It all began 30 years ago today. The mother lode of all spam - the bane of everyone's online existence - was first sent out via the U. S. Defense Department's Arpanet by a salesman named Gary Thuerk. The first junk mail or "Spam" as we know it today, was an invitation for a demo of the new system-20 mini computers being marketed by the Digital Equipment Corp.

Consumer magazine Which? has found that computer keyboards can be a home to bacteria that may cause food poisoning symptoms and stomach upsets. Tests made on 33 keyboards at its office here showed four posed a health risk, with one being host to five times more germs than the office's toilet seats.

Marine biologists in New Zealand are thawing out a 1,000 pound squid from a huge ice block in order to study it. The analysis of the 1,089-pound, 26-foot long colossal squid, set to begin Wednesday, will help determine how the creatures live and breed. The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa will broadcast the thawing and examination live on the Internet.

Researchers find the Internet abounds with tips on suicide compared to a fewer number of sites offering suicide prevention, according to the British Medical Journal. The university study found almost half of Web sites listed by Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask revealed sites providing 'how to' advice while 13 percent of searches revealed suicide prevention information. Only 12 percent of searches result in sites that discourage suicide, according to AFP.

A recent survey revealed that those who spend a reasonable amount of money on other people experience greater elation than those who buy things for themselves. Scientists from the Harvard Business School gathered 632 Americans and questioned them about their income, their spending habits, and their level of happiness. Separately, the experts gathered 16 professionals up for a bonus between $3,000 and $8,000, and asked them similar questions six to eight weeks before, and after the bonus.