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electrozeistyking · 23 minutes

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Have been thinking a lot lately about how, when a new technology emerges, people who were born after the shift have trouble picturing exactly what The Before was like (example, the fanfic writer who described the looping menu on a VHS tape), and even people who were there have a tendency to look back and go "Wow, that was... wild."

Today's topic: The landline. A lot of people still have them, but as it's not the only game in town, it's an entirely different thing now.

(Credit to @punk-de-l-escalier who I was talking to about this and made some contributions)

for most of the heyday of the landline, there was no caller ID of any kind. Then it was a premium service, and unless you had a phone with Caller ID capability-- and you didn't-- you had to buy a special box for it. (It was slightly smaller than a pack of cigarettes.)

Starting in the early nineties, there WAS a way to get the last number dialed, and if desired, call it back. It cost 50 cents. I shit you not, the way you did it was dialing "*69". There's no way that was an accident.

If you moved, unless it was in the same city-- and in larger cities, the same PART of the city-- you had to change phone numbers.

As populations grew, it was often necessary to take a whole bunch of people and say "Guess what? You have a new area code now."

The older the house, the fewer phone jacks it had. When I was a kid, the average middle-class house had a phone jack in the kitchen, and one in the master bedroom. Putting in a new phone jack was expensive... but setting up a splitter and running a long phone cord under the carpet, through the basement or attic, or just along the wall and into the next room was actually pretty cheap.

Even so, long phone cords were pretty much a thing on every phone that could be conveniently picked up and carried.

The first cordless phones were incredibly stupid. Ask the cop from my hometown who was talking to his girlfriend on a cordless phone about the illegal shit he was doing, and his wife could hear the whole thing through her radio.

For most of the heyday of the landline, there was no contact list. Every number was dialed manually. Starting in the mid-eighties, you could get a phone with speed dial buttons, but I cannot stress how much they sucked, because you had to label them with a goddamn pencil, you only had ten or twenty numbers, reprogramming them was a bitch, and every once in a while would lose all of the number in its memory.

All of the phone numbers in your city or metro area were delivered to you once a year in The Phone Book, which was divided between the White Pages (Alphabetic), the Yellow Pages (Businesses, by type, then alphabetic), and the Blue Pages (any government offices in your calling area (which we will get to in a moment)).

Listing in the white pages was automatic; to get an unlisted number cost extra.

Since people would grab the yellow pages, find the service they need, and start calling down the list, a lot of local business names where chosen because they started with "A", and "Aardvark" was a popular name.

Yes, a fair chunk of the numbers in it were disconnected or changed between the time it was printed and it got to your door, much less when you actually looked it up.

One phone line per family was the norm.

Lots and lots and LOTS of kids got in trouble because their parents eavesdropped on the conversation by picking up another phone connected to the same line.

A fair number of boys with similar voices to their father got in trouble because one of their friends didn't realize who they were talking to.

And of course, there were the times where you couldn't leave the house, because you were expecting an important phone call.

Or when you were in a hotel and had to pay a dollar per call. (I imagine those charges haven't gone away, but who pays them?)

Since you can't do secondary bullet points, I'll break a couple of these items out to their own lists, starting with Answering Machines.

these precursors to voicemail were a fucking nightmare.

The first generation of consumer answering machines didn't reach the market until the mid-eighties. They recorded both the outgoing message and the incoming calls onto audio cassettes.

due to linear nature of the audio cassette, the only way to save an incoming call was to physically remove the cassette and replace it with a new one.

they were prone to spectacular malfunction; if the power went out, rather than simply fail to turn back on, they would often rewind the cassette for the incoming messages to the beginning, because it no longer knew where the messages were, or how many there were.

Another way they could go wrong was to start playing the last incoming call as the outgoing message.

Most people, rather than trying to remember to turn it on each time they went out and turn it off when they got back, would just leave it on, particularly when they discovered that you could screen incoming calls with it.

Rather a lot of people got themselves in trouble because they either didn't get to the phone before the answering machine, or picked up when they heard who was calling, and forgot that the answering machine was going-- thus recording some or all of the phone call.

Eventually the implemented a feature where you could call your answering machine, enter a code, and retrieve your messages. The problem was that most people couldn't figure out how to change their default code, and those that did didn't know it reset anytime the power went out. A guy I went to college with would call his ex-girlfriend's machine-- and her current boyfriend's-- and erase all the messages. He finally got busted when she skipped class and heard the call come in.

And, of course, there's the nightmare that was long-distance.

Calls within your local calling area were free. (Well, part of the monthly charge.) This usually meant the city you lived in and its suburbs. Anything outside this calling area was an extra per-minute charge.

This charge varied by time of day and day of the week, which made things extra fun when your friend on the west coast waited until 9pm for the lower charges, but you were on the east coast and it was midnight.

Depending on your phone company, and your long distance plan, the way your long distance work varied wildly. Usually in-state was cheaper-- with zones within the state that varied by price, and out of state had its own zones.

Your long distance plan came in lots and lots of distracting packages, and was billed to your phone bill.

At one point, when I was living in North Carolina, a scammer set themselves up as a long distance company and notified the phone company that a shitload of people had switched to their service. They got caught fairly quickly, but I was annoyed because they were actually charging less than AT&T.

"Would you like to change your long distance plan" was the 80's and 90's equivalent of "We have important news about your car insurance."

Had a friend who lived at the edge of a suburb in Birmingham, and for her to call her friend two miles down the street was long-distance, because the boundary of the calling area was right between them.

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electrozeistyking · 31 minutes

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hate how they forced bugs bunny into anti-weed propaganda in the 90s, as if bugs bunny wouldn’t love smoking weed

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electrozeistyking · 53 minutes

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it’s crazy how much diversity there can be in one species…these are all pictures of the same bird species (red-tailed hawk)

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electrozeistyking · 2 hours

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fun reminder: in the hunger games, people are able to watch the games play out on television. so most likely, the parents are all watching this. :3

another fun reminder: beanie's ankle is sprained. she's going to the feast with an injured leg. :333

Nuzi Fankid Hunger Games!

Okay guys! Meet your tributes.

Cinnamon by @lunaria-the-storyteller

Kimber by @anxietyoverreaction

Orion by @ladydaybreaker

Astra by @/ladydaybreaker

Nicole by @devastator1775

Macey by @premamelody

Kimber by @kkolg

Biscuit by @bloodywolfwings

Cake by @/bloodywolfwings

Bizcuit by @solroskajan

Erin by @kitzani

Starla by @/kitzani

Zin by @dazzling-raven

Sig by @/dazzling-raven

Stella by @thefourfan

Arsenic by @chromanomaly

Fuwa by @/chromanomaly

Maxine by @plotbunnyy

Beanie by @electrozeistyking

Yoru by @mental-train-wreck

Orita by @withered--s0uls

Rexim by @/withered--s0uls

Crystal by @lilywily143

Nora by @pensocks

Here's your guys, may the odds be ever in your favor.

#tw murder #tw strangling #tw self harm #tw fire #god we are having so many thoughts about this #well at least we're having fun

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electrozeistyking · 3 hours

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Reblog if you've made at least one friend because of a fandom.

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electrozeistyking · 3 hours

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Like "oops, suddenly dead." But yeah, angst is cool :3

Nuzi Fankid Hunger Games!

Okay guys! Meet your tributes.

Cinnamon by @lunaria-the-storyteller

Kimber by @anxietyoverreaction

Orion by @ladydaybreaker

Astra by @/ladydaybreaker

Nicole by @devastator1775

Macey by @premamelody

Kimber by @kkolg

Biscuit by @bloodywolfwings

Cake by @/bloodywolfwings

Bizcuit by @solroskajan

Erin by @kitzani

Starla by @/kitzani

Zin by @dazzling-raven

Sig by @/dazzling-raven

Stella by @thefourfan

Arsenic by @chromanomaly

Fuwa by @/chromanomaly

Maxine by @plotbunnyy

Beanie by @electrozeistyking

Yoru by @mental-train-wreck

Orita by @withered--s0uls

Rexim by @/withered--s0uls

Crystal by @lilywily143

Nora by @pensocks

Here's your guys, may the odds be ever in your favor.

#beanie doorman

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electrozeistyking · 4 hours

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– We're Getting Closer!**⚠️⚠️‼️🚨 Share

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the support we’ve received so far in our campaign to save my brother Maisara’s life. Every day, we inch closer to our goal, but we still need your help to reach it.

Maisara’s daily struggle is heart-wrenching. His days are filled with pain and exhaustion, and his once vibrant spirit is weighed down by the relentless battle his heart endures. Each breath he takes is a testament to his incredible strength, but also a reminder of the urgency of our mission.

We are so close to giving Maisara the chance to live a life free from pain, to see his smile return and to hear his laughter once more. Your support means the world to us and can make all the difference.

Please, continue to share our story, donate if you can, and keep Maisara in your thoughts and prayers. Together, we can save his life.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

With hope and gratitude,

@sayruq @ibtisams @im-smart-i-swear

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electrozeistyking · 4 hours

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UPDATE FROM AHMED: HELP A PALESTINIAN FAMILY ESCAPE GENOCIDE

Ahmed has sent me photos of his beautiful baby boy, Muhammad, to share. Muhammad is 10 months old, currently in the hospital due to malnutrition imposed by the zionist occupation’s famine. Neither he nor his mother Maram have access to healthy food, leading her to run out of milk for him.

You can see the difference between these two photos. Muhammad survives because of the love and care of his wonderful parents and siblings.

We need to show this family that we care, too.

Ahmed’s new short-term goal to help evacuate he and his family from Gaza is €15,000, of which he currently has €10,485 — €4,515 left to go before it is reached! I’ve seen what we can do when we really push for a family. We can do this. Please, give what you can.

€10,485/€15,000.

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electrozeistyking · 4 hours

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Reblog if you are not a pedophile.

If everyone doesn’t reblog this, I’m unfollowing all of you.

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electrozeistyking · 4 hours

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electrozeistyking · 4 hours

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shoutout to autistic people who have memory issues and can't remember many things about your special interests. you don't need to be able to remember things for the interests to be valid or important to you! if you enjoy them that's what matters

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electrozeistyking · 4 hours

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electrozeistyking · 4 hours

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beanie proceeds to get fucked up by this

#Zeisty's Askbox #the guilt gets to her #that poor little thing <:(#beanie doorman #FUNNY THOUGH #still can't believe she did that to cake

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electrozeistyking · 4 hours

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Let's review our notes, shall we?

BLOODBATH: Good on Beanie for gathering food! She's a lot more observant than she looks, so I imagine with half of the kids running off and one of them getting killed at the Cornucopia, she figured she could get what she needed unnoticed and potentially run off.

DAY 1: With Erin having been scared off, Cake having run away, and Beanie being a toddler with food, I imagine that it's possible they decided they can trust each other... for the time being, anyway. Beanie probably wouldn't know she's participating in a hunt, but would be aware they're looking for other tributes at least.

NIGHT 1: She's probably missing her daddy... if she wins this, hopefully she can be reunited with him soon....

DAY 2: Apparently, Beanie's going on another hunt for tributes! Erin has most certainly split off from Cake and Beanie, but at least they have three others joining them! It's interesting how Beanie's participated in two of these with Cake now.... maybe they're buddies!

NIGHT 2: YOU LITTLE FUCKING SAVAGE?!?!?! My god, I genuinely was not expecting Beanie to kill Cake! I thought it was cute that they seemed to been hanging out together, but then I guess Beanie abruptly decided she needed to throw a knife into Cake's chest.

DAY 3: I guess after hanging out with so many drones, Beanie's out of food and now they need more resources? I don't know if Stella still trusts her after she threw a knife into Cake's chest, but I doubt Beanie would want to join any team with Stella... they both know what she did. It's probably for the best they don't reunite.

NIGHT 3: In my mind, I'm just picturing this tiny and shaky little drone, having killed Cake and split off from Stella, asking Bizcuit if she could "pretty please" stay in his shelter for the night. She has nowhere else to go. He relents.

DAY 4: So at this point, Beanie's been separated from her dad for longer than she's used to. She's used to him always being there, but he hasn't been in days. Not only that, but she's killed someone. That's cruel of her, isn't it? What would her daddy think of her when they reunite after all this? Would he even want to see her again?

NIGHT 4: I imagine the song Beanie's trying to sing herself to sleep with is one she heard her daddy and auntie sing before. Her voice cracks. She goes quiet before long, and spends the rest of the night in silence.

DAY 5: I don't know much about Maxine, so I can see Beanie spying Maxine in the distance, getting spooked, and trying to run. Maybe Maxine even spotted her back, and either wanted to help or was planning on attacking her. Regardless, Beanie most likely isn't watching her footing when she sprains her ankle.

ARENA EVENT (VOLCANO ERUPTION): Beanie experiences her first encounter with a volcano and survives. That being said, she's absolutely distressed by everything going on, so I imagine she doesn't make it out of this without bawling and wanting to go home.

NIGHT 5: Hey, it's one of my mutuals' kids! Looks like Beanie and Rexim teamed up for the night. Knowing for a fact that Rex's twin sister did not survive the volcano, I'm pleased to know these two found each other. It's probably the first time Beanie's gotten a hug since this whole thing started.

THE FEAST: So the Cornucopia is replenished with supplies, and Rex chooses not to go to The Feast, leaving Beanie to go on her own. I figure Beanie thought she could do what she did during Bloodbath and gather as much food as she can unnoticed again, but sadly for her, she's definitely noticed this time. I imagine her last thoughts were of how much she wants her daddy.

RESULT: So, Beanie lasted until The Feast. I'd be lying if I said I expected her to win the Nuzi Fankid Hunger Games, but she managed to get as far as she did and secure a spot at sixth place! Happy with where she got, even if she didn't last until the end. :3

Nuzi Fankid Hunger Games!

Okay guys! Meet your tributes.

Cinnamon by @lunaria-the-storyteller

Kimber by @anxietyoverreaction

Orion by @ladydaybreaker

Astra by @/ladydaybreaker

Nicole by @devastator1775

Macey by @premamelody

Kimber by @kkolg

Biscuit by @bloodywolfwings

Cake by @/bloodywolfwings

Bizcuit by @solroskajan

Erin by @kitzani

Starla by @/kitzani

Zin by @dazzling-raven

Sig by @/dazzling-raven

Stella by @thefourfan

Arsenic by @chromanomaly

Fuwa by @/chromanomaly

Maxine by @plotbunnyy

Beanie by @electrozeistyking

Yoru by @mental-train-wreck

Orita by @withered--s0uls

Rexim by @/withered--s0uls

Crystal by @lilywily143

Nora by @pensocks

Here's your guys, may the odds be ever in your favor.

#i spent two hours typing this all up. apparently i turn everything into some kind of a story. leave me be /j #beanie doorman #i'm more surprise by the fact she killed someone than anything???#by throwing a knife???? into somebody's chest?????#i swore she and cake were buddies. like why else would they participate in two hunts together?#nope. grown ass robot gets murdered by robo toddler #tw strangling #just in case tag #for my peeps who need that tagged

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electrozeistyking · 6 hours

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I did not expect Beanie to throw a knife and kill somebody! I thought she and Cake were buddies, but nope, this little four-year-old has a kill count now i guess.

Nuzi Fankid Hunger Games!

Okay guys! Meet your tributes.

Cinnamon by @lunaria-the-storyteller

Kimber by @anxietyoverreaction

Orion by @ladydaybreaker

Astra by @/ladydaybreaker

Nicole by @devastator1775

Macey by @premamelody

Kimber by @kkolg

Biscuit by @bloodywolfwings

Cake by @/bloodywolfwings

Bizcuit by @solroskajan

Erin by @kitzani

Starla by @/kitzani

Zin by @dazzling-raven

Sig by @/dazzling-raven

Stella by @thefourfan

Arsenic by @chromanomaly

Fuwa by @/chromanomaly

Maxine by @plotbunnyy

Beanie by @electrozeistyking

Yoru by @mental-train-wreck

Orita by @withered--s0uls

Rexim by @/withered--s0uls

Crystal by @lilywily143

Nora by @pensocks

Here's your guys, may the odds be ever in your favor.

#IT'S HER ONLY KILL TOO WHAT THE FUCK

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electrozeistyking · 7 hours

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hi. did you know australia has a fairywren species called the superb fairywren

and another species called the splendid fairywren

...and one called the lovely fairywren

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electrozeistyking · 7 hours

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