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MineralMan

(146,288 posts)

12. My small, rural California town was one of the last

Reply to Dennis Donovan (Original post)

Mon Dec 31, 2018, 11:51 AM

Dec 2018

two places in California that still had operators like the ones in your photo. We didn't get dial phones until 1963, actually. You picked up the phone and waited for the operator to ask: "Number please." I don't remember our home phone number, but I remember the number of the place my father worked. It was 42.

When the new dial phones were available, a phone company technician came to the house and installed the shiny new black dial phone and took away your old one. We got new phone books, too. It was amazingly cool.

No longer, though, could you call the doctor's number and have the operator tell you, "Dr. Kerr isn't in his office. He's on a house call. I'll ring through to the number where he is." That was "Call Forwarding" with a personal touch.

Caller ID before dial phones consisted of saying, "Who's calling please?"

Times change and keep right on changing.

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35 yrs ago today; The Bell System is broken up [View all] Dennis Donovan Dec 2018 OP

1971 - 1972 I was a cordboard operator for ACS here. akraven Dec 2018 #1

you may have noticed the octapus reuniting with its tenracles rampartc Dec 2018 #2

I have 3 phones made by Western Electric, still working in my house today. All are from sinkingfeeling Dec 2018 #3

Customer service maybe not but innovation has dembotoz Dec 2018 #4

Absolutely not true AT&T funded pure and applied research at Bell Labs karynnj Dec 2018 #7

They moved UNIX from a hobbyist toy to a serious platform Recursion Dec 2018 #8

Exactly karynnj Dec 2018 #14

Have you seen the Mother of All Demos? Recursion Dec 2018 #15

No, thanks - will watch this later karynnj Dec 2018 #16

i sell their stuff...late to the game on mostly everything dembotoz Dec 2018 #9

You are looking at retail products karynnj Dec 2018 #13

nopers i sell att business and other competitors dembotoz Dec 2018 #18

I am talking of pre 1984, when they developed karynnj Dec 2018 #21

My experience sbc thru the debacle purchase of att dembotoz Jan 2019 #24

LOL, still be using cord boards if not forced to switch to dial HAB911 Dec 2018 #17

Bell Labs invented the direct dial ability in the 1960s karynnj Dec 2018 #22

Almon Strowger invented dial equipment that Bell System adopted HAB911 Jan 2019 #25

It helped pave the way for better and cheaper modems. sl8 Dec 2018 #5

I remember my astronomical long distance bills UpInArms Dec 2018 #6

I was a cord board oper. 1964..still in HS..NETCO....retired Nov 1998..with a asiliveandbreathe Dec 2018 #10

Time for another breakup. Qutzupalotl Dec 2018 #11

look into a Fire Stick. I use one for HBO and Amazon and Netflix all together delivered to my TV TeamPooka Dec 2018 #19

My small, rural California town was one of the last MineralMan Dec 2018 #12

something this page didn't mention............ Takket Dec 2018 #20

I remember calling people 30 miles away for free, but a friend 1 mile away was a toll charge. TheBlackAdder Dec 2018 #23

I remember thinking, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"--- but.... dawg day Jan 2019 #26