Somebody Has Made A Bot That Messes With Telemarketers, Making Me Very Happy

A great new business called Jolly Rogger Telephone
messes with telemarketers to the delight of
this company's customers. 

I'm a very mean person, so when I get a call from a telemarketer and I have the time, I mess with them.

I'm on the national Do Not Call list, so most telemarketing calls I do get are illegal. But that doesn't stop some unscrupulous jerks from calling me to tell me I need a time share, a facelift, or once, an offer for a Russian girlfriend.

Since I don't want a time share, facelift or Russian girlfriend,  imagine my delight when I read in the Washington Post about a new business called Jolly Roger Telephone. 

Jolly Roger Telephone is a robotic answering serve that wastes telemarketers' time.

As the Washington Post reports:

"Roger Anderson started the Jolly Roger Telephone, which lets users start a three-way call with the service so they can listen gleefully as the bot rambles on. It's designed to provide entertainment and empowerment for everyone who has grown weary of the phone calls."

The Washington Post goes on:

"In a typical call, the robot keeps the telemarketer on the phone for a few minutes, but in some cases they go on for much longer. The robot does this by cleverly exploiting a flaw in the telemarketer playbook: staying on the line if the person is agreeable. So the system leans on 'yeah,' 'sure,' 'okay' and 'yes.' In one instance, the robot kept a cable company on the line for 22 minutes."

Anderson told the Post that he's been stunned by how much interest there is in his new business. But I'm not. I almost want to sign up right now.

Says the Washington Post: "He dreams of ultimately going even bigger and toppling the global network of call centers. In his perfect scenario, telemarketing would become inefficient, making the call center business model collapse."

Which wouldn't draw too many tears from this writer, who I repeat really, REALLY doesn't need a Russian girlfriend.

Guy Turns His Wheelchair Into A Nifty Snow Plow

Tim Taylor operates his wheelchair snowplow
in snowy Pennsylvania. Add caption

I often feel bad for people with physical disabilities in the winter.

It's hard enough for them to get around any time of year, but when there's snow, it has to be especially challenging.

Tim Taylor, 30, of West Springfield, PA is making the best of it. He uses a wheelchair, and uses one as a snowplow, says the Huffington Post.

Taylor has limited use of his hands, so he can't construct things really well, but he can design and draw and do that sort of thing.

So he designed the snowplow wheelchair and had his father and brothers fabricate it under his direction.

 It's pretty cool!

"What I have right now is a prototype. It still has some issues that need to be worked out, but that's just prompting me to find a better way to design it," Taylor said, according to the Huffington Post.

There's a video of Taylor operating his snowplow at the bottom of this post.  I wonder how well he'd do in that huge blizzard bearing down on the East Coast this weekend.

He's also working on a wheelchair with a special mount that would allow him to go out on wildlife photography excursions, which is his favorite pastime. He's been paralyzed since a 2003 accident, and the wheelchair van he has is rusting out.

Taylor considered the tried and true method for these types of situations and was going to start a GoFundMe campaign for the money.

But he'd rather earn the money. So, he wants to work as a DJ and a snowplow operator with his wheelchair, which sounds like an awesome plan.

 I'd also suggest that he market his ideas for the wheelchair plow and the wildlife photography wheelchair. It probably wouldn't hurt if Taylor tried to sell his wildlife photography too, but I don't want to tell a guy what to do.

Seems like he can handle his own life all by himself, thank you very much.  .

Though I can't resist one more suggestion, based on this quote from Taylor: "Every day there can be a new achievement, whether you have a disability or not.....A new achievement in life helps keep you positive.

He's right, of course. But maybe he can make a lucrative living as an inspirational speaker.

Take The Doggies Kayaking

David Bahnson, along with dogs Susie and Ginger, enjoy
 a kayak outing this past summer. Photo by Linda Bahnson.  n

Hats off to fellow Vermonter David Bahnson, wbo found a way to let his two dogs, Susie and Ginger, enjoy his kayaking adventures.

According to The Dodo, a web site dedicated to pets and animals, Bahnson 67, of Rutland, custom designed his kayak so that the two dogs can get out on the lake with him.

Says The Dodo:

"It never takes much convincing for those furry first mates to settle into their seats when it's time to get going in the kayak. In fact, though Bahnson rarely paddles out too far from land, the dogs seem to understand how to keep safe on their journeys.

'They are trained to get in the kayak themselves on command. They sit down, and off we go. When we come ashore, they'll stay seated until I tell them it's OK to get out. They never hopped out into the water, actually,'" he said."

Bahnson and his dogs have gotten a huge amount of media attention lately for his great invention. He made it for himself and his dogs, but he should market this idea. I bet a lot of other people would like to kayak with their dogs comfortably.

Good for these well-behaved dogs! And huge kudos to Bahnson for including his dogs in his recreation and adventure.