If he does, it is a miracle. He picked up the phone on the first ring and did not take more than a couple of minutes to understand the problem. He asked me to hold the line and disappeared for a good five minutes. I started debating whether to keep hanging on to the phone or hang it up. When I was about to hang it up, I saw the ghost of a fat bill floating in my direction to strangulate me financially.
Computers are indeed great.
The computer is undoubtedly a poor substitute for human intelligence, but then so are a lot of bureaucrats. The computer may some day be capable of artificial intelligence, but it will never master real stupidity like some bureaucrats do. Language is all that separates us from the lower animals, and from the bureaucrats. The plumber wrote back thanking the Bureau and expressing his pleasure that they agreed with him. The plumber wrote again to say he was glad to know their interest in his work and that he was continuing with the acid.