Computer Spew

I always knew that we, as a society, have become increasingly impersonal in day-to-day business. Humanless, self-check out counters and ATM machines abound in American society happy to greet you with a typographical message and a list of instructions. Occasionally, the instructions actually work. [I wonder how many people who actually need a job lose it to these faceless machines?]

Then there's the monthly bills, spit out in a religious fashion - never faltering in its tenacity. This tenacity has been clearly evident in the death of my partner's father. We still receive bills demanding payment for months of "service" following his death. They are even nice enough to include late fees. Nickel and diming the dead really should be a punishable crime. How would you punish a computer anyway? Give it a vicious repeating loop proclaiming that it has no brain?

T-Mobil finally acknowledged letters repeatedly sent to them stating that he had died. They informed him, he who had passed, that they were sorry to hear that he had decided to terminate his service with them. I'm sorry, but are the people punching in the keystrokes illiterate? He DIED. I don't think he had a choice in his "decision" to terminate their service. He simply terminated. Period.

Then there's the hospital. He died at the hospital. You'd think they would have records of this fact. They sent him, the deceased, a survey regarding their service. My partner took the survey for her father...after adding a few choices and sent it back. I'll just say she took it with humor, not anger. To read her take on the survey and what she added, visit the link to Quizzical Minds.

This has been another impersonal take on American Life by citizen #206337800 and stuffed toys, Eeyore Model Number BL0063422 and Cat-in-the-Hat Model Number RW333666.