One thing I’ve noticed lately, though: spam comments are becoming a little more nuanced. They’re disguised as actual comments and not the gibberish (or Russian) I’m so used to seeing.

Maybe, just maybe, the spam robots have become sentient.

I hate spam

“You write very well.”

“Cool page!”

“I found this information very useful.”

All unassuming comments on their own. Hey, maybe they’re real! you think. Until you check the back-link and notice it goes to an insurance company or something even more unmentionable. Sometimes they’re even longer than single sentences; paragraphs of patronizing garbage that might just cause the blogger to get lost in his or her own ego and let the spam slip through.

I’m not really going to post tips on how to “write the perfect spam comment.” That would be spectacularly counter-intuitive. Instead, for the sake of all bloggers out there, here are some warning signs that a comment may be SPAM:

• A very short comment praising your work and/or congratulating you on a job well done

• A vague paragraph (probably on the short side) explaining how interesting the subject matter is

• A URL left by the commenter that points to a business or service

• An e-mail address unrelated to said business or service, or one that looks a little fishy

• Unintelligible use of your blog’s primary language

Sometimes a comment may contain these attributes and still be a legitimate comment, so you have to use some intuition when separating the good from the bad. Even so, there’s really no point for someone to leave such a short and generic comment in the first place unless the commenter is looking for a free link back to their website.

Last but not least, if you’re running a Wordpress blog and you don’t have Akismet installed…install it. It will save you a lot of headaches.

Here are my top three websites where you can download free, quality Wordpress Themes. Why just three? Because free, quality themes really are difficult to find:

1. Best Wordpress Themes

Probably one of the bets places to get started on your search for a great Wordpress theme, Best Wordpress Themes is easy to navigate and presents a wide selection of various theme styles by many designers, the majority of which are free.

2. Design Disease

For the past couple of years, Design Disease has been a staple for me when it comes to Wordpress themes. In fact, they created the theme I’m using right this very second. They have a great selection with new themes released regularly, and they also do client work (for a fee, of course).

3. Smashing Magazine

Smashing Magazine is always showcasing new Wordpress themes, some better than others. Check out their posts “100 Amazing Free Wordpress Themes for 2009” and “100 Excellent Free Wordpress Themes” for a wide variety of awesome designs, and always check back for new releases.

That’s all I have for now. Seriously, weeding out the good themes from the bad is a difficult task, especially if you’re just getting started. But I’d like to think this stands as a good starting point. I’ll update this post if I ever stumble upon further resources.

Kill Chuck?

So, apparently there’s a small group of fans out there who are unhappy with the current storyline of Chuck. They’re suggesting, as “fans” of the show, that we boycott the series until the writers give them the story they want.

Now, I’m not entirely excited about the path this season has taken, either (and that has nothing to do with love triangles, in fact), but why is it every time the collective Internet hive-mind gets its panties in a bunch, it has to start a petition or call for a boycott? Never solves anything, just makes everyone look stupid.

Keep in mind that Chuck is walking a very tight rope right now. Ratings, while consistent[ish], are still low. And, let’s face it, they’re getting lower. This despite what I think was a pretty nice amount of advertising by NBC leading up to the season premiere.

However, said premiere left a lot to be desired, and I personally wonder what the writers were thinking by having an episode like that lead the season: I imagine it turned a lot of potential viewers away (heck, the first few minutes were exactly where I thought season 3 would be going, and where I wanted it to go…but it was all downhill from there. Mountain-man Chuck? Really?).

But it got better, as seasons of Chuck tend to do, and I enjoy it. The last thing Chuck needs right now are rumors of a fan boycott floating around during its two week hiatus.

I do have one prediction, ultimately: if it turns out that the show is in danger of cancellation again this year, I doubt there will be another Save Chuck campaign. We can only push NBC so far, especially in their current state, and they did more than enough by giving the series another 19 episodes after almost pushing it over a cliff.

The fate of the show now lies in the hands of its creators and its fans.