Grandkids React to Cars, Phones, and Life Before Modern Conveniences

[John From Detroit]

The other day our daughter, 45, informs us that her daughter, 13, thought that when Wife grew up it was still horse and buggies for transport.

I have ridden horse many times and buggy once.

We had a phone like this when I was young. And 2nd photo for laughs.

 

[Wasillaguy]

computerized phone switching system (ESS?)

SS7. Signaling System #7.

 

[Larry N.]

SS7. Signaling System #7.

SS7 is the signaling system used by telephone services. Among other things, it replaces the old style 2600 cycle tone that used to signal the on hook/off hook state of a telephone. It does NOT do the switching for telephone calls- that's what the ESS (Electronic Switching System) is for, which replaced the old 4A and stepper systems, among others.

Muddy was, indeed, talking about ESS, a "computerized phone switching system," several varieties of which (4ESS, 5ESS, etc.) started being installed in the 1970s. Also in the 1970s STPs (Signal Transfer Points) were installed to allow the SS7 signaling, removing the signaling from the voice portion of the lines and moving it to what amounted to a specialized packet network.

Since I retired, some new systems (which I saw the start of, a little) using a different mechanism have come along, though still using SS7.

One thing I never understood is why they allowed the internet to have even ONE connection to the internet, since that's how so much fraudulent calling is accomplished. The original intent was to completely isolate the signaling system from any possible customer access. But somehow they allowed it to attach to the internet, perhaps to facilitate VOIP (bad stuff, to me).

 

[jymbee]

Gee, even my grandmother's rural farmhouse had running water when I was a kid. It was called, "Dutch, run out to the pump and bring me a bucket of water please."

Not unlike our first television with "remote control". Yeah, right...

 

[jymbee]

SS7 is the signaling system used by telephone services. Among other things, it replaces the old style 2600 cycle tone that used to signal the on hook/off hook state of a telephone. It does NOT do the switching for telephone calls- that's what the ESS (Electronic Switching System) is for, which replaced the old 4A and stepper systems, among others.

I guess the more things changed... oh well-- the more they change. (Love the pencil sharpener.)

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[EdJunior]

I guess the more things changed... oh well-- the more they change. (Love the pencil sharpener.)

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I have one of those pencil sharpeners attached to the wall in my garage. It was there when I bought the house. I think I actually used it a couple of times. I used to have one that "stuck" to a table or counter with a rubber pad thingie, but I don't know what happened to it. It's probably somewhere around the house.