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Calling bullshit on this. I never received a telegraph, but I never assumed they were made up for the movies. This kid is either a troll or a moron.
Oh, Kiddy…
Great, now I’m reminded of a project I abandoned and the pile of weird business cards I have in my junk drawer…
I set up a toll-free number a year or so back with the idea of finding (eventually) all remaining payphones in public spaces in my city, white listing the numbers and leaving a card inviting folks to call. I stopped after about a week and like 10 phones, meaning to get back to it and never did.
Did run into people legitimately using them while doing so though, which was slightly unexpected.
Ive seen a couple in New York and several when I visted Palestine
Matt Damon aging meme.
Somebody should describe the insane hack to these youngins where you can make a collect call to your parents from a pay phone and tell them your name is “HEY COME PICK ME UP!”
It’s like you can send information to somebody across town without having coins in your pocket!
The real phone “hacks” were called phreaking back in the day.
In Australia the receiving phone would “ring” even if you didnt put any money in.
You’d dial and let it ring a few times and then hang up.
I remember in NYC, I think once my dad’s phone either ran out of battery or forgot to bring it… so he used the payphones, and the conversation had to be quick because otherwise you gotta put in more quarters. I think it was just to know where to meet up or something, cuz we lived in Brooklyn and some of our relatives were in Manhattan, and so we’d just meet like every so often especially like holidays. I remember being in that Chinese Restaunt near Canal St… like often.
I worked for a company back in the '00s that made most of their money off of pay phones. Even 20 years ago pay phones were obsolete so I was somewhat mystified by this during my job interview. Turns out they managed pay phones in prison - which are still a thing.
Ahhhhh that makes sense
I saw horses in Western movies, surely they could have just driven to the gunfight?
I saw a cool movie that had guys literally riding on the backs of the horses. It was a clever spin on the worm scene from Dune, even if it wasn’t a completely original idea.
Like, without a steering wheel!?
Pay phones were cool. As teens, we used to go spend the summer camping with my friends in a super remote place and the only thing available connecting us with our parents was the pay phone. We’d go there twice a week to tell them we’re still alive and will eventually come back home if we run out of food.
Living the dream
You carry payphones in your pockets nowadays
About 10 years ago my kids went to a summer camp with a pay phone. The thing is they weren’t allowed to use cellphones in any public area plus reception was horrible, so they had to learn
Oh my god, this is wild! You know who would like this meme? My friend, Tony
Operator, connect me to Tony, please
I lived on a farm so it was out in the middle of nowhere, and apparently our first phone number was 3
Apparently the numbersused to just be sequential
Tony who?
- The Operator
Now, Sarah, I reckon you know plum well which Tony, seein’ as there ain’t but one in all of Mayberry…
Hang on, I’m getting a page.
Why is there text on your page mine is only a callback no.
I used to give out a payphone number as my own back before i had a cell. It was close to where I hung out with friends, so there was a decent chance I would be there if you called.
They’re still pretty common in Japan
I wouldn’t exactly say common. I really needed one when I was in Tokyo about 10 years back and had a hell of a time finding one. And in the countryside you can pretty much forget about it these days
I guess they seem really common if you’re not looking for them because they’re so out of place in the 2020s, but not common at all if you actually need one.
