Telephone News

A volunteer collective is setting up free pay phones in Philadelphia

  An “amateur phone collective” in Philadelphia is working to bring back pay phones to the city – just without the actual payment. PhilTel, a volunteer organization that launched in June, is planning to open its first free-to-use payphone on December 17 at Iffy Books, a hacker-focused bookshop and workshop… Read more »

Jenny I’ve got your number – 867-5309!

Jenny I’ve got your number – 867-5309!

Most everyone knows of the song “867-5309/Jenny” from the early 80s. But did you ever wonder what would  happen if you were to dial 867-5309 in all the US and Canadian Area Codes? Check out the list that I’ve compiled and take a look at the various things you get… Read more »

A Phone Trip to Head Waters, Virginia (Northern Telecom Centurion)

A Phone Trip to Head Waters, Virginia (Northern Telecom Centurion)

In December 2021, I drove out to a very small rural town in western Virginia to check out a pay phone that is still in service and is central office controlled (not a COCOT). A very rare find in the United States in this day and age!

Pink Floyd’s Young Lust – Explained and Demystified

Pink Floyd’s Young Lust – Explained and Demystified

If you’re a fan of Pink Floyd’s Young Lust but are scratching you head as to all the beeps and boops you hear during the telephone call portion of the song – this article explains it all. I’ve been meaning to write this article for a long time now, but… Read more »

The Beginning of the End of AT&T Operators Started in 1992

The Beginning of the End of AT&T Operators Started in 1992

It’s hard to imagine almost 30 years ago that the first Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems were coming online to eventually replace operators. In fact, AT&T no longer has an operators. At all! They got rid of them several years ago. This video came out in October 2021, but it… Read more »