For the first time, I had to call the Social Security Office. My local was busy for 20 minutes, so I called the national toll-free number. When I was a kid, I thought having a computer that could answer the phone would be the coolest thing ever. Of course, the examples I had for possibilities were Johnny-5 and Max Headroom. The thing that answered my call today was not funny or helpful. "I'm sorry. I didn't understand your request. Maybe we can try this another way." Somehow, that line has become something loathsome. Most likely because it isn't understanding anything. I appreciate that offices at my local mall have phones that politely ask me what department I would like to reach, but the complexities that usually come with the need to call a bureaucracy like Social Security in the first place probably don't fit into current voice recognition algorithms. "I'm sorry...." Back in the day, that was recognized as a SYNTAX ERROR. I