Richard Stallman, the fervently committed founder of the free software movement, is discussing the term "libertarian," when he stops talking abruptly and says, "Hello?"
I tell him I'm still listening, but he explains that the confused greeting wasn't intended for me. Instead, he says a man's voice – neither mine nor an echo of his – had just cut in with one word: "liberty."
"Does that sort of thing happen a lot?" I ask. I hadn't heard anything.