adventures in telephony

[ritaxis]

I know I should already have Skype or something lined up, but it takes time to do stuff especially if you're me.

I made a date with Frank to call him on New Year's Day. I sat down at the computer to look up his number and his IM icon flashed.

[Unknown site tag]

(08:54:43) ftrollman@gmail.com:
Did you just call?
(08:55:57) Lucy Kemnitzer:
I just got up and I was waiting until about now to look up your number and try.
(08:56:25) ftrollman@gmail.com:
I was in the bathroom, and one of the phones rang.
(08:56:35) ftrollman@gmail.com:
And I wasn't sure if it was mine.
(08:56:48) Lucy Kemnitzer:
Okay, I've just looked up your number and I'll try calling now.
(08:57:09) Lucy Kemnitzer:
Give me a moment to organize myself.
(08:59:37) Lucy Kemnitzer:
okay, I just dialed 011 420 774 937 382 and nothing happened. Seriously. My phone is silent.
(09:00:06) ftrollman@gmail.com:
My phone is on.
(09:00:46) Lucy Kemnitzer:
Just now I'm getting "We're sorry, your party is not answering. Please try again later. Your call will now be disconnected. 53, 870"
(09:01:06) Lucy Kemnitzer:
I think "your party" must mean the 011 420 part.
(09:01:50) ftrollman@gmail.com:
00420774937382
(09:01:56) Lucy Kemnitzer:
I'm going to try again with another 1 at the beginning like it was regular long distance.
(09:02:11) ftrollman@gmail.com:
That is what it says on my phone card.
(09:02:31) ftrollman@gmail.com:
But I start with the 77 when dialling it in here.
(09:02:44) Lucy Kemnitzer:
it says on the interweb that dialing from US it's supposed to be 011 before the country code.
(09:03:13) ftrollman@gmail.com:
My phone indicates that maybe there is supposed to be an extra zero.
(09:03:24) Lucy Kemnitzer:
So this time I got the regular high pitched three notes and "I'm sorry, your call cannot be completed as dialed."
(09:03:39) Lucy Kemnitzer:
Instead of the extra 1? I'll try.
(09:03:39) ftrollman@gmail.com:
So 01100420 774937382
(09:04:08) ftrollman@gmail.com:
17 digit number!
(09:04:20) Lucy Kemnitzer:
okay, I'm trying that.
(09:04:34) Lucy Kemnitzer:
Now I have a regular busy signal.
(09:06:50) ftrollman@gmail.com:
I am theoretically getting five bars.
(09:07:06) Lucy Kemnitzer:
It turns out calling operator assistance is complicated too. You have to know who your long distance carrier is.


The operator got through on the first try, and I had a nice long expensive conversation. He sounded really good, much more cheerful than in writing.

On another front, I saw "The Golden Compass" yesterday and it was really, really well done. I had few disagreements with the visualizations, and the CG was really naturalistic and beautiful. And Lyra's personality came through very well (Pullman describes her as a "vicious child" in the book). And I got a really exciting idea for my final confrontation. For the record, it's the scene on the ice bridge that did it. I'm thinking Pinnacles.

Oh, dog, I just had another idea: wishes, earthquakes, tumbling rocks. Usually this kind of thing is not in the interface's purview but seismic waves can be expressed as information and manipulated in that way, probably, and it is after all a universal conduit.

I need a day off with no family around, but not for a few days yet. I still get tired for no reason. Also, today I was reading the second Sharing Knife book in bed and the nice fellow said "Why is the page trembling like that?" and it was my hand. I've been feeling as if my hands were shaking sometimes but I can't see them shake. This objective manifestation is so disappointing I can't even express it. I can't tell you how depressing that is.

Comments

[mayakda.livejournal.com]

Is that flu recovery? Or are you sick with something else?

I loved Golden Compass too. Do you think they'll make the sequel?
My 10yo noticed they had scenes in the trailer that wasn't in the movie.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

You want to drop the second 0.

That is you want 011 and then the country code, (42) and then no zero before the area code (774).

It's the same for phoning internationally from anywhere to anywhere, that's how I know.

When you got the engaged sign, it was the US one, not the European one, right? If it's really engaged, you'd get the European sign.

[zeborah]

The reason is, dialing "0" tells the telephone-computer "I want to go to the national level and make a selection from available area codes" while dialing "011" (in your case; in NZ we dial "00") means "I want to go to the international level, make a selection from available country codes, and then make a selection from available area codes".

I can provide Skype tutorials and/or propaganda as necessary, just say the word. <snips evangelism> But yay for phone calls! Whenever I was overseas it always meant a huge amount to hear a voice from home.