If you curse like a sailor, chances are you'll get through to a live customer service representative more quickly, according to this article on Lifehacker. Apparently most customer service IVR (interactive voice response or "voice jail") systems are programmed to send you through to a person if you use dirty words as a way of lessening customer frustration. How's about just answering the dang phone?

If you don't feel like swearing, you might want to check out Gethuman, a database of "secret" numbers and IVR responses that'll bypass voicejail and connect you to a real person. Bookmark the site, because the list is always growing as visitors add their own "secret" methods.