No More Popcorn
When was the last time you dialed POPCORN? Remember that number? It's the one you could call to find out what time it was. Another piece of history being delegated to Memory Lane as of September 19.
I don't remember the last time I called that number but it must have been over two decades ago. Those of you younger folks that haven't ever called it might want to call it now and hear what will soon be history.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 8:10 AM
14 comments
14 Comments:
Another classic Fred post.
767-8900. Time. It works today. It has worked for the past 20 years.
Incidentally, 767-8900 doesn't spell POP-CORN, only POP-VOOZ. Fred must be talking about something else.
If they wanted to, they could of installed new equipment to do the same thing. You can buy a small device to tell the time, date, and temp to attach to phone lines. Most likely they wanted the lines, and didn't want to pay for new equipment.
That news article says any four numbers dialed after the 767 prefix will reach the time service and this frees up a whole bunch of phone numbers.
The times they are a-changing . . .
My computer was down for about six months so I called for time a couple of times.
My grandpa died in 1973.
He taught us kids how to use POPCORN (with any 4 digits in the place of CORN) back around 1955.
Who was the woman's voice who used to tell us the time at POPCORN before the gal who recorded the current time message about 20 years ago? Doesn't that earlier POPCORN time woman deserve some attention, too?
Does anyone know their lettered prefixes of yesteryear?
Growing up, we were MAY-FAIR 629-XXXX
Eureka was HI-LAND. 442-XXXX
Arcata was VA-NITY? VA-NGUARD? 822-XXXX
Anyone know the others?
You can actually dial pop and any four numbers. You can even hang up four times.
And also, in the 1970s before it became the universal emergency number you could dial 911, hang up, and a few seconds later it would ring. My brother and I drove baby-sitters crazy with that trick.
"Anyone know the others?".
There used to be a song, back in the fifties I believe, that was titled " Pennsylvania 2000, or some such.
That was supposed to be a phone number, but I have no idea if it was real.
That would be "Pennsylvania 6500" by Glenn Miller. A great tune!
According to a website I found:
The Pennsylvania hotel is a classic landmark hotel once favored by the famous, with Glen Miller composing the tune Pennsylvania 6500 to help him remember his favorite hotel's phone number.
http://www.midashotels.com/brochure/en/USA/New-York/Pennsylvania-Hotel/
OK, here's a question for all you wonderful people.
I still remember my phone number from when I was first taught it at about age 5. Do you remember yours?
(Yes, that's right, I AM an old guy).
Of course, Fred would catch this breaking story first. The POPCORN trick was only so people could remember the prefix (767). After that, any four number combo would work. Well done, Fred.
Chris Crawford
http://www.tsblogs.com/techblog/2007/09/out_of_time.html
Post a Comment
<< Home