Calling up payphones and getting random people

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my friend called me from a payphone yesterday, so i got the number on my caller-id. i wrote it down, and i have the urge to phone it.

what would you want to hear if you picked up a ringing payphone?

― chrisco (chrisco), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:40 (twenty-two years ago)

in a lot of places, payphones don't ring anymore due to drug courier usage.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:42 (twenty-two years ago)

for some good randomness, call the payphone at the mars bar.

― lauren (laurenp), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)

well thats a letdown

xpost

― chrisco (chrisco), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)

At Newark airport I'd just left a message on my Mum's ansaphone back home and put the receiver down when it rang again. I picked it up and a muffled male voice asked for a woman named Sarah who apparently had been asking for help, tho I was unable to ascertain anything more than that as I could barely hear the guy.

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:45 (twenty-two years ago)

In college, we found out the number to one of the emergency phones in a dorm elevator. Oh what fun.

― TOMBOT, Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:45 (twenty-two years ago)

in a lot of places, payphones don't ring anymore due to drug courier usage.

(or 'phone companies wanting to make more money')

There was/is a list on the web of remote payphone numbers. Phoning them was one of those crazes you read about.

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:45 (twenty-two years ago)

My friends and I used to keep a list of payphones you could actually ring back in my ph0n3 phr34k1ng days. I also used to call the phone by the door of my dorm which I could watch from my window. Classic = Conferencing unsuspecting people together.

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:47 (twenty-two years ago)

hstencil otm obv.

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I've picked up ringing payphones quite a few times... it's usually a woman: "Was there a guy with a blue truck there a minute ago? Is this a payphone?" Always some nefarious drug stuff, I imagine.

― andy, Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:49 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.payphoneproject.com/

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:49 (twenty-two years ago)

a little while ago i was in a hospital lobby, and there was a bunch of payphones right next to a chart of emergency codes for the hospital. i'm not brave enough to call up and frantically claim the emergency code "biological hazard - shut off all outside sources of air".

― chrisco (chrisco), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:49 (twenty-two years ago)

I used to live across the road from a payphone and me and a friend would call it when we saw people walking past and tell them that they had disgusting hair or they shouldn't be walking out late at night wearing whatever......

We also pretended we were from television game shows and ask them questions to win 500£ then tell them they were fucking twats and laugh.
Once someone had a tantrum and said I was fucking depraved. Sometimes they ran away screaming. It's only worth calling if you can see them really.

― Moth, Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I just found a listing to a payphone numbers site submitted by a long lost phreaker pal. SIGH :(*((((

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:52 (twenty-two years ago)

this could be a lot more fun if i didn't live in the suburbs.

― chrisco (chrisco), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Is this the new shouting at people from cars?

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

http://ffmedia.ign.com/filmforce/image/phonebooth.jpg

― Morley Timmons (Donna Brown), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

yea, this shit used to be so cool :((((

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:54 (twenty-two years ago)

things would also be more fun if i was kiefer sutherland.

― chrisco (chrisco), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:55 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.etext.org/zines/ASCII/PhoneLosers/PLA97FAL.TXT

^ THIS WAS WHAT THE 90S WAS ALL ABOUT ALSO IAN JOHNSON'S FIRST HIGH SCHOOL IS LISTED

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm 15 and live in Rhode Island (401). I walked to the local Radio Shack on Saturday afternoon to buy myself a brand-spankin' new tone dialer. I asked the employee where I could find them and he showed me. As I picked it up and proceeded to walk to the counter the manager came FLYING out of the back room and kind of stoped himself short because he looked like a total idiot. He quickly gathered himself and said to the guy at the register "I wouldn't sell that to a minor." The man looked at me and asked how old I was and I told him 15 because there is no way I could pass for 18. So another employee man took the dialer and put it back on the shelf. Then the manager called the confused employees over and whispered something to them... I'm not sure what. I was pissed off so I left. I went to a different Radio Shack the later that day and they sold it to me with no hassles.
I'm not sure why he did that... maybe the Radio Shack employees are catching on to us. The number of that Radio Shack is 401-821-9005 if you want to call them up. By the way, I'm going on my first beige boxing expedition tonight with my friend. I printed out your list of #'s and I'll be sure to call Chris Tomkinson multiple times!
Simpkins
http://www.sitexpress.com/
[I thought I'd be fun to pose as a Rhode Island newspaper and call the manager pretending to do a story so I called him up and asked him why he wasn't selling tone dialers to minors but he just kept denying everything so I had no choice but to be really stupid at him.]

I knew this kid I think!

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:57 (twenty-two years ago)

i spent the 90s getting threatened with corporal punishment from old angry chinese teachers. WHY AM I ME

xpost

― chrisco (chrisco), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Eh?

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:58 (twenty-two years ago)

You think you know, but you have no idea.

― NA (Nick A.), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:59 (twenty-two years ago)

http://browndailyherald.com/printstory.asp?dbversion=hs2&storyID=4382

^ OMFG

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:59 (twenty-two years ago)

heh

― chrisco (chrisco), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Pinto said that the TSBA has not yet been able to discern who hacked the site, but that "we might be able to pinpoint who did it."

haha

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I still can't open that link.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:04 (twenty-two years ago)

ThayerStreet.org Web site hacked; suspect unknown

A number of events are occurring on Thayer Street this week, but interested parties could not find out about them through the Thayer Street Business Association's (TSBA) Web site Wednesday.

The Web site, www.thayerstreet.org, provides its visitors with information about Thayer Street and the TSBA. But after being "hacked" earlier this week, the site was called "Thayer Street Rats Online," and mocked the original site.

The hacked site included such information as "Things to Do on Thayer Street," a cynical list that provides seven "activities" to do on Thayer, including "Gape at the hole in the ground where the wonderful new ŒUrban Outfitters' Store is going" and "Mug rich Brown Students for their Œhard-earned' money and their expensive designer clothing."

The site also included several links to other hacker-related sites, in addition to a hostile statement aimed at Joe Pinto '99, associate director of the TSBA.

"I have basically nothing to say other than to mock Joesph [sic] Pinto," the site read. "I guess he's the ŒWebmaster.' Good going Joey. I suggest everyone emails [sic] him their [sic] congratulations on choosing a password I guessed within 10 tries."

The site appears to have been replaced Tuesday afternoon, but Pinto was not aware of the hacking until Wednesday evening.

"I had no idea," he said.

Pinto's only explanation for what happened was that "someone guessed the password" and changed the site.

He said that steps have since been taken to prevent a recurrence.

"We've made steps so that won't happen again," he said. "The passwords will be changed more frequently."

Pinto said that the TSBA has not yet been able to discern who hacked the site, but that "we might be able to pinpoint who did it."

If such an answer became available, it would not be until next week, he said.

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Those Brown kids were pretty harsh on whomever changed it!

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, I think it is great that high school morons had the foresight to know that Urban Outfitters is crap.

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:07 (twenty-two years ago)

That's like, so, like COOL......

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:09 (twenty-two years ago)

......not

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:09 (twenty-two years ago)

its good that hackers don't use words like "haX0r" and "l337".

― chrisco (chrisco), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:10 (twenty-two years ago)

1999

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:11 (twenty-two years ago)

oh right

― chrisco (chrisco), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Derren Brown to thread.

I wish I knew what he said to people, and the BELIEVER in me really wants it to be something other than "you'll get on telly if you collapse for a bit".

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:23 (twenty-two years ago)

You socially irresponsible loser, Jon.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:26 (twenty-two years ago)

wasn't me!!!

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:27 (twenty-two years ago)

There was no context to that post.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:28 (twenty-two years ago)

You celebrate making other people's lives worse. Pathetic.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:29 (twenty-two years ago)

1999

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:29 (twenty-two years ago)

dude internet hard man, take a chill pill.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:30 (twenty-two years ago)

http://sky.prohosting.com/hotsnick/hackers-08.jpg

^ me in high school

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:31 (twenty-two years ago)

you were straight edge then too, Jon?

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:32 (twenty-two years ago)

I was.

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:34 (twenty-two years ago)

okay, just wondering, I can only see a red X. I usually put mine on with black magic marker.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:35 (twenty-two years ago)

THE MOST ANNOYING MATTHEW LILLARD EVER.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I meant to post an image along these lines:

http://bsd.provector.gorzow.pl/~barteek/okladki/Hackers-Back.jpg

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:36 (twenty-two years ago)

OMG I FORGOT THAT WAS THE JOLIE!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:37 (twenty-two years ago)

xpost dude Jon your lips are nowhere near that big. Same with your tits.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:37 (twenty-two years ago)

PS - I met Ian via computer hax0ring

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I used to know the universal number that you'd dial--- then immediately hang up--- that would make that phone ring endlessly.

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:39 (twenty-two years ago)

everybody call 202-456-1414 it's a payphone in DC.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

ask for "the boss" and how you can get "some blow" from him.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

is that the white house? am i that good?

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

(xpost)

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:41 (twenty-two years ago)

i am so smart

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:41 (twenty-two years ago)

yes but it's not the comment line.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:41 (twenty-two years ago)

anyone here remember 1-800- MY ANI IS ??? HOLLA BACK

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:42 (twenty-two years ago)

HAX0RS BE ROLL3RBL4DInG!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 10 June 2004 16:44 (twenty-two years ago)

I picked up a ringing payphone once, on a Picadilly circus tube platform. It turned out to be a japanese radio station doing a 'live' interview with a random brit (i.e. me) about how japanese tourists are perceived by us, here. They were trying to get me to waffle on about 'camera crazy nutters' and so I ignored their question and had an entertaining chat about jap culture over here (frank chickens and Shonen Knife (who they'd never heared of) so I described them as three jap girls who play like nirvana, which entertained them greatly. I got the impression the show was a 'hip/happening' type 'zoo radio' format like the moyles/evans mould.

Anyone know this? Any ideas?

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 11 June 2004 09:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm guessing it was a fake Japanese radio station and they were taking the piss.

I once got a call from some guy pretending to be a Heart FM dj doing a quiz, he was telling me to put the radio on so he could "prove it isn't a wind up" and got annoyed when I told him there was no fucking way Heart FM was getting near my hi-fi.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 11 June 2004 09:46 (twenty-two years ago)

well, it was a well realised one if so. background music, mike resonances, music fadeins etcet.

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 11 June 2004 09:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Fair dos then, your average piss taker doesn't make that much effort.

My 'Heart FM' bloke just ended up shouting "YOU FUCKING STUPID CUNT!" at me :-/

My annoyance at spam window/kitchen/mortgage callers means that if someone ever did genuinely pick me at random to win something I'd tell them to piss off.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 11 June 2004 09:54 (twenty-two years ago)

ten months pass...

[i know Remy already started threading this but...] AS I AM NOW *PROFESSIONALLY* A PART OF THE STAR-WARS LINE IN FRONT OF GRAUM4N'S CHIN3S3 TH3ATR3, WHICH ILXORS WILL CALL TEH PAYFONE THERE ((323) 462-9609) AND ASK FOR ME?

― Open your eyes; you can fly! (ex machina), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 03:10 (twenty-one years ago)

"WHAT YEAR IS THIS? WHO IS THE PRESIDENT?"

― Ste (Fuzzy), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 07:32 (twenty-one years ago)

1-800-FAT-LADY

"Hello, my name is Tina Turnip..."

True story.

― Ian Riese-Moraine. To Hell with you and your gradual evolution! (Eastern Mantra), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 09:26 (twenty-one years ago)

My do I have some dark secrets.

― Ian Riese-Moraine. To Hell with you and your gradual evolution! (Eastern Mantra), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 09:26 (twenty-one years ago)

five months pass...

I still miss the Mojave Phone Booth

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Thursday, 13 October 2005 17:35 (twenty years ago)

Check out Phoneswarm.com.

― Paul Eater (eater), Thursday, 13 October 2005 18:47 (twenty years ago)

I love that feeling when you're in a hospital or dmv waiting room with a dozen people and the payphone rings. Everyone kinda just looks at one or another until somebody (sometimes me) gets up to answer. After the call is finished, the room always looks to the answerman with this expectant "well, what did they say?" expression on thier faces.

I'm really going to miss payphones one day. I miss the two-way ringing now.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Thursday, 13 October 2005 18:50 (twenty years ago)

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