Portable Phone Numbers = Market for Cool Numbers

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Portable Phone Numbers = Market for Cool Numbers

Posted by CmdrTaco on Sunday February 15, 2004 @02:49AM from the i-want-get-bent dept.

goombah99 writes "The New phone number rules that allow you to keep your phone number when you switch carriers has given rise to phone nascent number property rights. On E-bay you can bid on 867-5309 (made famous by Tommy Tutone's Jenny I got your number). As I write this the bid is over $8000 dollars with seven days to go. What other numbers are famous or valuable? Will we see a land rush like the internet names?"

33 of 395 comments (clear)

Prank Calls by electrichamster · 2004-02-15 02:49 · Score: 5, Funny

Great, now I can prank call the winnning bidder...
1. Re:Prank Calls by Txiasaeia · 2004-02-15 02:51 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  No kidding? What's the use of having a "famous" phone number, esp. if you have to *pay* for all air time?
  >Hello?
  >>Oh hi! You won this number offa e-bay, right? Just thought I'd...
  >*click*
  
  --
  Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
2. Re:Prank Calls by Jerph · 2004-02-15 04:12 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  666 is a prefix in Little Rock, Arkansas (USA). Everyone mentions it when they first find out, yes, but even here in the Bible Belt people eventually ignore it.
3. Re:Prank Calls by rs25com · 2004-02-15 04:17 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I used to work for Cellular One in San Francisco, and we had the 867 prefix. Of course, one of my friends owned a small record company, so he snagged 867-5309.
  
  Worst mistake of his life. Because it was a business, he had to answer all the calls.
  
  And yes, EVERYONE prank calls that number ALL the time. He dropped it after 60 days. Whoever the guy was who called (supposedly) the number at 3am is exactly the type of moron the winner bidder will get to deal with until they, too, drop the number!
I'd prefer ACDC's Dirty Deeds by richardoz · 2004-02-15 02:50 · Score: 4, Interesting

...
Pick up the phone
I'm always home
Call me any time
Just ring
3624368
I lead a life of crime
...

--
All the worlds indeed a .sig, and we are mearly players..
and now I've got the song stuck in my head... by sweeney37 · 2004-02-15 02:50 · Score: 5, Insightful

I think the general "gee-whiz" factor of owning 867-5309 would wear off really quickly. I know I called this number in the past, how many other people did too? I think the guy that is selling this is making a nice penny on his past headaches.

Mike
1. Re:and now I've got the song stuck in my head... by bryanp · 2004-02-15 02:58 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Owning the number would be more useful for a small-medium business. There is a service company in my area that has xxx-867-5309 and they can put it in their commercials knowing that people will remember it. For a business this is a very valuable thing.
  
  --
  "An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." Col. Jeff Cooper
Besides if it's legal or not... by Flounder · 2004-02-15 02:51 · Score: 4, Interesting

Does the mechanism for transferring your phone number from one service to another allow for transferring phone numbers from one user to another?
If it actually works, this is a brilliant idea, and it's certainly harder to squat on phone numbers than domain names.

--
No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow. - Cmdr. Susan Ivanova
What other numbers are famous or valuable? by zegebbers · 2004-02-15 02:52 · Score: 5, Funny

Who wants to buy 3-14-159-265?

--
Unpretentious Sydney reviews by unqualified Sydney reviewers
1. Re:What other numbers are famous or valuable? by twoslice · 2004-02-15 03:07 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Who wants to buy 3-14-159-265?
  Shut your Pi hole!
  
  --
  
  From excellent karma to terible karma with a single +5 funny post...
2. Re:What other numbers are famous or valuable? by Anonymous Coward · 2004-02-15 03:30 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  256 also covers a large part of rural alabama. I'd bet they have no clue.
3. Re:What other numbers are famous or valuable? by killerbobbarker · 2004-02-15 04:05 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  I want a number like 222-222-2222. That way, when someone asks what my number is, I call tell them: "Just keep pressing 2's... when you hear me, you can stop."
Nerdy? by isNaN · 2004-02-15 02:56 · Score: 5, Funny

You'll have to be a *real* nerd to actually buy a "famous" phone number!

ohh... wait... forgot I was on /. there for a while ;)

--
No, i don't like sigs...
Old stuff (and higher prices) in China by 1u3hr · 2004-02-15 02:57 · Score: 5, Interesting

In China this has been around for years. Chinese numerology gives great value to number 8. See for instance "A special phone number, 88888888, was auctioned Monday in this capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, for 2.33 million yuan (about 280,723 US dollars)." In Hong Kong there's a premium on lucky phone numbers and you can buy and sell them, the mobile phone companies usually have a board outside with lists of auspicious numbers available.
"Ownership" of the phone number by dada21 · 2004-02-15 03:00 · Score: 5, Insightful

It is odd how people have become acclimated to the belief that they own their phone number. Back in the day (in the 80s) I had lost a phone number when a local business wanted it. The phone company explained clearly in their legal text (which was in the phone book) that you don't own the number, and can lose it at any time.

Do phone numbers really matter all that much? I used to know all my friends' phone numbers by memory. Now, speed dial makes it worthless.

If someone changes their number, they e-mail me, I save it to my contacts list, and when I sync my phone the new phone number is there. I don't think I call more than 1 person a day from my phone without using the contact list. I use over 3000 minutes a month from my cell phone, so that's around 9-10 people a day I call without knowing their number.

For a business, having a cool number that spells something or references the business in a memorable way makes sense only when you need to get people to call you after seeing an advertisement. Once you regularly call someone, you probably won't recall that number, even if its something great like 4-DADA-21.

I know I don't own my phone number. I also know I'll be paying more on my cell phone bill so that others can keep their numbers. I've switched cell phone numbers probably 4 times in 8 years, and never really lost contact with anyone.

If people matter to me, they know more than my phone number. They have my e-mail address, they have my home address, they can contact me through other friends. If I lost my number today, I'd be hampered for maybe 2 days and then it would be business as usual.

I'd rather not pay for this feature so others can "protect their private property."
Re:Making words out of numbers. by cjellibebi · 2004-02-15 03:01 · Score: 5, Informative

There is a web-tool for finding out what words you can make with a phone-number using the letters that appear next to each number - http://mmm.mbhs.edu/~bconnell/phoneagrams.html
eBay by ThomK · 2004-02-15 03:03 · Score: 5, Funny

Why use eBay? Just call the guy.

--
TK
The same thing happened here by ArcticPuppy · 2004-02-15 03:05 · Score: 5, Interesting

Here in Norway we got number portability a couple of years back. For a couple of weeks the newspapers were filled with stories of numbers going for outragous prizes. There were even specialized web sites where one could auction cell phone numbers. A couple of months later, everyone sobered and the market dried up. The whole thing was even sillier than the domain name market in the dot com era.
It is a fake! by twoslice · 2004-02-15 03:05 · Score: 5, Funny

On E-bay you can bid on 867-5309 (made famous by Tommy Tutone's Jenny I got your number).
I called the number and there was no Jenny there. - Just some guy calling me an asshole for calling him at 3am...

--

From excellent karma to terible karma with a single +5 funny post...
You can't beat Creative Printing by Anonymous Coward · 2004-02-15 03:10 · Score: 5, Funny

515-382-5968.

For those too lazy to find a phoneagram script, their number equates to 515-FUC-KYOU.

I searched Google but couldn't come up with any other real examples of 382-5968. I would imagine most telcos know about it and don't assign the number, I'm surprised someone managed to actually get it in Iowa.
Area Code 212 isn't mentioned in the song.. by i_want_you_to_throw_ · 2004-02-15 03:16 · Score: 4, Interesting

Here are the lyrics,...
Jenny, Jenny who can I turn to
You give me something I can hold on to
I know you'll think I'm like the others before
Who saw your name and number on the wall
Jenny I've got your number
I need to make you mine
Jenny don't change your number
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
Jenny, Jenny you're the girl for me
You don't know me but you make me so happy
I tried to call you before
But I lost my nerve
I tried my imagination
But I was disturbed
Jenny I've got your number
I need to make you mine
Jenny don't change your number
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
I got it (I got it), I got it
I got your number on the wall
I got it (I got it), I got it
For a good time call
Jenny don't change your number
I need to make you mine
Jenny I've got your number
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)

Solo

Jenny don't change your number
I need to make you mine
Jenny I call your number
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
Next two lines sung over
background refrain of "867-5309"
Jenny, Jenny who can I turn to
For the price of a dime
I can always turn to you
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
Fade out repeating "5309"

Lead Singer Tommy Heath actually grew up in Texas, Montana and spent some time in Japan.

He is though, a software engineer
Can you slashdot a phone number? by ggvaidya · 2004-02-15 03:16 · Score: 5, Funny

867-5309, eh?
Can a phone number be slashdotted? :) I think we're about to find out!
Re:If that number costs $8,000... by telstar · 2004-02-15 03:37 · Score: 4, Funny
"How much is 36-24-36 going to cost?"
- It depends how many hours you pay her to stick around for...
Re:That's 362-4360 by Motherfucking+Shit · 2004-02-15 04:03 · Score: 5, Informative

OK, after seeing the replies, I did some lyric digging. First off, AC/DC is an Australian band, not a British one, but the posters who intimated that telephone numbers in AC/DC's part of the world are six digits were correct. According to AC/DC's own lyrics page, the actual verse is:
Pick up the phone, I'm always home Call me any time Just ring 36 24 36 hey I lead a life of crime
In the recording, the "hey" is pronounced as more of a "ho" - I just listened. So, I stand corrected. It's not 362-4360, though at least I was right that it isn't 362-4368, either. As could be expected from AC-DC, it's 36-24-36.

RIP Bon Scott. Ride on, ride on...

--
"BSD: Free as in speech. Linux: Free as in beer. Windows 10: Free as in herpes." --Man On Pink Corner in #52607549.
ironic number by JustKidding · 2004-02-15 04:07 · Score: 5, Funny

Here in the Netherlands, you can always call the local police station by dailing 0900-8844, which spells 0900-TUIG.
Tuig means scum in dutch.
PhoneSpell.org by sheetsda · 2004-02-15 04:12 · Score: 4, Informative

For those of us who are too lazy to figure it out, here's a site that tells you what a phone number spells.
Wozniak's famous number... by tinrobot · 2004-02-15 04:17 · Score: 5, Interesting

I remember reading in Wired that Steve Wozniak got the number 888-888-8888 when the 800 numbers switched over to 888.

He found the number unusable because he got tons of wrong numbers from small children -- who seemed to have a habit of pressing the 8 key repeatedly...
The one *I* want to own is... by artemis67 · 2004-02-15 05:51 · Score: 4, Funny

1-900-867-5307.

Sure, I'll answer it all freakin' day long. For a modest charge of $24.95 per call.
1. Re:The one *I* want to own is... by FurryFeet · 2004-02-15 07:59 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  You'll be waiting by the phone, while the guy that got 1-900-867-5309 gets all the money.
  That's why literacy is a good thing.
didyaknow that 8675309 is prime? by pedro · 2004-02-15 06:57 · Score: 5, Funny

Gawd, I'm such a geek :)

--
Brak: What's THAT?
Thundercleese: A light switch.. of TOTAL DEVASTATION!
Most Useful Business I Can Think Of... by Pollux · 2004-02-15 07:14 · Score: 4, Funny

Owning the number would be more useful for a small-medium business. There is a service company in my area that has xxx-867-5309 and they can put it in their commercials knowing that people will remember it. For a business this is a very valuable thing.

Ya know, this number's gonna be phone-bombed like mad, and for $14,000 (current bid as of this posting)? I can only think of ONE BUSINESS that would want this many calls...

Phone-sex hotline.

"That's right, for a good time, you can FINALLY call Jenny at 867-5309!"
Re:That's 362-4360 by Prior+Restraint · 2004-02-15 08:13 · Score: 5, Funny

36-24-36? Only if she's 5'3".
Re:Urban Legends Reference Pages: Music (Jenny 867 by ConceptJunkie · 2004-02-15 12:05 · Score: 4, Funny

My phone number at the time was an anagram of 867-5309. It was 537-0869. I only got prank calls from dyslexic people.

--
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.