SPAM-LEVEL 1-THREE TOMORROWS.pdf

8/11/2019 SPAM-LEVEL 1-THREE TOMORROWS.pdf

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Spam

Time: five years fromnow

Place: England

Ohno! said Joe Turner. When Igo on the computer, allI

get is spam email that nobodywants. Its all frompeople

who are trying to sellyou things. Emailwhichis trying to get

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moneyfromyou. Emailthat says it can helpyour love life.

Emailthat says it can make you rich. Its just stupid! And do

Iask for anyofit? No! Its allspam, spam, spam! Icant get

emails frommyfriends and frommywork because Ive gottoo muchspam. AllIget is spam, spamand more spam! It

takes a long time to get spam off my computer too.

Sometimes Ilose important emails because Iget so angry!

Dad, dont get angry, said Louise, his daughter. She loved

her father. He made her laugh, but he didnt like computers.

Theymade himangry. Everybodygets spam, Dad. Theresnothing we can do about it. Just live withit, Louise said.

Its easyfor you, Louise, Joe answered. Youre a teenager.

Fourteen-year-old girls all use computers these days. You

know allabout them. But not me. Iremember when there

was no spam. I can even remember when we didnt have a

computer. Oh, happydays!Dad, Ilive withspam, thats all. Everybodylives withit

now. Idont know whyyou dont. Mumdoes.

Joe laughed. Ha! You know why? She doesnt use the

computer much. Thats why. And what does she do when

something goes wrong on the computer? She asks one ofus

to do something about it. Remember last week? She openedsome spamand it had a virus!You cant use a computer when

theres a virus on it. We worked for hours to make it OK

again.

What do you mean, we? said Louise. You mean me, Dad.

You just watched. Idid allthe work.

Iwas there to help, replied Joe withbig, open eyes. Imalways there to helpyou. You know that.

Thanks, Dad, Louise answered witha smile. Thats good

to know.

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Two weeks later, Joe looked at the news on the internet

and ate his breakfast. His wife, Inez, was there withLouise.

It was eight oclock in the morning.

Yes! he shouted. Theydid it! This is what we need!Inez often heard her husband shout when he read the

news. What did theydo, Joe? she asked.

Computer experts can stop spam! laughed Joe. Thats

what they say in the news. And the good thing is it isnt

going to cost us anything! The computer experts sayspams

going to stop. Isnt that great?Louise sat up. Just a minute, Dad. Do you mean that we

arent going to find spam on the computer again? And we

dont need to payanything? Thats reallygood! But how can

theydo that?

I dont know, said Joe. Is it going to work? Thats the

important thing!Inez looked happy, too. She didnt like computers, but she

hatedspam!

Joe and his familyhated spam. But it wasnt only them.

There were many people everywhere who hated it too.

Millions of them got the free software and used it to stop

spam. It worked. People only got the emails that theywanted. Everybodywas happy. Spamwas gone.

Thats what theythought.

* * *

Louise went on a camping holidaywithher school friends.No more computers or television for three weeks! What am

Igoing to do? she laughed.

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When Louise was on holiday, her parents heard some newsabout a new internet shopping company. This companysold

everything. Wait for emails fromour internet company. Our

prices are cheapand theres something for everybody. Were

the best internet shopping company in the world! said the

person on the television.

That evening, Joe and Inez read the emails from theinternet shopping company. Lots of people from all over

England read the emails. Everyone wanted the cheapprices.

Three weeks later

Now whydid you buythat? asked Joe Turner.

Inez looked at her new salad bowl and put it on thekitchen table.There were four more bowls on the table.They

were allthe same.

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Idont know, she said. But when Isee a salad bowllike

this, Iwant to buyit. Ifeelbad when Idont. Idont know

why. Funny, isnt it?

What, more things for the garden, Dad? laughed Louise.She was at home again, after her holiday. Our flats on the

fourthfloor, remember? Theres no garden here!

Ijust forget when Isee them, said Joe. Icant stop. Iwantto buythemallthe time!

And that wasnt all. Joe and Inez had lots ofother things,

too. Theydidnt need anyof them. Louise saw that. But it

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didnt stopher parents. There was shopping everywhere in

the flat. Louise knew something was wrong. But what?

It was the same everywhere. People bought all kinds of

things, things theydidnt want or need.This is stupid, everyone said. Then they bought

something too. No one knew how to stop. Shopping was the

onlything people talked about in the street, on the news.

People started to feel afraid. Everybody spent too much

money. Doctors, scientists, politicians all talked about it.

Some people thought it was a new virus.

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And was it? Nobodyknew. But people shopped online all

the time now. Theydidnt have the money to pay for their

shopping. But that didnt stop them. People spent money

theydidnt have, and theyjust bought too much. Soon, theirhouses were too small for the hundreds of things that they

bought. Manyofthese things never came out oftheir boxes.

* * *

What is going on? Louise asked herself. Now Im home

frommyholiday, and everything is different. Something iswrong. But what?

Louise went to the computer to read her emails. When she

was on holiday, she didnt use the computer. But she knew

that her parents read their emails everyday. Was there some

important news that she didnt know about?

Inez saw Louise sit down at the computer.Can Ilook? asked Inez. Imwaiting for an email.

OK, Mum, said Louise. She got up, but she stayed next

to her mother. Inez opened her emails. Louise watched her

mothers face. Her mothers eyes were verybig as she read one

ofher emails.

Then Inez jumped up. OK, she said. You can look atyour emailnow, Louise.

Why was Mum different when she read that email?

thought Louise. She looked at the address ofher mothers

email. It was froman internet shopping company. But Louise

didnt open it, because then Inez came back. She had her

credit card in her hand. Is she going to buymore things?thought Louise.

Imust buythat nice purple shirt for Joe, said Inez, and

she sat down in front ofthe computer again.

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Purple? Louise knew her Dad hated purple. This was all

wrong! What was in that email?Er... Ithink theres something wrong withthe computer,

said Louise. Let me look at it, Mum.

OK, said Inez. Ican come back later.

Louise started work.

* * *

Mum, Dad! Theres an email for you! It says its very

important! Louise ran into the kitchen, withthe computer

in her hands.

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Joe and Inez opened the emailand looked at it. Their eyes

closed and they didnt speak or move. Then, after a few

minutes, theyopened their eyes and looked at Louise.

What? Where are we? What did those emails do to us?asked Joe.

Its OKnow, Dad, said Louise. That internet shopping

companyput things in the emails. Theyput ideas in your

head that you didnt know about. It was like a computer

virus, but it worked on people. So everyone bought allthose

things theydidnt need. Not verynice. AllIdid was changethe message. Easy, really.

Did you reallydo it, Louise? asked Inez.

Ofcourse Idid. No internet companycan stopme. This

afternoon Ichanged the emailprogram.This emails going to

take the virus away when people open it. The internet

companycant do anything about it, said Louise.Joe and Inez looked around at allthe things that were still

in their boxes. There were salad bowls and things for the

garden, shoes and clothes, books and music lots ofthings

theydidnt need. Theylaughed.

The internet companythought it knew everything, said

Louise. But it didnt!Louise, do you like chocolate cakes? said Inez with a

smile.

Ofcourse! Why, Mum? asked Louise.

Because Ibought fortyofthemand theyre in the kitchen!

said Inez.

And theyalllaughed.

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SPAM-LEVEL 1-THREE TOMORROWS.pdf