On Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:58:02 GMT, Avery wrote:

Trivia: Did you know that you can actually call/dial a number by "flashing
the switch hook"? It's true. This is 1876 technology, folks. "Make/break"
6th grade circuitry. The technique (spoof?) works to this day. You have to
be really GOOD at it and get it right but, 3 "flashes" of the switch hook
equal a "3", 5 flashes = 5 and so on really works.

When I was a young nerd, I made a telephone using an old carbon mike, a small
speaker, and a home-made telegraph key all hooked in series. Worked great.
What was really fun was listening to the neighbors on our party line!