Do You Still Have a Land Line?

[Twilight Hue]

I had a land line for faxes while I was in business, but ultimately got rid of it when I was able to start sending and receiving faxes digitally on my computer. I have had no use for one since.

I understand why businesses have them, but I struggle to understand why private residences still have them.

It didn't make sense to pay for two phones.

Kept the mobile and dropped the land line.

It is kind of nostalgic being I once had rotary dial phones.

 

[JustGeorge]

I like it because I lose a lot of things. That's part of my job... to keep Boss happy thinking she's smarter than me, finding my lost things.
But the real reason is I see far too many people stuck (attached in more ways then one) to their cell phones. I have fingernails and they work fine as a dead attachment to my fingers. We have signs all over our temple that say 'no phone use' but it's amazing how many times we have to ask people to go outside or downstairs if they want to chat with a friend. I also notice how people seem to bump into each other at malls, or chat it up at sporting events. They're missing out on a lot of the conscious mind joys when that phone keeps buzzing. If I go for a walk in nature, I want to enjoy every minute of it, not get derailed by some unnecessary phone call. This morning, due to observational skills, we noticed a saw-whet owl. What a cool little creature .. a 4 inch owl. Now Boss does have a cell phone, mostly for when we travel, of if she goes out and might need to call me in an emergency.

I have a cell phone, but its an old flip that doesn't get internet. And its for exactly this reason.

(Land line costs too much, and I've had my car die way too many times.)

 

[Vinayaka]

I have a cell phone, but its an old flip that doesn't get internet. And its for exactly this reason.

(Land line costs too much, and I've had my car die way too many times.)

People with self control are fine with a cell phone, because they see it as a tool, not as another form of entertainment. I still have 'rebel' in me, in that I think about the stuff before I follow the crowd. To me, landline still makes sense. If you really need to get hold of me, I'll be home part of the day. Call back later.

Car dying would be a reason for us, although now that's more unlikely because I no longer drive $200 beaters.

 

[JustGeorge]

People with self control are fine with a cell phone, because they see it as a tool, not as another form of entertainment. I still have 'rebel' in me, in that I think about the stuff before I follow the crowd. To me, landline still makes sense. If you really need to get hold of me, I'll be home part of the day. Call back later.

Car dying would be a reason for us, although now that's more unlikely because I no longer drive $200 beaters.

You can't get a beater for 200 anymore.

I don't think you can even get a shell for that now.

 

[Vinayaka]

You can't get a beater for 200 anymore.

I don't think you can even get a shell for that now.

Exaggeration for effect, my Dear. I did own a couple of $500 ones. Here's a story you'll appreciate. This morning on our walk in a city ravine there were steps on the way down. (This city has so many beautiful paths in the river valley.) Anyways, on the way back up I told Boss I was going to count the exact number of steps, and we should guess before we started. So guess how many. Think Hindu.

 

[JustGeorge]

Exaggeration for effect, my Dear. I did own a couple of $500 ones. Here's a story you'll appreciate. This morning on our walk in a city ravine there were steps on the way down. (This city has so many beautiful paths in the river valley.) Anyways, on the way back up I told Boss I was going to count the exact number of steps, and we should guess before we started. So guess how many. Think Hindu.

108?

 

[VoidCat]

I live in a group home. They have one

 

[Quintessence]

Never had one to begin with. Wanted one (and only that - no cell service!), but when the cheapest land line service was two to three times more expensive than cell service, well... not paying that. I'd do without phone entirely if I could, but society more or less forces it on me, unfortunately.

 

[Vinayaka]

108?

Correct. I almost went back down to redo the count. Another day perhaps. Next time I'll chant an astottaram on the way up.

 

[JustGeorge]

Correct. I almost went back down to redo the count. Another day perhaps. Next time I'll chant an astottaram on the way up.

Perfect!

 

[LuisDantas]

I am certain that I used to have a landline back in 2017. At some point in late 2019 or mid 2020 I let go of it entirely.

Hardly ever used it when I had it. I am not even sure, but I think that one of my current Internet access providers includes a landline number in the package (mainly, I understand, because it is simply too easy to implement VOIP telephony as a freebie of sorts). That is very, very common these days.

I still use the phone function of my cellphone, but almost entirely to call customer services of some sort or another. Here in Brazil casual personal calls are far more often than not performed by WhatsApp instead (the text function of WhatsApp is even more popular).

WhatsApp is very, very important in the current ecosphere of communications in Brazil, both for personal and commercial use. Landlines may well be used mostly in workplaces at this point in time. It is certainly not unusual for people to have none at home.

 

[exchemist]

I like it because I lose a lot of things. That's part of my job... to keep Boss happy thinking she's smarter than me, finding my lost things.
But the real reason is I see far too many people stuck (attached in more ways then one) to their cell phones. I have fingernails and they work fine as a dead attachment to my fingers. We have signs all over our temple that say 'no phone use' but it's amazing how many times we have to ask people to go outside or downstairs if they want to chat with a friend. I also notice how people seem to bump into each other at malls, or chat it up at sporting events. They're missing out on a lot of the conscious mind joys when that phone keeps buzzing. If I go for a walk in nature, I want to enjoy every minute of it, not get derailed by some unnecessary phone call. This morning, due to observational skills, we noticed a saw-whet owl. What a cool little creature .. a 4 inch owl. Now Boss does have a cell phone, mostly for when we travel, of if she goes out and might need to call me in an emergency.

You are definitely onto something important with your criticism of the way many people seem enslaved by their mobile phones. There was a funny cartoon in Private Eye some years ago, showing a man excitedly explaining to his companion: "Hey, I've got this great new app that enables me to see where the f*** I'm going, as I walk down the street texting."

And this rant from David Mitchell about What's App is quite acute as well as being funny:

Whenever I go out I see people on their phones. What specially amazes me is that, of people walking on the common where you might think the whole point is to enjoy nature and get away from the hurly-burly of daily life for a bit, about half of them - and 3/4 of the women - are on their phones or looking at them, as they walk! Trees? Birds? A breeze ruffling the surface of the pond? Forget it, I must reply - right now! - to what Karen is telling me about her daughter's teacher, or the rude man in the supermarket yesterday.

I have a mobile but I don't use it for the internet (I do that in my study on the laptop) and I'm not on What's App, Instagram or any social media. My son and a few friends will occasionally text me, but that's about it. I read the texts of course, but I don't feel under any pressure to respond immediately: I do so when convenient for me, unless it is something time-critical. But then I'm 69, so my habits of life were formed in the pre-mobile era, I like peace and quiet and I see no reason to change.

 

[PureX]

I just last week finally discontinued my land line and moved the phone number onto an iPhone.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I still have a landline, with internet via such, but I suspect this will be changing next year or sooner. I have two mobile phones, the one with 2g is probably about to become defunct. The 4g one will last for a bit before I will probably have to replace this too.

 

[exchemist]

I still have a landline, with internet via such, but I suspect this will be changing next year or sooner. I have two mobile phones, the one with 2g is probably about to become defunct. The 4g one will last for a bit before I will probably have to replace this too.

Presumably to be replaced by 5G !!!

Well, according to some of the halfwits on this forum you'll need to watch out for George Soros beaming a vaccine microchip into your arm er, er, er, to subjugate you to the New World Order ruled by the Bilderberg Group Illuminati who secretly control the UN, er..........

 

[Mock Turtle]

Presumably to be replaced by 5G !!!

Well, according to some of the halfwits on this forum you'll need to watch out for George Soros beaming a vaccine microchip into your arm er, er, er, to subjugate you to the New World Order ruled by the Bilderberg Group Illuminati who secretly control the UN, er..........

Time to buy a kevlar jacket then.

Not sure what will happen with the 4g one, given I quite like it, but no doubt a similar replacement will pop up around the time it needs to be ditched.

 

[exchemist]

Time to buy a kevlar jacket then.

Not sure what will happen with the 4g phone, given I quite like it, but no doubt a similar replacement will pop up around the time it needs to be ditched.

Mine is 5G capable but I've a feeling the service I get from EE is still 4G. So no microchip enslavement for me just yet.

This is a recent picture of me, by the way......

 

[muhammad_isa]

I have a mobile but I don't use it for the internet (I do that in my study on the laptop) and I'm not on What's App, Instagram or any social media..

I'm the same .. I have a pay-as-you-go mobile phone, but it is switched off most of the time .. and it is an old nokia w/o internet.
I'm 70, and recently lost my land-line due to digital switchover .. so I changed providers,
and got a new contract .. broad-band + digital land-line over internet.
..so I save money as I have no TV with new contract .. just use Amazon Firestick.

..But then I'm 69, so my habits of life were formed in the pre-mobile era, I like peace and quiet and I see no reason to change.

Mmm .. I'm 70, and had no mobile at all, up to 5 years ago.
The land-line has a nuisance call filter .. seems to work quite well.
..it works in a similar way to how webmasters control their unwanted traffic, I believe.

 

[Vinayaka]

You are definitely onto something important with your criticism of the way many people seem enslaved by their mobile phones. There was a funny cartoon in Private Eye some years ago, showing a man excitedly explaining to his companion: "Hey, I've got this great new app that enables me to see where the f*** I'm going, as I walk down the street texting."

And this rant from David Mitchell about What's App is quite acute as well as being funny:

Whenever I go out I see people on their phones. What specially amazes me is that, of people walking on the common where you might think the whole point is to enjoy nature and get away from the hurly-burly of daily life for a bit, about half of them - and 3/4 of the women - are on their phones or looking at them, as they walk! Trees? Birds? A breeze ruffling the surface of the pond? Forget it, I must reply - right now! - to what Karen is telling me about her daughter's teacher, or the rude man in the supermarket yesterday.

I have a mobile but I don't use it for the internet (I do that in my study on the laptop) and I'm not on What's App, Instagram or any social media. My son and a few friends will occasionally text me, but that's about it. I read the texts of course, but I don't feel under any pressure to respond immediately: I do so when convenient for me, unless it is something time-critical. But then I'm 69, so my habits of life were formed in the pre-mobile era, I like peace and quiet and I see no reason to change.

I'm 70. My habits were formed then as well, and like you, I'm interested in watching people when I get the opportunity. I've seen people at supermarkets chatting on the phone continuously with their spouse about what to buy. Here we just make a list the night before I go shopping. I find a lot of stuff folks do rather amazing, when a solution to their problem is right in front of them. People go shopping at 2PM on Saturday afternoon, and complain loudly about the crowds, when they could get up at 7 and go when the store is empty.

 

[JustGeorge]

Mine is 5G capable but I've a feeling the service I get from EE is still 4G. So no microchip enslavement for me just yet.

This is a recent picture of me, by the way......

View attachment 84383

That hat really brings out your... nose...

I'm 70. My habits were formed then as well, and like you, I'm interested in watching people when I get the opportunity. I've seen people at supermarkets chatting on the phone continuously with their spouse about what to buy. Here we just make a list the night before I go shopping. I find a lot of stuff folks do rather amazing, when a solution to their problem is right in front of them. People go shopping at 2PM on Saturday afternoon, and complain loudly about the crowds, when they could get up at 7 and go when the store is empty.

I like to people watch when I can. But most of the time myself and my kids are the biggest spectacle in the store, and they're too hyper for me to watch anyone else.

"Why is that lad screaming about coupons and rewards cards? Why doesn't he pull up his pants? Why is that woman carrying cat food on her head?"

It doesn't matter if I make the list before hand, I'll still get commentary from the Mr. "Do you need that? Are you going to use that today?" (No, I'm using it next week, and don't want to come back again.) I hate beets!" Easier to leave that one out of shopping trips. I find mid afternoon on weekdays to be my prime time for shopping... Everyone's at work/school. Things can be busy early morning because everyone's rushing to work/school, and if you go in the evening, you have to use the self checkout. I hate self checkout.