Landline Phones May Soon Be Like Eight-Track Tapes
I’m never getting rid of my landline. Of course, there may come a time when the technology doesn’t work anymore and the phone police (new this fall on CBS!) bust down my door to take it out and make me sign a contract for an iPhone, but until that day comes, I’m holding on to it.
I have a cell phone, but it’s not the same. It doesn’t sound as good, it’s not made as well, and I have to charge it. But more and more I see friends and family – people I thought I knew! – getting rid of their landlines and going all in on a smartphone, for the cost and for the convenience. And by “convenience” I mean “staring down at it 24 hours a day including at the Thanksgiving dinner table.”
AT&T has filed a waiver in California so they can stop providing landline service. If the move is successful, we can expect other companies to stop, too. AT&T says they’re “focused on enhancing our network with more advanced, higher speed technologies like fiber and wireless, which consumers are demanding.”
I’m picturing a rowdy group of protestors outside of AT&T headquarters, with signs that read WE DEMAND FASTER SPEEDS! and signs that have a picture of a rotary phone with a big X through it.
People are fighting back, though, pointing out that landlines are still needed, especially during emergencies. Rival politicians are teaming up to save AM radio, I hope they do the same for landline phones (especially when things like this happen).
What’s next? Getting rid of the post office because, hey, people can pay their bills online and communicate via Facebook?
Yeah, probably.
It Got Back (To Where it Once Belonged)
Beatle Paul McCartney lost his Höfner bass – actually, it was stolen off of a truck – in 1972. But he has it back, thanks to some dogged investigators who found it for him.
Someone stole my dungaree jacket from my yard in 1985 and I’ve always wondered what happened to it.
Goodbye Mr. (Chocolate) Chips
Chocolate chip ice cream is popular in my house, at least with me. It’s my favorite ice cream flavor.
But apparently it’s losing favor with people who would rather have flavors like Brownie Batter, Cinnamon Twist, and Peanut Butter with Raspberry Swirl and Flecks of Cheddar Cheese. There are even some stores and regions where it’s hard to find.
There still seems to be plenty where I shop. Maybe it’s a regional thing.
The Stamp Artist
Michael Deas is a talented guy, and I bet you’ve owned (at least temporarily) some of his artwork even if you don’t realize it.
Uploaded to YouTube by CBS Sunday Morning
Story of the Week
If you’re exhausted by all the bad news we hear every day, then read this story of the man and woman who were high school sweethearts who drifted apart in college … only to find each other again 77 years later.
RIP Bob Moore, Anthony Epstein, Don Gullett, Randy Sparks, Ewen MacIntosh, Ben Lanzarone, and Cynthia Strother
Bob Moore was the founder of Bob’s Red Mill. He died earlier this month at the age of 94.
Anthony Epstein was one of the doctors who discovered the Epstein-Barr virus. He died earlier this month at the age of 102.
Don Gullett was a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees. He died last week at the age of 73.
Randy Sparks was the founder of the music group The New Christy Minstrels. He died earlier this month at the age of 90.
Ewen MacIntosh played Keith on the original British version of The Office. He died this week at the age of 50.
Ben Lanzarone composed music for Happy Days, The Love Boat, and Dynasty, toured with Frank Sinatra, did music for hundreds of commercials, and received a Grammy nomination for an album he did with his wife, actress Ilene Graff (the mother on Mr. Belvedere). He died last week at the age of 85.
Cynthia Strother was the older of the two Bell Sisters, who had a hit song with “Bermuda” in the ’50s. She died last week at the age of 88.
This Week in History
Wendell Willkie Born (February 18, 1892)
The man with one of the great names in political history was the Republican nominee for President in 1940. He didn’t win, because we’d all remember if there was a “President Willkie.”
First Telephone Book Published (February 21, 1878)
It was a single piece of cardboard with the names of 50 businesses and individuals in New Haven, Connecticut. The ones who had phones.
This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: Western Electric (February 20, 1960)
Long before the iPhone, landline phones came in different colors too.
Chocolate Chips!
You knew I was going to have recipes that include chocolate chips, right?
Like the Original Toll House Cookies from Nestlé. They’re still my favorite chocolate chip cookie (though I’ll never turn down any chocolate chip cookie). Or you could make this One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Bread from Taste of Home, this Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball from All Recipes, or Alton Brown’s Moo-less Chocolate Pie. It’s moo-less, which means it’s completely without moo.
And if you can’t find any chocolate chip ice cream where you live, you can just buy some vanilla ice cream and some chocolate chips.
Next Week’s Holidays and Events
South Carolina Republican Primary (February 24)
This is Nikki Haley’s home state.
Michigan Democrat/Republican Primaries (February 27)
Republicans also have a caucus in Michigan next month, which is confusing.
Leap Day (February 29)
Hey, if you were born on this day, this year you get to actually celebrate it on this day instead of February 28 or March 1.
Become a Saturday Evening Post member and enjoy unlimited access. Subscribe now
Comments
Keith: That’s true, most people who have their phones with them all the time seem to use them for texting, and not for actually making phone calls.
I have family members who only have cell phones and they have voice mail … but they never check it! They set it up but never check it. They scroll through their missed calls and call the person back, which means they don’t hear the long voice mail I left for them and I have to repeat it to them when they call me back.
I have had and will continue to have a landline phone. There are three in my house, including one which is a black rotary dial phone which still works quite well and I use often. My other two are touchtone which in today’s world are required when calling most businesses. On my landline number, I have voice mail which I check daily. That won’t go away either. I don’t carry my cell phone with me all the time and sometimes its battery is dead. Texting comes and goes with me. I may not answer a text until hours after I receive it or the next day.
Regarding the ice creme. I think the flavour issue might be a regional one. In the South, certain flavours are preferred versus what might be popular up North. Texas has certain flavours no found in Iowa and vice versa.
In your discussion of landline phones is a link to a previous article about landlines. In it you mention “I know several people who have completely ditched their landlines and rely only on their cells now . . . . Which means they’re always reachable now. How is this a good thing?” Although they may be ‘always reachable now’ , it’s ironic that many are NOT reachable, in the sense that many won’t pick up after seeing the caller ID and will often let the call go to voice-mail. A lot of folks will respond to a text message quicker than a voice call! But I see your point about cell phone users being reachable meaning you can always reach them by leaving a voice message or text. Back in the old landline days many did not have an answering machine, let alone voice-mails & texts, so you needed to keep calling them back repeatedly. When the party WAS at home & the phone rang, it almost always was answered since the receiver didn’t know who the caller was.
Those 2 online features (linked in the top 2 paragraphs) from 6-7 years ago still hold true now. Of course back then I still had a sort-of landline, lousy as it was. Gone with the wind now, it’s just my iPhone. Glad I’m on the company’s phone plan. Still, I know it’s bad not having a REAL landline. For regular conversations, I just have the speaker on.
Not surprised AT&T has filed a waiver so they can stop providing landline service in Ca. I know a woman who works for the company, and they deduct money out of her paycheck for their Christmas party each year. If you want to opt out of attending, it’s deducted anyway, of course!
I looked at the New York Times picture per your link on chocolate chip ice cream, and saw a few sad faces in those scoops. I have to agree with you on the original Toll House cookies from Nestle. Kroger also makes some excellent slice ‘n bakes.
Subway makes excellent chocolate chip cookies. They’re right up there with Mrs. Field’s, but less expensive, AND you don’t have to go to the mall to get them. The regular chocolate chip and the white chocolate are my own favorites. Chocolate chocolate chip is a bit much, but 3 for $3 is a great price—-unless they’ve gone up recently. Chocolate chip cheeseball sounds terrible Bob, but in this case it’s cream cheese (per the link), so that’s fine.
Thanks for the Michael Deas Sunday Morning feature. Very talented, humble man. MM is my favorite, but I really like the one he did of our favorite Founding Father Ben Franklin, 2nd best. His own face worked perfectly for it! Otherwise, I might have suggested the wonderful Howard da Silva that portrayed him in the film “1776”.