Using mobiles in an aeroplane... NOT dangerous after all! (apparently)

nobody wrote:
And if cell phones are unavailable, there is always the good old timer. You
know, the ones that go "beep" every second, and one long beep just before it
explodes ?

How much extra do you suppose it costs the villains to buy the kind of timer
where if you cut the wrong wire, it doesn't explode right away but instead
starts counting down five times as fast?

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

nobody wrote:
And if cell phones are unavailable, there is always the good old timer. You
know, the ones that go "beep" every second, and one long beep just before it
explodes ?

How much extra do you suppose it costs the villains to buy the kind of timer
where if you cut the wrong wire, it doesn't explode right away but instead
starts counting down five times as fast?

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

"Tristán White" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 10:16:11 +0800, Chris Blunt
wrote:
Do they still not have mobile coverage there on the London Underground
yet?


Not yet but it's likely to be very soon.

I know Valencia's metro system in Spain has it, it's very impressive.

Oh God, somewhere else I have to sit while listening to "allo Tracey, I'm
on the train. yeh it's crowded, someone just felt my bum" or something
equally inane.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favour of phones, I have 5 of them, but
they *don't* get used on public transport.


Ivor

"Tristán White" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 10:16:11 +0800, Chris Blunt
wrote:
Do they still not have mobile coverage there on the London Underground
yet?


Not yet but it's likely to be very soon.

I know Valencia's metro system in Spain has it, it's very impressive.

Oh God, somewhere else I have to sit while listening to "allo Tracey, I'm
on the train. yeh it's crowded, someone just felt my bum" or something
equally inane.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favour of phones, I have 5 of them, but
they *don't* get used on public transport.


Ivor

Miguel Cruz wrote:
How much extra do you suppose it costs the villains to buy the kind of timer
where if you cut the wrong wire, it doesn't explode right away but instead
starts counting down five times as fast?

Yep. And one wonders why bomb makers NEVER use wiring that is all the same colour.


expert far away via phone: "Cut THE red wire".
person trying to save the world: "All the wires are red".

Miguel Cruz wrote:
How much extra do you suppose it costs the villains to buy the kind of timer
where if you cut the wrong wire, it doesn't explode right away but instead
starts counting down five times as fast?

Yep. And one wonders why bomb makers NEVER use wiring that is all the same colour.


expert far away via phone: "Cut THE red wire".
person trying to save the world: "All the wires are red".

Ivor Jones wrote:
Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favour of phones, I have 5 of them, but
they *don't* get used on public transport.

Oh, come on, phones can be a lot of fun in public transport. I once got a lot
of calls destined for some campground whose advertising had an error in the
area code.

And on the bus, my phone would ring, I answer with "
Sorry, this isn't a campground in northern québec, it is a bus in downtown montreal"

then:
"Sorry, the bus is quite full at the moment, there isn't enough room for you
to setup your tent on the floor".
And while saying this, you watch the faces of the people around you.
Priceless. After a few calls with me giving different answers avery time, it
got pretty funny.

Obvsiouly, you have the standard teenage girl with the flashing antenna phone
discussing ad nauseum with another girlfriend whether her new boyfriend will
call her back or not. Those are quite boring but still provide light
entertainment at times.

Ivor Jones wrote:
Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favour of phones, I have 5 of them, but
they *don't* get used on public transport.

Oh, come on, phones can be a lot of fun in public transport. I once got a lot
of calls destined for some campground whose advertising had an error in the
area code.

And on the bus, my phone would ring, I answer with "
Sorry, this isn't a campground in northern québec, it is a bus in downtown montreal"

then:
"Sorry, the bus is quite full at the moment, there isn't enough room for you
to setup your tent on the floor".
And while saying this, you watch the faces of the people around you.
Priceless. After a few calls with me giving different answers avery time, it
got pretty funny.

Obvsiouly, you have the standard teenage girl with the flashing antenna phone
discussing ad nauseum with another girlfriend whether her new boyfriend will
call her back or not. Those are quite boring but still provide light
entertainment at times.

Then again, in my mobile, all numbers in the US are entered as 10 digit
numbers.

Miguel Cruz wrote:

In article , nobody wrote:

"Frank F. Matthews" wrote:

Strange. Locally, the 1 prefix indicates only that the call will have a
charge. I have some numbers within the same area code that have a charge
and require a 1 prefix while 10 digit calls to most parts of two
additional area codes do not require a prefix.

I the USA, there are areas where the telcos offer local metered service
where almost all local calls are charged. So I would guess the "1"
wouldn't be needed.

Elsewhere in north america however, the 1 is still necessary to make any
call that will incurr a charge specific to that call. It is also a
technology issue: the 1 routes your call to the switch that will record
the call data for billing purposes, whereas when you don't do the 1, you
bypass that overhead.


Maybe in the 16th century, but it doesn't work that way anymore.

Anyway, people trying to find a rhyme or reason to whether a leading 1 means
a call will be charged are in for disappointment. It changes by locality.

There are places where you can get dinged for a call dialed with 7 digits,
and in more and more places, you can always dial 11 digits (1 + NPA + local
number) even if it's a local uncharged call (and of course you won't pay
even though you dialed a leading 1). This latter development is handy for
people, for example, who travel around with their laptops and always dial in
to their work number and wouldn't want to have to reprogram it all the time.

The only way to know for sure whether a call will be charged is to look it
up (there's usually a chart in the beginning of the phone book where you
cross-reference the first 3 digits of your number against the number you are
calling). It may even vary by the calling plan you have, so what's a free
7-digit call from your house could be a 7-cent flat rate or cost 5 cents a
minute from your next-door neighbor's house.

miguel

Then again, in my mobile, all numbers in the US are entered as 10 digit
numbers.

Miguel Cruz wrote:

In article , nobody wrote:

"Frank F. Matthews" wrote:

Strange. Locally, the 1 prefix indicates only that the call will have a
charge. I have some numbers within the same area code that have a charge
and require a 1 prefix while 10 digit calls to most parts of two
additional area codes do not require a prefix.

I the USA, there are areas where the telcos offer local metered service
where almost all local calls are charged. So I would guess the "1"
wouldn't be needed.

Elsewhere in north america however, the 1 is still necessary to make any
call that will incurr a charge specific to that call. It is also a
technology issue: the 1 routes your call to the switch that will record
the call data for billing purposes, whereas when you don't do the 1, you
bypass that overhead.


Maybe in the 16th century, but it doesn't work that way anymore.

Anyway, people trying to find a rhyme or reason to whether a leading 1 means
a call will be charged are in for disappointment. It changes by locality.

There are places where you can get dinged for a call dialed with 7 digits,
and in more and more places, you can always dial 11 digits (1 + NPA + local
number) even if it's a local uncharged call (and of course you won't pay
even though you dialed a leading 1). This latter development is handy for
people, for example, who travel around with their laptops and always dial in
to their work number and wouldn't want to have to reprogram it all the time.

The only way to know for sure whether a call will be charged is to look it
up (there's usually a chart in the beginning of the phone book where you
cross-reference the first 3 digits of your number against the number you are
calling). It may even vary by the calling plan you have, so what's a free
7-digit call from your house could be a 7-cent flat rate or cost 5 cents a
minute from your next-door neighbor's house.

miguel