etymology of SPAM

SPAM the food
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_(food)

SPAM the Monty Python sketch
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_(Monty_Python)

SPAM the electronic abuse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_(electronic)

I asked about this in class. Professor Hartline was right: it's not an acronym. Two false origins are the "backronyms" Shit Posing As Mail" and "Stupid Pointless Annoying Messages."

It is widely believed the term spam is derived from the 1970 SPAM sketch of the BBC television comedy series "Monty Python's Flying Circus."' A chorus of viking chant a SPAM song while the waiter attempts to recite the menu. They are SPAMing the conversation.

What I found most interesting: The conversion rate for botnet-generated spam has recently been measured to be around one in 12,000,000 for pharmaceutical spam. That explains why so much is necessary. For spammers to profit, they have to reach a LOT of people.