Something weird happened the other day

[cyclonefence]

I was sitting at my computer, probably reading DU, when I began to hear a telephone conversation coming from the laptop. I checked all the windows I had open (sometimes a video with sound will start running if I've left something open), but there was nothing. It was the end of a call, an older woman telling someone how much they'd enjoyed the visit and urging the other party to drive home safely. It was a pretty long goodbye, and I didn't hear the other party say anything--but tbh the older lady didn't leave much space for anyone else to speak. Finally she hung up, and that was the end of that. Never before, never since.

[jpak]

1. Was it your smoke alarm?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181318458

[cyclonefence]

9. That damn woman sure gets around.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Did she mention any lottery numbers?

[underpants]

3. We used to the pick up neighbor's phone calls on our cordless.

Back when we had a landline.

[unblock]

4. Did you miss a dose?

[handmade34]

5. I remember the days

of party lines... I am glad you didn't have to hear anything inappropriate

[Cirque du So-What]

6. Routers and wireless landline phones share a frequency

2.4 MHz, if memory serves.

[Laffy Kat]

7. I believe it.

We used to pick-up hand-held radio frequency conversations on our baby monitor.

[abqtommy]

8. Booga Booga! It is a funny old world.

[csziggy]

10. Way back when they put up the first (and only) cell in the neighborhood

We started getting messages on our speakers, even when the amplifier/receiver was turned off. They were like voice mail, clearly not conversations since the callers would leave a short message with names and telephone number for call back. What was very concerning was that it was also clear that the messages were intended for an attorney's office and included some sensitive information.

I called the telephone company that also provided the cell service and the engineer told me it was impossible - but the sound was loud enough I could understand the messages!

One day, one of the messages came in while I was writing a shopping list and the caller seemed to be related to the attorney and left a number. So I called her and explained what was going on, that I had told the phone company and they refused to believe me or to even check it out.

That worked - the next day the messages stopped and never resumed. I suspect the attorney got hold of the legal department of the phone company since the leakage of his business messages was a serious violation of his clients' privacy. Finally I could listen to the birds without hearing messages when my sound system was turned off!

[miyazaki]

11. This happened to me. My gf was talking to her, uh, other bf.