The fight against spammers can sometimes seem a losing battle, but every now and then there are tools to give you a glimmer of hope. Sam Spade is a network-query tool that can help you locate bulk mailers and maybe even make them answer for their transgressions.

Many server-finding tools, such as nslookup, whois, and traceroute, have been previously available, but only from a command line. Sam Spade lets you use these tools from a graphical interface, and information found with one tool can be queried using another. Its SMTP Verify tool helps you check on the validity of an e-mail address, which is good for finding out if mail is being sent from that address or forwarded from another address to cover the spammer's tracks.

Another helpful feature sends HTTP packets to your ISP's Web server every minute or so, to keep a dial-up link active. There is also an included Web browser. An abuse.net query will identify the e-mail addresses listed at a database maintained by abuse.net.