From the Make Magazine blog
HOW TO Build Your Own “Telecrapper”
Are you tired of answering the phone only to find a telemarketer on the other end and wish you could make them as angry as you feel? Now you can build your own answering system that carries on a virtual conversation with the telemarketer and drives them nuts. The Telecrapper 2000 (TC2K) is a computerized system designed to both intercept incoming Telemarketing calls on the first ring, and then carry on a virtual conversation with the telemarketer. The site also features phone calls the device has carried out with telemarketers. Link.
What a brilliant idea. Of course, after years of training (via the negative reinforcement method), I hardly ever answer the phone anyway. Still a clever, clever idea.
Oh, and here is a sample (flash) of it in action.
Tags: robot, /telemarketer
Of course you can play this game without the software/hardware, but it leads to actually getting pissed off that you're wasting your time. If you have a machine do the time-wasting, it's better for your mental health.
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