Comment Re:I'll go for Robo-Answer (Score 1) 614
I have done this numerous times over the last ~10 years. It started with small business phone systems (~$350) which provided the auto-attendant feature and support for analog phones. When those systems died I switched to Linux boxes running Asterisk and Digium hardware for around the same price. It was overkill to have a PC running in my basement but I never...EVER...had a scum sucking telemarketer or solicitor get through. Did I mention that this is major pet peeve of mine?...:)
I did have many people/callers complement me on my setup and ask me about it for themselves. But, a Linux box running in the basement is beyond the skill set of the non Slashdot crowd and the price was still way to high to compete with "just let the answering machine get it".
I have been continuously researching hardware and embedded systems over the years waiting for prices to come down. I do have a prototype running and mostly functional but its not ready for the masses yet. It could net me the $50k so I'm off to RTFA...;)