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Derek Thompson

Derek Thompson - Derek Thompson is a senior editor at The Atlantic, where he oversees business coverage for the website.
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He is a visiting research fellow at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget at the New America Foundation. Derek has also written for Slate, BusinessWeek, and the Daily Beast. He has appeared as a guest on radio and television networks, including NPR, the BBC, CNBC, and MSNBC.

Can We Please Ban Voicemail Instructions Forever?

By Derek Thompson
Jul 31 2009, 2:22 PM ET Comment

You know what makes me bleeping mad? When I call somebody who doesn't answer the phone, and that robot woman (you know her) goes through her 15-second voicemail instructions before the tone. Could there be a more obvious money-grab from the phone companies? Yes, I know I can leave a voice message. And yes, I know it requires me to ... not do anything. It's not like if my friend doesn't answer, I'm going to put down the phone, pull out my stationary, quills and stamps and try to mail a letter. So let's ban this already!



David Pogue has launched a Take Back the Beep campaign to ban those wasteful 15-seconds from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, and the blog world is rallying behind him. This is a revolution, ladies and gentlemen. Let freedom ring on our wireless carriers without the interruption of feme-bots. Join the cause here.

[Via Ezra Klein (Via Kevin Drum)]
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