Anyone have a quarter? Wait– 35 cents. Or is it 50, now?
There was a time, back in the dark days of man, when we actually had to know our own phone numbers, and we had to learn how to give people directions to where we lived. This was a time I like to call “BM” or Before Mapquest.
In those wild days, I carried a little thing that looked like a fat business card. It was two slices of magnetic material, sandwiching an accordion of names and numbers. I thought it was the greatest technology in the world, and by the time I set it aside for new technology, I had cello-taped every crease, and even replaced it entirely, once. I had little notations that would remind me that certain people had BBS handles, or what school they attended.
Now, of course, I laugh at such paltry and underpowered gimgaws. My cellphone has everything I need, phone numbers and email addresses arranged and organized however I wish, grouped in various ways, and set to individual ring tones.
I laugh, that is, until my cell’s battery dies. And I have to find a pay phone. And recall any phone number except my own, my girlfriend’s or my mother’s.
f0 real though! how much does a phone call cost now?
Depends – first, find a pay phone. Second, make sure it isn’t broken from disuse. Third, hope and pray it’s a national brand and not some 3.00 fly-by-night.
As I’m sure you know, your (and everyone else’s) mobile phone has actually led to the disappearance of the payphone. Sure makes life difficult for people like me, the mobile-phone-less.
you don’t have a cell phone?
Nope. Sometimes, I use my wife’s prepaid phone, which my father-in-law bought her for emergencies. At 25-50 cents a minute, I wonder if a month-to-month plan wouldn’t cost me less.
It’s not just the cost. I’ve had mobile phones before. Whenever I don’t answer them, people get mad at me. If I don’t call people back instantly, they get furious. With a land line, people seem to be more forgiving about getting me in person.
YOu ever have a company cell? Those are the worst they call you at all hours and thearten to write you up if you don’t pick up (well at least my boss did) ..my wife and i have have been debating whether to get rid of our cell phones and switch to that 20 buck for unlimited phone calls thingy
I had one as a network administrator. I’d leave it in the trunk of my car all the time, it was the size and weight of a car battery, I swear. Plus, I despised my boss and job. :)
lol mine was an analog when i worked at the radio station … it was a crappy phone
Yeah, I had a company phone once. When I was downtown, the service would cut out in some buildings, and it wouldn’t even ring. When I got outside, I would have this stack of threatening messages in my voicemail.
VoIP is really cheap. I have a line from Vonage and from Packet8 (on the same home network, incidentally). So, if you want a referral that gets us both a bonus, let me know. Vonage has been better quality that Packet8, but Packet8 was the only one that had local phone numbers in this town (the Vonage line is an Atlanta number). Sometimes, Packet8 behaves strangely. It sometimes gives people busy signals (even though we have call waiting and voicemail), and we sometimes have trouble dialing out –we get the fast busy signal, like there’s no outbound lines available. Still, I despise the local phone company so much, I’m more than willing to keep Packet8. God help them if Vonage ever gets local numbers in this town.
I might ask for one depending on how this minivan purchase goes through
PS that is a totally hot icon. You look painted like a James Bond girl :)
*blush* why thank you sir!
Isn’t that the truth though? I used to know all my friends’ phone numbers by heart, now I”m lucky if I know my family’s.
As Todd mentioned to me earlier, there are plenty of people out there who don’t even know their -own- numbers.
I’ve been known to look mine up in my phone…
Now that is monumentally sad.
You can often get a free phone, as long as you simply sell your soul. Seriously, there’s always someone about to get rid of their old phone, so if you can handle old tech… I find that the service plan for my cellphone is cheaper than my old heavy usage of my phone line at home, and I use my cell constantly. I text message all the time, too.
Well, I use VoIP at home, so my phone bill is $20 flat for unlimited calling. The cost of the mobile phone doesn’t bother me, it’s the monthly service and the 2 year commitment that I can’t stand.
Hehe…I had one of those magnetic address thingies. :)
*memories*
I have an eight inch long, two point five in wide folded piece of paper in my wallet. It’s been in there for years, and not updated in at least two.
Your full name is listed, a BBS nickname is listed, and there’s an old home number and pager number there.
Paper isn’t dead, it’s just mostly unused and forgotten.
*chuckle* I seem to recall BJ had a similar method.
And… wow. Just… wow. That’s quite impressive. My old pager number? *awe*
I do hope that somewhere you still have my cell number ;)
*happy*
I am seriuosly touched you have mine memorized.