Via Slashdot, I have learned this morning that the FBI raided the data centre of Core IP in Dallas. Rumours abound as to why, but that is not so important. Far more important is how.

I’ve told this story in person to a few people today, and every time I have done so, I have had to explain what SlyDial is, so let me start there. SlyDial is a service that is provided by MobileSphere in Boston, and it works like this: First, you call their number. They play an advertisement to you to pay for the service you are about to receive. Next, they prompt you for the phone number of a mobile phone. You punch this in, and they will then take you right to that person’s voicemail box, all without ringing that person’s telephone. It’s a pretty cool service, actually, and a great way to deliver low-priority messages without disturbing the recipient.

Q. Why do you buy or rent a DVD?

I’ve written before about the fun I’ve had dealing with the Very Big Banking Corporation (VBBC, not their real name) and their “interactive” voice response system.