CellGuy <cellguy@seemessagebody.com> wrote in
news:17cmnlmmahub8.1tb7ygjt7qjql.dlg@40tude.net:
> I worked as an engineer with Bell Labs (the R&D arm of AT&T) right out
> of college and can support this statement. All equiment we designed
> and built was to meet an operating life of 20 years minimum. The
> Bell telephones used at home and in phone booths also met this
> standard. They were built like a brick. Service was great, and call
> clarity was excellant.
>
> Then our government broke up AT&T, and the downhill slide began.
> Cheap imported phones were allowed on your home lines, introducing
> service quality degradation. Competition spurned cost cutting on
> both the hardware and customer support side. We all know the state
> of the landline telephone service today. No wonder most young people
> don't even get a landline phone, what with the costs of owning one.
> Nuiscence charges, stupid taxes, and charges for options like
> voicemail that cellular carriers offer for free.
>
How'd you get an engineering degree without learning how to spell?
What university was that, anyways?
George Grapman <sfgeorge@paccbell.net> wrote in news:eoYVj.3501$3O7.3272
@newssvr19.news.prodigy.net:
> There have been some advantages. When I first moved west I would
look
> at my clock before making a long distance call as rates dropped at 5
> p.m. and again at 11.I made most of my non-business calls on weekends.
> I used to be in the phone card business ands,of course, at one time
> the only cards were AT&T.
>
The Bells did everything they could to prevent ham radio operators from
connecting their ham radios to the phone system. Then, when that didn't
work, they got with their FCC buddies to make sure most any call was
against FCC regulations. It's still that way, even today.
Back in the days you're talking about, we'd make a collect, person-to-
person, long distance call to Mr Melvin Schultz to the ham's house phone
we wanted to get on our favorite 75 meter frequency, 3903 Khz. Melvin,
of course, didn't exist and was never home to take the call, and the Bell
operator terminated the call, but not before alerting the ham the call
was to that someone wanted him on the air.
Sometimes, this scam backfired. Someone would call you and forget to
make it COLLECT so YOU'd have to pay if you accepted. The usual response
to those not-collect calls was, "This is Melvin Schultz, who's that
calling? Hello? Hello?".....which would cost the caller about $5/second
for the person-to-person long distance scam, operator-assisted (Miss
Tomlin of the Telephone Company) call. Of course, the joke would be all
over 3903 Khz most of the night ribbing the caller for the faux
pas...until something else diverted their attention or they were too
drunk to talk any more...(c;
Larry <noone@home.com> wrote
> CellGuy <cellguy@seemessagebody.com> wrote
>> I worked as an engineer with Bell Labs (the R&D arm of AT&T) right
>> out of college and can support this statement. All equiment we
>> designed and built was to meet an operating life of 20 years
>> minimum. The Bell telephones used at home and in phone booths also
>> met this standard. They were built like a brick. Service was
>> great, and call clarity was excellant.
>> Then our government broke up AT&T, and the downhill slide began.
>> Cheap imported phones were allowed on your home lines, introducing
>> service quality degradation. Competition spurned cost cutting on
>> both the hardware and customer support side. We all know the state
>> of the landline telephone service today. No wonder most young
>> people don't even get a landline phone, what with the costs of
>> owning one. Nuiscence charges, stupid taxes, and charges for options
>> like voicemail that cellular carriers offer for free.
> How'd you get an engineering degree without learning how to spell?
Plenty of engineers cant spell for nuts. Me included.
> What university was that, anyways?
> Didn't anyone at Bell Labs notice??
Anyone with a clue has always noticed that with engineers.
Larry wrote:
> "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> wrote in news:68sib8F2tdhobU1
> @mid.individual.net:
>
>> Anyone with a clue has always noticed that with engineers.
>>
>>
>
> Someone musta proofread Bill Shockley's papers.....(c;
>
It wouldn't surprise me. Using a preefrooder is the smart thing to do;
particularly if you are an engineer!
Of course Word checks both spelling and grammar. Go Engineers!!!!
> CellGuy <cellguy@seemessagebody.com> wrote in
> news:17cmnlmmahub8.1tb7ygjt7qjql.dlg@40tude.net:
>
>> I worked as an engineer with Bell Labs (the R&D arm of AT&T) right out
>> of college and can support this statement. All equiment we designed
>> and built was to meet an operating life of 20 years minimum. The
>> Bell telephones used at home and in phone booths also met this
>> standard. They were built like a brick. Service was great, and call
>> clarity was excellant.
>>
>> Then our government broke up AT&T, and the downhill slide began.
>> Cheap imported phones were allowed on your home lines, introducing
>> service quality degradation. Competition spurned cost cutting on
>> both the hardware and customer support side. We all know the state
>> of the landline telephone service today. No wonder most young people
>> don't even get a landline phone, what with the costs of owning one.
>> Nuiscence charges, stupid taxes, and charges for options like
>> voicemail that cellular carriers offer for free.
>>
>
> How'd you get an engineering degree without learning how to spell?
> What university was that, anyways?
>
"Equiment" was a typo and I have been known to misspell "excellent"
University of South Carolina? <G>.
> Didn't anyone at Bell Labs notice??
No, we were all too busy figuring out ways to screw our customers.
>
> I worked as an engineer with Bell Labs (the R&D arm of AT&T) right out of
> college and can support this statement. All equiment we designed and
> built
> was to meet an operating life of 20 years minimum. The Bell telephones
> used at home and in phone booths also met this standard. They were built
> like a brick. Service was great, and call clarity was excellant.
>
And right now, I use a VOIP provider which more or less is accross the
street from Bell Labs and its Vonage. I grew up a 20-30 min bicycle ride
from Bell Labs Holmdel.
Michael N. Paris wrote:
>
>>
>> I worked as an engineer with Bell Labs (the R&D arm of AT&T) right out of
>> college and can support this statement. All equiment we designed and
>> built
>> was to meet an operating life of 20 years minimum. The Bell telephones
>> used at home and in phone booths also met this standard. They were built
>> like a brick. Service was great, and call clarity was excellant.
>>
>
> And right now, I use a VOIP provider which more or less is accross the
> street from Bell Labs and its Vonage. I grew up a 20-30 min bicycle
> ride from Bell Labs Holmdel.
Isn't there a discussion and what to use the Holmdel facility for?
One nice thing about those days was when you had a phone problem you
called 611 and regardless of whether it was the phone,inside wiring or
outside they fixed it.
On May 10, 11:38 am, "Pangloss" <optimist@pessimist> wrote:
> "George Grapman" <sfgeo...@paccbell.net> wrote in message
>
> news:njjVj.81$hJ5.59@nlpi068.nbdc.sbc.com...
>
>
>
> > LDC wrote:
> >> On Sat, 10 May 2008 08:22:45 -0400, "Pangloss" <optimist@pessimist>
> >> wrote:
>
> >>>> *Sigh* AT&T did NOT "buy out" Cingular. Cingular's parent company,
> >>>> SBC
> >>>> (Southwestern Bell) bought (what was left of) AT&T,and renamed
> >>>> themselves
> >>>> and their "Cingular" wireless divison, to "AT&T" for the name-brand
> >>>> recognition.
> >>> Actually they bought BellSouth which owned Cingular...
>
> >> That is partially correct but misleading. SBC was an owner of
> >> Cingular since its inception. It was a joint venture between SBC
> >> and Bell South. When SBC bought Bell South they became the sole
> >> owner of Cingular.
>
> > Cingular was originally AT&T wireless. The name changed when it was sold
> > to SBC and Bell South and we have now come full circle except for the fact
> > that AT&T is AT&T in name only.
>
> Yup, in 20 years we've gone from "ATT" through seven baby bells right on
> back to "att"....Karma I suppose....
>
> I wonder how much the logo design firm was paid who told them go from all
> CAPS to lower case?
Except now the HQ is in Texas, and we all know how well Texans can
manage large organizations...hint $4 gas...JG
A bad experience dealing with AT&T Wireless
Linear Mode
