The Dinette Set by Julie Larson for October 30, 2015

Car phone? Wow, this IS an old one!

“call plumber just to talk.”

Aaagh! That’s what some hair clients do to me….

A haircut from me every six months… they think that gives them permission to call me every few weeks to ask my advice about drug store haircolor, instead of having me do it…or grocery store shampoo, instead of buying good shampoo from me.

I tell them I only know professional products…. so no, I have no idea what off-the-shelf perm is better….

And they think I’m giving them attitude.

BTW…. thank you Rose, from yesterday.The site shut down on me when I was trying to say it last night.

I forgot this is based on the late90’s and early 2000’s

@SusanSunshine understand you know your trade craft. I remember when I was swimming a lot (before bicycling) The lady who cut my hair had me go to the local hair supply place to buy shampoo for swimmers it helped. I also find the pro shampoos last longer.

Is there a profession hair/body shampoo see I ride in daily to via bicycle and shower at the gym where I work. I transfer what I use in a small bottle. I would like to keep to one bottle. I am outdoors a lot as you can guess.

I’m surprised they don’t already have a car phone. However have they gotten by without the means for Burl to call home to tell Joy, “I’m pulling into the driveway.” Or for Joy to call Burl to say, “Remember to turn the car phone on.” .I realize now why this strip hasn’t kept up with the natural progression of time. It would today be nothing but all these folks bent over their phones, and the only gag would be Burl’s constant pinballing from one plan to another, according to whose advertising duped him last. I mean, can you imagine what Jerry does with Internet access? .And is it significant that a cold chill runs down my spine when I see the To Do List contains references to both calling the plumber AND insuring a supply of toilet paper?..I actually had a car phone in 1971 when I was news editor for a radio station. It was a two-way radio that communicated with an operator to whom you gave the number, and she dialed it and connected you and instructed the person you called to say “over” when they were through talking. Didn’t have another until about 1990, in another life as The Head Detective, when the city gave command staff Motorola car cell phones. You immediately had to think of reasons to call people you knew so you could work in, “I’m in the car.”

I remember my aunt having a car phone. I thought it was so cool at the time with its carrying bag.

Dad had a car phone in 1963. It was a Motorola tube unit. You had to wait after you pushed the talk button on the microphone. A motor generator created the high voltage for the transmitter and you had to wait for it to get up to speed. You would call the operator and give her the number to call. The calls were half duplex. All of the phones heard the calls coming in. They didn’t hear what you said transmitting out unless you were calling one of their other units. It did have a tone decoder and the car horn would go off if someone was calling you.

Whew!! All this “antiquated” technology is getting downright Steampunky!! Whirr!! Whirrrrr!! Zzzzzzzz!

Suspenseful? Like when Timmy1’s stuck in the well?

I remember when I had a car phone, years ago. It was one of the first models, with a gasoline motor. The phone itself was heavy enough, but when you had a gallon of gas in the tank it really got hard to cart around. That’s why they put wheels on it. Then they needed to be able to steer it and had to add brakes. It had to keep up with my regular car – a Chevy Impala – so a gearbox was installed. And of course I had to hire an assistant to drive it and hand me the handset through the window. The first time the phone rang, it startled the assistant so much he drove off the road into a culvert. The whole thing got too expensive, and I just gave it up.

Did some one say “car phone?”