Is anyone else annoyed by the “just speak your choice” automation in so many telephone menus? I feel like an idiot mumbling “YES!” or “CHECK BALANCE!” into my phone. Maybe it’s the misanthrope in me coming to the front, but I’d much rather push buttons than talk to a pretend person.

What problem does the “speak your choice” technology solve? Is it just to work around the limitation of rotary phones not working with the other menus? (Does anyone even use rotary phones anymore?) It feels, to me, like an example of “we do it, because we can” syndrome. Sometimes, lower-tech really is sufficient-tech.