Every book about any kind of computer code used to always have some introductory exercise where you get the computer to say “Hello World!” That's really what you want to do, interact with this box of circuits. Have it “do” something. It's pathetic. It's like Dr Frankenstein wanting his creation to be adoring and grateful.

“Now, see here, if(!=0), and, say, if x<5, then getElementById—okay? ... I said, OKAY?”

And all you get in return is dumb insolence.

This humbug of having ATMs engage the customer with politenessisms is similarly inappropriate. “Sorry, this teller is temporarly out of service”, what's that supposed to do? You can't actually query the machine or get any other response, because, of course, it's not really talking to you and wouldn't pay a blind bit of notice if it were. So why have it output a meaningless apology? Isn't that kind of insulting? And rude?

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