Off the HOOK!

when you call 911 how do they know where you are.............

in most states, 911 calls on cell phones are handled by regional centers operated by the state police. they determine where you are and then call the appropriate local agency. i have a friend who had a heart attack and called 911 on his cell. he died. i don't know that the lack of a landline made any difference, but i do know a cell 911 call has latency built into it.

that's the reason i keep my landline. it's even got push buttons contrary to what some would have you believe.:eusa_whistle:

Is it hooked up to your "I've fallen and I can't get up!" necklace?
 
when you call 911 how do they know where you are.............

in most states, 911 calls on cell phones are handled by regional centers operated by the state police. they determine where you are and then call the appropriate local agency. i have a friend who had a heart attack and called 911 on his cell. he died. i don't know that the lack of a landline made any difference, but i do know a cell 911 call has latency built into it.

that's the reason i keep my landline. it's even got push buttons contrary to what some would have you believe.:eusa_whistle:

Is it hooked up to your "I've fallen and I can't get up!" necklace?

i'm so glad you're feeling better.:lol:
 
when you call 911 how do they know where you are.............

in most states, 911 calls on cell phones are handled by regional centers operated by the state police. they determine where you are and then call the appropriate local agency. i have a friend who had a heart attack and called 911 on his cell. he died. i don't know that the lack of a landline made any difference, but i do know a cell 911 call has latency built into it.

that's the reason i keep my landline. it's even got push buttons contrary to what some would have you believe.:eusa_whistle:

Is it hooked up to your "I've fallen and I can't get up!" necklace?

can you rotate that avatar of your 90 degrees to the right...........
 
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I got rid of my land line a few months ago, it was a waste of money really, since I'm already paying for cell phone service with Verizon. I don't even use up my 700 minutes a month on that.

Anyone else still have land lines, and use them a lot?

Or have you gone way of the cell phone too?

We do. I like having my name in the directory as well as my wife's name is there also, and both are there at no extra charge. We want to make it as easy as possible for people who want to, to find us, without having to put out our cell phone to all possible callers.

We also like the convenience of having an A/M which gets our attention only when at home, and is taking messages from those we don't want having our cell phone number. Also they are there undeleted with a blinking red light as a constant reminder until whatever needed action is taken. Cell phone voice mail is not as convenient in queing up in that way.

Cell phone calls will reach us no matter where we are; driving a car for instance; and we want to keep cell communications to a minimum except for the most important/urgent communications.

All our home phones are not only land line, but also none of them are cordless; we have 5 of them, and this means we can take a call from all our most comfortable locations and not have to get up to retrieve the damn cell phone.

Also we have a fax machine we use for business purposes. I know that you can fax through the internet, but the time to scan in is far more time demanding than simply sliding a copy into the fax, punching in a phone number and pushing "start". Fax copies are exactly to scale, too, and computer copies are not. This is important for shop drawings or scale drawing for business purposes.

If I want to reach a politician, I believe that a fax copy has the importance of a written letter, but e-mails can be generated and are not equal to a hard signed fax copy.

Our cost for this hardline phone service is $35.00 per month, and they have just installed wireless internet service free of charge in our home through all new fiber optic lines. We aren't subsctribed to that, but when broadband service by COMCAST along with the TV/Cable gets less competitive, and possibly slower than the fiber optic broadband we'll be able to effectively net some off that phone charge by lowering a higher overall cable/internet bill.

Cell phones cells are sometimes not as effective in all locations inside a home; in the basement for instance. I notice some of our "younger" (and therefor "hip") neighbors who've no doubt abandoned landline phones, standing out on their porches even in cold weather talking on cell phones. I doubt they are out there doing that to combine getting fresh air with taking their calls for health reasons.

Calls to 911 are location sensitive for certain emergency calls which might become necessary.
 
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I have a landline.



Smart woman!




Real Deal With Cells
Recent Studies Link Heavy Cell Phone Usage to Brain Tumor Development
Stephanie Tardieu
Issue date: 2/9/09 Section: Science & Tech

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I remember a time when cell phones were a rare sight and could only be glimpsed at in the movies or on a music video in the limo of some millionaire rapper… Well, this is no longer that time. Over the past 10 years, it's become the most popular personal item used nationwide on college campuses and in the modern developed world. In the year 2000, it was estimated that 92 million people used cell phones in the U.S. (a number that keeps growing by one million every month). By 2003, the number of users worldwide surpassed 700 million! Though the cell phone was invented as a means to facilitate communication, the inventor himself could not possibly imagine the enormous impact this small and practical device would have today.

Cell phones not only connect us to our loved ones, but to our work, the internet, and the world at large all while fitting in the confines of a pocket. Its users include women and men of (literally) all ages. Recently I overheard my niece request a cell phone for Christmas from her parents at the mere age of 7! Cell phones have evolved into a necessity and for some of us, a lifeline we simply cannot do without. I must admit I could not do without my Sidekick II which allows me to maintain my schedule, look up the weather, download my favorite tunes, play Tetris, chat with my girls online, text my boyfriend and of course talk to my mom all at once. A cell phone has simply become a vital essentiality in our lives. Or is it really vital?

In recent years, the widespread use of cell phones has led to increased concerns about its possible health hazards and long term effects, namely brain cancer. In 1993, a Florida man pressed charges against a cell phone company claiming that his wife's brain tumor was caused by radiation emitted from her cell phone. The lawsuit was dismissed at the time due to a lack of scientific and medical evidence to prove that claim. However, the question still remains: Are cell phones really dangerous?

Cell phones operate with basic electromagnetic energy located between FM radio waves and the waves used in microwaves on the electromagnetic spectrum. This energy is called radio frequency (RF). The amount of RF someone is exposed to through cell phones depends on 2 factors: the distance from the cell phone to the head, and the length and frequency during which the cell phone is used. According to Dr. Glen Kowach, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at The City College of New York, "If you've got some of the newer cell phones, they operate at 2.4 GHz and that happens to be very close to the frequency of your microwave oven. Your microwave oven uses electromagnetic radiation, a wave length of light that you can't see. However, these radio frequencies are attuned to the absorption of water. So if you have a cell phone that is tuned to that frequency then the water in your skin and your brain could be heated by it (your cell phone)." Scientists have established that the heating of brain tissues is a prime cause of malignant tumors.








Real Deal With Cells - Science & Tech
 
Anybody ever tried Magic Jack? Costs $20 a year, You plug it into a computer with broadband and all your local and LD calls are free. Or so the commercial says.

Just wondering if anyone has heard anything good / bad about them.

magicJack
 
I'm not even sure there's a point to having a land line phone anymore unless you run a business.
 
Anybody ever tried Magic Jack? Costs $20 a year, You plug it into a computer with broadband and all your local and LD calls are free. Or so the commercial says.

Just wondering if anyone has heard anything good / bad about them.

magicJack

There are free VoIP solutions if you have a headset and microphone. I don't like VoIP very much, but if you're going to do it try something like Skype first to see if you like it. The nice thing about most of them is if you have a cam you can use that too and see who you're talking to. :)
 
Anybody ever tried Magic Jack? Costs $20 a year, You plug it into a computer with broadband and all your local and LD calls are free. Or so the commercial says.

Just wondering if anyone has heard anything good / bad about them.

magicJack

There are free VoIP solutions if you have a headset and microphone. I don't like VoIP very much, but if you're going to do it try something like Skype first to see if you like it. The nice thing about most of them is if you have a cam you can use that too and see who you're talking to. :)

I've always found computer calls to have poor voice clarity. That's why the magic jack thing interested me (made through a normal handset connected via USB).
 
Anybody ever tried Magic Jack? Costs $20 a year, You plug it into a computer with broadband and all your local and LD calls are free. Or so the commercial says.

Just wondering if anyone has heard anything good / bad about them.

magicJack

There are free VoIP solutions if you have a headset and microphone. I don't like VoIP very much, but if you're going to do it try something like Skype first to see if you like it. The nice thing about most of them is if you have a cam you can use that too and see who you're talking to. :)

I've always found computer calls to have poor voice clarity. That's why the magic jack thing interested me (made through a normal handset connected via USB).

The earpiece and microphone are not usually the cause of bad call quality with VoIP, it's the limited bandwidth and the way the internet handles data.
 

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