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Brother Buzz

(39,977 posts)

18. Everything's up to date in Kansas City

Thu Oct 9, 2014, 03:29 PM

Oct 2014

In my area, crank telephones went by the wayside with barbed wire telephone lines in the twenties. This thread addresses people over fifty, not ninety.

Oh, barbed wire telephone lines were not dependable when it rained, but the old batteries are still sitting in the box in my basement.

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If you're over fifty, post your questions for the under 25 members of DU. [View all] Baitball Blogger Oct 2014 OP

What do you think the meaning of "chickens have come home to roost" is? In_The_Wind Oct 2014 #1

Oh, I'm not under 25 any more, but I am waaaaay under 50. Xyzse Oct 2014 #2

Have you ever actually dialed a telephone number? Brother Buzz Oct 2014 #3

lol! n/t orleans Oct 2014 #4

Or been part of a party-line? In_The_Wind Oct 2014 #6

How do you call your buddy who's on your party line? Brother Buzz Oct 2014 #9

Two shorts and a long. Downwinder Oct 2014 #13

How do you signal two shorts and a long with a rotary telephone? Brother Buzz Oct 2014 #14

Crank on the side of the box. Downwinder Oct 2014 #15

Everything's up to date in Kansas City Brother Buzz Oct 2014 #18

Out in the sticks, we still had crank phones in the 50's Downwinder Oct 2014 #24

I still have a Kohler plant Brother Buzz Oct 2014 #28

When I lived out in the boonies we had a crank phone on a party line in the mid-1970s struggle4progress Oct 2014 #175

LOL! Baitball Blogger Oct 2014 #10

I was too young to use the phone at my grandmother's house but it looked funny to me. In_The_Wind Oct 2014 #12

We were afraid of the phone at my grandmother's. Rhiannon12866 Oct 2014 #65

When I was in high school I became one of those servants for Ma Bell. In_The_Wind Oct 2014 #75

Very cool! Rhiannon12866 Oct 2014 #78

It really was easy. In_The_Wind Oct 2014 #80

From what I've seen, it looks damn near impossible! Rhiannon12866 Oct 2014 #83

Oh it was easy! The hotel I clerked at in the 70s had a switchboard like that. Laffy Kat Oct 2014 #157

That's Ernestine! One ringy-dingy, two ringy-dingys, three ringy-dingys..... Manifestor_of_Light Oct 2014 #82

I know, I remember. Rhiannon12866 Oct 2014 #87

O.K. Downwinder Oct 2014 #5

Why? UncleYoder Oct 2014 #7

Have you ever used a typewriter? kwassa Oct 2014 #8

I sooo miss my dad's old army typewriter. Baitball Blogger Oct 2014 #11

Reel-to-Reel with 7 inch reels before cassettes. Manifestor_of_Light Oct 2014 #17

Used all 3 sakabatou Oct 2014 #23

First post JonLP24 Oct 2014 #143

My mom had an IBM Executive which was state of the art in 1955. Manifestor_of_Light Oct 2014 #16

I once interned in an office where a prospective typist was given a test. Baitball Blogger Oct 2014 #19

I'll bet she got a chuckle when the Repukes said Downwinder Oct 2014 #26

And of course, the Repukes are wrong. Manifestor_of_Light Oct 2014 #40

My wife would stay at least one line ahead of wordStar on an 8086. Downwinder Oct 2014 #93

What about the Selectric with the ball that whirled around? CTyankee Oct 2014 #150

those would burp and print a hyphen when you went too fast. Manifestor_of_Light Oct 2014 #152

I don't remember having problems with it, and I LOVED the erase tape pinboy3niner Oct 2014 #156

I'm almost 28 sakabatou Oct 2014 #20

We are really missing the "A" part to this "Q&A" Baitball Blogger Oct 2014 #21

OK sakabatou Oct 2014 #22

In what radio series did Orson Welles voice act the main character? nt sarge43 Oct 2014 #25

Why don't you millennials vote more? KamaAina Oct 2014 #27

I've voted since I could sakabatou Oct 2014 #103

Some of us do bobclark86 Oct 2014 #109

Points taken KamaAina Oct 2014 #111

Here's my question... Jenoch Oct 2014 #29

what did addresses look like before Zip codes? blackcrowflies Oct 2014 #30

Bonus question:What does ZIP stand for? Manifestor_of_Light Oct 2014 #85

bonus points for azurnoir Oct 2014 #118

Who was Miss Kitty? blackcrowflies Oct 2014 #31

She was Hello Kitty's spinster aunt Art_from_Ark Oct 2014 #50

Ever heard of Merthiolate and Mercurochrome? frogmarch Oct 2014 #32

it's a miracle we didn't all die of mercury poisoning blackcrowflies Oct 2014 #58

I know! nt frogmarch Oct 2014 #59

But it has the word "cure" in it, so it must be OK! AwakeAtLast Oct 2014 #91

I remember my mother putting mercurochrome on my skinned knees in the early '80's (n/t) Spider Jerusalem Oct 2014 #145

My family always pronounced it as muh-thigh-o-lade. dixiegrrrrl Oct 2014 #160

Get off my Lawn? Ryano42 Oct 2014 #33

Ever XRay your feet at a shoe store? frogmarch Oct 2014 #34

Nope, those were made illegal long before I was born sakabatou Oct 2014 #76

The last one shut down in '80, I think. frogmarch Oct 2014 #86

My dad did. Baitball Blogger Oct 2014 #112

Happy birthday to your dad! frogmarch Oct 2014 #114

Would not surprise me if the manager died from the exposure. Baitball Blogger Oct 2014 #115

What were S&H Green Stamps? Callmecrazy Oct 2014 #35

Hahaha In_The_Wind Oct 2014 #38

oldster trying to remember blackcrowflies Oct 2014 #41

I remember when they gave away glasses at gas stations. Rhiannon12866 Oct 2014 #68

They are collectors items now. Downwinder Oct 2014 #96

remember when jelly came in glass jars with pry off lids? blackcrowflies Oct 2014 #167

I remember the peanut butter in glasses. Downwinder Oct 2014 #168

We got them at grocery stores Art_from_Ark Oct 2014 #97

What do the S & H stand for? Downwinder Oct 2014 #45

Sperry & Hutchinson Callmecrazy Oct 2014 #49

We had pink and navy blue Big Bonus Stamps. Manifestor_of_Light Oct 2014 #81

The books would pile up in the junk drawer annabanana Oct 2014 #148

Do they still have rock n roll music? Dyedinthewoolliberal Oct 2014 #36

Not in my opinion, they don't. Manifestor_of_Light Oct 2014 #84

What did phone numbers look like before about 1968? The Velveteen Ocelot Oct 2014 #37

Did you know that in Nero's time the are code for Rome was XIV? nt Xipe Totec Oct 2014 #39

Phone numbers would start out with two letters of the alphabet Art_from_Ark Oct 2014 #98

Most are easy... bobclark86 Oct 2014 #129

A "phosphate" is a kind of soft drink. The Velveteen Ocelot Oct 2014 #130

Have you ever turned the knob to UHF to watch channel 17 on the TV? Optical.Catalyst Oct 2014 #42

On Saturday morning, what did it signify when "Soul Train" came on? n/t A HERETIC I AM Oct 2014 #43

The Soul Train whistle blew and you could see great dancing! Manifestor_of_Light Oct 2014 #153

Well.... A HERETIC I AM Oct 2014 #162

Who was Princess Summerfall Wintersping? femmocrat Oct 2014 #44

snowpepper! hopemountain Oct 2014 #141

I don't know what that is! LOL femmocrat Oct 2014 #146

you'd have to have just awakened hopemountain Oct 2014 #147

What is a BBS. Downwinder Oct 2014 #46

What does Buster Brown live in? Downwinder Oct 2014 #47

Do you know what a splashdown was? Ptah Oct 2014 #48

When a space capsule landed in the ocean? sakabatou Oct 2014 #77

That is correct. Art_from_Ark Oct 2014 #99

Now there's another meaning -- see 0:18 - 0:30 Arugula Latte Oct 2014 #161

Have you ever operated a (record) turntable? Bonus:Why would you use a penny on a turntable? NightWatcher Oct 2014 #51

You don't put it on the TURNTABLE.. You put it on annabanana Oct 2014 #149

You have 5 seconds to identify this item denbot Oct 2014 #52

Oh! I know! Rhiannon12866 Oct 2014 #64

Ding ding ding.. denbot Oct 2014 #66

My cousins had those... ;) Rhiannon12866 Oct 2014 #69

We always had popcorn for the Wizard of Oz Art_from_Ark Oct 2014 #94

Who performed house calls? nt valerief Oct 2014 #53

The logic of computer programs still can have holes, but did you ever HereSince1628 Oct 2014 #54

Teletype blackcrowflies Oct 2014 #60

I remember that stuff. In the early 80s I was the office manager for a major DebJ Oct 2014 #107

CNC programmer...i remember it well... ret5hd Oct 2014 #127

What did you do with clamdiggers? nt valerief Oct 2014 #55

What very important event occurred Jan. 22,1973? nt valerief Oct 2014 #56

That's when I knew for sure Art_from_Ark Oct 2014 #100

You're too old to answering these! I thought the younguns did the answering. valerief Oct 2014 #123

I believe that my age group may have been the last to be compelled to register pablo_marmol Oct 2014 #104

Uh, you're not under 25, then, so shame-shame for answering! valerief Oct 2014 #124

So sorry -- you are completely correct. pablo_marmol Oct 2014 #134

Wearing your adult diaper. valerief Oct 2014 #135

When was Freedom Summer? nt valerief Oct 2014 #57

do kids with gadgets still ask ARE WE THERE YET? Skittles Oct 2014 #61

Yes sakabatou Oct 2014 #102

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? betsuni Oct 2014 #62

What do you mean, an African or a European Swallow? kwassa Oct 2014 #70

What ... I don't know that ... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH betsuni Oct 2014 #71

Who always ended his show with . . . Brigid Oct 2014 #63

Why do you take pictures of yourself to send to all your friends? cwydro Oct 2014 #67

You forgot the word "naked"... ret5hd Oct 2014 #128

Why are you still on my lawn? ????!!!!! mwdem Oct 2014 #72

IT WOULD SEEM....that there is a serious dearth of young people answering these questions. A HERETIC I AM Oct 2014 #73

you want I should kick your boring as fuck old fart ass, A HERETIC I AM? Skittles Oct 2014 #74

Of all the people on this site who I want to have a dustup with...... A HERETIC I AM Oct 2014 #95

The other sad possibility is that the average DU Poster is over 25. Baitball Blogger Oct 2014 #79

i'm in the ask a question category but i don't know many of the answers to these questions orleans Oct 2014 #88

You forgot the third (professional) type Tribalceltic Oct 2014 #106

Have you ever had to replace a vacuum tube on a TV or a Marconi Wireless? MrScorpio Oct 2014 #89

Well... bobclark86 Oct 2014 #110

I'm late 40s, so close enough. Okay, whippersnapppers, my question is this: Arugula Latte Oct 2014 #90

Yes! astral Oct 2014 #92

Why won't you vote? Sedona Oct 2014 #101

Explain the phrase, "pinch a nickel till the buffalo shits". Lil Missy Oct 2014 #105

Squeeze George until you make him cry. n/t DebJ Oct 2014 #108

No, that's not it. Lil Missy Oct 2014 #113

Have you ever eaten lunch seated at a counter in a drug store? Little Star Oct 2014 #116

If you are female did you ever use these?... Little Star Oct 2014 #117

Hey, I still have some of those! nt Laffy Kat Oct 2014 #158

Have you ever smelled a freshly made memiograph copy? MicaelS Oct 2014 #119

do they still have library paste? blackcrowflies Oct 2014 #122

Did you, perchance, mean mimeograph? ret5hd Oct 2014 #126

Sorry, I must be lysdexic today. n/t MicaelS Oct 2014 #131

Do you know how to work a keypunch? Lydia Leftcoast Oct 2014 #120

better yet blackcrowflies Oct 2014 #137

Do not spindle, fold, or mutilate. Downwinder Oct 2014 #169

Complete these jingles or songs: Lydia Leftcoast Oct 2014 #121

Are you going to put us in really bad nursing homes.... JeffHead Oct 2014 #125

do you know where you are going to? LawDeeDah Oct 2014 #132

Do you know how to cook? kentauros Oct 2014 #133

What is special about a "Princess Phone"? Kablooie Oct 2014 #136

We have a brown one... CTyankee Oct 2014 #151

Here's a tricky one.. ariesgem Oct 2014 #138

Is Skrillex a brand of fire alarm? dorkulon Oct 2014 #139

Ha. My youngest is way into Skrillex. reflection Oct 2014 #165

Do you know what Babo is? Stardust Oct 2014 #140

I turn 28 in about 40 days JonLP24 Oct 2014 #142

FAIL Skittles Oct 2014 #171

Do you know what a "slide rule" is?..... and how to use it? meti57b Oct 2014 #144

I'm over fifty and while never *had* to use one pokerfan Oct 2014 #172

My high school boyfriend wore frogmarch Oct 2014 #177

Do young people learn to play musical instruments anymore? Manifestor_of_Light Oct 2014 #154

Have you ever seen them compete playing Guitar Hero? Baitball Blogger Oct 2014 #155

No I haven't. Why don't they just learn to play a real instrument? Manifestor_of_Light Oct 2014 #159

Name the TV show that originated this phrase: mikeargo Oct 2014 #163

Why the prevalence of uptalk with so many of you young pups? Tom Ripley Oct 2014 #164

What? Me worry? lpbk2713 Oct 2014 #166

!!! Downwinder Oct 2014 #170

I think this is Q&A for 60 and over. LOL mackerel Oct 2014 #173

Just about everyone gets this one wrong. RushIsRot Oct 2014 #174

Do you like older guys? KamaAina Oct 2014 #176