Hope Springs Eternal

Have you ever wondered who actually buys the outrageously dubious-sounding wares that spammers hawk?

According to a Wired News article, a lot of them are people who should know better.

A spammer called Amazing Internet Products accidently left its order log exposed on one of its websites. The customers named there included the manager of a $6 billion mutual fund; a restaurateur in Boulder, Colorado; the president of a California firm that sells airplane parts; the coach of an elementary-school lacrosse club; the head of a credit-repair firm; a chiropractor; a veterinarian; a landscaper; and several military officers.

The product these upstanding citizens purchased? Pinacle herbal supplements--generically known as penis-enlargement pills.

About 6,000 people, including "numerous women," responded to the spam ("Make your penis HUGE" was the subject line); most ordered two bottles of Pinacle at $50 per bottle.

What was that P.T. Barnum quote?