Back before cellphones

Cell phones are convenient. But, I could live without one, like in the good old days. :C
Most people are addicted to their phones and couldn't go to a local store without running back in the house to get their phone they forgot.

I remember buying prepaid phone credit cards to call friends/family from phones to avoid the long distance fees and feeding pocket full of coins to pay phones.

We were in Medina Tx a few days ago and there is a working pay phone right outside of the Apple Store there. The 1st pay phone I've seen in years.

Remember when you could pick up a payphone, put in a dime, dial 0, ask 'information' for the number of Joe Doakes in Peoria, ask the operator to call Joe Doakes person-to-person, and if Joe Doakes was not able to come to the phone then you did not pay for the call and got your dime back.

When I was young and on the road I would call my mom collect to let her know I was ok. I would use my name (David) as the person I'm trying to reach. The operator would say "collect call for David" and mom would say "Dave's not here". She knew I was ok and it didn't cost a dime.

I am 80 years old--as a young person we had no phone, no electric, no car, no running water or indoor plumbing. we cooked and heated with wood stoves. As I got older and moved to civilization I got one of the first cell phones that came out. There is a bag phone out in my garage and I have a 94 Blazer that still has one of those cell phones with a big box under the seat. Now I have an I-12, lord knows what all this thing can do. We have come a long way baby.

Furnace Creek still has a few pay phones. You will be lucky to send a text on 3g in a few areas.

2112 wrote:
When I was young and on the road I would call my mom collect to let her know I was ok. I would use my name (David) as the person I'm trying to reach. The operator would say "collect call for David" and mom would say "Dave's not here". She knew I was ok and it didn't cost a dime.

LOL!
Daves not here - Cheech & Chong :B

2112 wrote:
We were in Medina Tx a few days ago and there is a working pay phone right outside of the Apple Store there. The 1st pay phone I've seen in years.

Are you sure it was working? You do occasionally see old non-functional ones still sitting around.

This thread seems to be the grumpy old man thread. How many want to go back to the old days of mechanical carbureted engines...because those pesky new fangled computers that come with fuel injected engines can fail.

I do not have a smart phone, but I do have a pay by the minute Tracfone which can only make phone calls & does not connect to the internet. I only use it on trips, not at home where I have a VOIP.