Phones

Click through for the James Hydrick video with the pencil and the telephone directory.

In any case, all of this reminded me of a fantastic example of applied skepticism in the case of James Randi’s exposing of James Hydrick, a young man who claimed to be able to perform telekinesis in moving a pencil and flipping the pages of a telephone directory. Of course, the hack was full of hot air - quite literally, in fact, as he moved both items simply by blowing on them:

Related Products: Visit our store

Read more from this blogger: lintbox.com

Will Google replace the telephone directory with an ad-based service?

Google 2.0 = Google Cell Phone + Tell Me like services + Google Adwords will result in game changing play as to how traditional telephone directory services (yellow pages and directory assistance) make their money.

Related Products: Visit our store

Read more from this blogger: Google Phone + TellMe Services = Google 2.0

A little telephone directory rant.

think it’s great that people still use things like a phone book to look up a number. But I a) hate talking to anyone on the phone so much that I let my answering machine get EVERYTHING b) won’t call anyone unless I absolutely have to, and usually know the number already c) don’t mind paying $.50 for 411 if it saves me time and effort rather than hauling out a 6lb book and trying to find the number and searching through 1000 pages for something, and d) I HAVE THE FREAKING INTERNET!!

Related Products: Visit our store

Read more from this blogger: Dear Yellow Pages, Qwest and Verizon*

Better marketing department?

Will someone explain to me why the Yellow Pages (and the Classified section of the Bristol telephone directory) have a section for ‘Psychics and Clairvoyants’, but not one for ‘Churches’?

Related Products: Visit our store

Read more from this blogger: Yellow pages

The future of the telephone directory at a movie theater near you.

The best part of the movie is the complete product endorsements by Microsoft. We have the Xbox fighting between Lincoln and Jordan but of course this is 2050, so it’s more realistic than just punching the keyboard. Later, Lincoln and Jordan go to Los Angeles where they use MSN Search booth to locate their sponsor. Now that would be an interesting utility to have. Most of the PCOs in India don’t even have a telephone directory next to them, forget having Internet Directory search. Truly, futuristic.

Related Products: Visit our store

Read more from this blogger: Microsoft’s Island

They still make phone books?

Last night saw the delivery of about 20 pounds of phone book to our front walk. The last time I used a phone book was … I honestly can’t remember. The only thing a printed telephone directory adds to an internet search is advertising, and that’s not exactly a selling point for me. This is a serious waste of paper, even if it’s getting recycled, which it is. Immediately.

Related Products: Visit our store

Read more from this blogger: No more phone books, please.

The worst nightmare is trying to find a computer repair shop when you don't have Internet access.

Our connection to the internet was out since about 5:35 local time yesterday and did not return until just after midnight. I knew that I did a lot online but never really noticed how much. Not just blogging but paying bills, checking the weather, getting the news, googling and so forth. It was strange phoning in the outage. I looked up the number in the paper telephone directory. Ordinarily, I look up everything on line.

Related Products: Visit our store

Read more from this blogger: Back To The World

This is one of the most confusing clarifications I've ever read.

The Order clarified that a LEC must not provide access to numbers that are unlisted at the customer's request. Although competing directory assistance providers may be entitled to nondiscriminatory access to directory assistance information, they must adhere to the privacy requests made by LEC customers. The Order further clarified that competitors must comply with other state and federal laws and regulations governing use of these data. The Order rejected the SBC and BellSouth argument that LECs should not be required to provide access to local...

Related Products: Visit our store

Read more from this blogger: Directory Assistance Reconsideration Order

It seems like phone directories will be online everywhere soon.

Local search is offered in a cooperation with British commercial telephone directory company Yell, which provides the business phone numbers and addresses.

Related Products: Visit our store

Read more from this blogger: Google brings local search to Britain

I remember seeing a minitel years ago and thinking it was the most practical invention ever. It was the first replacement for phone directories.

Today France is one of the two or three world leaders in telecommunications, not only in terms of the technological progress made by industry, but also in the practical application of these inventions to daily life. After a number of local experiments, in 1984 the P&T launched nationwide its home videotex service known as Minitel: the subscriber receives a TV screen and keyboard which serves as an electronic telephone directory and also links in to the big central computer networks, thus becoming an instant newspaper, encyclopaedia, mail order service, booking office and so on.

Related Products: Visit our store

Read more from this blogger: From Minitel to blogs