Telephones

greenspun.com : LUSENET : I Wasn't Built to Get Up at this Time : One Thread

What's your longest telephone call? Do you like using the phone or do you prefer face to face? What do you hate about phones/telecommunications/bloody computerized switchboards?

-- Tim (tim@almighty.co.uk), December 05, 2000

Answers

13 hours! With one 5 minute break. My longest one before that was 12 hours, so we had to beat that record. Yes, we were bored. Phones are all good when you have something particularly icky to say and don't want to deal with the crying etc. Not that I've ever done that to anyone....

-- Julia (vixen@ihug.co.nz), December 05, 2000.

well, I have nothing to compare to 13 hours! but I think 3 hours is the longest I've ever been on the phone with one person, no breaks. but that's it.

-- jessica (essicajay@pacbell.net), December 05, 2000.

I think it was about 3-4 hours with my one friend from school. we didn't say much though. just sat there and watched tv and then would ask, "sooo what're you doing now?" "ahh not much ::pause:: ::laughing ensues::" "what's so funny?" "ooh woooo! aaah!! it's 'insert show title here' turn on channel blaah" and it would be like this for hours. haha.

I could've beaten that earlier though, I just can't remember. me and my friend teri back in the day used to have weird conversations where we'd hang up halfway through and leave a message on the answering machine about something rather ridiculous. sometimes we'd pretend to be the girl down the street and make fun of her voice so we had all these messages on the machine with our drivel. fun! try it sometime!

-- Amber (starlight@wellyeah.org), December 06, 2000.


yoooouuuuu! And you got full range of SAM EMOTIONS from extreme happiness to I'm about to cry can we change the subject! You lucky beast!

-- sam (pinkandfluffy@mentalcase.co.uk), December 06, 2000.

Two and a half hours, I believe, to AevilSteve, in Belgium. Luckily, he was paying. However, I think I've had a two and a half hour conversation to Twi in America as well, half of which I paid for (the connection got cut half way through).

I used to hate using the phone, until I was 14 or so. Then, I started having some pretty long talks with very people, and now I [hart] it. I feel so special when my mobile phone rings, because 1) it's always for me, 2) it's unlikely to be a telesales geen, and 3) someone is prepared to pay vast amounts to talk to me. And even answering it at home is fun, since you get some right lunapaths (namely, my Grandad, who always mistakes me for my brother). But face to face is still probably better, since you get to hit the person you're talking to, when you feel it's appropriate, rather than just make beeping noises in their ear.

Thing I hate about phones: when you call a company, and they ask you to hold the line and play pants music at you while you wait. They should at least give you a choice: "Press 1 if you want The Prodigy, press 2 if you want The Best Of Mike Flowers, press 3 if you want the theme tune to "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" or press 4 if you'd prefer silence." When I take over the world, I'm going to implement that, methinks.

-- Zed (zed@swansongs.net), December 06, 2000.



I used to hate talking on the phone, too. Now I don't mind it, but I kind of have to be in a talkative mood. As for the longest phone conversation... hmmm. I'm not sure, but three hours rings a bell. That was probably back in my junior high "I actually have friends" days.

A word on cell phones: am I the only person who hates it when the thing rings in public? Other people feel like a badass ("Look, I have a cell phone... just like every other person on the planet"); I feel like a complete moron whipping the thing out.

-- Katie (ktrame@digink.net), December 06, 2000.


Yes! Mobile phones are incredibly annoying. In fact, I believe they are the work of the devil. You end up paying silly amounts of money for something that makes you look like a complete idiot whenever you use it! Of course, if anybody would like to donate a phone to me, please feel free.

-- Nik (nik@achtung.co.uk), December 06, 2000.

I don't like talking on the phone very much. Would rather talk to people face to face or through letters. I'm weird I know. But I have lots of friends who do not live near me so I have to use the phone, plus cell phones come in handy for business stuff but can be a pain also.

The longest phone call I ever had was with a ex-girlfriend in high school who said we had to talk on the phone late into the night every nigh even though I hardly said anything.

-- Brian C. Williams (seaofcanada@canada.com), December 06, 2000.


I dunno... I sort of think that once the hype over cell phones dies down (which is imminent), they'll be as common as LAN lines and we'll all be sporting them, and it will be considered nothing to walk around talking to someone.

Then we'll all die of brain tumors.

-- Angela (smashmole@home.com), December 07, 2000.


Hate phones

All phones

ESPECIALLY mobile phones.

-- Mr Rubery! (mrrubery@hotmail.com), December 11, 2000.



I agree Angela, I think one day it will just seem completely strange that you used to have to call a *building* on the *off-chance* that the person you wanted to speak to was there!

Roll on the mobile revolution... (but please let it include free text message some time in the future)...

-- Tim (tim@almighty.co.uk), December 12, 2000.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ