In Defense of the Landline Telephone

[Caroline13]

Didn't include important reasons like can't track your location, reducing your risk of developing developing cancer, dementia etc.

https://lifehacker.com/in-defense-of...one-1850177268


This came in on another group that I'm active on and here is my reply to How I've Done It in my life....telephones that is:

I had Plenty of times in my later 60's and still working taking care of children, FT/PT, and still heavily involved in the anti fluoridation "game" battle, and did NOT get a cell phone and for sure no smartie phone, ..I have only a land phone and it's been very OK in my life.

I've done my job in keeping my life as simple as I can do.

Good to "feel" spring in the air, it's been a tough pricey winter, and I did my battle with the gas co. Hope you are all good Enough. joyce m


PS: And I do realize that MOST here are trapped in the world of being hooked on the phone 24/7.....so so glad I missed all that. Got close at one position, hooked on the boss's pager!!!!!!!!!

[GentlemanJim]

Can't trace your location on a landline? is that what you really meant to say? the wires lead right up to your house...

As far as the rest goes, I had a cell back in the early 90's, thought it made me look cool hanging from my belt. Since not everyone had one, there was a prestige factor.

But today I pretty much thumb my nose at them, all the exploitative apps people have to accept in order to get special functionality, etc? no way for me. I see people so married to them, and it just blows me away the way it puts isolation barriers around people.

Why really annoys me are the "wi-fi parasites". People who are out of minutes on their cell plans, but cluster around public wi-fi hotspots, slowing everything down for laptop computer users.

[Caroline13]

The tracking comment was made by the person who posted the info link to begin with, I just copied it down. I don't know any sureness on the comments she made...but I am open to all.


My one pretty good friend makes me dizzzy when she goes off on all her tech, apps, remotes, tvs, yadda yadda yadda. Just glad I'm where I am with it all. I listen to her as I almost nod off...then she's telling me she's doing an online "security workshop" and I'm about nodding off too. She's really into tech from the 60's like my ex was....if she and I did't have a couple other interests, we would not be friends..

[GentlemanJim]

Originally Posted by Caroline13

The tracking comment was made by the person who posted the info link to begin with, I just copied it down. I don't know any sureness on the comments she made...but I am open to all.

.

She was probably focused upon the practice of marketeers utilizing tracking data for commerce when she made the comment, and forgot about all those old police TV shows where they put a trace on the bad guys telephone line?

After years of avoiding them, I might actually break down and get another one. My declining health, if I was out driving and experienced a breakdown, I can no longer walk much distance to find a phone. So, being able to call a cab or a tow truck with a cell could be a life saver for me/

[Caroline13]

She's forever filling in her retirement life with classes, not me, I have been on forums since 2005 and that is not her....We are very differenct in ways...and it's OK, we have a couple other things that keep us friends...

We were born on opposite sides of the track, and that comes out, but I work around it. And she does too obviously.

[icecream]

Originally Posted by GentlemanJim

Can't trace your location on a landline? is that what you really meant to say? the wires lead right up to your house...

The landline would remain stationary, its owner can't be tracked 24/7 when they are out and away from the landline.

[stevea]

This is a good point, your movements can't be tracked--I'm not sure why anyone would care, but I've read that it can be done.

For 911 it's always better to use a landline if one is available, since the address displays to the 911 operator. With a mobile phone, esp. on the road, you better be able to give a good description of your location, particularly out in the country. They can triangulate but it takes time. Of course, on the road this is the only option.

Also, the cell tower that the call goes to may not be 911 service for your location (with a fairly recent mall shooting this actually happened--many callers had to be routed to the proper county center). Again, takes time!

If you work in a store or sit at an office desk, use the landline to call 911!

[GentlemanJim]

Originally Posted by stevea

I'm not sure why anyone would care,

Quick example: Let's suppose you have something to hide, could be anything.

On such and such a day, you just happen to be walking by an abortion clinic that gets bombed. You have nothing to do with it, other than you used the sidewalk walking past it 20 seconds prior to the explosion.

You become a person of interest, and the ensuing investigation reveals your other passion.

So much for the 4th amendment

[Dude111]

I much preferred landlines.... Much better than this garbage we have n0w!

[biffbronson]

Here's a cost comparison for me, to show why I've ditched my landline:

Landline - approx. $82 per month, and rising. Nothing extra except AT & T international long distance, a very small part of the price. When I canceled, the rep said he didn't blame me.

Cell - less than $10 per month. And the phone has internet access.

Here is a good example of why landlines are problematic: I lost service a few years ago due to a squirrel having chewed the wires. Date with the AT & T repair tech.

And last year, a technician was doing a repair behind my neighbor's house and I then found my line dead. When another tech came out to determine the problem, he found that the earlier guy had temporarily disconnected me - and FORGOT to hook me up again...! The first guy was full of complaints to my neighbor about the "bad condition" of their own outdoor equipment, birds nests and all. He covered some of it with black plastic bags!!!

GOOD RIDDANCE

[ponytail]

We still have a landline. I prefer them over cell phones. I have to have a cell though because of my work. What I don't like is some businesses do business strictly on a cell phone. They only want to text you or email you.

[Janice Johnson]

Caroline, good luck getting Food App Freebies and deals without a cell phone! In order to get Food App Freebies and deals, you have to provide Restaurant with phone code. For example, McDonald's sometimes has $1 large fries and you have to give them say,"Code 1234," in order to get the $1. Good luck getting the $1 fries from a LANDLINE phone.

[Caroline13]

Originally Posted by Janice Johnson

Caroline, good luck getting Food App Freebies and deals without a cell phone! In order to get Food App Freebies and deals, you have to provide Restaurant with phone code. For example, McDonald's sometimes has $1 large fries and you have to give them say,"Code 1234," in order to get the $1. Good luck getting the $1 fries from a LANDLINE phone.

Don't know what you are talking about, I'm not looking for $1 fries and don't need an app to get my food delivery...Everything has gone sky high price wise but no new phone or apps for this gal.

I save a LOT of money with my less is best lifestyle choices. I've always been practical and never suffered or starved from not having MORE..

[Yong Fang]

I have not used a landline telephone since the late 1990’s and good riddance to them. I remember the ridiculous phone bills in the 1990’s that were outrageously priced, not to mention about five pages long with itemized fees and BS. That bill was about as large as the electric bill was. It is so nice not having to give the phone company “BellSouth” or whoever they were anymore money.

Besides, I never have liked the phone anyway. It has always been a gateway for people to call you and bother you. Telemarketers. Now supposedly they are “robocalls” where one gets bothered by a recorded message instead of a real idiot.

[Yong Fang]

Things I hate about the phone.

That any weirdo, moron, salesman, collection agent or troublemaker can call you. This is such an invasion of privacy. Especially people selling me stuff on the phone. This is also insulting because I already know what I need. How many times has someone called you to sell you something and you buy it. Like “Golly, I didn’t know I needed an electric butt scratcher until someone called me telling me I do.

Call a tobacconist and ask if they have Prince Albert in a can and if they say they do, ask how much is bail money is.

Calling someone and asking if someone is there and the person who picks up the phone asks “May I say who is calling?” No, I don’t. I can see if it is a child the person wants to speak to, but if it’s an adult, that person doesn’t need to know.

Businesses and other places that have a set way to answer the phone. Or going to a business to speak to someone and the phone rings and the person has to answer the damn phone while you wait. So the person who makes the effort to go to the business has to wait for some lout sitting on his ass at home. I have worked so many jobs where the phone must be answered in three rings! So drop whatever you are doing and answer that goddamn phone!

I don’t know if they have these anymore but “answering services”. These are people who answer the phone when the business is closed but cannot give information. So I might call them and the phone answers “ABC Company.” Me “Yes, I want to know if you have purple dildos on stock.” “I’m sorry, this is the answering service.” I mean, what was the point of that? If you answer the phone of a business you should be able to ask questions.

Why doesn’t the airline hire enough operators so people don’t have to wait two hours to speak with one?

Why do people talk for such a long time on the phone. My wife does this, just goes on and on and on and on. My mother died in 2018 and I love and miss her but if she called me from the afterlife would not talk to her as long as my wife talks to people.

If someone like a telemarketer or religious nut calls you, and you decide to end it and get your 12 Guage shotgun and shoot the phone with the person on the other end, would the bang hurt their ears? Another thing with telemarketers is either pretend you are nearly deaf and SHOUT into the phone, or act like your elderly but don’t have a hearing aid and make the telemarketer talk louder and louder. The idea with telemarketers is to waste their time, don’t just hang up on them, keep them going. Or if they call you when you are leaving the house, put them on hold and just leave.

Is there still 900 psychic lines? There was one old fart named Kenny who claimed to have been a psychic to the stars for fifty years. That is impossible. If you were “psychic” you would be the wealthiest person on Earth. Tell me Kenny, who will win every game so I can bet on them? Which stock will go up? What a bunch of frauds. Or call someone to talk graphic sex? That wouldn’t be a bad job, talking to perverts shining their poles. At $2.99 a minute. Beats Walmart.

I always hated people growing up asking for my parents and when I say they are not home ask me if I could leave a message. I never said this but went, I am not their secretary or yours, they ain’t home. My mother once left and said she would be back at 6:00, and some woman called looking for her and I said she wasn’t home and call back after 6. “Can you leave a message?” “Call back after 6.” “But can you leave a message?” “ If you call after 6, you can get my mother.”

Remember in the old days when that goddamn phone rang that you had to drop whatever you were doing and dash to the phone before it stopped ringing? Or expecting an important call and having to sit in the house waiting for it?

People like telemarketers who call strangers. This should be illegal. This to me is akin to breaking into someone’s house. It is so rude, why are you calling me? What gives you the right to call me?

That’s it.