Progress has a funny way of overlapping. Even in the early 70’s, before cell phones, my family felt it. We had just moved to a new town, and the local phone company provided phones for every home. You didn’t buy your own. Gone was the pink princess phone my parents had in the bedroom. But these were all the same: black desk phones with receivers so heavy you thought you were building up your biceps just talking on the things.
Yes, and there was always the uncomfortable silence when you realized who was much bigger and how it was going to be a boring ride just sitting in the same place.
I played with a lot of those old analog phones (and took many of them apart to make alarm bells), adding switches between my 2 lines at some extensions – like the wall phone I installed on the side of the drafting table (so I could answer both without getting down from my stool). We were allowed only one phone for each line at the time, but I installed them wherever convenient to me. I did the same with the speaker system, and next with coax cables for TV.
Before cable and other services, I used “ON TV” and that had some adult channels, so I wired still more switches, so the TV in the kitchen could only see all channels when I chose but main controls were in my bedroom (for THAT TV).
I never had phone company come out because I like to do it myself!
My aunt and uncle had a party line. They had all the money in the world, but they chose a party line because, as my aunt explained, she “didn’t want to give the phone company the satisfaction.” Yeah, I’m sure Ma Bell was agonizing over it.
That‘s the bitter irony. The television itself is more advanced and sophisticated than ever before- and the programming is garbage. Not just the shows, but the presentation- bugs and crawls, and animated promos taking over half the screen. I’m so beyond broadcast TV, I prefer to use the set just for watching discs. John, on the other hand, apparently still watches lots of broadcast TV, so he keeps Working Daze informed about what’s on so the characters can discuss it.
vwdualnomand over 10 years ago
sometimes old stuff wasn’t the greatest. would anyone ever give up their current smartphone to go back to a brick/bag phone from 1980s?
Thomas Scott Roberts creator over 10 years ago
Progress has a funny way of overlapping. Even in the early 70’s, before cell phones, my family felt it. We had just moved to a new town, and the local phone company provided phones for every home. You didn’t buy your own. Gone was the pink princess phone my parents had in the bedroom. But these were all the same: black desk phones with receivers so heavy you thought you were building up your biceps just talking on the things.
lightenup Premium Member over 10 years ago
Yes, and there was always the uncomfortable silence when you realized who was much bigger and how it was going to be a boring ride just sitting in the same place.
1148559 over 10 years ago
I remember party lines… and not being able to choose anything other than the plain black phone the phone company provided.
Dr. Midnight over 10 years ago
AND! They didn’t have the modular jacks, so someone from the phone company had to come out to install the phone!
vldazzle over 10 years ago
I played with a lot of those old analog phones (and took many of them apart to make alarm bells), adding switches between my 2 lines at some extensions – like the wall phone I installed on the side of the drafting table (so I could answer both without getting down from my stool). We were allowed only one phone for each line at the time, but I installed them wherever convenient to me. I did the same with the speaker system, and next with coax cables for TV.
Before cable and other services, I used “ON TV” and that had some adult channels, so I wired still more switches, so the TV in the kitchen could only see all channels when I chose but main controls were in my bedroom (for THAT TV).
I never had phone company come out because I like to do it myself!
Comic Minister Premium Member over 10 years ago
I didn’t know you had a brother sir.
Thomas Scott Roberts creator over 10 years ago
My aunt and uncle had a party line. They had all the money in the world, but they chose a party line because, as my aunt explained, she “didn’t want to give the phone company the satisfaction.” Yeah, I’m sure Ma Bell was agonizing over it.
Thomas Scott Roberts creator over 10 years ago
That‘s the bitter irony. The television itself is more advanced and sophisticated than ever before- and the programming is garbage. Not just the shows, but the presentation- bugs and crawls, and animated promos taking over half the screen. I’m so beyond broadcast TV, I prefer to use the set just for watching discs. John, on the other hand, apparently still watches lots of broadcast TV, so he keeps Working Daze informed about what’s on so the characters can discuss it.