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Time Is Up for Calling for the Time
Alas, the march of time never stops. Only now it just got a little bit harder to tell exactly what time it actually is. Well, for some of us, anyway. That's because AT&T is finally putting out to pasture its so-called "POPCORN" time service, the automated system you could call any time of day to hear the robotic pre-recorded voice of a woman tell you the current time. It was called 'POP' because 7-6-7 (P-O-P) was one of a few prefixes that dialed the service, no matter what four numbers followed.
The system has been around since the 1930s, relying on manual drums of track recordings to determine and play back the current time. It was most often used to set your clocks by -- especially after power outages. But these days, with the clock displays on cell phones that are always correctly set (as long as the phone is connected), the need for such a service has declined. In fact, until now the service had been discontinued in every state except California and Nevada. As of September 19, even those old holdouts are calling it quits. POP is officially extinct. And in California alone, the freed up prefixes will create 300,000 new phone numbers.
So, RIP "At the Tone" lady. Perhaps you and the paper airline ticket system will become fast friends in tech heaven.
From latimes.com
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Comments
22
Subscribe to commentsConnieSep 3rd 2007 8:06PM
I remember, as I'm sure a lot of you do, when one called time, one could stay on there forever. With the advent of machines such as VCRs that needed exact time, calling the time number resulted in a call one minute long. Heaven forbid that you should call at say 20 seconds after. You'd have to call several times in order to get the right time set. For that reason, I haven't called the time people in such a long time. I bought a portable atomic time clock. Uses a battery for power. When the time changes, it changes automatically. Take it with me to every room to change the clocks twice a year.
Again, with this latest "service" setback, TPTB assume because they're rich, everyone else is. There is a huge digital divide. Not everybody in the US has a cellular phone or a computer to check the time. Buy a watch? What do you do when the time changes?
D n WISep 3rd 2007 8:20PM
It is sad to see this go. My late mom used it everyday at least 4 or so times a day. Her eye sight was failing and somedays were harder for her to see the cell phone or the other clocks. She could always rely on calling the time. Same with the weather, she could call so she would know if she could go to the grocery store with out getting caught in the rain. She would be totally lost if she were still here. However, as with many good things, they seem to have to come to an end at some point. What was the reason to end this service? How many people can we have on unemployment? Why is it the ones who make the big dollars seem to know what is best? What is so nice about putting someone else out of a job? How did this benefit any one other than the CEO who needed a raise!!!! Its like the song "In the Year 2525" so far its right on track and a few things earlier than the artist predicted. Maybe we should start tightening the budget from the TOP down, see how the big guys look when they get there salary cut in half or better yet, they have to leave to create a new position for this employee with whom he just eliminated his/her job. I reckon if that be the case there would be a lot less jobs eliminated a lot less people on unemployment. I feel sorry for the ones who soley rely on things like this and its sad no one takes them into consideration. Wait until this person gets to be a senior citizen and some youngster pulls the plug on something he/she relies on. What goes around comes around!!!!! D n WI