Live data from Hacker News

Installing a payphone in my house

bert.org

11–20 of 279 posts

Re: Installing a payphone in my house

#11
post #8

I did really enjoy this post, but is it just a tiny bit weird how casual he is about repeatedly committing fraud? Not asking for some grand apology (lord knows the crap I did as a kid), but the post is written like defrauding an ISP is just a normal and fine thing to do. Am I off base here?

It seems like for a while there we all did shit like that. Or at least said we did.

Re: Installing a payphone in my house

#13

Back when I was a kid I had alot of fun using methods to get free phone calls on these things. Like, beyond just red-boxing or whatever (Past that time). In Japan, they would just accept DTMF tones from anything that would generate them. There was all these people using hacked cards that they installed countermeasures against which were hilarious because people using these hacked yakuza cards would keep one foot in t…

Could you elaborate on the "fabled alarm?"

Re: Installing a payphone in my house

#14
post #8

I did really enjoy this post, but is it just a tiny bit weird how casual he is about repeatedly committing fraud? Not asking for some grand apology (lord knows the crap I did as a kid), but the post is written like defrauding an ISP is just a normal and fine thing to do. Am I off base here?

What you ever see 'hackers'?

The 90s were cavalier. We're talking over 20 years ago, different time.

The big difference was that people were... for lack of a better designation, intensely naive back then. There just wasn't a lot of understanding around consequences.

Re: Installing a payphone in my house

#15
post #8

I did really enjoy this post, but is it just a tiny bit weird how casual he is about repeatedly committing fraud? Not asking for some grand apology (lord knows the crap I did as a kid), but the post is written like defrauding an ISP is just a normal and fine thing to do. Am I off base here?

The credit card fraud is to me the worst, as any random number might actually match an existing one, and back in the days I wouldn't expect much scrutiny from the card processor. That's then up to the poor soul who's number was used to go through paperwork purgatory to dispute the charge.

Orherwise ISPs are the poster child of monopoly giants that had to be broken down kicking and screaming, but kept screwing the customer over and over because there is litteraly nothing that we can do about it (voting won't help). They can burn in hell I wouldn't care.

Re: Installing a payphone in my house

#16
post #13

Back when I was a kid I had alot of fun using methods to get free phone calls on these things. Like, beyond just red-boxing or whatever (Past that time). In Japan, they would just accept DTMF tones from anything that would generate them. There was all these people using hacked cards that they installed countermeasures against which were hilarious because people using these hacked yakuza cards would keep one foot in t…

Could you elaborate on the "fabled alarm?"

Yeah a red light would flash over the booth and the door would shut closed, hence having to put your foot in there. Alot of people buying and using these cards were like 'bullshit!' but this guy who told me about this figured to err on the side of caution anyways and ended up having to comically escape the situation with all these people looking at him.

This was like 5 years before my own time in Japan but pretty hilarious nonetheless

Re: Installing a payphone in my house

#17
post #8

I did really enjoy this post, but is it just a tiny bit weird how casual he is about repeatedly committing fraud? Not asking for some grand apology (lord knows the crap I did as a kid), but the post is written like defrauding an ISP is just a normal and fine thing to do. Am I off base here?

The credit card fraud is to me the worst, as any random number might actually match an existing one, and back in the days I wouldn't expect much scrutiny from the card processor. That's then up to the poor soul who's number was used to go through paperwork purgatory to dispute the charge. Orherwise ISPs are the poster child of monopoly giants that had to be broken down kicking and screaming, but kept screwing the cus…

Back then it was a giant pain in the ass.

These days isn't it a lot easier to deal with that? You basically just get on the phone with equifax/transunion and upload some documents.

Guess that trial and error had to start somewhere.

Also I really wonder what the mathematical chances are that the card actually matched with someone back then. Like obviously a collision risk here but how large?

Re: Installing a payphone in my house

#18
post #8

I did really enjoy this post, but is it just a tiny bit weird how casual he is about repeatedly committing fraud? Not asking for some grand apology (lord knows the crap I did as a kid), but the post is written like defrauding an ISP is just a normal and fine thing to do. Am I off base here?

Yeah this also struck me as quite strange. Not that he did it, but that he was so cavalier about it, even after all this time.

Re: Installing a payphone in my house

#20
post #4
post #3

One last generation might still understand the superman jokes and "I'm going to need an exit" but 100 years from now it's definitely going to need an explainer.

The matrix had phone booths in the good one. edit: not one of you asked "which one's the good one".. I rest my case.

I rewatched all 3 recently, and I have to say I don't remember why I and everyone else disliked the sequels so much. They are exciting, and tell a good story. I haven't watched the new one yet.
Post reply on HN