• PhobosAnomaly
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    402 months ago

    Good old pagers. I absolutely don’t miss mine, but they were a welcome relief to get the odd message when you were working in dangerous or “clean” environments where phones (or any other electronic or transmitting device) were prohibited.

    I think my last one fell out of my belt and into a toilet mid-piss, so that was that.

    • tiredofsametab
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      202 months ago

      I associate it with on-call rotation. We definitely didn’t have money for them when I was in high school. I think one rich kid had one.

      • @SupraMario
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        132 months ago

        Yea little confused with this no kids had them, they where not cheap.

        • @[email protected]
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          72 months ago

          Not at first but they got cheaper, especially after cellphones started to become somewhat affordable.

          • @SupraMario
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            12 months ago

            True but then kids just jumped over to cell phones

        • @TexasDrunk
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          42 months ago

          I had one briefly when I was in high school. Between school, extra curriculars, and two jobs I was never home to get calls so I kept it so that if my friends had something planned after I got off I could get into some trouble. This was before cell phones were small enough to be practical.

          Unfortunately some folks that didn’t like me got ahold of the number and would blow it the fuck up while I worked so I got rid of it and my friends started leaving notes under my windshield wipers when they’d go out.

          • @SupraMario
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            12 months ago

            About the age when you got a job, but even then, that shit was not cheap.

    • @[email protected]
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      2 months ago

      I just had a pager to try and fit in there was zero practical use for it.

      in my experience, what was 1000% more likely was you gave each of your contacts a code like 111111111 meant call home and 2222222 would be your pal jason, if they added 911 it did mean urgent.

      This is also what the few other nerds i knew who had pagers did.

      Half the time they would leave the # where they were at because they might not be home.

      So if you got 2 pages in a row 7777777911 4155551212

      that would mean contact John at the given number and hurry it’s an emergency. There were payphones at school and the mall so it was easy to get in touch.

      • @ByteJunk
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        162 months ago

        There were payphones at school and the mall so it was easy to get in touch.

        I’m old enough to recognize this is not irony.

  • @haulyard
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    172 months ago

    My wife and I still text 143 for short.

    • Richie Rich
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      112 months ago

      🥹 Do it as often as you can. ❤️

    • @olympicyes
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      12 months ago

      Mr Rogers weighed himself every day to make sure he stayed 143 lbs.

    • @Today
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      42 months ago

      Wait until you learn about time and temperature.

      • @ikidd
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        52 months ago

        I use 555-1212 as a phone number when I have to sign up for an account and that’s a required field.

  • hypnotoad
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    62 months ago

    Anyone remember those jungle paging shacks all over the place? Decked out in white/black zebra stripes

    The local one had a jungle paging hummer H1 in full zebra stripes they would park out front… wonder if it’s sitting somewhere with that same goofy paint job

    • TheHarpyEagle
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      22 months ago

      What In the world is a jungle paging shack?

      • hypnotoad
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        22 months ago

        These little tiny stores that sold pagers. They were small almost popup style buildings usually.

  • @Etterra
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    62 months ago

    I remember this from highschool. I always thought it was stupid; a pager (2 when on call) was something my dad used for work & emergencies. It was hardly what I’d have ever called cool.

  • @werefreeatlast
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    12 months ago

    Now it makes sense. Back in the day there was a republican proposition in California that was to get rid of migrants. Prop 187!