old ring

Unlike my nice cordless digital phone with its pleasing cadence, this Wesson Electric rotary has the sort of ring usually reserved for fire drills or warnings of invading armies. It shocks my cats into bolting under the bed. And when I pick up, a different sort of screech greets me. "You've been impossible to get ahold of," says my mother. "I don't like this experiment." Tech 54 Where are you?

A wired writer goes retro for 10 days, and contends with no remotes and rotary dial phones. (via Exclamation Mark)

I have a collection of 5 rotary phones. None of them works. But I miss the ring. However the fire-drill cadence of the door bell makes up for it. We also have a new small cooking timer shaped like a Hobbs kettle. It mimics the doorbell. I'm often rushing off to answer the kettle these days.


and a futuristic glance from 1961:

Will Life be Worth Living in 2,000 AD?
You may eat: Tablets, dried and processed food
You may drive: A hovercraft and a helicopter

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Comments: old ring

Strange but true (and here I see my future).

Radio (probably a casein cased Kreisler) sat on shelf atop sink. Despite vigorous turning of the volume dial, nary a drop of water to quench the expectant parched kettle in mother in law's hand.
Posted by Sedgwick at August 24, 2004 03:27 PM

At least the washer held out on the Radio.
Otherwise there'd be a slow drip of Parliament,
or a torrent of talkback.

That's a great image, and rather inspiring.
I'd like to place such dials around the house.
Posted by boynton at August 24, 2004 03:56 PM

One of the few regrets in my life is hippin' my Mum to email. It just multiplied her options for asking me if I'm eating well. And getting in a tizzy when I don't email back IMMEDIATELTY!

An actual online dialogue.

(Mother in wary technophobe mode): "Are you there. Is this working?"

(Me in sarky mode): "No Mum, I didn't get this email."

(Mother rising to the challenge) "So should I send it again - or are you just going to answer this one you didn't get."

You can't outsmart a mum. They know where the nappies are buried.
Posted by Nabakov at August 24, 2004 08:38 PM

I'd run with "I didn't get this email" for as long as possible. Like a toddler, if I had to.

How about if mums n dads n kidz n aunts discover
Did they read it? - which I read about on J walk.
Very Scary product and site.
http://www.didtheyreadit.com/
Posted by boynton at August 25, 2004 12:28 PM