Dying Americana part ii
The Land Line
I read recently (and don’t ask me to cite it) that 2007 was the first year on record that consumers spent more on cell phone service than landlines. Actually I’m somewhat surprised it didn’t happen sooner. In any case, when you factor in VOIP and other text communication methods the demise of the copper wiring seems imminent.
We baby boomers will miss the landlines. I used to have a summer job as a telephone switch operator of a small Canadian village. I’d connect wires from one house to another, flip the switch 2 times so their phone would ring and then tell them they have a call. Ah, the good ol’ days.
My Aunt Mary retired from Bell Telephone Company after 30 or more years of working there. She left before much of the computerization. I remember back when the first two numbers of a local exchange were represented with the letters on the telephone. In my home town, the way you would say a phone number was BA5-2535 or Baldwin 5-2535. This is because we were in the Baldwin district of the telephone company.
I also enjoyed watching the dial of the old phones spin back in their rhythmic fashion. I would make up patterns from the dial. (Yes, back then it was a true circular dial. How can you dial a number now?! It’s an antiquated term rooted in another era.
Anyone want to buy my antique Bell Princess phone????