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21

'member when we didn't have to dial an area code to make a phone call

submitted by Smedleys_Butler to PepperidgeFarmRemembers 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 11:35:09 ago (+21/-0)     (PepperidgeFarmRemembers)



94 comments block

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[ - ] Glowbright 7 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 11:41:21 ago (+7/-0)

'member when you could get a 'party line' from Bell?

[ - ] Peleg 4 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 14:16:23 ago (+4/-0)

I still have a land line for a house phone. The phone company still charges a fee for a "private line" even though there is no party line any longer. You can't opt out of your "private line" and go back to the party line to avoid the fee.
Bastards.

[ - ] allAheadFull 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 20:51:14 ago (+0/-0)

Does the NSA count as a party? It's not really private if all the fiber is split.

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 3 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 11:57:19 ago (+3/-0)

Yeah. Or when you got kicked off AOL

[ - ] Clubberlang 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:37:40 ago (+1/-0)

That only happened because I used fake bank accounts.

[ - ] Peleg 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 14:12:12 ago (+1/-0)

And if you really needed to call someone you had to interrupt the old ladies that stayed on there all day, every day.

[ - ] shitface9000 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 14:14:04 ago (+1/-0)

we had this beach house with a party line system. if someone else was getting a call, you'd hear a single muffled ring, and you'd hear someone else's conversation. i miss fucking with people on that thing.

[ - ] zongongo 2 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 12:22:33 ago (+2/-0)

Local calls, seven digits !
What do they call dialing a number now ?

[ - ] DeusExMachina 6 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 12:44:05 ago (+6/-0)

It was five digits in the little town I grew up in.

[ - ] deleted 3 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 12:54:28 ago (+3/-0)

deleted

[ - ] i_scream_trucks 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 26, 2023 01:55:30 ago (+1/-0)

"We carried around onions on our belt as that was the fashion at the time..."

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 2 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 12:29:27 ago (+2/-0)

Think they use something called beepers now. Beeping?

[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:50:45 ago (+0/-0)

Texting

[ - ] LookFat 5 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 12:25:59 ago (+5/-0)

Member calling pop corn to get the time?

[ - ] bobdole9 3 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 18:23:56 ago (+3/-0)

At the tone, the time will be 6:24 Eastern Daylight Time

BEEP

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 2 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 12:28:25 ago (+2/-0)

You mean movie phone?

[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:46:54 ago (+0/-0)

Fandango

[ - ] Clubberlang 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:44:00 ago (+1/-0)

Iiiiiiif you know the name of the movie you want to see....

[ - ] Nosferatjew 9 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 12:56:53 ago (+9/-0)

Member when you got charged long distance fees if you did have to dial an area code?

[ - ] KosherHiveKicker 4 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 15:30:58 ago (+5/-1)

Member when Congress used Anti-Trust Laws to break up the complete monopoly that "MA BELL" created to price gouge the fuck out of every American for a basic utility?

Today the same Congress protects hundred of corporate monopolies.

[ - ] winners_history 4 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 18:27:24 ago (+5/-1)

...INCLUDING the 'original' Ma Bell, which re-assembled itself right under the noses of the FTC and FCC, etc.

[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:46:26 ago (+0/-0)

Must have been jew owned.

[ - ] Clubberlang 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:32:57 ago (+1/-0)

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 3 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 13:05:06 ago (+3/-0)

Yeppers

[ - ] Scyber 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 16:55:29 ago (+1/-0)

Remember dialing 10-10-321 to save a bunch of money on long distance calls?

[ - ] KyleIsThisTall 4 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 19:15:51 ago (+4/-0)

remember "you have a collect call from: MOMTHEMOVIESOVERPICKMEUPATEATNPARK. Would you like to accept charges"?

[ - ] deleted 3 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 20:05:37 ago (+3/-0)

deleted

[ - ] Nosferatjew 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 18:39:33 ago (+1/-0)

Member *69?

[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:33:32 ago (+0/-0)

Ruined prank calling.

[ - ] deleted 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 20:05:16 ago (+0/-0)

deleted

[ - ] BitterVeteran 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 21:38:08 ago (+0/-0)

No no, faggot. You dial down the middle with 1-800-DIAL-ATT.

[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:34:16 ago (+0/-0)

🤣

[ - ] deleted 3 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 13:02:33 ago (+3/-0)

deleted

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 5 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 13:04:40 ago (+5/-0)

I miss having a rotary phone. I'm not that old, but I grew up watching everything change

[ - ] shitface9000 2 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 14:12:18 ago (+2/-0)

rotary phone ftw

[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:46:03 ago (+0/-0)

I remember a guy tapping the hook and dailing a number my mind was blown. Then I found out it was all pulses and 1s and 0s then it was racist bigot!

[ - ] CHIRO 5 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 13:50:20 ago (+5/-0)

Those big plastic bricks with the expandable antennas, haha. I just thought about one of those the other day. Shit was hot at the time; I was thinking how kids today could barely conceive of what was fresh when I was young, and I'm not that old.

[ - ] ItsBacon 7 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 13:05:42 ago (+7/-0)

I miss being able to prank others in your house by dialing your own number and hang up.

[ - ] allAheadFull 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 20:52:17 ago (+1/-0)

Holy shit you just brought back memories. Adults got tired of that real quick.

[ - ] Clubberlang 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:36:36 ago (+1/-0)

The number you dialed is on your party line please hang up and allow sufficient time for the party you are calling to return to the line.

[ - ] TheNoticing 2 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 13:54:46 ago (+2/-0)

I remember

[ - ] AugustineOfHippo2 3 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 14:12:45 ago (+3/-0)

An old-timer told me a story about rotary phones. He was at college, and the only phone in the dorm had a lock over the rotary dialer. He would lift up the receiver and tap out the digits on the "hang-up" button. This was before touch-tone, of course.



I also remember when the only place you could buy a phone was from the Bell store owned by the phone company. The slim line rotary was a hot seller!

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 14:17:52 ago (+1/-0)

I miss them. Wonder if anyone here remembers the patch in days

[ - ] herbert_west 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 15:32:42 ago (+0/-0)

He would lift up the receiver and tap out the digits on the "hang-up" button.

I used to do that too.


[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:50:13 ago (+0/-0)

You could do it on touch tone too

[ - ] i_scream_trucks 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 26, 2023 01:47:35 ago (+0/-0)

Hamburger phones.

[ - ] Lost_In_The_Thinking 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 14:15:01 ago (+1/-0)

Remember actually dialing a phone? Remember telephone exchange names? They had a 2L-5N system, like the song "Pennsylvania 6-5000", which would be dialed as PE6-5000. My grandmother's telephone was OV8-5479, the OV short for Overland. Businesses in the telephone yellow pages would give their number as OVerland x-xxxx.

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 3 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 14:16:56 ago (+3/-0)

I'm not that old. I had a rotary though

[ - ] Lost_In_The_Thinking 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 14:18:16 ago (+1/-0)

I was just a kid at the time, although in my area, telephone exchange names hung on until the late 60s.

[ - ] rabidR04CH 6 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 14:37:53 ago (+6/-0)

Remember when we actually memorized our friends' numbers?

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 14:54:14 ago (+1/-0)

I still remember my cousin's home phone he don't have anymore

[ - ] KyleIsThisTall 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 19:17:23 ago (+1/-0)

I remember my childhood phone number, my first apartment in this city, and I don't know my current phone number. I have a google voice I've had for a decade.

[ - ] rabidR04CH 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 19:34:21 ago (+0/-0)

I remember my parents' first phone number, the second, the third and all postal codes we used. I also remember all of the addresses. On the other hand, I've always had a ridiculously good memory for numbers.

[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:42:51 ago (+0/-0)

If 2 transbrave bipocs are being chimped out on by 2 diversity hires who's racist?

[ - ] i_scream_trucks 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 26, 2023 01:53:22 ago (+0/-0)

I'm in oz and my family is British so the whole family grew up with answering the phone number with the phone number instead of "hello" - you'd ring grandma and you'd get "1538" or our place "1649"

I can still remember my dad's workshop phone number, his refinery had its own local suburb code, then one day he brings home this fancy ass Motorola radio with dial out buttons on it before the cellphone era, so not sure how it worked but we had fun calling home with it.

First mobile was a "3" mobile which you had to dial a number to geofence your home. At home it was a local call, outside of the fence it was mobile. I didn't geofence it and was able to make local calls 10k away from home.

[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:40:52 ago (+0/-0)

74 0641
76 8121
74 6112
36 0899
7*4 8116

No idea who they dial now.

[ - ] MoronSaint 2 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 14:39:02 ago (+2/-0)

Yeah. Back when you had to pay thru the ass for long distance. Stop your whining.

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 15:10:27 ago (+1/-0)

Yeah. That long distance relationship sucked

[ - ] KyleIsThisTall 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 19:20:49 ago (+0/-0)

I was a teen in the 90s. I had access to the internet. I learned how to scam free 10 minute callnig cards from a site called PhoneHog so I could talk to my girlfriends since I lived in the country and every little town with maybe 200 people in my school district were seemingly all in different area codes.

[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:48:32 ago (+0/-0)

Qwitcher bitchin

[ - ] SmokeyMeadow 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 15:08:25 ago (+1/-0)

My 900mhz Vtech cordless phone could make calls all the way from my friend's house three doors down. The 2.4ghz models never got the same range for me.

[ - ] bosunmoon 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 15:50:08 ago (+1/-0)

My grandfathers phone number was 7. Even now its xxx-xxx-0007. They just keep adding digits.

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 16:01:24 ago (+0/-0)

So he was the 7th person to have a phone?

[ - ] bosunmoon 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 17:49:11 ago (+1/-0)

It was actually his dad, but yes.

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 17:56:50 ago (+0/-0)

Interesting

[ - ] KyleIsThisTall 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 19:25:27 ago (+0/-0)

"Cause of parents death: Got in my way."

[ - ] Zyklonbeekeeper 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 17:52:44 ago (+0/-0)

I remember only having to dial the last 4 numbers in N.Ontario towns and up to 1976 Hawk Junction, Dalton and Missinabie Ont had the "crank box phone" and when calling Hawk from Dalton you would get an Operator and request "ring 3 Hawk Junction" as you spoke into the box funnel with the receiver to your ear.

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 17:56:25 ago (+0/-0)

How old ye be?

[ - ] Zyklonbeekeeper 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 18:06:45 ago (+0/-0)

65years old last March

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 18:18:20 ago (+0/-0)

Right on old timer. I may only be 35, watched the whole world change, but I believe I remember you.

[ - ] bobdole9 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 20:57:19 ago (+0/-0)

Did yours have the * or # distinction, once you could dial yourself? Starting to think Wisconsin was weird.

[ - ] bobdole9 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 18:22:26 ago (+0/-0)

My parents had four digit phone numbers...think they were on the * side of town.

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 18:29:00 ago (+0/-0)

I don't follow

[ - ] bobdole9 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 20:44:10 ago (+0/-0)

For awhile, their number was *6177...apparently #6177 was also an option. Both numbers were in the same town for some reason.

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 20:48:56 ago (+0/-0)

I don't follow. You only needed those four numbers?

[ - ] bobdole9 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 20:55:55 ago (+0/-0)

Yes...just make sure to hit * or # first otherwise you'll call the wrong person.

Its the time before they went to 5, then 7 digits.

[ - ] winners_history 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 18:33:56 ago (+0/-0)

"Area Codes" are the result of ancient tech (the 7-number phone #s in the US).

The reason area codes get "full" is 7-number phone #s, and using 'area codes' to get around "running out of numbers" only provides another 10 million 'new' numbers.

If countries went to the Japan-S.Korea system of 8-digit phone #s, each 'area code' would hold 100 million #s.

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 19:22:55 ago (+0/-0)*

We need a new type of factorial

[ - ] deleted 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 19:35:28 ago (+1/-0)

deleted

[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:51:39 ago (+0/-0)

Or watching TV from the dinner table

[ - ] deleted 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 23:00:54 ago (+0/-0)

deleted

[ - ] allAheadFull 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 20:55:24 ago (+0/-0)

I remember when MCI came out with 25 cents per minute long distance and everybody thought it was a great deal. It was fucking expensive to call long distance, people were always looking for calling card deals and such.

[ - ] TheOriginal1Icemonkey 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:17:00 ago (+0/-0)

Now I have to do it on my sail foam, even to a number in my area code.

[ - ] TheOriginal1Icemonkey 1 point 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:25:07 ago (+1/-0)

I had an old rotary Ma Bell phone that I shot from across the room with a .22 revolver. The bullet ricocheted off the receiver handle and lodged in the wall.

[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:35:21 ago (+0/-0)

Dial 429

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 26, 2023 06:29:32 ago (+0/-0)

I blue screened

[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 26, 2023 23:12:29 ago (+0/-0)

👍

[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 25, 2023 22:56:16 ago (+0/-0)

Good post no one jewed the topic 👍

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 26, 2023 06:28:24 ago (+0/-0)

Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised. And I'm still a poaler too

[ - ] Clubberlang 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 26, 2023 23:13:39 ago (+0/-0)

AOjew hasnt labeled you a jew yet?

Give it time.

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 27, 2023 15:11:34 ago (+0/-0)

I have an anchor cause I'm a pirate

[ - ] i_scream_trucks 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 26, 2023 01:46:31 ago (+0/-0)*

'member how you had to scream at your gobshite sister to get the fuck off the phone so you could finish the download of that one 4 colour picture of Sam fox's tits that had already taken an hour and stopped just above the food bits?

Member having to spam dial your 8 incoming phoneline BBS to get a free slot before the fucker who had just been booted off managed to dial back in? Hell, member paying extra for a paid membership so you could connect to the internet via your BBS then going cool, I'm on the internet.... now what?

[ - ] Smedleys_Butler [op] 0 points 1.6 yearsSep 26, 2023 06:27:41 ago (+0/-0)

Yeah, I'm not that old man