Reporter's Phone Trick

http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/obituaries/obituary-ted-kidd-journalist-1-3050327

The Scotsman

17 August 2013

Obituary: Ted Kidd, journalist

by GORDON CASELY

Born: 21 January, 1936, in Arnage, Aberdeenshire. Died: 12 August, 2013, in Aberdeen, aged 77.

Ted Kidd, the doyen of the press corps in Aberdeen, was a journalist of the old school; he described his job as giving him “a ringside view of life”. […]

Those were days before mobile phones, when releases from Peterhead [Prison] caused the hacks to race south towards Aberdeen to secure use of the first telephone box near the village of Stirlinghill to phone the story over.

An apocryphal tale is that Kidd had a contact who worked for Post Office Telephones, and who quietly gave him a special key, explaining that behind each phone kiosk was a lock with which the phone could be turned off.

So prior to the next Peterhead incident, Kidd stopped at the box, and switched it off with his master key. He arrived back at the box to find it surrounded by angry hacks, about to press south to find the next working phone kiosk.

Kidd quietly waited until they departed, slipped round the back, and turned on the phone line again. […]

Frat House Phone Bill

http://mhgoldberg.com/blog/?p=6219

Telecom Trends

11 March 2013

The stuff of urban legends

Mark Goldberg

More than 30 years ago, in my early days in the telecom industry, there was a story circulating – maybe an urban legend or just part of telecom folklore, but it came to mind as we head into March vacation.

As I recall, a group of women from a sorority at a large mid-western university went to a warmer climate for Spring Break. The boyfriends from a nearby frat house remained at school. Thanks to some alcohol inducement, the boys decided to phone the girlfriends Friday night, pre-Skype, pre-competitive long distance, in the days when long distance rates were frequently $3.00 per minute.

It didn’t take long for the boys to realize that they were in for more than $200 – a term’s tuition – in the first hour on the phone. The decision was made to keep the phone off the hook for the whole weekend. It was an intercom for staying in touch like an international baby room monitor. Monday morning, the long-lines technicians knocked down the call and that finally closed off the call billing record. The bill came in for more than $10,000. A call to customer service claimed it had to be a network or billing error. How could there have been a 60 hour long phone call? No one in their right mind would make such a call.

The charge was reversed. Was the story true? I don’t know, but it makes for a good story. [...]

Cosmos Rays Panic

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Srinagar/Mars-attack-rumours-keep-Kashmir-sleepless/Article1-972049.aspx

Hindustan Times

12 December 2012

‘Mars attack’ rumours keep Kashmir sleepless

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times

Srinagar, December 12, 2012

12/12/12 spawned a dozen hoaxes, but the one that was most hilarious kept people in the Valley up all night and the state government busy firefighting through the day. The message, purportedly from NASA and the BBC, advised people to switch off their cellphones from 12.30 to 3.30 am on Tuesday as “cosmos rays are entering the Earth from Mars”. The message even warned people to keep away the cellphones from their body because “cosmos” rays are dangerous. [...]

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mars-as-foreign-hand-kashmir-spends-night-in-fear-of-cosmic-rays-via-phone/1044613/

The Indian Express

13 December 2012

Mars as ‘foreign hand’: Kashmir spends night infear of ‘cosmic rays’ via phone

Mir Ehsan : Srinagar

Late on Tuesday night, residents across Kashmir scrambled to switch off their mobile phones. The reason was not pesky calls but another ‘incoming’ hazard: a rumour that harmful “cosmic rays” were going to enter Earth via the phones from Mars, and set off blasts.

The government finally had to step in and make announcements on radio and television, threatening to book people spreading the rumour, to quell the panic. [...]

No Quacking in the Quiet Car

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/no-quacking-in-the-quiet-car/

New York Times

13 July 2012

Metropolitan Diary

No Quacking in the Quiet Car

By RUKHL SCHAECHTER

Dear Diary:

As I sat in the subway at rush hour with nothing to do, I playfully scrolled through the various ringtones on my iPhone. I suddenly realized the train had reached my stop, Grand Central, and I hurried out to catch the Metro-North train home.

As usual, I walked down the Metro-North platform to get to the first car, known as the quiet car, so that I could read my Kindle in silence. I sat down opposite two men who proceeded to chat about mutual acquaintances.

After a minute or so I leaned over and said: "I'm sorry to bother you, but this is the quiet car. The first car on the train during rush hour is the quiet car."

They looked at each other, and one of them stretched his neck to confirm that there was indeed no other car before us. Seeing there wasn't, he took out some reading material, and his friend opened up his laptop.

As the three of us sat engrossed in our silent activities, a loud quacking sound seemed to come from one of their briefcases - apparently, his phone was ringing. He didn't answer it, in deference to the "no talking" rule, but the quacking was so loud and annoying, it seemed even worse than conversation.

Finally, the ringing stopped. But then five minutes later, once again - the same quacking. "Why doesn't he just switch the phone to silent, instead of subjecting us all to this ridiculous noise?" I thought irritably.

As the train reached my station, I gathered my belongings and stepped off the train onto the platform. And then, as the train pulled away, I was mortified to hear the quacking once again - coming straight out of my shoulder bag.

"Turn that bloody phone off and come back to bed!"

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/column-8/column-8-20120327-1vwkw.html

Sydney Morning Herald
28 March 2012

Column 8

''After a busy day I settled down in my train from Southern Cross for a nap as far as my destination at Bendigo,'' writes Peter Nelson, ''when the chap sitting near me hauled out his mobile and started up. 'Hi darling it's Peter, I'm on the train - yes, I know it's the 6.30 not the 4.30, but I had a long meeting - no, not with that floozie from the typing pool, with the boss. No darling, you're the only one in my life - yes, I'm sure, cross my heart', etc, etc. This was still going on at Sunbury, when the young woman opposite, driven beyond endurance, yelled at the top of her voice 'Hey, Peter, turn that bloody phone off and come back to bed!''' [...]

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/column-8/column-8-20120328-1vyr4.html

Sydney Morning Herald
29 March 2012

Column 8

[...] Craig Preston, of Newtown, was one of many readers who gave Column 8 a right royal bucketing for running the first item in yesterday's column (''Put the phone down Peter and come back to bed!''). Quite apart from this anecdote doing the rounds of the internet for some weeks, we are told, Craig clinches its ancient origins by noting that ''the reference to the typing pool is a dead giveaway - who works in a typing pool these days?'' Hmm. It could be possible to date the story quite accurately on this basis - when in human history were typing pools and mobile phones in existence at the same time? [...]