Losing the SPAM war


I turned off the Captcha function this week in order to make it easier for you, my dear readers, to post comments.  But now, I am flooded with spam comments advertising everything from Filipino mud flaps to Australian light-duty truck dealerships.  So I am turning the function back on.  I am sorry.

For those of you with blogs, what is the most effective way of blocking spam comments (while at the same time making your reader experience relatively drama-free)?