The New Phone Books Are Here...I'm Somebody

[chuck geiger]

[Mark5]

Clickbait. 

[chuck geiger]

I am spewing RW love on the podcast to get new people to join, and will do so on this podcast.

[learmoia]

Whats a phone book? 

[Maletrain]

Whats a phone book? 

It's what your kid sits on at the dinner table when (s)he is to young to reach the plate without it.

Now you are going to ask me "What's a dinner table?", aren't you. 

[nkalanaga]

We never tried sitting on one.  Ours was only about half an inch thick in the 1960s.

[Maletrain]

In the DC metropolitan area, the phone book was about 2.5" - 3" thick circa 1960.  "Tearing a phone book in half" was considered a feat of strength.  But, once I learned the secret to success, even I could do it.  But, it's hard for little kids to sit on half of a phone book. 

[Jesse6669]

Whats a phone book? 

It's where someone prints out a bunch of the internet and drops it on your front porch so you can throw it in the garbage.   
(well, Yellow Pages...) 

[jagged ben]

Believe or not most people used to want their phone numbers to be public.

[nkalanaga]

Yes, so that people could find them.  Today, unless you already know soneone's number, there's no way to find them.

In 2009 I tried to help with contacting people for a high school reunion.  Even then it was almost impossible.  If I found an email address, the message went to junk mail, and was never read.

If I found a phone number, caller ID showed it as unrecognized, and the call was ignored.

The few responses I did get were mostly through old-fashioned letters.

It seems that most people today, of any age, don't want contact with anyone outside their own circle.

[Chris333]

I had to buy a modem yesterday at Best Buy. They asked if I had an account? - NO. Do you want to create one? - NO. You sure all we need is a phone number? - I'll give you my phone number if you give me 5 grand in cash right now.  OK here is your receipt.

[peteski]

I had to buy a modem yesterday at Best Buy. They asked if I had an account? - NO. Do you want to create one? - NO. You sure all we need is a phone number? - I'll give you my phone number if you give me 5 grand in cash right now.  OK here is your receipt.

Modem?  Those are the electronic boxes which hook up to your home computer's serial port and connect it to a phone landline and very slow speeds (by today's standards) for a dial-up connection.  You still have landline (copper twisted pair)?!  I didn't not know Best Buy still sold modems.

[nickelplate759]

Yes, so that people could find them.  Today, unless you already know soneone's number, there's no way to find them.

In 2009 I tried to help with contacting people for a high school reunion.  Even then it was almost impossible.  If I found an email address, the message went to junk mail, and was never read.

If I found a phone number, caller ID showed it as unrecognized, and the call was ignored.

The few responses I did get were mostly through old-fashioned letters.w

It seems that most people today, of any age, don't want contact with anyone outside their own circle.

I didn't think it's that we don't want contact, it's that we've learned that our contact information can and will be abused for $$$$$$$$. We need a better way....

[Chris333]

Modem?  Those are the electronic boxes which hook up to your home computer's serial port and connect it to a phone landline and very slow speeds (by today's standards) for a dial-up connection.  You still have landline (copper twisted pair)?!  I didn't not know Best Buy still sold modems.

I don't know what it's called. Internet comes in via coax and plugs into whatever I bought to give me internet. It is not a router.

[Scottl]

It's a cable modem.