IEEE Spectrum on MSN

VoIP Brings Back Old-Fashioned Pay Phones to Rural Vermont

R emember pay phones? Those relics of telecom’s distant past were once everywhere—on many busy street corners, in bars and ...
Star Tribune

Minnesotans have filled old-fashioned phone line with positive messages for 25 years

People of a certain age might remember when it was common to dial a phone number to get the time and temperature. But imagine dialing a number for something less practical — to hear a friendly voice ...
Juneau Empire

Dialing, cranking and ringing into Juneau’s history as a telephone pioneer in Alaska

Stuart Sliter, 84, says it wasn’t all that hard filling in as a telephone operator as a preteen more than 70 years ago since plugging a cable into the proper place on one of two switchboards simply ...
The Boston Globe

Friendships fed by old-fashioned phone calls

I recently hit a milestone that prompted deep reflection on the arc of my life: turning 50. I’m proud of maintaining friendships that span decades, and to celebrate I went on a tour to spend time with ...