Please say one of the following...  #
Tuesday, 27 Jan 2009 01:36PM
The older I get, the more technology bugs me.

This is a pity, as most of my job description is programming.

Of all the technologies slowly sneaking into my life, the one I hate the most is the automated phone robots who ask you to "say what you're calling about".

They never work. Or they do, but only if you know exactly what to say and how to say it. Perhaps it is my particularly nerdy voice. I don't know.

My bank has had this technology for a while. I've learnt what to say, and in what accent to say it in. I hate it. Enormously. What is wrong with pushing buttons? Really?

I find it particularly irritating because at first they pretend you can say anything, and the magic computer will know what you mean. But of course you say "I'd like to solve world hunger" and it says "Please say one of the following..."

If there were only a few standard options... why not say that at the beginning? Don't pretend you're more awesome than you are.

This horrible technology has infected my phone company.

I just hung up. I guess I'll never talk to them again. I guess that is what they want isn't it?