Gossip phone

[luv]

My father remembered sharing a phone line. He also remembered using words for phone numbers and having operators do the dialing for you. You'd pick up the phone and say, "Kedzie1-2345" and a woman would say, "Dialing Kedzie1-2345". That's the way he explained it. I guess they thought that remembering seven numbers was two too many.

Now they think we can remember ten numbers. Most people now, though, don't dial or even push buttons, do they? It's all saved.

I had the option to get a party line in the 80s, but didn't. Never used one in my life.

 

[donaldtoo]

Ya' know, when ya' think about it, social media's really just kinda' like one giant group of party lines in these times.

 

[Master Yoda]

My father remembered sharing a phone line. He also remembered using words for phone numbers and having operators do the dialing for you. You'd pick up the phone and say, "Kedzie1-2345" and a woman would say, "Dialing Kedzie1-2345". That's the way he explained it. I guess they thought that remembering seven numbers was two too many.

Now they think we can remember ten numbers. Most people now, though, don't dial or even push buttons, do they? It's all saved.

I had the option to get a party line in the 80s, but didn't. Never used one in my life.

Quite correct. My oldest daughter asked for her sister's cell number the other day and I could not recall a single digit. I typed it in once, and never looked at it again.

 

[Hot Lava]

Quite correct. My oldest daughter asked for her sister's cell number the other day and I could not recall a single digit. I typed it in once, and never looked at it again.

This is why I still "dial" important numbers. even if I have it in my phone, I put it in manually. It is important to know certain numbers, and it is also good for your brain.

 

[Phonedave]

My parents did buy a phone but they never asked for touch tone service so they still don't pay for TT service. LOL. They use to switch the phone into rotatory to make calls and then switch to TT if they had to press in numbers or whatever. The phone company gave up and switch them to TT but they didn't pay for it.

I don't think touch tone is a seperate charge anymore. It used to be on the order of $1 a month. And yes, you could do just what you describe your parents doing.

It used to confuse some techs when they were working on the line, because if you dont have TT on the circuit, you cannot break dial tone with a TT phone (or butt set) - you had to put it into rotary (or dial pulse to be accurate). You dont encounter that much if at all anymore.


-dave

 

[75disney]

I have heard the party line on Sorcerer Radio. I thought it was something old that Disney no longer did. I will definitely stop by to check out these phones on our next visit. Second new thing I learned about WDW in the last 5 minutes. This site is great!

 

[tor29c]

I remember those as well! And the "old" people (when I was a kid) still liked to use the way the use to state phone numbers they way they used to - with a location name and then a couple numbers.

Also even try to explain to kids today a phone without call waiting or caller ID. Or with the rotary dial. Kids today would lose their ADD minds having to wait for the rotary to go back and forth.

And I still say "Hyatt 3" and "Cypress 5" when I want to make my kids crazy!! Glad I'm not the only one on this board that remembers the party line!

 

[Goofyernmost]

My father remembered sharing a phone line. He also remembered using words for phone numbers and having operators do the dialing for you. You'd pick up the phone and say, "Kedzie1-2345" and a woman would say, "Dialing Kedzie1-2345". That's the way he explained it. I guess they thought that remembering seven numbers was two too many.

Now they think we can remember ten numbers. Most people now, though, don't dial or even push buttons, do they? It's all saved.

I had the option to get a party line in the 80s, but didn't. Never used one in my life.

Sadly, I remember having to talk to the operator to call a number as well. There was nothing but party lines in my home area. All had a different ring so you didn't answer someone elses call, but you could listen in and even talk if you wanted too. I meet my first girlfriend on a party line. Turned out she lived just a few houses away from ours.