Word: dial
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Deaf from birth, Marc Hagen, 17, had just about given up on school when his mother brought home an Apple IIe with a modem and showed him how to dial into the 200 or so computer bulletin boards in the Minneapolis area. "It just turned Marc around," reports Dolores Hagen. "Now he can talk to Bangkok if he wants, and if you saw my phone bill, you'd think...
...Local dial-up services -- carrying such prefixes as 976, 540 and 410 -- started sprouting after the breakup of the Bell system in 1984. The so- called Baby Bells, legally prohibited from offering their own information services, began forging alliances with hundreds of small firms. In exchange for the use of the telephone lines and their billing departments, Baby Bells charge a fee and also pocket a percentage of the monthly tolls...
...been the best seller, generating more than a third of the industry's revenues. The dial-a-porn lines offer everything from recorded fantasies to lusty personal ads. Bawdy party lines have also proliferated, though their popularity is fading. Many of the numbers are far from erotic, providing legitimate dating services or outlets for gentle conversation...
While porn lines may wither, the dial-up industry is likely to thrive by attracting plenty of legitimate entrepreneurs. It has become a haven for people who have ample imagination but a shortage of capital. W. Brooks McCarty, 38, a former Los Angeles ad executive, invested $35,000 two years ago to start a dial-up service that listed job openings. McCarty's company, National Telephone Information Network, now offers 30 different services, which dispense tips on travel, business and other subjects. This year's expected revenue: $10 million...
McCarty has high hopes for the industry: "It's the beginning of a multibillion-dollar wave of information-providing services, all funneled through your personal phone." Those who want to follow his example can get a primer by dialing a New York City phone number, 540-4540. The message: how to start your own dial-up service...