# Eek! I keep getting called by a mysterious "Synthetic Man"! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 24, 2002, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787 "2002-06-24T23:11:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Inky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky_1)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787/1 "2002-06-24T23:11:35Z")
Can somebody explain why, about twice a week, I get a phone call from a mysterious artificial voice who, once I’ve picked up the phone, says in all it’s synthetic sincerity: **"I’m sorry, I seem to have reached this number in error".** Creepy! Is this maybe a telemarketing outfit’s computer randomly picking numbers and confirming they lead somwhere? Perhaps a fancy fax machine that apologizes when it doesn’t hear the appropriate connection squeal? Malevolent extraterrestrials confirming that I’m home and out of reach of my protective Titanium Crowbar™? ((Clutching crowbar while awaiting answer)). ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787/2 "2002-06-24T23:18:48Z")
Have you published any papers in astrophysics that might have caught Steven Hawking’s attention? ---
**Author:** ![Inky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky_1)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787/3 "2002-06-24T23:33:37Z")
Hawking! I should have known it was that vindictive little jellyfish! The little creep is always doing stuff to irritate me – collapsing waveforms in my cupboards, sneaking event horizons in my garage (no two bloody clocks in my house agree with one another) and ringing my doorbell and rolling away before I can answer them. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2002, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787/4 "2002-06-25T01:06:49Z")
The Cyclons are making obscene phone calls! ---
**Author:** ![welby1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@welby1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/welby1)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2002, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787/5 "2002-06-25T01:31:23Z")
Let me know if it asks “Shall we play a game?” I am the master of tic tact toe ---
**Author:** ![WSLer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@WSLer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WSLer)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2002, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787/6 "2002-06-25T01:50:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > \*\*The Cyclons are making obscene phone calls! \*\* _Cyclon voice_ By your command. \*Cyclon voice ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2002, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787/7 "2002-06-25T02:36:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Inky- \* > **Perhaps a fancy fax machine that apologizes when it doesn’t hear the appropriate connection squeal?** I’ve no idea, honestly, but if this isn’t it, I have to say, it’s a damn good idea. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2002, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787/8 "2002-06-25T04:22:37Z")
Seriously, do you have caller id? You could do a reverse lookup on the number, or just call it. Or perhaps if the weird message was the most recent call you received, you can \*69 to call it back (beware: if you don’t subscribe, you phone company may charge you $0.75 or more for this feature) ---
**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2002, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787/9 "2002-06-25T04:24:49Z")
It’s the voice of the Mysterons. ---
**Author:** ![Inky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky_1)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2002, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787/10 "2002-06-25T05:22:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DarrenS \* > \*_Seriously, do you have caller id? You could do a reverse lookup on the number, or just call it. Or perhaps if the weird message was the most recent call you received, you can 69 to call it back_ Oops, I had ment to mention that I _did_ \*69 it and got an “We’re sorry, the number is out of range” or something to that effect. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2002, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787/11 "2002-06-25T06:24:45Z")
probably cos the caller was poving at trans-light speed and, therefore, out of range by conventional sub-light speed scanners used by your local phone company. Petition the phone company to upgrade to trans-light speed scanners. ---
**Author:** ![Data\_Slave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dfb087/32.png) [@Data\_Slave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Data_Slave)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2002, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787/12 "2002-06-25T06:35:29Z")
Heh,welby I think i am the only one who got the wargames reference. I guess in the intervening years since being taken off the nuclear weapons program WOPR has taken to making crank calls. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2002, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787/13 "2002-06-25T11:37:34Z")
For the Brits– Exterminate! Ex-Ter-Min-Ate! EX-TER-MIN-ATE! THE DOC-TOR MUST BE EX-TER-MIN-A-TED! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2002, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-i-keep-getting-called-by-a-mysterious-synthetic-man/115787/14 "2002-06-25T14:11:40Z")
> [@](#): > > Cyclons Ahem! It’s “ **Cylons** ,” not “Cyclons.”