This short, first-person essay uses humor to document why those annoying computer voice response systems are annoying in spite of the best efforts of companies to make them sound human (while saving the company lots of money.) Although the piece is light and chatty, it touches upon a number of serious issues like the replacement of human call-center customer service employees with programmed machines -- and what that says about a future where person-to-person business interactions become the exception rather than the norm.

Automation -- who likes it? It's fine to deal with when it works well. As the narrator points out, it's often a frustrating experience. This piece is a bit stiff in the first minute, but the payoff is rewarding. I expected a little bit MORE ranting. In the end, I was OK with not having to listen to someone complain and was treated to a sweet resolution.