Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I hate telephones

jameshfisher.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

181–190 of 449 posts

Re: I hate telephones

#181

Post by simonbarker87 »

lifeformed wrote: post #124

Getting a phone call always feels so rude. It's like it's saying, "Whatever you are doing, stop RIGHT NOW and listen to me. NOW! NOW! I'm giving you TEN SECONDS! LISTEN TO ME."

Just don’t answer, or, better yet, stick your phone on silent or do not disturb when you are busy. you’re projecting that emotion on to the caller, I see an incoming call as an indication that someone would like to speak to me, it a demand for attention. If I can’t take the call I won’t answer and will call them back (or email to arrange a more suitable time) when I can.

Re: I hate telephones

#182

Post by xefer »

My changed relationship with the telephone became weirdly apparent when I watched the original WarGames movie recently.

There's a scene where David (Matthew Broderick) is alone with McKittrick (Dabney Coleman) in his office being interrogated separated by an office desk. While they're sitting there the telephone on McKittrick's desk starts ringing, which he silently ignores keeping his eyes glued on David, who grows increasingly uncomfortable as the phone keeps ringing and going unanswered.

I recall when that movie first came out there was a terrible tension in the air because nobody ignored a phone back then. Leaving it to just ring away felt wrong and unacceptable. Now whenever a phone rings I mostly just go "ugh" and feel no obligation to get to it at all.

As I watched that scene again I felt nothing of that original tension. I wonder how that scene would effect younger people today watching it for the first time?

Re: I hate telephones

#183

Post by feikname »

laretluval wrote: post #147
maxerickson wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The internet myth is that it doesn't work but all you have to do is answer and ask them to put you on their do not call list. Not give them a big tiresome speech about how they are breaking the law, just ask them not to call anymore ("Please put this number on your courtesy do not call list"). They actually don't want to waste their time...

A lot of the spam calls I get are just recordings or they just hang up once I pick up. Hard to imagine it would help to just say "please add me to your do not call list" into the void...

I also receive a lot of those (around ~5 a day, for more than 5 months already). It is really annoying and makes me wish I could just block numbers on my phone.

Re: I hate telephones

#184

Post by simonbarker87 »

Feniks wrote: post #101

Want to reach me? WhatsApp or a good old fashioned email. Your call be unanswered and I haven't listened to voicemail in years. Life is too short for inane babbling. I can read faster than the average person can talk.

But the average person can’t type faster than they can talk. Generally a conversation has two sides and typing forces both sides to express themselves in a much slower manner, the time you save reading you will waste typing

Re: I hate telephones

#185

Post by maxerickson »

feikname wrote: post #183
laretluval wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of the spam calls I get are just recordings or they just hang up once I pick up. Hard to imagine it would help to just say "please add me to your do not call list" into the void...

I also receive a lot of those (around ~5 a day, for more than 5 months already). It is really annoying and makes me wish I could just block numbers on my phone.

Try listening to the end, there is often a number to press to have them stop calling.

The internet myth is that this marks you as someone to keep calling (because you listened), but really they will stop.

Re: I hate telephones

#186

Post by icebraining »

amelius wrote: post #176
kibwen wrote: post #37

I receive about 20 spam calls per day. In contrast, I receive about 0.2 legitimate calls per day. Google itself suspects that these are spam calls, because it pops up a bright red "SUSPECTED SPAM CALLER" warning when the phone begins ringing. And yet, I have found no option to have the phone automatically decline the call. There's not even an option to silence the ringer for any call not from my contacts; I actually…

If everybody who received spam calls wasted 5 minutes of the caller's time, then the whole problem would not exist.

On that note: https://www.reddit.com/r/itslenny/comments/4gjtd1/whats_your...

Re: I hate telephones

#187

Post by astura »

kibwen wrote: post #37

I receive about 20 spam calls per day. In contrast, I receive about 0.2 legitimate calls per day. Google itself suspects that these are spam calls, because it pops up a bright red "SUSPECTED SPAM CALLER" warning when the phone begins ringing. And yet, I have found no option to have the phone automatically decline the call. There's not even an option to silence the ringer for any call not from my contacts; I actually…

Android's Do Not Disturb function should allow a setting for allow calls from contacts only. Mine does at least.

If that's not to your liking a third party app would most likely be all you need.

Re: I hate telephones

#188

Post by skosch »

mikestew wrote: post #47
superflyguy wrote: post #25

"Last year, I received a series of 3am calls. At the dial tone, which is set to a horrifically unadjustable volume, I was woken from deep sleep to deep panic. " That would be the ringtone. ( I suppose there are a large number of people who have never heard a dial tone.)

Except that checking for a dial tone is mentioned later, so I’m going to go with ESL rather than ignorance of what a dial tone is.

His name is Jim Fisher, and he's from the UK. I do consider it likely he grew up speaking English.

Re: I hate telephones

#189

Post by protonfish »

kibwen wrote: post #37

I receive about 20 spam calls per day. In contrast, I receive about 0.2 legitimate calls per day. Google itself suspects that these are spam calls, because it pops up a bright red "SUSPECTED SPAM CALLER" warning when the phone begins ringing. And yet, I have found no option to have the phone automatically decline the call. There's not even an option to silence the ringer for any call not from my contacts; I actually…

Only ringing for people in your contacts is how a phone should work out-of-the box. But for some reason it is instead impossible.

Another good idea: a phone call from an unknown caller should be alerted with a short text stating who they are and what they want.

Re: I hate telephones

#190

Post by monk_e_boy »

Tharkun wrote: post #96
monk_e_boy wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He spent the best part of a day compiling a spreadsheet of possible answers to a conversation, the wrote a lengthy blog post telling us about it. That is not normal.

Pray tell, why isn't that normal? And why are you qualified to decide what is, or isn't, normal?

If his response was normal there would be no telephones because no one would use them. Hence he is not normal, he is unusual. Different.

I get to decide because i am human and humans make assessments about things and people.

Post reply on HN