1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:02,640 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, it's us and we're here to talk to 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:05,160 Speaker 1: you about get this our book. We have a Stuff 3 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: you Should Know book coming out this November and you're 4 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:09,479 Speaker 1: going to love it and you can preorder it now. 5 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: That's right. It's called Stuff you Should Know, Collen, an 6 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:18,360 Speaker 1: incomplete compendium of mostly interesting things, and it's been a 7 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 1: lot of fun to work on and we're really, i 8 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: mean genuinely excited about how this thing has come together. 9 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: It's twenties six chunky Harry chapters that are just going 10 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:30,159 Speaker 1: to knock your socks clean off. And yes, Chuck, we 11 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:34,280 Speaker 1: are indeed proud of this book. It is truly, indubitably 12 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:36,640 Speaker 1: the first Stuff you Should note book and it's coming 13 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:39,319 Speaker 1: out this November and you can order it now, pre 14 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 1: order everywhere you get books, So do that, and we 15 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:47,199 Speaker 1: thank you in advice. Welcome to Stuff you Should Know, 16 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: a production of My Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hey, 17 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, there's Charles W. 18 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,320 Speaker 1: Chuck probably there's Jerry over there, and this is Stuff 19 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: you Should Know. Thank you for calling my eight hundred podcasts. 20 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: Go ahead, Collar, Oh, that would be great, Chuck, right 21 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:13,120 Speaker 1: to get that. We need to get that before we 22 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 1: released this episode, because some somebody, somebody, maybe a rest 23 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 1: boorg person is going to snag that and we'll have 24 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 1: to pay through the nose for it. I thought there 25 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: were so many very interesting things about this very seemingly 26 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: mundane topic. And uh, I just think it's interesting that 27 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: eight hundred numbers seem like something that would have gone 28 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: the way of nine hundred numbers, but they're still around 29 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: in the days where the Internet is thriving and the 30 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: Yellow Pages or I don't even did they still have 31 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 1: Yellow Pages? I think, yeah, I don't know. I think 32 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: I think I remember this one comedian years ago, I 33 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: was talking about the phone books when people are still 34 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: getting phone books, and he was like, the joke was 35 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 1: something about dropping out. Let me drop off four pound, 36 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:10,519 Speaker 1: very small portion of the Internet on your front board. 37 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 1: But then they just stopped doing that altogether. Yeah, I 38 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 1: know that they were doing it as recently as a 39 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: few years back, because they say would get dropped off 40 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:21,240 Speaker 1: once in a while at the mailboxes that are condo 41 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:25,639 Speaker 1: and um so I mean within the last ten years 42 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,359 Speaker 1: for sure, five years maybe, I think is the last 43 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: time I saw one. So maybe they stopped because I 44 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,639 Speaker 1: haven't seen it in a little while, but yes, so 45 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: toll free numbers, eight hundred numbers, they persist, they do, 46 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: and they really do. So this this how stuff works article. 47 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: I think the last the last number they had was 48 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,360 Speaker 1: from two thousand eight, and it said that there were 49 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 1: twenty four million working toll free phone numbers in North America. 50 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 1: And if you don't know what we're talking about, we're 51 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: talking about free phone numbers. Apparently in the United States 52 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 1: we call it toll free numbers. Everywhere else in the 53 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:00,519 Speaker 1: world is called or the English speaking roll. At least 54 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:05,359 Speaker 1: it's free phone numbers. So, um, there were twenty four 55 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: million in two thousand and eight. But get this, since 56 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: the advent of eight hundred numbers, they've released one, two, three, four, five, six, 57 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:22,080 Speaker 1: seven different prefixes of toll free numbers, everything from eight hundred, eight, seven, 58 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: seven all the way down to eight three three is 59 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,359 Speaker 1: where we're at now. And I did it, did a 60 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 1: little math. I'm kind of proud of myself for this one. 61 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: Chuck Sell. If you bear with me for a second, 62 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: for a seven digit number, you have nine million total 63 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: possible combinations because it starts technically with one million and 64 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: goes up to nine million, nine ninety nine, So you 65 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 1: have nine million total combinations in there. So each of 66 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: those prefixes allows for nine million combinations. So there's at 67 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: least there's seven prefixes. That means that there's at least 68 00:03:55,360 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 1: fifty four million plus a toll free number is in 69 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: use in America to day. To justify that many prefixes, 70 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: you know what, I can't wait for what that mass 71 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: person to write in and correct you do it? No, no, no, Josh, 72 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: that's you forgot about blank. I will argue with you 73 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: all day long. I got this right. I got it 74 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 1: right for once. Uh, lots of toll free numbers, and 75 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: like you said, they go down to eight three three 76 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: Now I think eventually they're going to get eight to 77 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 1: two eight eight oh eight eight seven at eight eight 78 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: nine involved never eight one one or eight nine nine. 79 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 1: Apparently yeah, supposedly. Uh, someone found an ancient text in 80 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 1: Aramaic that predicted that if eight one one were ever instituted, 81 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: that's when the universe ends. Can't do it so when 82 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: you dial a number. What this is all about, and 83 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 1: actually two things. What it used to be about was 84 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 1: largely for when calls costs money to make long distance 85 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: it was a way to route that charge back to 86 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 1: the person you're calling. Yeah, it was automatic collect calls. 87 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:14,680 Speaker 1: That's right. So if you were you know, they advertise 88 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: it as toll free. You don't have to pay a 89 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:18,719 Speaker 1: toll on it. We're gonna eat that cost and you'll 90 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 1: know it because it's an eight hundred number. Then, over 91 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 1: the years it became more and more of a sort 92 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: of just if you want to be a legitimate business, 93 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 1: and especially a regional business or national or international business, 94 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 1: then you kind of had to have an eight hundred number. 95 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 1: Even once tolls, uh, phone charges and things and long 96 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: distance kind of became a thing of the past, it 97 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:47,159 Speaker 1: just became sort of a i mean, sort of a 98 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 1: calling card, for lack of a better word, as Hey, 99 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,679 Speaker 1: we're a legit, big company. We've got an eight hundred number. 100 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: We're the third largest maker of bonking trundle beds. Here's 101 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 1: our eight hundred number. And in the old days, I 102 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:04,359 Speaker 1: mentioned the yellow pages where you would advertise it's so 103 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:07,840 Speaker 1: quaint to think about now is where you would advertise 104 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 1: in this big yellow book about your business and let 105 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 1: your fingers do the walk in. But back then it 106 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: was also eight hundred numbers were away that you could 107 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,840 Speaker 1: save money by not having to advertise in the yellow 108 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:22,599 Speaker 1: pages because you've got you know, one eight hundred you 109 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: know house painter right. Or this article, this how stuff 110 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:31,479 Speaker 1: Works article cites a construction company called Asphalt Sources, Inc. 111 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: Which got I guess that catchy eight hundred number and 112 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:37,720 Speaker 1: downsized their Yellow Pages add and saved more than twenty 113 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:42,320 Speaker 1: seven thousand dollars by doing so. And to be honest, 114 00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: it probably didn't hurt that they were also cited in 115 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: a house stuff Works article about toll free numbers. Yeah 116 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:51,160 Speaker 1: that was that was clunky, but definitely an example of 117 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:54,400 Speaker 1: how things used to be. Yeah, but but that's the 118 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: point of eight hundred numbers. And that's also from what 119 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: I can tell. The reason that they still persist today 120 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:01,320 Speaker 1: is that if you have a catch eight hundred number, 121 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 1: like you said, it makes you seem like a player 122 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 1: as far as business goes. But also, um, it's a 123 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 1: way to advertise, like I haven't seen the Empire today 124 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: add in three to five years, but I can tell 125 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 1: you that the numbers still eight hundred five eight eight 126 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:21,400 Speaker 1: to three hundred Empire today. You remember that one cars 127 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: for kids? I don't remember that one in eight seven 128 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 1: seven cars for kids. I've never heard that one, really, 129 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 1: but I would probably remember that one. Yeah, I mean, 130 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:32,640 Speaker 1: and we'll get to that a little in a little 131 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: more depth. Those are called vanity numbers, UM, but yeah, 132 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: and there are statistics and they are pretty um stark 133 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 1: and how much people remember that compared to just some 134 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:46,239 Speaker 1: regular old number. Right, So there's reasons for eight hundred 135 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:49,560 Speaker 1: numbers and the fact that they're still around. There's reasons 136 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 1: for that too. But they started all the way back 137 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 1: in seven. And it's like you said, it was a 138 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 1: way to UM to make it easy for people to 139 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: place collect calls, which was there were two ways to 140 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 1: to make a long distance call. Either you paid for 141 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 1: it yourself it showed up on your phone bill, or 142 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:10,480 Speaker 1: you could call the person you were calling collect, which 143 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 1: meant that you could you dialed the operator you said 144 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:15,679 Speaker 1: you wanted to place a collect call. The operator called 145 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 1: that number for you and said, hey, I've got Josh 146 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: and Chuck on the line. Um, will you accept the charges? 147 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 1: Is what they asked, and the other person would inevitably 148 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 1: say no and hang up. If it had been somebody else, 149 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 1: they might have said yes, and then that person who 150 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: was receiving the call, they would be build for that. 151 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 1: That takes a lot of time and effort for a 152 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:38,319 Speaker 1: phone call or for a phone company's operators to do that. 153 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:40,720 Speaker 1: So the whole point of eight hundred numbers was to 154 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 1: automate the process, to take the operator out of it. 155 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 1: And so the person would say, I'm receiving these calls 156 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:49,720 Speaker 1: at this number, go ahead and build me for them, 157 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:52,720 Speaker 1: just without even asking. Yeah, and and I think that 158 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:57,080 Speaker 1: story illustrates why I believe my theory is correct that 159 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: Gen X is the greatest generation. So great man, because 160 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 1: we we saw those early days that now feel like 161 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 1: we were in the nineteen twenties with stuff like this 162 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:12,560 Speaker 1: and three TV channels growing up or three major networks rather. 163 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: But we're also we're young enough to where the um 164 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: technological boom didn't confuse us or pass us by or 165 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:25,440 Speaker 1: pass us by, and we we've got we could dip 166 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: our toe into both. You know, we could grow up 167 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 1: on seventies music and also go to a E. D 168 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:37,160 Speaker 1: M concert right without like being weird. Yeah, I think 169 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: you're right, Chuck. We we might be the greatest generation 170 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 1: where the perfect generation perfect, That's right, I guess greatest 171 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 1: generation is taken. So yeah, of course, um in sixty 172 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:49,560 Speaker 1: seven it started, like you said, in the very first 173 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 1: business to have an eight hundred number apparently was a 174 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 1: company that just hosted numbers for other companies, mainly like 175 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:01,200 Speaker 1: car rentals and hotels and stuff like that. I think 176 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:03,719 Speaker 1: they were like a call center. Yeah, and so they 177 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:05,680 Speaker 1: went out of business, and then all those businesses that 178 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 1: were using them said, oh, well, we gotta get eight 179 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 1: hundred numbers now ourselves. Right. But the thing is is 180 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 1: a T and T was the only one with eight 181 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:15,720 Speaker 1: hundred numbers because back in the day, a T and 182 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:20,800 Speaker 1: T also known as mob Bell was like the basically 183 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: had a monopoly as far as telephones were concerned in 184 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:28,440 Speaker 1: the United States. And so yeah, and so, um, if 185 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 1: you wanted an eight hundred number, you went to a 186 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:33,079 Speaker 1: T and T. You got your eight hundred number, and 187 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:35,960 Speaker 1: then you paid through the nose for it. They would 188 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:39,200 Speaker 1: charge many, many times more than they would have charged 189 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 1: the caller had the caller just had been build themselves 190 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 1: for placing this long distance call, just for this toll 191 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,640 Speaker 1: free service. Um. And that's just the way it was 192 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 1: until I believe it was four when truss Buster Ronald 193 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:58,800 Speaker 1: Reagan saw to it that mob Bell was broken up 194 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:01,960 Speaker 1: into all the regional else Yeah. So then, of course 195 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:05,000 Speaker 1: when that happened, that opened up the world of competition 196 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 1: and the telephone industry in the United States kind of 197 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:10,880 Speaker 1: for the first time. And then, of course what happens 198 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:13,920 Speaker 1: is the cost to get an eight hundred number goes 199 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:16,440 Speaker 1: way way down. You can get a lot more businesses 200 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:18,480 Speaker 1: getting them, and then it just sort of became the 201 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 1: standard for any business that wanted to be even like 202 00:11:23,679 --> 00:11:26,240 Speaker 1: I said, a regional business. There was also a really 203 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:29,960 Speaker 1: big innovation that gets overlooked too that was actually created 204 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:32,199 Speaker 1: by a guy named Roy Webber who was an a 205 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 1: T and T engineer, and Roy Webber basically figured out 206 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:39,439 Speaker 1: how to use eight hundred numbers, not as phone numbers 207 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:43,520 Speaker 1: that were connected to a certain point in the telephone system, 208 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:47,160 Speaker 1: but as a basically a code that could be translated 209 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:50,800 Speaker 1: at a database into instructions. Are like, hey, here's this 210 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:52,880 Speaker 1: number they put in, what are the instructions for this? 211 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:56,400 Speaker 1: And in doing so he figured out how to make 212 00:11:56,760 --> 00:12:00,560 Speaker 1: toll free numbers go from regional to truly now, because 213 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:03,880 Speaker 1: up until nineteen eighty you had to have a regional 214 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:06,120 Speaker 1: toll free number for each region, and if you were 215 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:08,760 Speaker 1: a national company like say Hurts or something like that, 216 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:12,200 Speaker 1: you had a dozen or more toll free numbers that 217 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: you had to manage. Thanks to Roy Weber, who patented this, 218 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:18,320 Speaker 1: but a T and T owns the patent um, so 219 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:21,600 Speaker 1: he saw jack from it besides the salary um. This 220 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:24,840 Speaker 1: changed everything and made a truly national thing to where 221 00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:28,480 Speaker 1: one one single eight hundred number could serve the entire 222 00:12:28,559 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: country for a business. And it made the whole thing 223 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:35,480 Speaker 1: a lot um technically smoother too, from what I understand. Yeah, 224 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:39,080 Speaker 1: that was sort of one of two big things that happened. Um. 225 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:40,839 Speaker 1: The other one was in nineteen ninety four when the 226 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:43,800 Speaker 1: law was passed that said you can port your phone 227 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:47,120 Speaker 1: number between carriers. So if you're with one carrier and 228 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:48,840 Speaker 1: you're not too happy back in the old days pre 229 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:51,840 Speaker 1: ninety four, that meant you had to change your telephone number, 230 00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:54,560 Speaker 1: and that was no good for a business that was 231 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 1: trying to grow or a business that was already big, especially, 232 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:02,120 Speaker 1: And so that law ga and teed that portability, Uh, 233 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:03,960 Speaker 1: you could take your phone number with you, and that 234 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:06,199 Speaker 1: was a really big, big kind of sea change in 235 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:08,800 Speaker 1: the industry. Yeah, you could pick up your phone number 236 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:12,839 Speaker 1: and carry it across land to the next body of water. 237 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:16,880 Speaker 1: That's right. Should we take a break? Yeah, all right, 238 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 1: let's do that, okay, chuck um. So we're at when 239 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:45,439 Speaker 1: we could poured our phone numbers. Yeah, And that was 240 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 1: kind of the last big change. That's when things started 241 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:50,480 Speaker 1: growing so much that they had to I think in 242 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:55,320 Speaker 1: ninety six they introduce eight eight. It seems like every 243 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:59,599 Speaker 1: couple of years they started introducing new um what do 244 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: they call prefixes? Yeah, yeah, prefix exchanges. So we're down 245 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:07,079 Speaker 1: to eight three three, right, I think that's where we 246 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:11,640 Speaker 1: are currently. And then I've never seen that I have not, 247 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:13,560 Speaker 1: not that I've ever noticed. But now I don't I 248 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:16,080 Speaker 1: don't even pay attention. I don't call anything. I just 249 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:19,000 Speaker 1: go online if I have to call out call. But 250 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:21,160 Speaker 1: I don't like it at all, And most of the 251 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: time when I do, I'm just looking it up on 252 00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 1: my phone and clicking like the call thing. I very 253 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:30,480 Speaker 1: rarely type in a number anymore. And yet, bizarrely, E 254 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 1: numbers haven't gone anywhere, and again, apparently it's because of 255 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:37,160 Speaker 1: the the whole um marketing thing UM, which is why 256 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:40,640 Speaker 1: they're still around today. And then one other kind of 257 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 1: like um connection to the information age, the age of 258 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:49,440 Speaker 1: the Internet and computers and all that stuff. Um that 259 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:52,600 Speaker 1: eight hundred numbers have is that there was a period 260 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:57,680 Speaker 1: from about two thousand seven, eight nine maybe up until 261 00:14:57,680 --> 00:15:01,760 Speaker 1: about two fourteen where the cons sept of uh uh, 262 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:06,440 Speaker 1: say like a provider paying for your data when you 263 00:15:06,480 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 1: went on too a certain website, say they had a 264 00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:10,920 Speaker 1: website where they wanted to teach you all about their 265 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:15,200 Speaker 1: new phones or something like that. You would not be 266 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:18,240 Speaker 1: you you wouldn't be using any data while you were 267 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 1: on that site. And they originally called it one eight 268 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:24,360 Speaker 1: data for interesting, and then they dropped that around two 269 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:29,000 Speaker 1: fift and that was that. So here's something that I 270 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 1: found that is so boring, that I found so weirdly fascinating, 271 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:40,320 Speaker 1: and that is the notion of the responsible Organization. Uh 272 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:44,680 Speaker 1: maybe it's because it's the name. It just sounds really weird. 273 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:49,920 Speaker 1: It sounds like a scientology like subsection or something the 274 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:55,040 Speaker 1: rest org. So when you call a well, first of 275 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 1: all, all all these all these numbers, all these eight hundred 276 00:15:56,920 --> 00:15:59,880 Speaker 1: numbers are housed in a database called the eight hundred 277 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 1: Service Management System, the SMS eight hundred, and they know 278 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:09,160 Speaker 1: every single exchange of the eight hundred variation and if 279 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:12,800 Speaker 1: it's available, if it's being used, and how to route them. 280 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:16,000 Speaker 1: And if you want one of these, you have to 281 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:20,240 Speaker 1: contact something called a responsible organization. And that's just not 282 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:24,320 Speaker 1: a descriptor like alright, I'll contact UNI SEF because they're 283 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:28,800 Speaker 1: pretty responsibles. It's called a responsible organization. It's it's basically 284 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 1: like a domain name registrar for telephone for eight hundred numbers. 285 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:37,200 Speaker 1: And it could be a company that does this, or 286 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:39,680 Speaker 1: you could be a human being at home in your 287 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: basement that has set yourself up to be a rest org. Yeah, 288 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:47,680 Speaker 1: you just have to be certified by the FCC. Um, 289 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:49,920 Speaker 1: I'm not sure how. I didn't get to see how. 290 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:53,280 Speaker 1: But once you are certified, then you have access to 291 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 1: this database and you can legally say, now this number 292 00:16:56,680 --> 00:17:02,880 Speaker 1: is now taken by this person, right as nicely. Right, Um, 293 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:06,600 Speaker 1: they're watching you, and if if you help an old 294 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:09,159 Speaker 1: lady or man across the street in front of the 295 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:13,280 Speaker 1: FCC building in DC, they take notice you're responsible. Just 296 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: one big test. But the the rest borg, I think 297 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 1: what bothers me is that stupid abbreviation for yeah, rest 298 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:24,560 Speaker 1: boorg and the O is capitalized even though it's one 299 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:28,520 Speaker 1: word and as an abbreviation. But the point is it 300 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:31,200 Speaker 1: can be anybody. At first, it was just phone companies 301 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:33,120 Speaker 1: that were able to do that, and then it kind 302 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:36,520 Speaker 1: of became more democratized in the nineties. Um, and that 303 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 1: from that point, at the moment it became democratized, it 304 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 1: became corrupt almost immediately. Yeah, I mean corrupt in the 305 00:17:44,880 --> 00:17:48,920 Speaker 1: sense that, um, it's I think some ne'er do well, 306 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:53,720 Speaker 1: some non responsible people. Hey, this would be a pretty 307 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 1: easy way to take advantage of people, um by acting 308 00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:00,280 Speaker 1: as a middleman and charging someone fifty bucks to say, 309 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:02,600 Speaker 1: I can find them a toll three number. Here you go, 310 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:05,520 Speaker 1: here's your number, right, which that in and of itself, 311 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,359 Speaker 1: there's no problem with that, And apparently the SEC doesn't 312 00:18:08,359 --> 00:18:10,040 Speaker 1: have any problems with that. If you set yourself up 313 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:12,800 Speaker 1: as a service, if you're really doing it. Yes, so 314 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:15,199 Speaker 1: if you if you say, okay, you can come to 315 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 1: my website and you can look up a number and 316 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:19,280 Speaker 1: I will try to find it for you, and if 317 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: it's available, I will I will get it for you, 318 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:23,280 Speaker 1: and I'm going to charge you a fee for that. 319 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:27,520 Speaker 1: There's nothing wrong with that morally, legally or otherwise. The 320 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:31,400 Speaker 1: problem comes in where some of these rest boards say yes, 321 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:34,160 Speaker 1: it's fifty bucks to search, and then oh, yeah, this 322 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:36,800 Speaker 1: this number that ends in pain p A I in 323 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:41,560 Speaker 1: that's gonna cost you an extra grand. That totally flies 324 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:45,480 Speaker 1: in the face of the FCC rules surrounding phone numbers 325 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:48,160 Speaker 1: of any kind, including toll free numbers, which is that 326 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:51,480 Speaker 1: they're they're meant to be totally neutral. You're not supposed 327 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,359 Speaker 1: to be able to profit off of a phone number whatsoever. Um. 328 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:56,200 Speaker 1: You can profit off of like the search and all 329 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 1: that stuff, but a particular phone number is not. Its 330 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:01,679 Speaker 1: supposed to be doled out on a first come, first 331 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:07,680 Speaker 1: serve service basis with zero zero dollars attached to it whatsoever. 332 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:10,080 Speaker 1: And that's just not how it works. Yeah, so you 333 00:19:10,119 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 1: can't goose somebody if Dr Paine once eight d or 334 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:19,240 Speaker 1: tea pain, tea pain, tooth pain, No, just tea pain. 335 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:23,239 Speaker 1: Your dentists can't get that one because t Pain's got it. Well, 336 00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 1: they like you might get it, but they can't pay 337 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:28,320 Speaker 1: extra for it. It's first come, first served always. Um. 338 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 1: You were only allowed to subscribe to the amount of 339 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:35,560 Speaker 1: toll free numbers that you actually intend to use, so 340 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:37,679 Speaker 1: you can't just go get a bunch, like lock up 341 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:40,600 Speaker 1: a bunch, kind of like you can do with domain names. Actually, 342 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:42,639 Speaker 1: now that they think about it, yeah, you can't do 343 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:45,560 Speaker 1: that with eight hundred numbers. Can't do it. Uh. You 344 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:49,080 Speaker 1: also to prevent this kind of hoarding, the mandate that 345 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:52,560 Speaker 1: you allocate that reserved number within eight months, So it's 346 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:55,200 Speaker 1: got I guess it's got to be in use within deadlines. 347 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:58,560 Speaker 1: They have terms for this. Actually, brokering is selling and 348 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:03,080 Speaker 1: profiting from numbers. There's hoarding, and then there's warehousing. Warehousing 349 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:06,080 Speaker 1: is where you you take numbers even though there's there's 350 00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:09,240 Speaker 1: no one that you're directly getting at four. And then 351 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:12,320 Speaker 1: hoarding is getting a bunch of numbers, sitting on them 352 00:20:12,359 --> 00:20:14,240 Speaker 1: and selling them. And this is a big no no. 353 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:17,960 Speaker 1: But for a very long time it seemed to UM 354 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:20,679 Speaker 1: the FCC and the people running the FEC that it 355 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:24,520 Speaker 1: was not worth enforcing until I guess it got kind 356 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:28,960 Speaker 1: of um kind of wild westy, and there was a 357 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:33,280 Speaker 1: company called I T Connections that was fine three point 358 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:37,720 Speaker 1: seven million dollars into the Oh yeah, these are all 359 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:40,239 Speaker 1: like spam kings who came up with a sideline of 360 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:43,600 Speaker 1: like selling telephone numbers, and their whole thing is no, 361 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:46,640 Speaker 1: they're just performing a service. And then when the FEC says, 362 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:49,399 Speaker 1: well then why isn't your service the same regardless of 363 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:52,680 Speaker 1: any number, they say, well, this is all just supplying demand. Well, 364 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: there's not supposed to be any supplying demand. It's supposed 365 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:59,159 Speaker 1: to be first come, first serve um. But that's and 366 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:01,840 Speaker 1: apparently they just look the other way until I believe 367 00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:05,119 Speaker 1: two thousand seven ten, when the I T connect or 368 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:08,800 Speaker 1: Connection Company got hit with that fine. You know, those 369 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:14,920 Speaker 1: types of places discussed me more than just about anything. Yeah. Yeah, 370 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:17,280 Speaker 1: it's the ones that like, uh, you know what I'm 371 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:20,239 Speaker 1: talking about, Like the people that are like looking just 372 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:24,880 Speaker 1: looking for the loopholes to exploit so they can rip 373 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:27,600 Speaker 1: someone off the Yeah, the kind of people who carry 374 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:29,399 Speaker 1: like a neck brace in their back seat at all 375 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:35,359 Speaker 1: times in cases, or like I P trolls and uh yeah, 376 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:37,080 Speaker 1: I mean we can't go down that road too much. 377 00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:39,920 Speaker 1: But the podcast industry, you know, kind of went through 378 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,120 Speaker 1: a pretty famous situation like that a few years ago. 379 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:45,679 Speaker 1: And I don't know, man, people that just just go 380 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:48,800 Speaker 1: out and do some hard work. Yeah, you know, stop 381 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:53,359 Speaker 1: stop speculating, don't look for the angle, right, do you 382 00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:56,520 Speaker 1: know to get rich? Yeah, because you're not creating anything. 383 00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:58,880 Speaker 1: You're just sucking the life out of stuff. God, it's 384 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:02,040 Speaker 1: just so upsetting. Uh. Like you said, the FCC wasn't 385 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:04,200 Speaker 1: paying a lot of attention. So these things have been 386 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 1: sold on eBay two at big fat price tags. Um. 387 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 1: And beyond just the FCC not paying attention is apparently 388 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:15,880 Speaker 1: there's rest boards. It's it's just hard to keep track 389 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:18,480 Speaker 1: and they can be disorganized. There's no real system to 390 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:21,439 Speaker 1: get it all cleaned up, and so inadvertently this can 391 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:24,800 Speaker 1: happen to Yeah. There was one famous case though, two 392 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:28,080 Speaker 1: that that went to circuit court. I think maybe I 393 00:22:28,119 --> 00:22:31,080 Speaker 1: don't remember, but there was a Mercedes dealer in in 394 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:36,360 Speaker 1: Minneapolis and St. Paul who had since the eighties eight 395 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:40,000 Speaker 1: hundred Mercedes, and it went to his gold his Yeah, 396 00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:43,440 Speaker 1: when he said that, he think he he cites that 397 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: as reviving um just kind of a ho hum Mercedes 398 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:49,919 Speaker 1: dealership that that phone number. So he wasn't about to 399 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:52,359 Speaker 1: give it up. When Mercedes came around and said, hey, 400 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:56,199 Speaker 1: we want that for our national customer service, he said no, 401 00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:58,639 Speaker 1: and they sued him for it. They basically tried to 402 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:01,119 Speaker 1: get him on copyright and for a mint, and I 403 00:23:01,119 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 1: guess the judge of the jury found like, no, you 404 00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:06,879 Speaker 1: can't like, like a toll free number is not copyright infringement. 405 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:09,840 Speaker 1: And so Mercedes to this day you have to call 406 00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:15,520 Speaker 1: eight hundred four fo R Mercedes, which does the other thing? Chuck? 407 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:19,560 Speaker 1: You know my famous um dislike of acronyms that don't 408 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:24,560 Speaker 1: include a word. Yeah, a phone number, a toll free 409 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:28,760 Speaker 1: phone number that includes letters that go beyond the number 410 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:31,680 Speaker 1: of possible numbers you can use. That really bugs me too, 411 00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 1: I think because it was it wasn't until I was 412 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:37,920 Speaker 1: in my twenties that I figured out what was going on. Yeah, 413 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:40,080 Speaker 1: Like I would type the whole thing out and be like, 414 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:42,359 Speaker 1: you know, connect and I'd be like, I'm not done 415 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:45,760 Speaker 1: dialing yet. I But it was satisfying for that judge 416 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:48,359 Speaker 1: to be able to shoot down a big corporation like 417 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:52,119 Speaker 1: that under the you know, prior settled law of you snooze, 418 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:58,360 Speaker 1: you lose, Sorry Mercedes, just because you're huge sorry finders 419 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:00,800 Speaker 1: keepers and you snooze you loose. Man. Wouldn't court be 420 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 1: like kids Court? I didn't that a show Captain Kangaroo Court? Yeah? 421 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:10,720 Speaker 1: Come on? So um, I think it's high time, Chuck. 422 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,359 Speaker 1: Since we were talking about the eight hundred Mercedes case, 423 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:18,280 Speaker 1: that very famous legal case in the United States, we 424 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:22,000 Speaker 1: talked about vanity numbers because that is as vanity and 425 00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:25,760 Speaker 1: number as there ever has been. The singer Vanity could 426 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:27,920 Speaker 1: have a phone number and it still wouldn't be more 427 00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:31,399 Speaker 1: of a vanity number than eight hundred Mercedes. Yeah, and 428 00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:34,560 Speaker 1: you know we we mentioned it earlier. These are pretty 429 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:40,080 Speaker 1: tremendous advertising perks for a company if you get it. 430 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:43,399 Speaker 1: If you land on a eight hundred Flowers or one 431 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 1: eight hundred go fed x um, you've struck gold because 432 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:50,960 Speaker 1: that will stick in someone's head. They have done studies 433 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:53,880 Speaker 1: over the years. There was one where they showed an 434 00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:57,879 Speaker 1: eighty four percent improvement and recall over newmeric phone numbers 435 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:00,879 Speaker 1: and from like a TV ad or a billboard, and 436 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:03,920 Speaker 1: if you're listening to the radio, it goes from SEV 437 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:11,320 Speaker 1: recall to five recall. If it's got a catchy little jingly, 438 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:14,920 Speaker 1: especially when there's a song attached to it, a toll 439 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:18,560 Speaker 1: free vanity number. Yeah, that's it. I'm a huge, huge difference, 440 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:21,600 Speaker 1: absolutely true. I can't imagine how much money F t 441 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:27,000 Speaker 1: D has gotten from that Flowers phone numbers that there's Yeah, 442 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:29,600 Speaker 1: I think they even have I think their website is 443 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 1: Flowers dot com. They got in there early. I guess 444 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:36,879 Speaker 1: all these yeah, all these generic ones, you're there. They 445 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:39,040 Speaker 1: know how to work the system and push people around 446 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:42,280 Speaker 1: better than Mercedes lawyers too. Yeah, they send in the 447 00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:47,000 Speaker 1: guy with a little winged hat and loincloth, what starts 448 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:49,760 Speaker 1: shoving people around? Didn't that One't that? F tds uh 449 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:55,280 Speaker 1: oh yeah yeah, describing You're like, why do you have 450 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 1: a video camera on me? Right? Yeah? No, it totally was. 451 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:03,680 Speaker 1: He was that herms Hermes are Mercury. I think, um 452 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:07,199 Speaker 1: so I mentioned, you know, those good generic ones. It 453 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:09,399 Speaker 1: is great if you have one eight hundred Flowers, of course, 454 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:12,440 Speaker 1: but uh they interviewed someone for this house stuff works 455 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:15,680 Speaker 1: article who knows a lot about this stuff, and they 456 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:19,200 Speaker 1: say and Quimby says, yeah, you know, these generic ones 457 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:20,960 Speaker 1: are fine, but they're all taking. What you really want 458 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:23,800 Speaker 1: these days is to get in there and actually try 459 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:27,159 Speaker 1: and say something about your company as well. So instead 460 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:31,040 Speaker 1: of one eight hundred car loans, it's one eight hundred 461 00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:35,199 Speaker 1: quick loan or one eight hundred fast Closer. That to 462 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:37,520 Speaker 1: me would be a red flag to stay away from 463 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:43,159 Speaker 1: that mortgage company fast closer. Yeah, one hundred fast closer, Yeah, 464 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:45,359 Speaker 1: which is and you'll note that it doesn't have to 465 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:48,200 Speaker 1: be seven digits. It can be over seven digits. Obviously 466 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:52,360 Speaker 1: drives me bad. Why just because the extra number. Yeah, 467 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:58,119 Speaker 1: it's it's just not it's not it's not it's missing 468 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:01,920 Speaker 1: the mark. Anybody can be one to three, so that 469 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:08,960 Speaker 1: would be fast cloth. Yeah, just go with that, and 470 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:11,040 Speaker 1: then and then make it part of your ad that 471 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:16,840 Speaker 1: this is silent or one eight quick loan would be 472 00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:22,360 Speaker 1: one eight hundred kuai kakloa. Yes, I would remember that. 473 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:25,560 Speaker 1: I would remember that. I feel like we should get 474 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:29,080 Speaker 1: an eight hundred number. I had the same thought. Actually, 475 00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:31,439 Speaker 1: did you really? Yeah? What could we do with it? 476 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:35,800 Speaker 1: Eight hundred podcast is actually perfect? But we do with it? 477 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:37,840 Speaker 1: I don't know. We could We could leave messages on 478 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:41,080 Speaker 1: it once in a while. We could do a nine 479 00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:43,880 Speaker 1: hundred number. Yeah, it makes some cash and we'll talk 480 00:27:43,880 --> 00:28:08,480 Speaker 1: about that right after this, So chuck your right. A 481 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:11,240 Speaker 1: nine hundred number makes way more sense because we could 482 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:15,160 Speaker 1: be rolling in it if it were. Yeah, I think 483 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,359 Speaker 1: younger listeners might not fully appreciate the fact that there 484 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:23,360 Speaker 1: was a point in time. How many years did this? 485 00:28:23,359 --> 00:28:25,480 Speaker 1: This was less than ten even hey, yeah it was. 486 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:29,080 Speaker 1: The heyday was basically seven to I think about ninety. 487 00:28:30,359 --> 00:28:32,320 Speaker 1: People really figured out what a rip off it was 488 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 1: about six years. There was a time, a six year 489 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:38,440 Speaker 1: period in this country where you could set up a 490 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:43,840 Speaker 1: nine hundred number that was it could be anything, but 491 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:48,480 Speaker 1: it was basically an audio message of some kind and 492 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:55,440 Speaker 1: people would pay a ton of money to call in 493 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:58,840 Speaker 1: to speak to hear about the Kiss Army, or to 494 00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:05,280 Speaker 1: hear about Iffany the Singer, or Grandpa Munster, or the 495 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:11,040 Speaker 1: Psychic hot line or the board sexy roommates like you 496 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:14,280 Speaker 1: name it. Yeah, yeah, a lot of them especially were 497 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:21,560 Speaker 1: um uh what would they call them? Phone sex That's right, No, 498 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:24,040 Speaker 1: well they so there was this, there was this idea 499 00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: that so early on a lot of them were, and 500 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:29,240 Speaker 1: then it spread out into more and more ideas, but 501 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:32,440 Speaker 1: it was stuck. It was kind of saddled with that 502 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:35,880 Speaker 1: idea that it was all just phone sex lines unfairly, 503 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:38,280 Speaker 1: but that was the reputation it had. But yeah, you could, 504 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:41,080 Speaker 1: you could do anything. And the whole thing started very 505 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:44,800 Speaker 1: simply and primitively, I believe, with um not it wasn't 506 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:46,640 Speaker 1: the first one. NASA wasn't the first one, but NASA 507 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:48,960 Speaker 1: had one of the first successful ones, which I just loved. 508 00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:55,160 Speaker 1: It was called dial a shuttle and one nine nine NASA. 509 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,480 Speaker 1: You could listen to conversations between ground control and the 510 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:02,880 Speaker 1: astronauts on the S shuttle, which was a huge There 511 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:05,640 Speaker 1: was like a million people called in in nineteen eighty 512 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:08,840 Speaker 1: two alone, um, and every single one of those people 513 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:11,240 Speaker 1: were paying, from what I saw, a minimum of two 514 00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:13,680 Speaker 1: dollars a minute when you call the nine hundred number. 515 00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:16,440 Speaker 1: Two dollars was the was the base that I think, 516 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 1: like your phone company was going to charge for the service, 517 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:23,480 Speaker 1: and then whatever extra beyond two dollars it was was 518 00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:27,840 Speaker 1: what the the entrepreneur, the nine hundred number information provider 519 00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:31,000 Speaker 1: was charging. So if you paid a minute for every 520 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:33,440 Speaker 1: minute of content that you sat there and listened to 521 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:36,560 Speaker 1: on your phone, you were paying that person who was 522 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:40,320 Speaker 1: just some schmo who record, had somebody record some stuff 523 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:42,440 Speaker 1: for a nine hundred number. They were getting a dollar 524 00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:45,080 Speaker 1: a minute for every single person that called in. And 525 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:48,800 Speaker 1: very quickly from when this started in seven, when AT 526 00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:52,080 Speaker 1: and T started a program that said you can provide 527 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:54,960 Speaker 1: your own content and get your own nine hundred number. Um, 528 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:59,160 Speaker 1: it made a lot of people very rich, like very quickly. Yeah, 529 00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:03,000 Speaker 1: it was a way to make a lot of dough fast. Um. 530 00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:05,640 Speaker 1: I think there was this one meeting. Uh, I don't 531 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:06,880 Speaker 1: I was about to call it a famous meeting. It 532 00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 1: wouldn't famous at all. It was Appalachian. Yeah, it was 533 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:12,160 Speaker 1: this meeting that they referenced in this article. At least 534 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:15,880 Speaker 1: where'd you get this price snomics? Priceonomics? Man, God bless them? 535 00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:18,320 Speaker 1: This is by Seawan Revive. Yeah, it was a good article. 536 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:21,200 Speaker 1: It's very cool, the rise and fall of the nine number. 537 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:25,640 Speaker 1: But this was a telecom strategist named Bruce Kushnik who 538 00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:28,480 Speaker 1: helped Sprint start their own nine hundred service in the 539 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:32,200 Speaker 1: late eighties, and he said that he remembers a meeting 540 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:34,960 Speaker 1: where they had twenty five or so of the first 541 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:37,880 Speaker 1: developers that did this in a room and said raise 542 00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:39,880 Speaker 1: your hand if you're a millionaire, and like almost everyone 543 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:44,320 Speaker 1: raised their hand, and they were just they were They 544 00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:46,200 Speaker 1: had to know that it was a short window, I think, 545 00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:48,600 Speaker 1: which is probably why they they weren't just like, yeah, 546 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 1: I'll just do this one number. They were like, it's 547 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:53,240 Speaker 1: a gold mine out there for probably five years. Yeah, 548 00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:56,040 Speaker 1: and if you were like a celebrity like Whole Cogan 549 00:31:56,440 --> 00:32:00,840 Speaker 1: or yeah really any w w F Wrestler, Glow Wrestler 550 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:03,440 Speaker 1: or New Kids on the Block or DJ Jazzy Jeff 551 00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:07,080 Speaker 1: in the Fresh Prince, like some guy would come up 552 00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:09,240 Speaker 1: to you and say, Hey, I've got this business idea 553 00:32:09,280 --> 00:32:12,120 Speaker 1: for you, and we're gonna charge three and we're gonna 554 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:14,760 Speaker 1: split a dollar ninety five. All you have to do 555 00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:18,479 Speaker 1: is read this you know, five minutes script, you know, 556 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:20,680 Speaker 1: once a week or once every two weeks or something 557 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 1: like that, and then that's it. We're gonna split this money. 558 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:26,480 Speaker 1: And it made a bunch of money. It was really 559 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:30,160 Speaker 1: popular for for a very brief time. And the reason 560 00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:33,400 Speaker 1: why it was popular was because it was um as 561 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:36,480 Speaker 1: Sean Revie puts it, it it was like a proto Internet, 562 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:41,400 Speaker 1: except rather than everything being free and then advertising driven 563 00:32:41,640 --> 00:32:44,000 Speaker 1: where you get the content free, but you you know, 564 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:48,880 Speaker 1: have you're subjected to ads. Sounds vaguely familiar for some reason, Um, 565 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:53,640 Speaker 1: you paid for this free content. Yeah, and it but 566 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:56,040 Speaker 1: it had such a range, like you were talking about 567 00:32:56,080 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 1: everything from like Dj Jazzy Jeff doing something too, uh 568 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:04,640 Speaker 1: vote for Miss America or some legitimate things like and 569 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:06,840 Speaker 1: I don't know how good or legit it was, but 570 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:10,840 Speaker 1: you can get tax helper, insurance advice or whatever, or 571 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:14,720 Speaker 1: tech support to play wheel of fortune like Interact a 572 00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:18,520 Speaker 1: Wheel of Fortune, or farm commodity prices. It was just 573 00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:23,400 Speaker 1: all over the map. People realized we can get information 574 00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:26,840 Speaker 1: to people and charge a lot of money for it, 575 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:30,880 Speaker 1: and especially if there are children involved, you can basically 576 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:34,000 Speaker 1: trick them into running up a huge bill that their 577 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:36,680 Speaker 1: parents are gonna have to pay. Yeah, man, that's Santa. 578 00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:39,960 Speaker 1: When do you remember that? I remember, man, totally. So 579 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:42,720 Speaker 1: there was this Santa line, Chuck, you gotta tell about 580 00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:48,120 Speaker 1: the Santa line. Well, the Santa why because I called it? Yeah? Yeah. 581 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:51,560 Speaker 1: This was a Santa Claus hotline that asked kids to 582 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:54,720 Speaker 1: hold up their phone to the screen, and when they 583 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:58,240 Speaker 1: did that, there was a tone, a programmed tone that 584 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:02,040 Speaker 1: automatically dialed the number that I guess your phone would hear. 585 00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:04,800 Speaker 1: And then all of a sudden, this kid was hooked 586 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:08,560 Speaker 1: up to Santa Claus hotline where it was probably I mean, 587 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:09,920 Speaker 1: what do you think? It was probably just some Santa 588 00:34:09,920 --> 00:34:12,440 Speaker 1: Claus saying that he was working very hard on everyone's 589 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:16,000 Speaker 1: gifts to be a good boy for minutes and minutes 590 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:19,080 Speaker 1: and minutes for two or more a minute, So the 591 00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:22,960 Speaker 1: kid didn't even dial the number like the ad dialed 592 00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:25,160 Speaker 1: it for them with the tones. Yeah, and that was 593 00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:28,160 Speaker 1: one of the one of the big fraudulent things about 594 00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:30,840 Speaker 1: a lot of these, And some of them are legit. 595 00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:33,320 Speaker 1: They might have been dumb, but they weren't like literally 596 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:36,560 Speaker 1: ripping you off by causing these long delays. But a 597 00:34:36,560 --> 00:34:39,880 Speaker 1: lot of them would do these long delays. And I 598 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:41,960 Speaker 1: don't know about the Santa one, but I could totally 599 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:47,040 Speaker 1: see like, what's your name, son, Well, let me see 600 00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:49,520 Speaker 1: what I've got for you, and then for the next 601 00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:52,480 Speaker 1: ten minutes like, well it's not this one. Let me 602 00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:55,920 Speaker 1: look in this other room over here. Yeah, and like 603 00:34:55,960 --> 00:34:58,120 Speaker 1: a kid would sit there for thirty minutes waiting to 604 00:34:58,120 --> 00:35:00,920 Speaker 1: see what Santa had for him. Yeah, there was, there was. 605 00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:05,560 Speaker 1: It was pretty perennial. Um the headlines or articles about 606 00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:08,320 Speaker 1: some family that got hit with like a ten thousand 607 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:11,200 Speaker 1: dollar phone bill or something like that. Um. There was 608 00:35:11,239 --> 00:35:15,279 Speaker 1: one girl who famously called um the two Corey's hotline 609 00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:20,200 Speaker 1: two hundred and sixteen times commercials on YouTube. Yeah, there's 610 00:35:20,239 --> 00:35:23,360 Speaker 1: actually there's a BuzzFeed article called thirty of the weirdest 611 00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:26,640 Speaker 1: nine numbers from the nineties, and they mentioned one that 612 00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:31,000 Speaker 1: I hadn't heard of before that I'm not convinced isn't 613 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:34,640 Speaker 1: an Internet meme, like a fake Internet meme, But it 614 00:35:34,719 --> 00:35:40,560 Speaker 1: is the crying number, where this ad mentions it's like, 615 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:43,600 Speaker 1: why are all these people crying to find out call 616 00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:45,560 Speaker 1: this number? And these people are having like this kind 617 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:49,839 Speaker 1: of cathartic sobbing cry on the phone, and it looks real, 618 00:35:50,239 --> 00:35:55,320 Speaker 1: but it's so tantalizing lee wrong that it isn't quite nineties. 619 00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:57,480 Speaker 1: It's way more of the twenty one century and like 620 00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:00,680 Speaker 1: the idea of it than interesting than at So I'm 621 00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:03,719 Speaker 1: not sure it's real. I couldn't find anything about it either, 622 00:36:03,880 --> 00:36:07,040 Speaker 1: other than there's this ad that exists. There was nobody 623 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:09,759 Speaker 1: on the internet who's like I called this and yes, 624 00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:14,440 Speaker 1: this is totally real. Yeah. Um. The Prisonomics article mentions 625 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:16,600 Speaker 1: another one whether it was and I think these were 626 00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:19,400 Speaker 1: pretty common too, And this is the just the worst 627 00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:22,279 Speaker 1: when you're like praying on someone that needs work, when 628 00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:24,960 Speaker 1: you would call a nine hundred number for driver jobs, 629 00:36:25,840 --> 00:36:28,759 Speaker 1: um at twenty dollars a call. But what they didn't 630 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:31,080 Speaker 1: tell you was there was only like two or three positions, 631 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:33,680 Speaker 1: so they get all these people calling in at twenty 632 00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:38,160 Speaker 1: bucks a pop for the same three positions, right, just 633 00:36:38,239 --> 00:36:42,400 Speaker 1: so mean. There was also a hotline that you could call, 634 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:45,400 Speaker 1: a nine hundred number that charged you twenty five dollars 635 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:48,920 Speaker 1: to learn how to set up your own nine hotline. Yeah, 636 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:51,640 Speaker 1: that one makes sense that one might have paid off. 637 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:54,680 Speaker 1: And then the phone sex it was that was a big, 638 00:36:54,719 --> 00:36:57,719 Speaker 1: big thing. And um, I never called any of those, 639 00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:00,880 Speaker 1: but those uh. In the in the Robert All movie Shortcuts, 640 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:02,920 Speaker 1: you know, Jennifer Jason Lee was a phone sex operator, 641 00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:06,239 Speaker 1: and some very funny scenes of her, like with a 642 00:37:06,239 --> 00:37:08,560 Speaker 1: baby in one arm and a cigarette and like doing 643 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:12,160 Speaker 1: her ironing and okay, house cleaning while she was like, 644 00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:15,680 Speaker 1: you know, talking dirty. I was trying to remember what 645 00:37:15,680 --> 00:37:17,920 Speaker 1: what movie it was. It was Shortcuts. I was thinking 646 00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:21,399 Speaker 1: it was. It isn't um Punch Drunk Love. Yeah, there's 647 00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:25,480 Speaker 1: a sex line subplot in that one too. Who is it? 648 00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:30,359 Speaker 1: Who's the love interest in that? Uh? In Punch Drunk Love, 649 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:34,440 Speaker 1: the love interest is it was Emily Watson, Okay? And 650 00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:37,520 Speaker 1: she was she yeah, she was. She was the one 651 00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:40,440 Speaker 1: who was doing the phone sex line and then Philip 652 00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:43,080 Speaker 1: Seymour Hoffman was like the owner of it. No, I 653 00:37:43,080 --> 00:37:47,719 Speaker 1: don't think she worked for him. Philip Seymour Hoffman was, Oh, 654 00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:51,359 Speaker 1: he was blackmailing Adam Sandler that way. I finally saw 655 00:37:51,480 --> 00:37:54,480 Speaker 1: Uncut gems Man. Jesus, Oh, yeah, did you like it 656 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:57,640 Speaker 1: or hate it? I hated it? Did you really? I 657 00:37:57,719 --> 00:38:01,080 Speaker 1: hated it more than I've hated any movie in a while. 658 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:05,120 Speaker 1: And because it's possible, those brothers listen to this, and 659 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:07,400 Speaker 1: I know it must it was clearly they worked very 660 00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:09,279 Speaker 1: hard on it, and like they must be very proud 661 00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:11,080 Speaker 1: of it. But I hate that movie. Oh man, it 662 00:38:11,160 --> 00:38:14,760 Speaker 1: was my favorite movie the year. You're crazy. I'm not crazy. 663 00:38:14,840 --> 00:38:17,239 Speaker 1: It's a lot of people's favorite movie. Wow, I'm no. 664 00:38:17,400 --> 00:38:20,360 Speaker 1: I'm just saying, Chuck, I'm surprised that you think it 665 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:25,759 Speaker 1: was the I loved it. Well, we disagree on that one. No, 666 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:29,040 Speaker 1: I mean it's a divisive movie. I haven't met many people. 667 00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:31,880 Speaker 1: We've been a lot, We've done a lot of stuff 668 00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:33,520 Speaker 1: on that on movie Crush, and I haven't talked too 669 00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:35,239 Speaker 1: many people that are like, I don't know, I could 670 00:38:35,239 --> 00:38:36,799 Speaker 1: take your leave. It was all right. Most people are 671 00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:39,240 Speaker 1: like I loved it and I loved that those guys 672 00:38:39,239 --> 00:38:43,160 Speaker 1: bring that kind of intensity and stress to a film. Uh, 673 00:38:43,160 --> 00:38:46,120 Speaker 1: and some people are just like, uh uh it was 674 00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:50,560 Speaker 1: it was almost exclusively the ending for me, the very 675 00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:53,759 Speaker 1: very end. Yeah. Oh, I loved the ending. No, you 676 00:38:53,800 --> 00:38:56,759 Speaker 1: don't get to do that. That's against all the rules. Man. 677 00:38:56,920 --> 00:38:59,160 Speaker 1: Oh gosh, I thought it was so great. Now and 678 00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:01,520 Speaker 1: I liked Good Time. I thought that was a cool movie. 679 00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:04,600 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, this but now this is a good good 680 00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:06,919 Speaker 1: Time followed the rules. This one didn't follow the rules, 681 00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:09,959 Speaker 1: and I hate that movie for it. I loved it. Well. 682 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:12,759 Speaker 1: Since we um started talking about movies, I guess that's 683 00:39:12,760 --> 00:39:15,279 Speaker 1: it for toll Free and nine hundred numbers. Yeah, I 684 00:39:15,280 --> 00:39:17,719 Speaker 1: don't have anything else. It's uh, it's pretty think about that. 685 00:39:17,760 --> 00:39:20,800 Speaker 1: They're both sort of relics. But eight hundred numbers survived 686 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:24,040 Speaker 1: and nine hundred numbers? Are there any anymore? I don't know. 687 00:39:24,080 --> 00:39:26,000 Speaker 1: We're gonna find out if there are. We might set 688 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:28,919 Speaker 1: one up. Let's look into all right, okay, nine seven 689 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:31,960 Speaker 1: six evil? But ours could go to charity or something. Sure, 690 00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:37,319 Speaker 1: sure half of it? So uh, I guess then, what 691 00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:42,360 Speaker 1: chuck is time for listener mail? It is this is 692 00:39:42,440 --> 00:39:48,879 Speaker 1: a WASP related the band. Oh if only Hey, Josh, 693 00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:52,279 Speaker 1: Chuck and Jerry or whoever is producing. That's what it's 694 00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:55,080 Speaker 1: come to see. I've been a listener for seven or 695 00:39:55,080 --> 00:39:56,879 Speaker 1: eight years, ever since I got an internship that put 696 00:39:56,880 --> 00:39:59,040 Speaker 1: me in a car four hours a day, five days 697 00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:01,799 Speaker 1: a week. You're some story about wasps reminds me of 698 00:40:01,840 --> 00:40:04,080 Speaker 1: my own childhood experience with a wasp. I was around 699 00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:06,719 Speaker 1: six or seven. I was swinging at my neighbor's house 700 00:40:06,719 --> 00:40:08,640 Speaker 1: when all of a sudden, my butt started to hurt, 701 00:40:08,960 --> 00:40:12,080 Speaker 1: like really bad. So I did what was natural, ran home, 702 00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:14,600 Speaker 1: screaming for my mom. I'm not sure where she was, 703 00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:16,760 Speaker 1: but my dad was upstairs and asked what was wrong, 704 00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:19,440 Speaker 1: and I just said, my butt really hurts, and he 705 00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:21,160 Speaker 1: sort of laughed, but he could tell I was in 706 00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:23,200 Speaker 1: serious pain. So he told me to drop my shorts 707 00:40:23,680 --> 00:40:26,480 Speaker 1: and he gasped. Uh. He said it was really red 708 00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:29,800 Speaker 1: and there was a wasp still in his underwear, still 709 00:40:29,880 --> 00:40:32,879 Speaker 1: stinging me. I guess he killed it. I don't really 710 00:40:32,880 --> 00:40:35,839 Speaker 1: remember that part, just being in the tub afterwards. Uh. 711 00:40:35,840 --> 00:40:38,320 Speaker 1: And you mentioned a wasp and sting up to ten times. 712 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:42,759 Speaker 1: We counted thirteen stings on my left butt cheek. Gosh, 713 00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:47,280 Speaker 1: and that is from Michael Brown in Portland, Oregon. Man, Michael, 714 00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:49,719 Speaker 1: glad you made it through that one. I wonder how 715 00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:53,120 Speaker 1: you feel about wasps even after our episode on it. 716 00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:55,279 Speaker 1: Do you imagine being a little kid and running home 717 00:40:55,280 --> 00:40:58,239 Speaker 1: with a wasp in your underwear? No, I can be 718 00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:00,759 Speaker 1: I can't imagine being a wasp and some little kids 719 00:41:00,800 --> 00:41:03,480 Speaker 1: underwear while they're running home either. Yeah, because you know 720 00:41:03,760 --> 00:41:05,120 Speaker 1: that's not gonna come to a good end. You might 721 00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:07,319 Speaker 1: as well tell all the stings and you can I 722 00:41:07,400 --> 00:41:11,000 Speaker 1: feel a bath coming. Yeah. Well, thanks a lot, Michael. 723 00:41:11,200 --> 00:41:12,560 Speaker 1: If you want to get in touch with this, like 724 00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:15,000 Speaker 1: Michael did to let us know some horrible traumatic thing 725 00:41:15,080 --> 00:41:16,600 Speaker 1: that happened to you when you were a kid, we 726 00:41:16,760 --> 00:41:19,360 Speaker 1: love that stuff. You can send it in an email 727 00:41:19,480 --> 00:41:25,600 Speaker 1: to Stuff Podcast at iHeart radio dot com. Stuff you 728 00:41:25,640 --> 00:41:27,840 Speaker 1: Should Know is a production of iHeart Radios. How stuff 729 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,319 Speaker 1: works for more podcasts for my heart Radio because at 730 00:41:30,320 --> 00:41:33,000 Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 731 00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:33,920 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.