nahmean

At one point it was. You could even record the sound on a handheld recorder and play it back. But it hasn’t worked in a long while. Pay phones mitigated this in a low tech way - by software muting the handset.

Edit: oh yeah, and after that, you’d just call the operator and tell them the keys were sticky and to dial the number for you, then you’d “insert the coins” by playing the tones.

Well, or you just third party billed the call to someone you didn’t know. That worked too.

I'd be interested to know which automation software you're referring to. I've spent a bit of time (particularly when I was younger and more interested in gaming) doing the same leveraging things like AutoIt all the way up to C#. I'm interested in what makes the automation software you've found inspiringly unique!

Perhaps an odd thing to ask, but what are you packing in your backpack for coffee? That sounds lovely, but between the need for hot water, the subpar quality of most powdered coffees, etc, it has seemed out of reach.