of text, whereas anyone viewing the
message in an ordinary web browser will see the message normally.
This solves the actual problem without destroying the message
at the CryoNet site.

Well, almost.  If the search engines already have cataloged
the plaintext version of the embarrassing message, there is
no guarantee when, or if, they will recatalog it with the
JavaScript-encoded version.  My experiments have produced
mixed results so far.  Nevertheless, it's an interesting
alternative to explore.  You can see an example at my
recent message:

   http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/dsp.cgi?msg=23603

which I am encoding (for now) just to see how the search
engines handle it.  If you want one of your messages to
participate in this experiment, let me know.

     Kevin Q. Brown
     

  *** <RANT>
      It amazes me that some people post messages to CryoNet and
      then expect them _not_ to be instantly and permanently
      accessible to anyone in the world.  Since 1988 I have pointed
      out that one should expect one's CryoNet messages to be
      globally accessible.  In particular, the welcome message
      for new subscribers and the Administrivia sections of
      the Monday and Thursday CryoNet digests always remind
      people of that.  Furthermore, anyone who has received
      CryoNet mailings easily could create his own web-based
      archive, and CryoNet would have no control over that.
      For example, Keith Lynch updated and maintained his own
      complete, web-accessible CryoNet archive for years.
      Nevertheless, the anti-spambot / anti-search-engine-robot
      encoding provides an elegant solution for bowdlerizing
      search engine access to selected archive files, while
      retaining unmangled display for people accessing those
      files interactively at the CryoNet web site.
      </RANT>

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