Too Much To Dream

Little Steven's Little Ego

Well, well well. It looks like some people don't like being brushed off. A person calling himself "Steven Brewis" left a comment in this post that managed to be both nasty and weird. His friend "Shaun" also left a message, but I deleted it, since it was even nastier, but not as weird -- merely par for the course. I noticed they came from the same IP, which I banned.

Well, little Stevie didn't appreciate being banned. He sent me an email. It had an attachment, which of course I did not open (I am not stupid). I deleted the email. Then I looked up the IP on whois. This is what I found:

Search results for: 168.209.98.35 +

OrgName: Dimension Data
OrgID: DIDA
Address: Guardian National
Address: 10th Floor West wing
Address: Libridge building
Address: Ameshof Street
Address: Braamfontein
Address: Johannesburg
City:
StateProv:
PostalCode:
Country: ZA

NetRange: 168.209.0.0 - 168.210.255.255
CIDR: 168.209.0.0/16, 168.210.0.0/16
NetName: NEDNET2
NetHandle: NET-168-209-0-0-1
Parent: NET-168-0-0-0-0
NetType: Direct Allocation
NameServer: APOLLO.IS.CO.ZA
NameServer: HERMES.IS.CO.ZA
NameServer: NS0.PIPEX.NET
Comment:
RegDate: 1994-07-13
Updated: 2000-06-12

TechHandle: DA25-ORG-ARIN
TechName: DNS Administration
TechPhone: +27 11 447-5566
TechEmail: dns-admin@is.co.za

And this is the email I sent to this company (I am not calling overseas):

To whom it may concern:

I run a public-accessible weblog on which readers can leave comments. Recently I received some nasty and disturbing comments that may possibly have come from two of your employees. The weblogging software I use enables me to ban IPs -- I noticed that the last two comments from two separate people came from the same IP. I deleted one of the comments, and left the other one. Here is the content of the one I left up (it can be accessed here -- http://www.spleenville.com/journal/archives/001139.php):

Ghandi once said: I will die for the cause I believe in but I will not kill for my cause.
The way you judge, will determine how you will be jusdged. The Bible said forgive and forget, Bush the idiot that he is says: "We will not forgive and we will not forget."
I believe that settles that.
Respect your mind, boycott CNN

The writer of the comment was one Steven Brewis, at this email address: sbrewis@yebo.co.za. The comment of his friend, whom I considered to be merely this Mr. Brewis using a fake name, I deleted.

Mr. Brewis sent me an email. He helpfully informed me that he and Shaun were two separate people who use the same computer "at work," and then enjoined me to enjoy my "sad life," and also said something about how God will judge people like me. I can't copy the remarks to you because I deleted the email immediately. I deleted it because he sent it with an attachment. I do not open attachments, especially from hostile emailers. Especially possibly disturbed ones who invoke the Bible in vaguely threatening comments and send me emails threatening me with God and with attachments of an unknown nature.

I looked up the IP the comments came from and found your address. The South African location matches the South African email address of Mr. Brewis. I do not know this person. If he and his friend "Shaun" work for you, I suggest you monitor their internet usage more closely.

I expect a reply to this email.

Thank you.

Andrea Harris
harrisandrea@earthlink.net

Posted by Andrea Harris at March 4, 2003 11:31 PM