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Requiem for the Disappearing Pay Phone
StarEmperor writes "This Washington Post article describes the steady disappearance of pay phones as cell phones become more commonplace. Many pay phones, which used to generate hundreds of dollars per month in revenue, are now used so infrequently that they cost money to operate. I wonder what kind of environmental hazard is posed by junking thousands of pay phones?"
Without pay phones pictures the back cover of 2600 will seem sooooo boring.
Wearing pants should always be optional.
Where will Clark Kent change into his Superman costume?!
You've never seen those start-your-own-business things with payphones?
Put them anywhere! tons of revenue!
Check it out!
Maybe they could replace them with Suicide Booths :)
Karma: The shiznight, mostly because I am the Drizzle.
When I recently opened the Back to the Future DVD trilogy and watched the second movie, there was one scene where Marty Jr. was using some kind of futuristic-looking pay phone. I laughed to myself and said, "I guess they didn't see the end of that one coming!"
Slashdot's first reaction to VMware
Pay phones still have some use... doesn't anyone watch The Sopranos?
is it where they change into their gangster clothes?
If you mod me down the terrorists will have won
I'm not sure where you are geographically, but over here in the UK the old red phoneboxes would be far too heavy to install in a house without major reinforcement for the floor. I'm guessing they were solid steel/iron, with about a million coats of paint each over the graphitti/urine ;-)
Code, Hardware, stuff like that.
the last time I used a payphone I was playing quarter tones into it trying to trick the operator into giving me a free phone call. Also stuffing the coin returns. What else are you supposed to do in high school?
How can the government ensure your security if you use public pay phones?
Use your cell phone, or get one! That way your phone records are just a computer away from the people protecting your safety.
Do not assist the Terrorists!
What we see depends on mainly what we look for. -- John Lubbock Now search for that bug slave!
You mean I've been putting my money into them for all this time for nothing?!
Seriously though, perhaps if phone companies want to perpetuate the phone booth they should do more stuff like this.
Sure, it can't be that good for profit, but it's bound to increase the popularity. But if you want to increase profit, there was a scheme a few years back where people listened to an advertisement at the start of a call to increase telco revenue. I've never seen (or heard) this done. Why not?
Why didn't you? Seriously, you paid 8 or 9 bucks to enjoy the movie and you shouldn't put up with some inconsiderate fucktard yacking on his cell phone. Demand, loudly and belligerently, that they hang up (feel free to use the word "fucktard." I like it.) and if that doesn't work, pick a fight with 'em. At the very least you'll get your money's worth of enjoyment out of beating them severely (Or being beaten severely, don't back down even if they're bigger than you. Once you go down that road there's no turning back.)
Most people don't want to get in a fight so I doubt it'd ever come to blows anyway, and the audience will think you're a hero no matter the outcome. It's up to us all to stamp out the scourge of cell phones users in the movie theater.
And yes, I walk that walk, though since I pay my tribute to the MPAA as rarely as possible I've only ever had to demand that someone turn their phone off once (It was G or PG so I said "jackass" and not "fucktard" -- see, I'm considerate!) and didn't even have to threaten physical violence. He hung up, politely watched the movie and cleared out of the theater almost before the credits hit the screen. I hope the experience was traumatic enough for him that he will be more polite in the future.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
But.. but.. but.. telcoms equipment is sacred! Disposal must be accompanied by the appropriate rituals! /me prays to Tesla's ghost to carry the electrons and route the lost calls to their proper parties.
In mathematics, one does not understand things, one merely gets used to them.
--VonNeumann
People were irritating in theaters before they had cell phones. There have been people talking, having big hats, having big hair, being fat, having crying children, having body odor and everything else ever since we've gathered in groups to enjoy things together.
I agree. It's not that the cellphones themselves are bad, they are just one more tool for people who tend to be rude and inconsiderate (the same type of people who talk, wear big hats, and don't bathe). Blaming the technology for the way it is used is total bullshit.
I often carry my cell phone in movies and restaurants, but I put the ringer on vibrate. If it rings, you have to be right next to me to even hear it buzz. I check the caller ID, and if it's someone I absolutely need to speak with I answer it, and quietly tell them to hold while I step out of the theatre. If not, I let it go to voicemail and check it after the show.
Are there a lot of phones that don't have vibrate? Or just a lot of people who don't care about irritating the people around them? I think it's less an issue of invasive technology, and more an issue of a culture of self-obsession.
Case in point:
I was in a theatre this past weekend. Outside the auditorium there was a bigass sign that said "Cellphone Free Zone". During the trailers, there was an announcement to turn off your cellphone. But sure enough, halfway through the movie, a cellphone rang in the row behind me, and the woman not only answered it, but sat there and carried on a conversation. No doubt, the woman felt she was above any petty social convention, and she was too important for the "rules" to apply to her.
At this point, I lost my patience and decided to teach her a lesson about social convention. I stood up, turned around, and announced loudly, "turn off your phone or I will whip out my dick and piss on you!" I think she thought I was kidding until I reached for my fly. Then she told the caller "gotta go" and just hung up. I said, "thank you for your cooperation," sat back down, and tried hard not to ruin the moment by laughing my ass off...
If I'm on an airplane and hostages take over with box cutters, I want to say goodbye to my girlfriend before the plane runs into a building.
Those pesky hostages, they just keep taking planes over with box cutters...
I would have yelled "Kill the guy with the cellphone!" and let the people immediately surrounding him take care of the problem. Of course, this would have been during the midnight showing, so the fan base there would have been easier to incite to kill a cellphone wielding idiot.
Wait! How will Keanu Reeves get out of the Matrix if he can't get to a pay phone????