How come Gmail keeps asking me to spell wierd looking words

[HEyHEY]

When I log in? IS it some kinda strange mindfuck?

[name not needed]

1. Nope. Just your run of the mill mindfuck.

[JVS]

2. Lah di dah, look who has a Gmail account.

[HEyHEY]

3. How's life in the gutter? Peasant!

[name not needed]

10. How's it goin in Communist Canadia?

Yeah, with your curling and your, uh, bacon! Yeah. Hahah! :P

[HEyHEY]

12. Had I been living in Vancouver I would joined curling this year

Oh well!

[AngryAmish]

4. I do too

Just bragging

[barackmyworld]

6. I have invites

email me at mayafrommer@gmail if you want one

[gmoney]

13. Me too...

PM me with your name and e-mail address for an invite... I think I have 3 or 4 left.

Cute women get preferential treatment, as in the rest of life.

[theorist]

5. I've never experienced anything like that.

I've only had mine for a couple weeks, though. :)

[flyingfysh]

7. it could be testing that you are a human

If what you are seeing is weird looking bitmaps in which you can recognize a word, then it is testing that you are a human rather than someone's computer program. This is probably to keep automated programs from somehow making use of the gmail system.

Of course, spammers already know how to defeat this kind of security system. If a spammer program comes up with one of these bitmap tests, it immediately uses it as a "test" for some porn site. Once a human there has recognized the word, then the spammer program can use the first site to supply the word and defeat the test.

[HEyHEY]

8. wow thanks

Yikes!

[Sporadicus]

9. I Just Logged In to Mine...Nothing Out of the Ordinary

I've seen that technique employed at other websites - the Better Business Bureau for example. It's to guard against automated login attempts. The website sends a word embedded in a .gif or .bmp, and bots can't interpret the word or recreate it. Perhaps a hacker from your ISP has been trying to break into gmail accounts.

[LeighAnn]

11. Really. Most "verifiers" use a brief word that's actually a word

Makes it easier.

What I'm dislikin' about Gmail is that every time I've tried to write a letter, when I click "send" it tells me "Unable to process request. Please try again later." So I hit the back button to try again, and the letter I typed is gone.

I don't think I've ever sent a successful "Gmail", but i use that address and can pick up mail there without any problem.

[ret5hd]

14. so what's the big deal with a gmail account?

isn't it just a free email account like yahoo or hotmail?

[HEyHEY]

15. Unlimited storage is the biggest deal - and you get to be considered hip!

[ret5hd]

16. huh...hmmm, hip, huh?

nobody except my wife (and i suspect she's just humoring me) has considered me hip in quite a while. i'll probably have to look into that after i run these whippersnappers out of my yard.

[ironflange]

21. Hey, you kids, get offa my lawn!

Young punks, I've got a mind to. . .

[da_chimperor]

17. So that means I'm hip too

Wow, I don't think anyone has called me that without pie at the end.

[JVS]

18. Now i'm hip!

[ropi]

19. maybe because

your weird words look wierd to it <wink> :hug:

[HEyHEY]

20. oh - oops!

Didn't notice that!

[ropi]

22. lol...

i am guilty of that same mistake too when typing too fast! :-)

[JVS]

23. Is it asking you to spell "Center", "Plow" or "Color" ?