Feb 15 2009
Communications Technology Today beats 1960’s by Far
When I was in the Navy, the Mother’s Day phone call home was a ritual, and we often waited in long lines at overseas telephone exchanges to place a call back to the United States.
This was back in the 1960’s and if you were an adult back then you realize how really different life was in those days. So far as technology goes, I far prefer the amazing communications tools we have today. There was no such thing as a cell phone, or an e-mail, or a fax machine. We depended upon the “pay phone.” How long has it been since you saw a “pay phone booth”? 
I imagine that Mother’s Day is still the biggest greeting card day of the year, and Mother’s Day phone calls also are a huge business for the cellular telephone companies.
I am sometimes amused by the little ads that appear on this site after I have written about a subject and used certain words that have “caused” advertising for that subject to magically appear herein.
Pajamas was such a word. I used that just the other day, and sure enough, there were ads for pajamas for $39.95 right up there in the left hand corner.
I once wrote about a colonoscopy and….yup! There it was the next day!
Saint Patrick’s Day would be such an event. I’m thinking that St. Patrick’s Day hats, banners, balloons, and even Saint Patrick’s Day GREEN BEER would generate some ads. We will have to wait and see.
So that’s it for today. Saint Patrick’s Day and Mother’s Day. The next two big events.
PARTY LINES! Yes, I do remember. Our very first phone was an EIGHT-party line, and we each had our own “ring” pattern. Ours was a “long and two shorts” and we always suspected the neighbors of answering after a “long and one-short” and so we missed our calls. And people could all LISTEN in on the conversations. One time when we had an emergency we couldn’t get other people to hang up so we could call an ambulance. This would have been about 1951. I don’t miss those days at all.
THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS!
Doug