Dehumans
Now and then, I answer the main phone line at Eastgate. (Everyone else at Eastgate tries to break me of this habit, reminding me how busy I am.) Often, people are surprised that I'm not a recording.
SpeedySnail reports the disorienting effect of the other side of this transaction: expecting a machine but finding, instead, you've reached a real person. "What's the point of all this dehumanizing technology if it isn't populated by dehumans?" (Thanks, Jill)