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Domain: williamcalvin.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to williamcalvin.com.
Stories · 3
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Personal CallerID-Aware 'Answering Machines'?
vaxer asks: "Scientist and novelist William Calvin wrote a 'RingController' into chapter four of Synchronized: A Novel of the Internet Era. Our heroine uses it to manage what happens to incoming phone calls based on the source, time of day, and other preferences. Some calls get a 'no soliciting' message, others get a friendly 'I'm Not In' message, and a select few actually make her phone ring. Callers on a list of 'Voicemail Violators and Persistent Pests' get a devilishly unhelpful message. (The novel doesn't suggest a shared blackhole list of boiler rooms and other cold-callers, but I'm sure it could be done) Are there any such devices available for sale?" The technology does exist to create something like this, right now...however it still requires hardware usually only found in call centers and corporate voicemail hell. Is this tech ready to move into the home, if so, what do you need and is it still prohibitively expensive? -
Personal CallerID-Aware 'Answering Machines'?
vaxer asks: "Scientist and novelist William Calvin wrote a 'RingController' into chapter four of Synchronized: A Novel of the Internet Era. Our heroine uses it to manage what happens to incoming phone calls based on the source, time of day, and other preferences. Some calls get a 'no soliciting' message, others get a friendly 'I'm Not In' message, and a select few actually make her phone ring. Callers on a list of 'Voicemail Violators and Persistent Pests' get a devilishly unhelpful message. (The novel doesn't suggest a shared blackhole list of boiler rooms and other cold-callers, but I'm sure it could be done) Are there any such devices available for sale?" The technology does exist to create something like this, right now...however it still requires hardware usually only found in call centers and corporate voicemail hell. Is this tech ready to move into the home, if so, what do you need and is it still prohibitively expensive? -
Personal CallerID-Aware 'Answering Machines'?
vaxer asks: "Scientist and novelist William Calvin wrote a 'RingController' into chapter four of Synchronized: A Novel of the Internet Era. Our heroine uses it to manage what happens to incoming phone calls based on the source, time of day, and other preferences. Some calls get a 'no soliciting' message, others get a friendly 'I'm Not In' message, and a select few actually make her phone ring. Callers on a list of 'Voicemail Violators and Persistent Pests' get a devilishly unhelpful message. (The novel doesn't suggest a shared blackhole list of boiler rooms and other cold-callers, but I'm sure it could be done) Are there any such devices available for sale?" The technology does exist to create something like this, right now...however it still requires hardware usually only found in call centers and corporate voicemail hell. Is this tech ready to move into the home, if so, what do you need and is it still prohibitively expensive?