The federal CAN-SPAM act “prohibits deceptive subject lines. The subject line cannot mislead the recipient about the contents or subject matter of the message.” Which is why you sometimes see “ADV” in the subject line of stuff in your inbox.

Yesterday, I saw a phishing attempt (screen shot above) that provided something of a refreshing approach to subject lines. (I’m assuming it was an intentional subject line; AOL is certainly not adding “SPAM” automatically to crap like this!)

Of course, CAN-SPAM also “bans false or misleading header information. Your email’s ‘From,’ ‘To,’ and routing information — including the originating domain name and email address — must be accurate and identify the person who initiated the email.”

But hey, one step at a time, right?

“The great thing and the hard thing is to stick to things when you have outlived the first interest, and not yet got the second, which comes with a sort of mastery.”
—Janet Erskine Stuart

That classic holiday image is Norman Rockwell’s Freedom From Want, part of The Four Freedoms series. The other three are: Freedom of Speech, Freedom to Worship and Freedom From Fear.

Enjoy the day.

WKRP In Cincinnati was one of the best sitcoms ever. Unfortunately, because it used such a variety of music that was so integral to the show’s personality (Pink Floyd, Van Morrison, etc.), the original episodes in their original form will probably never be released on DVD due to ridiculously complex licensing issues.

Music licensing aside, it was a truly classic ’70s sitcom, up there with Barney Miller and the original Bob Newhart show. One of the best WKRP episodes of them all was “Turkeys Away” from the first season, written by Bill Dial and originally broadcast on October 30, 1978.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so what better time to watch the entire episode? Click now before the copyright police yank it off YouTube. Here are links to part one, part two, and part three.

I’m a big fan of Jean Shepherd, whose short stories (several from the book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash plus one from Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters) were the inspiration for A Christmas Story.

Cingular is running a great spot based on the movie that’s bound to be one of the buzziest commercials of the season. Watch it here. Or better yet, order from Max Schmidt and listen to the master himself read “Duel in the Snow, or Red Ryder Nails the Cleveland Street Kid.”

Hey, Cingular: Excelsior, you fatheads!