topher@cyb-eng.UUCP (Topher Eliot) (04/26/84)
The following is stolen shamelessly from Ellie Rucker's column in the April 22, 1984 Austin American Statesman: Q. I've got good news. I found out about a new telephone service and it's free. You call 1-800-251-6320 and your name will be removed from telephone sales and soliciting lists. I did it and so did my friends and we've not had any calls since except for local political calls. It takes about two weeks from the day you call. [E. R. goes on to say that this only works on companies that are members of the Direct Marketing Association, but most are.] Cheers, Topher Eliot Cyb Systems, Austin, TX ihnp4!ut-sally!cyb-eng!topher
topher@cyb-eng.UUCP (Topher Eliot) (04/26/84)
Ack! I've just been informed by Ms. Rucker herself that the 800 number for requesting that you not get junk phone calls was established as a test, and that there is only one person answering it, and that person is swamped. So don't be surprised if it doesn't work. Cheers, Topher Eliot Cyb Systems, Austin, TX ihnp4!ut-sally!cyb-eng!topher
fish@ihu1g.UUCP (Bob Fishell) (05/04/84)
The current issue of "Radio-Electronics" has a construction article
which describes a black box you can hook up to your phone system
which will reject calls made by anybody who doesn't know a code.
I haven't read the whole article in detail, but it apparently,
1) disables the ringer, or maybe the whole phone,
2) answers the phone when it "rings"
3) listens for a touch-tone digit (the article's instructions specify
'7')
4) if the digit is received, it will ring, otherwise, it won't.
This seems like a handy gadget to have, but there are some obvious
flaws with it. First of all, you have to tell all of your friends
about the code. Secondly, it only works if your friend has a
touch-tone phone. Finally, anybody calling collect (as in an
emergency) is out of luck. Furthermore, a single-digit code
would sooner or later be cracked by anybody wise enough to do
a little experimenting if the use of these devices ever becomes
well-known. If I build one, I think I'll program it for a
three or four digit sequence, and build in some kind of bypass
mechanism, say, a 60-second timer, to allow for people who really
have to get through, but don't have a touch-tone phone. Any salesman
nervy enough to wait that long would be well deserving of the invective
that would follow my answering an 'emergency' call.
--
Bob Fishell
ihnp4!ihu1g!fishjhv@houxu.UUCP (James Van Ornum) (05/05/84)
The Radio-Electronics article has a circuit to detect both dialed and Touch-Tone signals, so your friends with rotary dials could still activate the box.