For the longest time, I used to receive someone else's e-mails on GMail. Our e-mail addresses were very similar except that mine had periods in it and his apparently didn't. Either that or he really loved signing me up for things.
Since periods don't matter, I assume since _I_ grabbed firstlast those other guys have had to settle for firstlast + a random bit tacked on. Later they write it down wrong, or their correspondants omit the random bit.
Quite interesting. I've gotten bids on paving jobs from Scotland. Inquires about DJing in Florida. Invoices from a consultant in Seattle.
I have a filter for messages to: m.y.g.m.a.i.l@gmail.com
which marks the message read and moves it out of my inbox.
This is the address I give out to companies whose correspondences I don't care to read generally but don't necessarily want to go directly to the trash.
Scott+newslettername@Gmail.com for example.