I'm thinking of a device that lets you pair telemarketers together, so they can try selling each other stuff. To work, it needs a group of people to use the device around the country. As soon as you get a call from a marketer, you press the button. Another marketing victim, in some other part of the country, who has a similar device, will have pushed the button on their device at nearly the same time. Your marketer and the other person's marketer are then routed together. The two marketers can spend an hour together trying to sell each other stuff. The Cleveland Plain Dealer guy can try to sell newspapers to Pacific Bell. Both marketing victims can eavesdrop on the call for amusement. The calls could be routed over the internet, to make implementation easy.
-- Krate, Feb 15 2002

Chinese Take-Away 3-Way http://www.ebaumsworld.com/takeaway.html
Hoo ha. [AfroAssault, Sep 16 2005]

This one has me laughing my a** off. Beautiful in both design and execution. The only problem is that it requires an internet connection that is independent of the inbound phone line, and which must already be connected before the incoming call. But people with DSL or cable modems would certainly be able to participate.

If the local telephone company offered selective forwarding service (like 3-way calling, but better) without inflicting absurd per-call or per-minute charges, then you could even have the option of freeing up your line while the telemarketers get to know each other better.
-- BigBrother, Feb 15 2002


I'm interested in why two people voted against this as of the time of this annotation. It sounds fun.

Maybe the two are in the telemarketing business.
-- seal, Feb 15 2002


"autoboner" heh
-- quarterbaker, Feb 15 2002


Too bad there is caller I.D. ... I'm reminded of a practical joke I read about @ 15-20 years ago - it went something like this:
A Student whom we'll call Joker at a University had a 2 line phone with Teleconferencing:
On line A - dialed 6 of the 7 digits necessary to form a connection with a Very Nervous Fellow Student (Nervous because Grades were imminent in a certain Professors class)
On line B - dialed all 7 digits to form connection with that Professor:
Switched back to Line A and hit last digit to connect Student to a now Teleconferenced call.
Joker remained silent
Professor: "Hello"
Student: "Hello"
Professor: "Who is this?"
Student: "Who is this?"
Professor: "You called me"
Student: "No, you called me"
Professor: (recognizes voice) "Is this [So-and-so]?
Student: (recognizes Professors voice - is in shock) "Yes"
Professor: "Why are you calling me? Why are you playing games?"
Student: "But I -I..."
So on and so forth until...
Joker: (could no longer hold in laugh, etc.) Audibly Cracked up...
By the end of the @ 20 minute conversation, they figured out what had happened, though they never knew who the Joker was - the Student ended up with a C.
-- thumbwax, Feb 15 2002


"autoboner" hehe
-- reensure, Feb 15 2002


Can someone please post an idea named "autoboner". Nothing is coming to mind.
-- superye, Feb 15 2002


Baked. Viagra.

Saw a mention of someone who conferenced his boss during a meeting to a dead line...phone rang, boss picked up, got 'Boo-BEE-=BEEP!!= The number you have dialed has been disconnected'. The boss started screaming 'What the F do you mean the number I called? You called ME!'
-- StarChaser, Feb 16 2002


I don't like the idea but Thumbwax's story is Hilarious. I might have to try that. Croissant.
-- sninctown, Sep 15 2005



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