Telemarketers and spammers alike are getting a taste of what it's like to be on the other side of the irritation equation. -

Comedian Tom Mabe traveled to Washington, D.C. last month for a telemarketers convention, and stayed at the same hotel as many of the convention attendees. At three o'clock in the morning, Mabe apparently called up the telemarketers as they slept, pretending to represent the "Telemarketers With Insomnia Foundation." His new CD is apparently filled with the prank calls, and Mabe claims that spammers are his next target.

Dave Barry is a humor columnist for the Miami Herald, and in a late August article urged Miami residents to voice their disgust with telemarketers by calling the American Teleservices Association and speaking their mind. The ATA was apparently so overwhelmed with calls, they stopped answering the phone. Callers are now greeted with a message that informs customers that due to "overwhelming positive response to recent media events, we are unable to take your call at this time." According to ATA executive director Tim Searcy, the calls are costing the organization a good deal of money.

Barry isn't too upset. "I feel just terrible, especially if they were eating or anything," he says.