Xin Ji

A Personal Journal

Featured Story · 2025-09-07

From Humble Beginnings to Global Goliath: The Wild, Weird, and Wired History of Email

Ever wonder why we call junk email "spam"? The answer has nothing to do with technology and everything to do with a classic Monty Python comedy sketch, a greasy-spoon cafe, and a chorus of Vikings singing loudly about canned meat. The bizarre story of how this inside joke came to define unsolicited messages is just one of the hilarious and surprising tales in the history of email. This journey from a simple test message to a global communication system is filled with quirky characters and unexpected turns that shaped the internet as we know it.

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About the Author

Hi, I'm Xin Ji. I'm a software engineer and designer with a passion for creating clean, user-centric digital experiences. My work focuses on the intersection of technology and design, exploring how thoughtful code can lead to beautiful and intuitive products.

This journal is a collection of my thoughts, experiments, and learnings as I navigate the ever-evolving world of web development.