Submitted by Sorin61 t3_zsdg9g in technology
Comments
up_down_underwater t1_j17i06f wrote
Great idea. I would use a free public phone if they were accessible downtown.
madsci t1_j17j5b0 wrote
I don't know if it's still there, but there was a free payphone years ago (the no-pay phone) in an inconspicuous spot in the tiny town of Gerlach, Nevada and you could call anywhere in the world on it, back when that still kind of meant something.
Seems like an odd place to find it, but Gerlach is surprisingly connected for a remote desert town. It's the town closest to where Burning Man is held every year so thousands of tech types pass through and have a particular fondness for the area. Some have settled there, and lots of people have worked to bring solar power and internet to the NV 447 corridor.
If you've watched the movie Nomadland, the town of Empire where the main character starts out is a few miles away.
passinghere t1_j17jm5m wrote
Of maybe for added laziness / convenience have someone on the end of the phone that can connect your call to whoever you want without you having to enter all the numbers yourself.
gnarfler t1_j17k0vq wrote
This got me thinking about last leg delivery where mail is delivered via pony.
It’s sent over normal mail but literally a truck drives up and parks around the block and unloads a pony for someone to deliver the mail.
There’s a market for this somewhere
gnarfler t1_j17kle7 wrote
You know it all started off as a laugh but the more i think about it the more it makes sense for some communities
•better for the environment
•creates jobs
•would never be funded literally ever
Sure is funny to imagine though
CreepingTurnip t1_j17ktxy wrote
Yeah I sorta felt bad about ruining the joke thread but I just think it's so neat that using animals is still better than technology for the last mile in this circumstance. I suppose helicopter would work too but the cost would be ridiculous.
[deleted] t1_j17le69 wrote
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fergan59 t1_j17mque wrote
honeypot phone
samtaher t1_j17pr5a wrote
Can’t wait for the return of minors miners.
Simulakraken t1_j17rysi wrote
“You have a collect call from ‘MOMCOMEPICKUSUPFROMTHEMALL!!’” is gonna make a comeback.
tulukhedelgorus t1_j17s5z7 wrote
calls from all public phones (previously payphones) are free in Australia
SpecialNose9325 t1_j17vj6k wrote
Whats the appeal here ? Do telecom carriers in the US not just give you unlimited calling and SMS with every data plan ?
Fluffyrat666 t1_j1827t8 wrote
IHADABABYITSABOY
K31RA-M0RAX0 t1_j183mfp wrote
Absolutely not.
SpecialNose9325 t1_j188vve wrote
Sucks to be American I guess. I live in Eastern Europe and there are no plans on my carrier that dont come with unlimited calls and SMS. Plans start at $4 per month.
Massive-Mountain7157 t1_j18c1ft wrote
big tech; makes pay phones free; *"WE'RE FIGHTING BIG TECH"*
jdjcjdbfhx t1_j18cmp4 wrote
Jesus Chris... Plans around here are like $35 a month per line usually when combined with some promo like a 4 line plan.
SpecialNose9325 t1_j18d7kf wrote
Wait until you hear about Indian Data Plan Prices. I used to live there and it was about $6 for 3 months (prepaid). 60gb of data per month. Unlimited calls and SMS.
jdjcjdbfhx t1_j18dak8 wrote
Yeah, these plans in America give you 35gb of "high speed data" but then it you down to just 2g after that
N3UROTOXINsRevenge t1_j18jwoo wrote
So a pay phone that you don’t need a minicasette recorder for?
OneHumanPeOple t1_j18lezt wrote
Wow, blast from the past. Because you used you used recorded tones to indicate payment right?
N3UROTOXINsRevenge t1_j18lkbd wrote
Yup. Do $5 or whatever for an international call, record the sequence, hit the change button. Free international calling from pay phones.
[deleted] t1_j18lmgj wrote
OneHumanPeOple t1_j18mab0 wrote
Why not install a landline phone in the bookstore for public use? Why make it an internet phone?
5yrup t1_j18ptq3 wrote
Nah, they don't know what they're talking about. It's super common to have unlimited minutes and unlimited SMS in the US, and plans can be had for like $15/mo or less.
skippyjifluvr t1_j18rtb5 wrote
“Who was that?”
“Bob. They had a baby. It’s a boy.”
uid_0 t1_j18utq2 wrote
Someone is going to destroy them. I guarantee it.
SC487 t1_j18v0xi wrote
My stepson’s grandfather had a job delivering mail via mule when he was like 11. They gave him a mule, a mail sack and a revolver and told him to protect the former with the latter.
[deleted] t1_j18v3og wrote
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MynameisJunie t1_j193wnr wrote
I miss those!! That would be great!!
Lennette20th t1_j194bqp wrote
That would be exactly the kind of data collection everyone complains about. I mean, the phone book was how telemarketers worked back in the old days.
WeimSean t1_j19dmu6 wrote
That'll last a week or two until they break it. Or shoot it.
letsgotime t1_j19dsvh wrote
"traditional landline phone, which has better sound quality"
That is definitely not true, new codecs provide much higher quality audio.
augugusto t1_j19xh38 wrote
Wow. I usted to do this so much after school trips. The return trip was always very imprecise so my parties told me they would rather I do this that wait for hours at the school
RevolutionaryWolf215 t1_j19yzxp wrote
Oh my god …..a telephone that will stop my 14 year HACKER. Is this true . An actual pay phone that can’t be hacked. Where do I sign up. I’m sure this is a joke but a person can dream right??
gnamp t1_j1aae88 wrote
Is the former the mule or the mail sack?
SC487 t1_j1ab4zw wrote
Probably more so the mail sack, but probably the mule too.
MilesStandish801 t1_j1agv2q wrote
Oh! They have phones in booths now, no need to carry around this bulky cell phone anymore.
maxoakland t1_j1asaur wrote
That’s awesome. In America they just sit on the streets and don’t work or they get taken out for the most part. This one in Philadelphia is the first time I’ve heard of a public phone
maxoakland t1_j1asg79 wrote
Cool but I don’t need 4 lines
augugusto t1_j1aws1n wrote
Ok. can we make an app that will produce tones to transfer data and an app to recieve it? The we turn it into videocalls
[deleted] t1_j1b2v9h wrote
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cannibal_man t1_j1b88p7 wrote
I agree with the sentiment of it all, but will many people use it?
Partly_Dave t1_j1bgq6x wrote
There's one outside my house that gets quite a bit of use. Suburban street.
Often it's people who pull up in cars. Maybe they have a limited plan, maybe calling their dealer or lover, idk.
Lately it's a guy who looks a bit down on his luck calling his mum. (He shouts at her, that's how I know.)
There are at least three others within a ten minute walk.
cheez_au t1_j1c2jrs wrote
They also dispense free WiFi now too.
NowhereMan313 t1_j1cbvv2 wrote
Why is it that literally everyone remembers that commercial?
darwinwoodka t1_j17hzgx wrote
I wonder if we could have a book or something with people's numbers so we don't have to store them all in our phones