Deliberate Pouring: Evil Hang-up Gnomes

Friday, October 29, 2004

Evil Hang-up Gnomes

For years I have had this theory that all those times you get a dead line when answering the phone it's because an automated caller didn't want a real person answering. Some days I'd get a bunch of hang-ups, then I'd leave for an hour or so and come back to a telemarketing message on my answering machine. Real people hang up on recorded messages, but answering machines are happy to listen to them. Once a message is on your machine you are more likely to listen to it in order to get to the next message.

Well today I got my proof. Instead of a dead line there was a recording: "We are sorry to disturb you. This message was intended to be received by an answering machine." It's nice to know my theory was right, but that's far outweighed by the truth of it.

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Name: Deliberate Pouring

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At this time during an election year anyone living in a swing state dreads evening telephone calls, and this year it looks like the daytime is not going to be much better. Campaigns spend millions trying to reach voters in these states, trying to get their messages heard by the so-called undecided voters. Third party groups spend equally large sums to put their favored candidates' positions in a positive light, trash the opposing side, or just make sure you are going to vote.

I live in New Hampshire, which in the Presidential race this election cycle seems to be up for grabs. Furthermore I am registered as an independent, which means the above-mentioned parties think my vote is up for grabs. I think the state is starting to shed its conservative reputation for many reasons, which is perhaps evidenced in its current swing state status. On the other hand, my vote is most definitely decided.

But that's not relevant to the point of this blog. My purpose here is simply to recount the telephone calls we get from now until the election. These calls started in earnest this week, and if past years are any indication we are in for a real deluge this year.