Telephones... then and now

[ultrarunner]

I used my apple //e to communicate with a deaf friend... it worked through his tty as he had no computer.

My NC Mill has a paper tape controls and I have the Teletype to program it...

300 Baud is perfect for my typing speed.

 

[ultrarunner]

Speaking of phones...

My Hospital Nortel System is under constant hacker attack from outside the country...

Every Monday is especially bad as a half dozen extensions will have Locked Out voice mail... after 3 unsuccessful attempts the VM is locked and I need to reset.

We did have one issue a few years back... employee used 1234 for password and hackers got in... ran up quite a phone bill over the weekend.

 

[bcp]

Rotary dial:

Opis 6s Mobile Unique Portable Retro Rotary Dial Telephone GSM Phone in Red | eBay

Bruce

 

[dickfoster]

I used my apple //e to communicate with a deaf friend... it worked through his tty as he had no computer.

My NC Mill has a paper tape controls and I have the Teletype to program it...

300 Baud is perfect for my typing speed.

That's typically what they were used for, TTY over the phone lines. Many businesses once communicated that way. Remember when TWX was in the common lexicon? Just send me a TWX or I'll TWX you this or that? Pronounced twix. We used it daily. The normal procedure was to punch out an ascii tape (seven level paper tape) with all the messages to a particular recipient then send it over the phone lines at the end of the day with an acoustic modem when phone rates were lower to save time and money. It took an operator, a teletype machine and a modem at each end. A FAX was received with a piece of thermally sensitive paper mounted on a rotating drum and used the same acoustic modems.

 

[ultrarunner]

I do... it was just as I was becoming aware of such things.

One lesson I learned early on is the cost to stay current... see it all the time in Hospital Equipment... that half million dollar laser might be state of the art and then be worthless a couple of years later because something better is out...

Some of our old lasers had radiators, fans, coolant, very heavy and high power consumption have been replaced by a little box that plugs into a 120v outlet.

 

[Industrial Toys]

We had a Telex machine in our house when I was 5. I remember, it would start pounding away in the middle of the night. Maybe that's why I have such a fondness for the ASR 33.

A customer of mine with a Nortel system with only a few lines got hacked to the tune of around sixteen grand over a weekend. Bell, would not let them off the hook for the (Toll) charges.

 

[ultrarunner]

I do worry about it... the hacking... because the system is always under attack... most over holiday weekends when the clerical and admin is basically closed.

I've been told many successful hacks are as simple as someone knowing the factory default password.

 

[Industrial Toys]

In a way. It looks good on companies that fired the receptionist (to save money) and put in one of those @##$#@ useless VM systems.

 

[ultrarunner]

We have a receptionist at all times who directs calls and after hours the calls go to VM...

 

[TomSeller]

We have a receptionist at all times who directs calls and after hours the calls go to VM...

Like this? From back when bugs were moths and viruses made you sick