Do you still have a land line?

Fuck no, not for 15 years or so.

Unless I lived in some place remote or where wireless service was unreliable, why would I? Though I suspect some Dataloungers have their reasons

I do because it comes at hardly any cost and the calls are free. I practically never use it, though. But when I do, I very much still dial with a pencil.

Yes, because ew don't want brain cancer/

Yes. Landlines work when cellphones don't.

I haven't carried a cell phone since I retired eleven years ago. No monthly bill!

Friends/family can call my landline and leave a voicemail. I'll call them back when convenient for me.

I get very few spam calls because AT&T has a robust blocking service.

I had one up until about 3 years ago. I liked having a landline (and after 9/11, I thought it was a necessity because landlines worked when cell phones didn’t). Additionally, I could hear better on a landline than on a cell phone.

I live in NYC and had that demon Verizon as my landline provider. I believe they were trying to get rid of landline service because they put me through hell for nearly a year. Twice they shut off my service without telling me, and each shutoff lasted three months, yet they wanted to keep billing me for service.

I would have a landline if NYC would accommodate one, but Verizon sucks.

Yes, though it's with my cable service (yep, I have that too), so when I lose my cable I sometimes lose the phone too.

The reason I keep it that I remember the blackout of 2003 in the Midwest. Cell phones did not work, but landlines did for a while. Also, for some odd reason, my cable/internet package is cheaper if the phone is included.

I don't know anyone my age who has one.

Got rid of it last year. The carrier really started price gouging the customers who still wanted land lines. I saw no reason to pay so much for something I rarely answered, so I had my primary number transferred to my mobile phone and now just have that.

Another reason for me:

I don't really care to be "available" 24/7.

Yes. It is part of my internet/basic cable package, and is basically thrown in for free. I rarely use it, but it is nice to have sometimes.

Cell reception isn't always 100%, I worry about calling 911 sometimes (though I never have had to call), phone dead, etc.

I wouldn't pay extra for it, but I'm not turning it down.

Yup. Still have one for all the reasons cited above and don't plan on ever getting rid of it. I even still have a corded phone -- which works during power outages -- on hand.

As R5 says, people can call me, leave a message and I can call them back. Very simple. I'm nowhere near retirement, but I have no need or desire to be reachable 24/7, no matter where I am.

I am surprised that so many that still have a landline. I got rid of mine over 10 years ago - and that was only after my landline phone died and realized that I was still paying the bill and had not replaced the phone for two years.

[quote]I don't really care to be "available" 24/7.

How is it that old people think that having a mobile phone invites scores of calls at all hours? Or that they would have to answer if the phone did ring? Or that they couldn't set the mobile to silent, and for set periods of time each day?

Of course !

1. Internet connection to the router !

Note: Cell phone gets turned on and carried when I leave the house !

I do. Mostly because my partner wants it for some natural-disaster-related reasons. All it does is ring with spam all day. However, when you need a clear connection to actually speak, it's our go-to since we live in a canyon.

Of course, how else would I do my dial-up to get on the internets?

You laugh R17, but see R15

^ What is "router"? 🤔

I live in the woods, no cel service. I'd have to get in my car & drive around till I got a wavery signal. so, yes, have a landline. I screen calls. Let spammers pay if they want to leave a message, They quickly retreat. None of the BS I get with my cel. It probably tracks me when I take a pee in a restroom. Maybe sooner than later my dick pic will be online without my posting it.

^ I think I saw it just the other day. Wasn't sure who it was, but now I know 😂

No. Same as R1 I gave it up about 15 years ago.

R14, A cellphone carries with it the inherent "availability" expectation. Don't play dumb.

Oh, and r14? Maybe the UK is different with the efficacy of landlines.

No more or less than a landline with an answering machine R23

Do other Eldergays not get that you don't have to answer it if it rings?

I find these threads fascinating because most people over 50 I know--gay or straight--are not nearly as techphobic as DLers.

[quote]A cellphone carries with it the inherent "availability" expectation. Don't play dumb.

Availability to whom? Your legions of friends? I fucking doubt it.

Who's playing dumb? The ability to be available and the necessity to be available are very different things.

[quote] Maybe the UK is different with the efficacy of landlines. — Not Called "Mobile" Phones Here

I shouldn't feel so superior being dim. I used the term mobile and yet you understood it because it's widely understood in any of the few countries that use "cell phone" in some form. But you make a point to let me know it riles your USA sensibilities. Why? Other than to offer further evidence of your contrarian nature?

If the power goes out the landline goes down. Same with internet. I thought it was a stupid waste of money.

What does a landline offer that you can't get from your mobile?

I got rid of the landline in 1999 when I started buying mobiles. Good question. My building needs a fucking landline to access the front door buzzer. Fucking stupid.

It's part of my Verizon package. I like having both. My landline is a consistent number that people can always call. I've had 3 different mobile phone numbers since 1996 but my landline number has remained the same.

I sure do...just try to pry it from my cold dead hands. Unfortunately, the copper wiring outside has been eliminated...fiber optics took its place. So...power outages, it won't have dial tone...or only a short time on battery backup. With the copper wire, I always had DT...with a jack plug in. My area is a dead zone for wireless service, and have to go outside for it to work. Yes...Verizon. ugh...

Yes, it's free.

Landlines work just fine in power outages if you have a corded phone. Just keep one on hand and plug it in if the power goes out.

CordLESS phones, which need electricity to power the base station, will not.

^^ To clarify, I mean plug it into the phone jack, not an electrical outlet, obviously.

A fiber optic line (vs copper) will be okay in a brief power outage (as will a charged cell phone) but in a hurricane or similar, they will likely die out and you'll wish you had your cell phone...which you can charge via an external charging device of the sort most people keep in their briefcases or pocketbooks

Honey, I still have a party line.

The only people I know who still have landlines are my mother, my aunts and their friends, who still call each other and have long gossipy conversations like they've all been doing since the 1970s. They're the only ones.

[quote] I'm nowhere near retirement, but I have no need or desire to be reachable 24/7, no matter where I am.

For somebody my age that would mean you're unemployable and you wouldn't have a social life.

[quote]How is it that old people think that having a mobile phone invites scores of calls at all hours? Or that they would have to answer if the phone did ring? Or that they couldn't set the mobile to silent, and for set periods of time each day?

You have to remember this is Datalounge. For many here, the world stopped turning circa 1990.

[quote]I find these threads fascinating because most people over 50 I know--gay or straight--are not nearly as techphobic as DLers.

It is fascinating. My conservative relatives who are in their 60s/70s and live in the suburbs are more in tune with the modern world than many older DLers. I never would imagine that gay men could be so behind the times if not for DL. Perhaps it's because they don't have kids who keep them up to date with things.

I read this as “land mine,” and thought, no, I do not.

I think that actually has a lot to do with it R40-- they are not in close contact with anyone other than similarly situated eldergays but many of the eldergays I know IRL don't have kids and manage to keep up with things, so....

They will take my pink Princess Rotary Dial landline telephone set from my cold dead hand.

Internet phone service is not a land line. If your internet goes out or you lose your electricity, you have no phone.

With a land line, using the phone company's lines, you would still have service. That is a land line.

It's a good way to get sick!

Does no one on this thread have a DND (Do Not Disturb) feature on their landlines? We have the LL on DND all the time. If it's an important call, the caller leaves a message. We check messages 3 times a day and are never bothered by the fucking phone ringing.

I'd be lost without my pink rotary phone. Besides, what else are pencils useful for these days?

No, but I have an eFax account. I know it sounds dumb but it does come in handy sometimes, as with some government agencies you either have to mail or fax a document. If I need to fax something I can just PDF it and enter the fax number.

I still have my grandparents’ rotary phone (just like the one in R47) after they passed on. I put it on a counter for display. The trouble is, it rings once every four months or so. It’s not connected to anything. My sister is all freaked out about it, but I figure it happens for a reason, I just don’t know what that reason is.

R46 What if it’s your neighbor calling to tell you the house is on fire or the hospital that your best friends about to die?

R16 We have a landline for the same disaster-related scenarios. (My partner is a public utilities employee who trains in disaster scenarios... lots of ways the cell phones won't work but landlines will. He's kind of a over-preparer for a lot things.) We pay $700 a year just for the privilege of keeping it in the closet and never plugging it in.

r51 (that sounds like area 51), is yours cordless?

[quote]We pay $700 a year just for the privilege of keeping it in the closet and never plugging it in.

That's less than I pay for Jada.

Do you really think the OP meant copper vs. Ethernet R44?

And now we have a winner.... R53!!!!

R52 Cord. Old style plug in. He even wanted it red for emergencies. He's a little OCD about emergencies and danger, but he's been around for 26 years so I'm not going to kick him to the curb...

I have the same landline number that I grew up knowing and using. I could easily terminate the service, but then I'd need to inform all my relatives and friends, I like keeping my mobile number separate.

A landline that is used to connect the alarm system to the monitoring company only. But that’s probably ancient technology too.

I had one until mid-2017 when I moved. I used it more than I used my cell phone, mostly because my service was spotty. Until you were able to use wifi for calls, cell service was absolute garbage. I can remember working in Laurel Canyon and having to go outside and hold my phone up to the sky trying to get a signal (and this was only about 10-11 years ago).

I also had (and still have) an old push button donut phone (chocolate brown) that I would use if the power went out and my cordless phones weren't working. I loved that phone. It's on the glass shelves behind my bar as a decorative piece now.

My mom has a Consumer Cellular flip phone in her purse (hi-tech!) but she never disconnected their landline. It's connected to a 30-yr. old answering machine that still works.

I have what passes for a land line since the POTS system was dismantled where I live some three years ago. Now it's transmitted via fiber optic to a modem, and unlike the POTS system, which had its own power supply, so that it continued to run even during power outages, this 'land line' goes completely down when the power is out. I wish the POTS system was back for phone calls; it was durable and reliable.

I do not own or use cell phones. That shit is the 'Mark of the Beast', or would be if I believed in that nonsense.

Ahoy hoy!!

R59 My mother had one of those in her purse, too. She said she had it “for emergencies,” yet it was always turned off and I just know she had no idea how to turn use it.

that poll is HIGH AF. Oh right, so many old queens on this board. yikes

[quote]I do not own or use cell phones. That shit is the 'Mark of the Beast', or would be if I believed in that nonsense.

Ooookay.

**Backs away slowly**

R28 I'll never lose or break a landline phone

My mother had a medical emergency last year, I grabbed the landline from like a foot away from where she was on the floor. My cell was charging in the other room & I would’ve had to run to the kitchen, unplug, unlock the Lock Screen & dial.

Instead, I just dialed 911 & they immediately answered & knew the street address without me having to say a word. A little silver lining to the worst experience of my life.

Yeah, mainly because of the health issues with one of the residents in the house and we can have that phone on Lifeline service based on low income, so it only costs $10.75/mo It's only for local, toll free, and emergency calls. And no way would I pay the amount for the regular cost of this very plain basic service, which is something like $45/mo now.

[quote]I find these threads fascinating because most people over 50 I know--gay or straight--are not nearly as techphobic as DLers.

[quote]It is fascinating. My conservative relatives who are in their 60s/70s and live in the suburbs are more in tune with the modern world than many older DLers. I never would imagine that gay men could be so behind the times if not for DL. Perhaps it's because they don't have kids who keep them up to date with things.

Further thoughts:

The DL friendship threads often reveal a lot of alienation, older gay men casting out "false friends" and friendlessness; as well as a disdain/distrust and a disconnect from younger people (e.g., the generational divide of tattoo threads.)

Older DLers often seem preoccupied with self-sorting: the mistrust of relationships where the partners are not mirror image same age, same income, same socioeconomic and educational backgrounds, similarity in 1 to 10 looks scores, etc. And this seems only somewhat relaxed toward friends who they seem to prefer as cloned 9f themselves, especially in age, thinking that no common ground could exist with younger and older friends.

That creepy frozen in time quality seen in some DL posters, where their peak year of cock-scoring popularity at a favorite crowded gay bar redolent with the smoke of Marlboro Lights. The year where all the popular culture references stop with Golden Girls, Designing Women, LA Law, and beyond which everything shuts down in the unknown seas of dragons: Kardashians and Bieber.

The poll results in this (obviously self-sorting,) thread indicate that the respondents are about twice as inclined as the general population to cling to landline phones. To do it rather unthinkingly of habit is somewhat understandable, but the rejection of some sort on "always available" status is crazy (as if a mobile phone turns one into an on-call surgeon.)

Landlines are amazing for work and family voicemails

OP If I had to choose one, it would be a mobile phone, but I don't have This is not Sophie's Choice!

If I was not already married R68 I might propose based on that post alone.

Insightful, spot on and hilarious.

This line is particular so brilliantly sums up Datalounge:

[quote] The year where all the popular culture references stop with Golden Girls, Designing Women, LA Law, and beyond which everything shuts down in the unknown seas of dragons: Kardashians and Bieber.

Well done, friend

Great post r68. Yes, the older DLers seem to be isolated and out of touch to an alarming degree. Also, estranged from their family members. You see it in countless threads. I notice a lot of decades-old pop culture references in various threads, such as referencing long-forgotten tv shows like "Family" and "LA Law" as if most people would be familiar with them.

I finally got rid of my landline. In the 25 years I had a cell, I’ve never had a moment where I needed a landline because my cell didn’t work.

[Quote] If I was not already married [R68] I might propose based on that post alone.

Watch out. He likely talks…alot

The price of handheld SatPhones (Satellite Phones) has went down considerably in the last few years, they will work after a disaster also, much more reliable than a cellphone. If you are in the middle of a hurricane, it may not be able to get a signal because of the rain- but a little bit larger exterior antenna should.

I live in a small city (100k) and let my landline go. Because of sound quality, I wanted it back. Called AT&T and they said they were not installing new landlines in my location anymore! (even though I live on a street with a lot of old people and they all have theirs and the telephone poles and lines are still up.)

Fuck.

I technically have one along with a phone number, but it's not set up. I threw the land line modem into a junk drawer and will send it back if and when I get rid of my cable equipment. My cable package is cheaper with it, like a poster upthread stated. However I have no need for one.

The smart phone does so much more, including BLOCKING people you don't want to hear from, or using the DND feature at night. Or whenever.

I did want to get a rotary phone as a conversation piece, so maybe I'll buy one for fun and nostalgia.

R77 You can also "block" with a landline... don't plug it in, or turn off the ringer.

Recent experiences at large music events (Elder Gay, but fuck you, still rockin' in the free world) and having the cell phone not work because of the overloaded networks. People don't understand that cell networks (as opposed to satellite phones) may crash.

Not related, but related.... in the early 80s my mother called me. I answered. She said "where are you...???"

R72 Speaking of out of touch to an alarming degree. How do you feel about our President?

R68 Not to worry R68 Those old creepy frozen in time DLers aren't running or should I say ruining our country🤣😛🤣😍😁😂😉😊!

Surprised by the percentage of LL owners as well.

My brother has a land line and a cell phone, which he looks upon with disdain. He picked me up once at the airport (crowded curb, tons of cars pulled over, blocking the view), circling round and round in his vehicle for like 40 minutes, refusing to use his cell phone. Meanwhile, I'm on the curb, calling him with my cell phone. Cell phones have a place.

That was a real crotchety experience w/my brother. I was really pissed off.

I haven't had a land line for many years. Can't afford to have both a LL & cell. Don't want both.

There are so many people here who have lived through multiple major technological advances in TV, cars, personal computers, the internet and more. Yet, mobile phones are viewed as the devil for some reason. They are what you make of them. If you don’t want to be bothered, you set it to do not disturb.

Live in SF. After the 1989 quake the only phones that were working were the landlines. Have kept the landline for that reason. I have to have a cell phone because they are needed for certain 2nd security confirmation apps at work and there are 1 or 2 apps I actually use on it. But I resent being tied to a cell phone every where I go.

55% of Gen Z are "on" their phones more than 6 hours a day. A great majority of them sleep with their phones.

R82 What you suggest is aspirational, not the science as to how the digital environment is trapping and changing us. It's no longer "what you make of them"... it's "what they make of us."

[quote] But I resent being tied to a cell phone every where I go.

I think the point people are trying to make is that you own the cell phone, not vice-versa. You don't have to have the ringer on all the time. You don't have to answer every call or text. You don't have to end up like a zombie, constantly looking at your phone.

R82 I've had a mobile phone since 1996 my first phone was the size of a remote and they're great to have but Smartphones make people do dumb things. Like falling off a cliff while taking a selfie or walking out into traffic without ever looking up or texting while driving or looking at their phones while driving. They actually make people out of touch with their surroundings. Experienced people at Broadway shows looking at their phones during performances or talking on one during a film. I see people at the gym who spend more time looking at a phone than exercising and I know if I ask them if I could to use the piece of equipment they've been sitting on for 20 mins they suddenly start doing reps. Lat summer a woman who was shot by a stray bullet in crowded Times Square said people were standing around filming her as she called out for help. I don't have a problem with DLers who have a LL but do take issue with the way people are so fixated on their phones.

We have one but only because having it makes our internet cheaper, for some reason.

Thanks, R71 & R72. I´m always fascinated by old people whose houses become shrines to the year they stopped caring. It´s the same it seems with DLers and their bug caught in amber cultural references. Six DL threads about Olivia Newton John this year, already? Or that dreary saccharine voiced Karen Carpenter? One hasn´t had a hit in 40 years and the other hasn´t drawn breath in that same time, but you would never know that on DL. Half of all Americans alive are under 40 and would have no clue about these two, and only one-third of Americans are over 50 - old enough to maybe remember them Not that there should be any shame, but there´s an odd eldergay pride in threads like the recent ¨Signs that you´re getting old¨. I´m old enough to remember or at least to know something about many of the antiquated references, but Jesus, some of you keep a candle burning a long fucking time.

R74. Right! No proposals from you, then. Be glad for your escape from that fate.

“ If you don’t want to be bothered, you set it to do not disturb. “

No, if you don’t wanna be bothered, don’t get one in the first place!

^ good, don’t want you to be distracted when you are riding your horse-drawn buggy down the street!

R88 don't share your fascination or annoyance. What's it to you? I posted at R86 and am more concerned with the danger and annoyance caused by those who can't seem to put the phone down. They are living in oblivion.

or while operating a motor vehicle R90

Land line users are home owners. If it is free, why wouldn't you? The vocal quality of a landline is so much better than on a cell phone, Verizon/iPhone, in busy bay area.

Plus, some of us Bay Area users are plagued with power outages at random times, several times a year. And reason number 5, you can lose your phone in your house or car, and the power goes out.

You cannot survive in the modern world of careers and social interaction without a cell phone. I suspect the Dlers who don't have them are either retired or on disability and reclusive hermits.

[quote]Speaking of out of touch to an alarming degree. How do you feel about our President?

He's certainly much better than a second Trump term, but he's far too old and I believe he has some cognitive impairment. I hope he doesn't run in '24

[quote]Live in SF. After the 1989 quake the only phones that were working were the landlines. Have kept the landline for that reason.

This is eldergay thinking right here. The world stopped in 1989!

Cell phone networks and tech are nothing like they were back then. Hell, they're nothing like they were ten years ago.

[quote] I´m always fascinated by old people whose houses become shrines to the year they stopped caring.

I had a great-aunt and great-uncle whose house was like taking a time machine back to the 1930s, in the 1990s. It was very Norma Desmond. Fascinating and creepy at the same time.

Believe it or not, faxing documents is still a thing in the legal profession, so we have landlines. I suppose you could do an eFax, as someone mentioned, but that sounds like a chore.

I'm in the legal profession and never have to use a fax.

[quote] I had a great-aunt and great-uncle whose house was like taking a time machine back to the 1930s, in the 1990s. It was very Norma Desmond. Fascinating and creepy at the same time.

I can understand older people not wanting to renovate if everything still works. They've probably already paid a lot of money in the past to get things as they are (kitchen counters, etc.). Considering what a hassle it is to have renovations (contractor, etc.) done while still living in the house, why bother.

Also r99 renovating wasn't a thing with people of the Depression/WWII generation. It was like a foreign concept to them.

R11 Your phone with a cable company, is NOT a Landline, Landline is connected with Copper Cable. Your service is VOIP. Voice Over Internet Protocol - Fiber Optics.

R27, if the power goes out, the Telephone Company generators continue to provide service. No so with cable. That's why peopke keep landlines.

As a Verizon retiree I have "Class A Service," which means FREE, Why would give up something I don't pay for?

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

How many of you would buy that condo and keep just as it is?

Just looking at the pics of that condo gave me a headache.

Most of the respondents have a cell phone as well. Keeping a land line is a type of insurance, and when you get old you have gone through many emergencies where all you had was a land line to summon help or information. (I am especially referring to 2 big SoCal earthquakes, and 2 big NorCal earthquakes

Oh, an another thing. I don't like to keep my cell phone on my person while ambling across my ample abode, so the land line rings throughout the home and I can always hear it.

I have a yellow cordless phone in my kitchen leftover from the previous owner. I never use it, but I could if the power went out, which it does.

I've had power outages and my cell phone works just fine.

[quote] R88 don't share your fascination or annoyance. What's it to you? I posted at [R86] and am more concerned with the danger and annoyance caused by those who can't seem to put the phone down. They are living in oblivion.

And what´s it to you, R91? Your old lady hand-wringing and speculation and worries are important and the comments of others trivial?

[quote] R64: Ooookay. **Backs away slowly**

Okay. So your takeaway is that I'm crazy for 𝒏𝒐𝒕 believing in the Mark of the Beast. Got it.

I hate phones. I don't like being at the beck and call of anyone who chooses to ring me up. But I hate cellphones with a superhuman intensity; it's portable, and one carries that form of summons with one everywhere one goes. The cellphone runs the lives of the people that own them, and even lights up in the darkness of a room while they're sleeping; people sufficiently in thrall to them see the light through their eyelids, wake up and check the phone. People interrupt every activity to answer calls or texts. Food establishment and grocery store pickup, doctors' offices during Covid lockdown, ride services like Uber, all require the use of a smartphone. Fast food like Domino's won't process coupons unless it's ordered online through the smartphone app. My bank will not permit me to download or view a bank statement without a code sent to a smartphone; one cannot transfer funds through Zell without a smartphone.

So, yeah - the stupid-assed "no one may buy or sell unless he has the mark" of Revelation 13:17 - although the author was originally talking about Roman money in his own day and not anything in the future, annoyingly, smartphones still meet the conditions in the passage.

One's location can be traced through a cellphone. Smartphone artificial intelligence listens to your conversations, even when they're supposedly turned off - besides using what it picks up to try to sell you shit through neverending ads, who the fuck knows what else is done with the information it collects? That's not paranoia - that's just the facts.

If I was somehow forced to own one, I'd keep it buried deep in a drawer with its battery removed, packed in a Faraday box. If it was out and powered up, that would last about as long as its first ring, whereupon I'd smash the shit out of it with a hammer.

I have stated my boundaries, R64.

R91 nice to see fear and loathing of aging is alive and well on DL! What is a spring chick like you doing on DL? Why not Twitter, Tik Tok or Instagram?

Do you know what the coolest thing about getting older is? You no longer give a shit what other people think of your stuff 🙂

R109 why are you on DL? To vent your fear and loathing of aging? Why aren't you on Tik Tok, Twitter or Instagram?

PS R109 why this fascination with old people?

R99, I work in a law office too and deal with estate tax audits. The IRS will not accept documents attached to an email. If you want to send a letter or form to an examiner it has to be either Fed Ex, US mail or fax. So you pay for a service like efax, where you email the documents to phone#@efaxsend.com, then the efax company transmits the attachments over a phone line and emails you confirmation. It's less hassle than sloooowly scanning docs into a fax machine.

^ Funny, the IRS has no problem with my emailed tax returns 🤔

as for the handwringing R109 I'm not aware of accidents caused by landlines but as a driver and pedestrian I'm aware of the dangers of cell phone usage. As for the annoyances ask Patti Luphone.

Eldergays - when you answer your landlines, do you remove one earring like the ladies on the old soap operas used to do?

Why, yes.

And do you keep your landline on your gossip bench, with a dialer pen, note pad, and telephone directory at the ready?

Just got rid of my landline 2 months ago. The last time I checked my messages I had a call from my Aunt that was 2 weeks old and I felt bad, I only would check my landline once in awhile because it seemed all I got was telemarketing calls on it. So that made me finally cancel it because I didn't want people like my Aunt leaving me important messages on it.

Is someone actually trying to argue that lawyers don't use fax machines? That's stupid even for DL.

For all the hip cel phone babies trashing people with land lines as old, dopey people. Is your cel an Obama phone that was gifted to you via your welfare benefits? Or one you jacked off someone?

Some of us more affluent folks live at times in places that are heavily wooded with little cel phone service. As stated, should we jump into our cars, waste gas, make a greater carbon footprint, to use our cel phones or just use our landlines? You do the math. Oh wait, that's right math makes some feel unsafe. My Bad!!

I have both. Cel when it is convenient & landline when I'm in my place that is too heavily wooded for good cel service. Not adverse to either. Diversity, fluidity. Thought that was the name of the game for you young'ins? Imagine being flexible..What a concept!

I don’t know what that is R120 but I want it. This thread is one of the best threads I’ve seen in a while. So much hissing from the eldergays. Only thing worse than this is the self-checkout debate.

[quote]For all the hip cel phone babies trashing people with land lines as old,

"Babies?" Cell phones are now in their fourth decade. Land lines ARE old.

[quote]Only thing worse than this is the self-checkout debate.

Two of my uncles, both straight, conservative and nearly 80 years old, have been doing self-checkout for years without a second thought. The eldergays, however, see self-checkout as a harbinger of the apocalypse.

[quote]Some of us more affluent folks live at times in places that are heavily wooded with little cel phone service.

Because nobody younger than you is affluent and has a house in the damn woods.

Fuck no!

Honestly the only reason I kept my landline was it had a 212- Manhattan area code. At some point I guess it was a prestige thing.

No one cares now

For all the "power outage" hysterics - my mother still has a land line and when the power goes out it doesn't work. She can still use her cell phone.

I love the endless Eldergay bitching about "the young people." This includes Gen Xers 😂! I'm in my forties and DL is the only place where I still feel like a young person, it's crazy.

Well, R131 if you'd like a switch try Twitter, Tik Tok, Instagram, Grindr . . .

Why of course I do. How else would I talk to my gentleman callers?

Do two tin cans and a piece of string count?

[quote] Live in SF. After the 1989 quake the only phones that were working were the landlines.

As per R96-- did it dawn on you that perhaps technology had advanced in the intervening [bold]33 years[/bold]

R123 types poor and rural

[quote] This thread is one of the best threads I’ve seen in a while. So much hissing from the eldergays. Only thing worse than this is the self-checkout debate.

Even better R124, was the one about self-driving cars.

Horseless carriages only no one is driving!!!! The hiss level was up to 11.

And R129, 917 is the new 212

R129 A 212 Area Code is still prestige. Businesses pay firms to get them a 212 number.

[quote] A 212 Area Code is still prestige. Businesses pay firms to get them a 212 number.

[bold] Stay gold Datalounge. Stay gold. Don't ever change

212 isn't as prestige as it used to be. It's been a pretty long time since 212 was the only Manhattan area code. Most people today don't even look at phone numbers.

Silly R139

R137 lives in a world that has been frozen in amber since 1987.

In his world, 212 is a prestige area code and people still get in touch with businesses by calling, thus they are impressed with the area code.

Today Manhattan Area Codes are 212,323 and 646. Outer boroughs --- 347, 718, 929. 917 serves all boroughs for Cell, Businesses, and Residences.

[quote][R137] lives in a world that has been frozen in amber since 1987.

Can you just smell the wine coolers and Benson & Hedges 100s?

I think anyone who still thinks any area code is still prestige is way out of touch on a lot of things. You probably still use a phonebook.

R122 Offices still have landlines and doctor's offices as well. People use the office phone not their cell phones to receive non personal calls and many restaurants still have them as well.

Not all lawyers work in offices. Some are solo practitioners who work primarily from home.

I have both. The reason I kept the landline was that my old cell phone was too hard to hear. I recently got a new cell phone and am thinking of getting rid of the landline because I hear so much better on my new cell. It cost a small fortune to keep the landline.

😂 Nothing does an eldergay's heart better than watching a bunch of babygays bust a gut over what eldergays care and don't care about. Stay golden, babygays, we're old, we're rich, we have landlines and Windows 7 and we don't give a shit who knows it 😜

Nobody cares r147

^ Except YOU 😂

"Babygays" on DL are Xers.

There's a guy on DL and he's posted several times on this thread who absolutely freaks out if he finds out someone isn't using the latest tech. He's a total tech nutjob and his meltdowns are hilarious. He'll be here to attack this post in 3... 2... 1...

Cellphones are the latest tech?

I kept a landline for faxing & starting fooling around with VoIP phones, which led to my early adoption of Ooma; (still use the original hub) as per upstream, occasionally there's usually no substituting a fax, and it works with Ooma perfectly. We're in the mountains, so a mix of mobiles & Ooma work just fine.

"Cellphones are the latest tech? "

I don't think so, but maybe where you are

Yes because my internet is cheaper with it. I am also psychologically tied to my number, which I have had for over 30 years.

These days, I mostly get spam calls.

No r154. Cellphones are old tech where I am

^ Then why did you ask? You seem very confused

r151 said some DLers freak out when people aren't using the latest tech, as if cell phones were the latest tech

^ I guess you misunderstood

No r159 that's what was meant. It's all good though

* sigh* 🙄

Hunny, some Eldergays on here are STILL raving about the USPS Informed Delivery… that’s cutting edge tech for them.

[quote]There's a guy on DL and he's posted several times on this thread who absolutely freaks out if he finds out someone isn't using the latest tech. He's a total tech nutjob and his meltdowns are hilarious.

By "latest tech" do you mean cell phones? Because nobody has mentioned "latest tech" in this thread. Just eldergays who are bizarrely averse to using cell phones.

3... 2... 1... *MELTDOWN* You're late 😂

Not a meltdown r164 just saying you're out of touch. Nobody's said anything about the "latest tech."

Eldergays are so weird about this kind of shit. As has been said already, old straight people in flyoverland are more tech savvy.

Being ignorant of modern life and living in a cocoon is nothing to be proud of.

You just can't help yourself, can you?

What was your point again r167? Nobody's having a meltdown. Just shaking our heads over sad eldergays.

I have one. It's always worked for me. Anyone who calls can leave a message and I'll get back to them. I don't talk on the phone much, so I don't need the hassle and expense of a cell phone. I know there are people who would rather die than not have a cell phone at their disposal. I feel sorry for those types.

r169 are you a hermit? Do you have a job?

[quote]I know there are people who would rather die than not have a cell phone at their disposal.

It's pretty much essential for people who live, work and socialize in the modern world of 2022.

@r168, r170, You are so fucking predictable

And what's your point r172? Can't take rebuttals?

r68 said it best.

Throwing shade and making ad hominem generalizations against gays do not constitute "rebuttals," R173.

[quote]Throwing shade and making ad hominem generalizations against gays do not constitute "rebuttals," R173.

We're all gays here. And you are INSANE. Seriously.

[quote]Throwing shade and making ad hominem generalizations against gays do not constitute "rebuttals," R173.

And what is r164/ r172 doing?

Just leave the eldergays to shaking their fists at the sky about those dagnabbit cell phones. This world is not their world. Leave them be.

^ No, asshole, YOU'RE the insane one. Fuck off!

Keep shaking that fist r179. Your world is small and sad. Bye.

Asshole

[quote]We're all gays here.

That is not borne out by what posters say. A lot of them are completely hostile to LGBTs and are being paid to post here.

[quote]And you are INSANE.

Coming from a troll sock who didn't even understand what I posted. :D

He is the fucking weirdest troll on this site. I've never seen anyone get so bent out of shape over tech. He spams every tech thread

Only on DL is a thread about cell phones a "tech thread."

^ 🙄 😂 Troll

Keep reaching r185

^ I thought you left, asshole

She shit in someone's front lawn at a party. It was reported on at the time.

[quote] we're old, we're rich,

Old, yes.

Rich?

In your fantasies. Most DLers are rainbow collar retirees in Flyoverstan desperately chasing a dream of being midcentury WASP socialites, hence the hundreds of threads about "Things Klassy People Eat" and whatnot

^ Still up drinking at 4:30 AM? You've crapped all over every single thread so far this AM. Pass out already

Do you still have a land line?

😂 Nothing does an eldergay's heart better than watching a bunch of babygays bust a gut over what eldergays care and don't care about. Stay golden, babygays, we're old, we're rich, we have landlines and Windows 7 and we don't give a shit who knows it 😜 Do you still have a land line?

^ Except YOU 😂 Do you still have a land line?

There's a guy on DL and he's posted several times on this thread who absolutely freaks out if he finds out someone isn't using the latest tech. He's a total tech nutjob and his meltdowns are hilarious. He'll be here to attack this post in 3... 2... 1... Do you still have a land line?

"Cellphones are the latest tech? "

I don't think so, but maybe where you are Do you still have a land line?

^ Then why did you ask? You seem very confused Do you still have a land line?

^ I guess you misunderstood Do you still have a land line?

* sigh* 🙄 Do you still have a land line?

3... 2... 1... *MELTDOWN* You're late 😂 Do you still have a land line?

You just can't help yourself, can you? Do you still have a land line?

@r168, r170, You are so fucking predictable Do you still have a land line?

^ No, asshole, YOU'RE the insane one. Fuck off! Do you still have a land line?

Asshole Do you still have a land line?

He is the fucking weirdest troll on this site. I've never seen anyone get so bent out of shape over tech. He spams every tech thread Do you still have a land line?

^ 🙄 😂 Troll Do you still have a land line?

^ I thought you left, asshole Do you still have a land line?

^ Still up drinking at 4:30 AM? You've crapped all over every single thread so far this AM. Pass out already

Looks like some didn't quite make it over the cuckoo's nest

R27, That is not true. Landline wires are completely separate from electricity wires. Hence, the previous posts noting this as a reason to have a landline phone.

(It is also why, if an outage occurs, you can use a landline phone to CALL your electric company to notify it.)

I have used my cell phone to call the electric company during a power outage

I'm not a babygay, but I do have issues with someone saying that 212 is still a prestige area code. This isn't Seinfeld circa 1998.

Cell phones work in power outages.

I finally got rid of my Ooma because all I got was Chinese spam calls.

Ooma was great when it was $2 a month. The government caught on and started charging $150/year in taxes. Although still better than the cost of a landline, it was no longer as cheap as it was before---so getting only spam calls wasn't worth it.

R168 'our heads'? Sybil what aren't you shaking your ass at Tik Tok, Grindr or Tumblr? Why is a spring chick like you wasting your time on DL discussing LL phones which BTW are still used in restaurants, doctors' offices, schools . . .do you ever get out?

The amount of yes responses in the poll is disturbing.

r198 it's about home use, and using a landline as your primary phone. And in places such as doctors' offices, most patient business is done with texting now. The phone calls are for old people.

r199 I agree.

Love that wall phone, OP.

Schools r198? Do you know anyone who's a parent? Parents today are not getting phone calls from their kids' schools. Everything is done electronically.

during 9/11, cell phones didn't work.

FYI R202 I work in a school and the secretaries in the front office and the counselors use landline phones. The schools' phone numbers are connected to landline phones and there are phones in the classroom where you can make or receive calls from counselors or the front office. And yes, I do know people who are parents if that makes a difference!

R200 when I am in a doctor's office the receptionists are taking calls on landline phones and the same in restaurants.

They didn't work during the shelling of Fort Sumter either, R203!

^ Oh, snap! 😂

[quote] Cell phones work in power outages.

If they’re charge and they eventually die.

[quote] It's pretty much essential for people who live, work and socialize in the modern world of 2022.

Not really. Cell phones are not "essential." But I'm sure people like you think they are. What would you do without a cell phone? Probably curl up in a ball and become catatonic, I'd imagine.

R208, you would need a cell phone if you lived in Europe. For example, if you ever want to go to a soccer match or concert in a stadium in the UK, tickets are only available via an app which you would have to download on your smart phone. they will send you your tix, which is a scan which is updated every min or 2. this is to prevent fake tickets, plus they know who they sold the tix to in case you cause trouble in there etc. O2 in London is an example.

they do come in handy in many situations R209 especially now that public pay phones don't exist much anymore. If your car breaks down, you can call for service or help or call a cab or an uber if needed or let people know you will be late if you are stuck in traffic . . .such a convenience and time saver. I have both a landline and a cell and if I had to choose 1, it's a no brainer.

Not since 2004. Cut the cable cord too. All streaming. Old guy at 66 yo.

[quote] they do come in handy in many situations

But they're not essential in order to live, as some seem to think.

They save lives R213 as they can summon help immediately when you are away from your landline, and I always make sure I have my phone with me when I'm in my car in case of emergency. In that sense they are essential.

what if there is an intruder at home but your landline is in the living room and you're in a room with no landline? If would be great if you could call 911 if you had your cell phone in your pocket.

If you didn't have one, I would get a prepaid flip phone. so you can use it in emergency if needed.

R215 or in a classroom with an active shooter, you could call or text for help or I've fallen, and I can't get up nor can I crawl to my landline!

Back when I didn't have a cell phone, my mom was trying to reach me and it really was an emergency. My mom left a message with a secretary at work, but I didn't get the message until at least a couple of hours later. Thinking about my mom in that situation, without me, made me change my mind about cell phones.

No, it wasn't the type of situation to call 911, but let's just say cops were involved and, no, my mom was not a criminal.

Also, I do drive a car and have AAA membership. So, it's nice to have the phone with me to call AAA for dead battery, flat tire, etc.

esp. at night R218 and you are in a remote area. I won't travel without it.

A cell phone is NOT essential for the successful running of my life, at this stage of my life.

Many people can very easily develop addiction to their cell phones, I think we can all agree.

[quote]A cell phone is NOT essential for the successful running of my life, at this stage of my life.

Not everyone is in a senior care facility.

I'd say cell phones are good to have in emergencies. And if you have a job where you're on call all the time or need to be contacted quickly. But essential in order to live? No.

Not an addiction but a convenience and a life saver. There's a difference. and could you do without the internet R220?

I work with a lot of younger people, lower-income. I think their cell phones are all they have. No computer, no laptop, no iPad. For work, I prefer emails to texts, but had to get used to texting with certain people. Yes, I realize you can email with a screen phone, but texting is just easier for some people.

honey, even the homeless in NYC got cell phones and tablets.

r221 -- Not in a "senior care facility."

Retired, yes. Early. At 51.

Made enough to get me out of the rat race on my own terms and with enough money/investments to take me to my grave.

Do not need a cellphone, so get over it.

Not everyone is like you.

[quote] Not an addiction but a convenience and a life saver. There's a difference. and could you do without the internet

For a lot of people cell phones ARE an addiction. And if I had to I could do without the internet. Computers and cell phones are not the end all and be all of life.

Datalounge, where everyone has 5 Million in investments, 5 Million in luxury Hines, a further 5M in cash, and a Jitterbug.

Sheesh! Can’t you old faggots and young faggots get along?

—Matt Damon

r204 doesn't understand the assignment. We're not talking about internal communications within a building.

[quote]during 9/11, cell phones didn't work.

As has been said, cell phone technology is not anywhere near what it was back then. It's greatly improved.

IIRC, landlines didn't work on 9/11 either.

[quote]when I am in a doctor's office the receptionists are taking calls on landline phones

Yeah, old people are the patients.

[quote]Not really. Cell phones are not "essential." But I'm sure people like you think they are.

If by 'people like you' you mean people who live in the modern world of the 21st Century then yes they are essential. I don't know how anyone could survive in the modern world of careers without a cell phone.

I guess you don't know anyone who makes things with their hands then. Internet yes, phone eh.

I was living in Queens, NY on 9/11. My cell phone didn't work but I was able to reach my relatives who were worried through email, since my computer was connected to a land line.

r235 that was 21 years ago.

Without a cell phone, I would not be able to stay in touch with my friends, relatives (even the older ones) and business associates because texting is the primary form of communication now. And I'm no spring chicken, I'm well into my forties.

DL Eldergays really do live in some weird kind of time warp. Cell phones and texting aren't just for "the kids" anymore, they're a normal part of life throughout the generations. Are Eldergays antisocial hermits or something? Even my family members in their 60s/70s use texting as their primary form of communication now.

R231 said land lines did not work on 9/11. I I was responding to that.

One can text using a laptop, desktop, or pad.

Cellphone NOT needed!

Comprende?

land lines absolutely worked on 9/11. cell phones didn't. however, blackberries worked.

My landline didn't work on 9/11 nor did the landlines of most people I knew.

In any event, cell phone tech has greatly advanced since then.

r239 do you carry all of those around with you everywhere you go?

Wondering why people don't have landlines anymore is like wondering why people don't read print media anymore. Obsolete forms of communication that will be gone with the Boomers.

Actually I carry a cellular iPad mini when I leave the house in my car, r242,

I put it above the sun visor on the passenger side. Verizon is my carrier.

[quote] If by 'people like you' you mean people who live in the modern world of the 21st Century then yes they are essential. I don't know how anyone could survive in the modern world of careers without a cell phone.

People can, and do, survive without them. You're just one of those who cannot imagine being without a cell phone. You can't imagine life without it. It's sad, really, to be so dependent on and addicted to an electronic device.

[quote} Wondering why people don't have landlines anymore is like wondering why people don't read print media anymore.

People DO read print media. Don't you know that? I guess not. You seem pretty ignorant.

r245 you just don't understand modern life. You cannot survive in the modern world of careers or social relationships without a cell phone. End of story.

[quote]People DO read print media. Don't you know that? I guess not. You seem pretty ignorant.

Mostly old people.

The Eldergays don't like to be confronted with a world that has changed.

I pity you, r247 and r248

Stay stuck in the past r249

R248 seems to believe that we go out to buy a newspaper every day, or wait for it to be delivered to our doors. Print media includes the websites where they also publish stories.

[quote] you just don't understand modern life. You cannot survive in the modern world of careers or social relationships without a cell phone. End of story.

Yes, you can. You're just one of those sad cases who would rather die than not be tethered to a cell phone. You cannot conceive of life without that little device in your hand. A sad thing. End of story.

[quote] Datalounge, where everyone has 5 Million in investments, 5 Million in luxury Hines, a further 5M in cash, and a Jitterbug.

A Jitterbug is a cell phone.

No, but I wish I did.

VOI phones don't work when the internet is out. If there's a power outage lasting more than a day, your cell phone battery will be dying. You can have backup chargers, as I do, but eventually they'll give out. (They also take much longer than charging from house current, as I discovered in our last prolonged outage.)

I live in a part of the country where both hurricanes (fringe effects) and ice storms are possible. Either can cause outages of days or a week or more. We've had two derechos here in the last 10 years, each causing an outage of 2 days or more. I keep meaning to reactivate my landline, but it turns out to save almost nothing on my cable bill to do so.

[quote] Print media includes the websites where they also publish stories.

Print media means physical media. Physical paper copies of newspapers and magazines.

I wish I could kill the spam calls. I’ve now become EXTREMELY ugly, vulgar and hateful to them. I’ve used vile sex language and sometimes they still keep talking. One Indian dude became quite intrigued.

Yeah, cel phones are so vital, rally helps to increase intimacy, so great!! Bansky says it best...

R256, even with a landline, can't you get "caller id" and an answering machine? (or as part of your service)

Then you could screen out the spam.

R255, that is spectacularly stupid. The print edition of the New York Times has the same articles as the one you would get at a newsstand. The initial point was that only eldergays read "print media." We read the same media, but on a tablet or phone. You might see a distinction, but there really is none.

I meant the print edition and online editions are the same.

Well yes they can be the same (sometimes not) -- but anyway, there's a difference between a physical copy that you hold in your hands and read - and one that's on a screen, whether a phone, laptop, desktop, etc.

I too thought the term "print media" meant the form of the publication that you hold in your hands (on paper).

Does "print media" also mean that which you read on a screen?

I like the lecturer who thinks he is in the modern era.

well, I guess some people like to read a real newspaper. that's cool.

I would never buy a kindle or read a book on a tablet. I gotta hold the book in my hand.

R230 when a parent calls the school, they are calling a # connected to a LL phone in the main office or counseling office where through an extension they will be connected to an administrator or specific counselor. The same holds true for the nurse offices or the office of the board of ed. They all have numbers with the local area code. The same is true of many businesses and offices. You seem to have limited purview and experience. You sound like a basement dweller

PS R230 if you know any parents other than your own ask them if they ever text their child's counselor or the school's main office. Unlikely that a counselor would give their own cell number rather than the office number. Have you ever called pharmacy, dry cleaning establishment, Meineke Muffler, a doctor's office . . . and try to leave a text message?

Retired, yes. Early. At 51.

[quote]Made enough to get me out of the rat race on my own terms and with enough money/investments to take me to my grave.

[quote]Do not need a cellphone, so get over it.

[quote]Not everyone is like you.

[quote]—Living the dream, cellphone-free.

I can understand completely if someone says he has no use for one - he doesn't drive, he doesn't buy tickets to events in Europe, he's not worried about calling someone if the world goes down in flames, he doesn't use sex apps, he never calls a cab and pays for the service in advance (cancelable if there's a problem), he doesn't order dinner delivered to his door, he's never booked a table at a restaurant and prefers call and call back and call back again until someone answers, at the airport he would rather print out his boarding pass and evidence of COVID vaccination, he hates texting, in fact he loathes speaking on a phone of any sort, the phone screens are too difficult for him to read even with magnification, he has so little need for a phone of any sort that he doesn't need a cell phone, etc., etc.

But to make a virtue of "living the dream, cellphone free"...what the fuck? If you don't want or don't need one, why have it? But that's your fucking dream?

Goethe told us to “Dream no small dreams, for they have no power to move the hearts of men.” How right he was about not dreaming of having a mobile phone. Carry on with your dream!

R266 LOL. Quoting a Nazi german fucker doesn't help your case, gramps. No I won't capitalize the Nazi germans.

r266 -- You are WAY over thinking this.

^ This whole thread has been way over-thought. Who cares who is happier with a landline or cell phone?

Now, let's talk about all you crazies without cars 😜 How do you manage in the "real world" without a car? Oh, that's right, you have everything delivered via cell phone

The circle of life is complete

Cel phones great, really help us to stay connected with those we love. Helps us to stay close..See below

That is not correct R260

The physical edition of a newspaper is a snapshot in time, whereas the online edition can be updated continually.

Thus the online version will often feature stories not found in the print edition or are posted a good 24 hours prior to their appearance in the physical print edition.

This is even more true with magazines where the website is updated daily but not all of those articles make it into the physical magazine

My land line phone is more comfortable to talk on. It's longer than my cell phone and kind of hugs to my face. And I can cook or do laundry while having it cradled on my face. It's part of my cable/internet package and I like it.

Also, it doesn't give you brain cancer!

Well there is "speaker. phone" - better from the cancer angle too. And most of these younguns are texting, not talking, dontcha know?

Well, that's a relief R274 from the cancer angle. That holding it in your hand or having it on your person or near your bed all the time is potentially less dangerous

r264/2654 nobody said there are no phones in schools. Just that communication sent out to parents is done electronically.

[quote] And I can cook or do laundry while having it cradled on my face.

Or file your nails!

You can definitely smoke a Pall Mall, as well.

r278 this is Datalounge. It's Capri 120s or nothing at all.

[quote] well, I guess some people like to read a real newspaper. that's cool.

For me, one of the simple pleasures of life is reading a newspaper while having a leisurely brunch. As I sit reading my newspaper in the restaurant it will sometimes happen that the server will say "You're reading a newspaper!" They seem surprised and pleased. Sometimes someone in the restaurant will approach me and say "Where'd you get the newspaper?" Seems they were interested in getting one. Newspapers are hard to come by these days. But I think a lot of people wish they were more readily available. It's really rather soothing, reading a newspaper while drinking a cup of coffee.

R260, it depends on which paper you read. I read the Washington Post. The online and print editions are very different. The online edition places opinion pieces and light or trivial stories much more prominently than the print edition does. Anyone with an online subscription can access the print edition in replica form, but it's harder to read.

I suspect that many DL Eldergays cultivate a personality of helplessness in that they helps them garner attention, something they no longer get as many frequently report feeling "invisible."

Not embracing current technology makes them feel special. People have to take notice that they can only be reached by a land line or that they lack the ability to text. Friends and acquaintances have to treat them differently and to offer help, the treat them as special cases.

But mostly it is attention they want.

"I'll send a group text to everything... oh but not Hisstopher because he doesn't text. I'll leave a message on your answering machine, or maybe just hand-deliver a note on lavender-scented stationery."

Cell phones have become essential-

Not only are they for communications, but for internet, music, movies, photos, scheduling, calendar, reminders, etc.

Yes they are addictive but it’s because so many of our activities are now contained in one device. Heck, I don’t even have a stereo anymore—who would have thought that would happen??

[quote] Cell phones have become essential-

For some people. It's possible to live without one, although I suspect some people DO believe that, in order to exist, you must have one.

I got one of these.

.,.,

R272 You don't need to say landline phone, stupid cunt. The subject of the thread is a landline. Aids brain?

^ Our drunk techbro is here to set everyone straight 🙄

You don't like cell phones enough, so I'm smug.

[quote]For some people. It's possible to live without one, although I suspect some people DO believe that, in order to exist, you must have one.

Without a cell phone, a person my age would be unemployable and have a very limited social life.

An AT&T store manager told me this weekend that they no longer install new service on landlines. So, if you wanted to start a landline account, they won't do it, even if you already have the wiring in your home. People who still have them are ok for now, but eventually even those will be rendered useless and home phones will all be on fiber optic. Kinda sucks.

DLers really ARE 90 years old.

There are apps that cut down on spam calls, ladies

[quote]DLers really ARE 90 years old.

And they all like to pretend it's 1960

They'll have to take my land line phone out of my cold dead hands.

I knew about the reliabilty factor but gave mine up several years ago because the monthly cost was unreasonably high.

Sorry to hear you're unemployed R296 what's your idea of unreasonably high?

I bet you're the manager in the Father's Day Fracas video.

R269, Or without a television! Pretentious twits.

I have no problem with cellphones. I have a problem with some people using their cellphones, when driving, when in an elevator, when in front of a cashier, when in a movie theater, when on a riding lawn mower.... with no regard for the people around them.

Some of you are cranky as fuck. I'm trying to think of the situation laid out in R300 where someone on a riding lawn mower using his phone could be a worry to a third party. And if the person in front of you is fucking around with his phone while the cashier is waiting on him, could you not just point it out? A, "hey, you want to make a call or pay for that thing? you're holding other people up" does the trick and spares you internalized anger.

I'll always have a landline. Not just because of the off-chance that cellular service goes down, but mostly because I often talk on the phone for hours with friends or family members and I prefer talking on a landline as it's more comfortable and reception and battery usage are never an issue.

R302, I agree, reception on a landline is almost always better. Reception on a non-cordless phone is the best of all. I have a Western Electric Model 500 (the phone you grew up with if you're a boomer) that my cousin adapted for use with a phone jack and gave to me for Christmas one year. The reception is spectacular. I'd forgotten how good phone reception used to be.

Anyway, the Model 500 is not convenient to use for all the reasons corded phones were replaced by cordless phones, but it sounds beautiful. Even the clear, mechanical-bell ring is beautiful.

R301 you don't live in NY obviously. Years ago, at the food emporium in New York City I asked a woman who was leaning up against the door chatting away to excuse me. She became annoyed and said I'm having a conversation!

[quote]Reception on a non-cordless phone is the best of all.

I agree. I forgot to add that my landline is corded. I'll always be old fashioned regarding talking on the telephone!

I guess if you're an older person who's retired and doesn't have much of an active social life still having a landline makes sense but for everyone else a landline isn't necessary.

R306, Are you using your iPhone to spy on me? ARE YOU?!

Ahem. Anyway, I prefer to talk on my landline phone whilst (I just felt like writing that) on the Internet, aka, my Samsung phone.

I get bored extremely easily, so....

[quote]Not only are they for communications, but for internet, music, movies, photos, scheduling, calendar, reminders, etc.

I agree, except for movies. Do you really watch movies and TV shows on a tiny cell phone screen? I'll watch a youtube video or something on a cell phone if somebody texts me a link or I'm away from home, but otherwise, I use a computer or the TV.

[quote]I don't really care to be "available" 24/7.

Do you not have a cell phone? Landline only?