Turning off the Spam

Spam. It's evil and pernicious and it has found my blog. Recently I have been getting comments and when I go to see what the welcome reader has posted it all starts innocently enough: "Hi! I came across your blog and I agree with you" or some such nonsense and then it goes on to give me a link where I can buy a Hoover vacuum cleaner, a steel slide to better play my guitar, or slightly-used women's underwear.

Therefore, and immediately, I have commenced using word verification (you know where a window pops up telling you to type the slightly garbled letters that appear) and now the spam should spot. But if a real visitor is inclined to leave a comment, they can - after they verify.

First no-smoking in bars (for which I was given a button today - while I was smoking, and happened to stumble upon a rally in Federal Plaza) and now spam on my blog. When will the madness end?