A printed BT phone book has just been delivered. It’s a very slim volume,
nothing like the volumes of years past. It also claims to be the last ever.

On 12/02/2024 13:24, Tweed wrote:
> A printed BT phone book has just been delivered. It’s a very slim volume,
> nothing like the volumes of years past. It also claims to be the last ever.
>
>
I had one of those, too. Not sure what happened to it.

--
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and
wrong.

H.L.Mencken

On 12/02/2024 13:24, Tweed wrote:
> A printed BT phone book has just been delivered. It’s a very slim volume,
> nothing like the volumes of years past. It also claims to be the last ever.
>
>
I'll keep my one when it arrives for the grandchildren (along with a
selection of newspapers I purchased for them on Sept 9th 2022)

On Mon, 12 Feb 2024 13:48:30 +0000, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

>On 12/02/2024 13:24, Tweed wrote:
>> A printed BT phone book has just been delivered. It’s a very slim volume,
>> nothing like the volumes of years past. It also claims to be the last ever.
>>
>>
>I had one of those, too. Not sure what happened to it.

Of very little use. Even the area code / decode listings have been omitted.

Codger <codger524@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Mon, 12 Feb 2024 13:48:30 +0000, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 12/02/2024 13:24, Tweed wrote:
>>> A printed BT phone book has just been delivered. It’s a very slim volume,
>>> nothing like the volumes of years past. It also claims to be the last ever.
>>>
>>>
>> I had one of those, too. Not sure what happened to it.
>
> Of very little use. Even the area code / decode listings have been omitted.
>

Not in the one just delivered

So no more strong men tearing them in half then? I'd imagine a baby could
tear one of the little ones. So what now then? I remember the days when
every phone box had a directory. I have no problems as I get free directory
enquiries being blind, but what about everyone else?
Brian

--

--:
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
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Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"The Natural Philosopher" <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:uqd7je$1hlk7$1@dont-email.me...
> On 12/02/2024 13:24, Tweed wrote:
>> A printed BT phone book has just been delivered. It's a very slim volume,
>> nothing like the volumes of years past. It also claims to be the last
>> ever.
>>
>>
> I had one of those, too. Not sure what happened to it.
>
> --
> For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and
> wrong.
>
> H.L.Mencken
>

Brian Gaff <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote:

> So no more strong men tearing them in half then?

No need to be strong, I've done it and I am pretty feeble.

The technique is to grip the spine strongly so that the pages can't
slide over each other, then you have a rigid beam. When you bend it,
one side of the spine will be under compression and the other side under
tension, but the length-to-thickness ratio acts like a lever (or unequal
bell-crank) and multiplies the force. One side of the beam fails in
tension and a crack propagates across the spine, then you just pull one
half towards you and push the other half away and it shears into two
separate pieces.

--
~ Liz Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk

On 12/02/2024 13:24, Tweed wrote:
> A printed BT phone book has just been delivered. It’s a very slim volume,
> nothing like the volumes of years past. It also claims to be the last ever.

Just had ours. 112 pages, and that's a combination of domestic/business
entries and classified "Yellow Pages" type entries.

I wonder how big it would been at its thickest, when almost everyone
wanted to be in it, before the days of nuisance calls and most people
choosing to be ex-directory.

I wonder what proportional of landline phone customers choose to be
included in the searchable web-site "phone book" nowadays.

I have "fond" memories of trying to get round the ex-directory status of
someone, to pass on an urgent message, back in the days before mobile
phones. My parents were at their holiday cottage in a tiny village of
about ten houses and two farms. I knew that everyone in the village was
going to a party at the house of a couple who were social workers and so
who chose to be ex-directory to avoid abusive calls from their "clients".

My grandma phoned and from her slurring speech and her confusion, I
diagnosed a slight stroke - she didn't drink so it wouldn't have been
alcohol that was causing it.

I needed to let my parents know (after I'd phoned her GP and my sister
who lived closer that I did) but how should I do it? All of the other
people in the village (who *were* in the directory) weren't answering
their phones because they were at the party. Directory enquiries
wouldn't put my call through, even without revealing the number to me,
or even pass on a message asking my parents to ring me. I eventually had
to phone the local police station (at least it was still staffed in
those days) and they sent out a car to pass on the message.

The good news is that although my grandma started to decline from that
time and was non longer able to live in her own home, she survived for
another five years in various care homes.

NY wrote:

>I wonder how big it would been at its thickest, when almost everyone
>wanted to be in it, before the days of nuisance calls and most people
>choosing to be ex-directory.

Our removals van was late on the day, BT had already changed the
number and wouldn't tell me what it was (ex-directory), so nobody
could ring back to explain what was (not) happening. Eventually
it arrived, accompanied by a breakdown truck.

This was way before mobiles. After a couple of calls, during
which my incredulity that BT would not tell me the number of the
instrument I had in my hand got me nowhere, they eventually
compromised by contacting the new owners, to get them to call us
and tell us the number.

Also way before usenet, so I didn't know about the ringback
number.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK
chris@cdixon.me.uk @ChrisJDixon1

Plant amazing Acers.

On 29/02/2024 17:02, NY wrote:
> I needed to let my parents know (after I'd phoned her GP and my sister
> who lived closer that I did) but how should I do it? All of the other
> people in the village (who *were* in the directory) weren't answering
> their phones because they were at the party. Directory enquiries
> wouldn't put my call through, even without revealing the number to me,
> or even pass on a message asking my parents to ring me. I eventually had
> to phone the local police station (at least it was still staffed in
> those days) and they sent out a car to pass on the message.

Didn't there used to be several levels of ex-directory.

The usual one used would put the call through after asking the person if
they would take the call.

The highest level (NQR?) would not even admit that there was a person of
that name with a phone.

It is funny looking through WWII telephone directories, many military
sites are not listed but other quite secret sites, are listed!

On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 08:59:47 +0000, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> wrote:

>
>It is funny looking through WWII telephone directories, many military
>sites are not listed but other quite secret sites, are listed!
>

Wasn't there at one time a London Director exchange DEF (333) solely for the Security Services and
Ministry of Defence - all ex-directory, naturally!

On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 16:30:41 +0000, Codger <codger524@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 08:59:47 +0000, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> wrote:
>
>>
>>It is funny looking through WWII telephone directories, many military
>>sites are not listed but other quite secret sites, are listed!
>>

> Wasn't there at one time a London Director exchange DEF (333)
> solely for the Security Services and Ministry of Defence - all
> ex-directory, naturally!

My understanding was that DEF when dialed was answered by
an operator saying "Federal". You could ask for a gov dept,
including "Number 10" and "Number 11". I believe the exchange was
in the Foreign Office.

--
The NHS will last as long as there are folk left with faith to
fight for it. - Aneurin Bevan

On Tue, 12 Mar 2024 11:05:22 -0000 (UTC), Julian Macassey <julian@n6are.com> wrote:

>On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 16:30:41 +0000, Codger <codger524@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 08:59:47 +0000, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>It is funny looking through WWII telephone directories, many military
>>>sites are not listed but other quite secret sites, are listed!
>>>
>
>> Wasn't there at one time a London Director exchange DEF (333)
>> solely for the Security Services and Ministry of Defence - all
>> ex-directory, naturally!
>
> My understanding was that DEF when dialed was answered by
>an operator saying "Federal". You could ask for a gov dept,
>including "Number 10" and "Number 11". I believe the exchange was
>in the Foreign Office.
>
Interesting, thanks!

On Tue, 12 Mar 2024 18:45:20 +0000, Codger <codger524@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Tue, 12 Mar 2024 11:05:22 -0000 (UTC), Julian Macassey <julian@n6are.com> wrote:
>
>>On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 16:30:41 +0000, Codger <codger524@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 08:59:47 +0000, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>It is funny looking through WWII telephone directories, many military
>>>>sites are not listed but other quite secret sites, are listed!
>>>>
>>
>>> Wasn't there at one time a London Director exchange DEF (333)
>>> solely for the Security Services and Ministry of Defence - all
>>> ex-directory, naturally!
>>
>> My understanding was that DEF when dialed was answered by
>>an operator saying "Federal". You could ask for a gov dept,
>>including "Number 10" and "Number 11". I believe the exchange was
>>in the Foreign Office.
>>
>Interesting, thanks!

Just found this on the web!
https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1960/mar/16/federal-telephone-exchange-westminster

On Tue, 12 Mar 2024 18:58:47 +0000, Codger <codger524@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 12 Mar 2024 18:45:20 +0000, Codger <codger524@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 12 Mar 2024 11:05:22 -0000 (UTC), Julian Macassey <julian@n6are.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 16:30:41 +0000, Codger <codger524@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 08:59:47 +0000, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>It is funny looking through WWII telephone directories, many military
>>>>>sites are not listed but other quite secret sites, are listed!
>>>>>
>>>
>>>> Wasn't there at one time a London Director exchange DEF (333)
>>>> solely for the Security Services and Ministry of Defence - all
>>>> ex-directory, naturally!
>>>
>>> My understanding was that DEF when dialed was answered by
>>>an operator saying "Federal". You could ask for a gov dept,
>>>including "Number 10" and "Number 11". I believe the exchange was
>>>in the Foreign Office.
>>>
>>Interesting, thanks!
>
> Just found this on the web!
> https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1960/mar/16/federal-telephone-exchange-westminster

Meanwhile as Murrica prepared for "The Big One" there was
the Autovon system.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autovon

--
The NHS will last as long as there are folk left with faith to
fight for it. - Aneurin Bevan

On Tue, 12 Mar 2024 22:32:48 -0000 (UTC), Julian Macassey <julian@n6are.com> wrote:

>On Tue, 12 Mar 2024 18:58:47 +0000, Codger <codger524@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, 12 Mar 2024 18:45:20 +0000, Codger <codger524@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On Tue, 12 Mar 2024 11:05:22 -0000 (UTC), Julian Macassey <julian@n6are.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 16:30:41 +0000, Codger <codger524@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> On Mon, 11 Mar 2024 08:59:47 +0000, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>It is funny looking through WWII telephone directories, many military
>>>>>>sites are not listed but other quite secret sites, are listed!
>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Wasn't there at one time a London Director exchange DEF (333)
>>>>> solely for the Security Services and Ministry of Defence - all
>>>>> ex-directory, naturally!
>>>>
>>>> My understanding was that DEF when dialed was answered by
>>>>an operator saying "Federal". You could ask for a gov dept,
>>>>including "Number 10" and "Number 11". I believe the exchange was
>>>>in the Foreign Office.
>>>>
>>>Interesting, thanks!
>>
>> Just found this on the web!
>> https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1960/mar/16/federal-telephone-exchange-westminster
>
> Meanwhile as Murrica prepared for "The Big One" there was
>the Autovon system.
>
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autovon

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