The remarkable thing to me is that even the oldest telephone still works when connected to today’s telephone network. (Business office digital systems excluded.)
I remember a story from a book (name and aiuthor forgotten):
Imagine a salesman coming into your office with the “latest thing”. “Imagine,” he says, “a device you can put on your desk and if anyone wants to talk to you it makes a loud annoying noise. So loud and annoying that you have to talk to the person no matter what you are in the middle of doing!” The author asks the question, Would you really buy such a thing?
These days people feel compelled to answer their cell phones no matter how rude it is to the people they are conversing with. Might as well have the loud, annoying noise.
I remember using one of those as a kid. But you had to lift the headphone very carefully to see if anyone else was on the line. Heard a LOT of good gossip!!
allen@home over 4 years ago
I bought my mom one long time ago. Took it back home after she passed.
rekam Premium Member over 4 years ago
Old enough to remember when mom had to go upstairs to the landlady’s to use hers in an emergency.
lopaka over 4 years ago
At least nobody walked onto railroad tracks while walking while having one of those stuck in their face.
pschearer Premium Member over 4 years ago
And that is why they called it the Bell Telephone Company.
GiantShetlandPony over 4 years ago
When I was a kid our privacy line was the kitchen phones cord was long enough to take down the hall.
William Bednar Premium Member over 4 years ago
Now I’m wondering if Broomie still pays AT&T a fee to even have that kind of phone?
tony_n_jen2003 over 4 years ago
I have one of those. Not an original but a 1970’s reproduction. It works great.
joe piglet Premium Member over 4 years ago
One long and two short was the ring for our house.
joe piglet Premium Member over 4 years ago
6 phones for 1 line. Then we got semi private, which was only 2 phones for one line. That was in the early 70s.
Zebrastripes over 4 years ago
Love those phones….Number please….party lines….
HappyDog/ᵀʳʸ ᴮᵒᶻᵒ ⁴ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠᵘⁿ ᵒᶠ ᶦᵗ Premium Member over 4 years ago
The remarkable thing to me is that even the oldest telephone still works when connected to today’s telephone network. (Business office digital systems excluded.)
carlzr over 4 years ago
Phones used to look good. Even the old ones were handsome. Current models look like water bugs.
timinwsac Premium Member over 4 years ago
And you don’t have to worry about misplacing it because it’s attached to the wall with a cord.
cuzinron47 over 4 years ago
It is an upgrade, you don’t have wind this one.
whelan_jj over 4 years ago
I remember a story from a book (name and aiuthor forgotten):
Imagine a salesman coming into your office with the “latest thing”. “Imagine,” he says, “a device you can put on your desk and if anyone wants to talk to you it makes a loud annoying noise. So loud and annoying that you have to talk to the person no matter what you are in the middle of doing!” The author asks the question, Would you really buy such a thing?
These days people feel compelled to answer their cell phones no matter how rude it is to the people they are conversing with. Might as well have the loud, annoying noise.
cubswin2016 over 4 years ago
I just hope that you can call people on it.
fix-n-fly over 4 years ago
More than likely it is impervious to a nuclear blast :-)
Sisyphos over 4 years ago
Broomie’s retro-phone! I’m with it….
Numbnumb over 4 years ago
I remember using one of those as a kid. But you had to lift the headphone very carefully to see if anyone else was on the line. Heard a LOT of good gossip!!