Word: phoning
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...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...
AFTER hours of anxious waiting, the phone rings. As he hangs up the receiver, James Baker turns to face the staff, his face shining with delight...
Caller-paid services like Surfline are increasing faster than a Valley Girl's phone bill. The number of such hot lines operating in the U.S. has doubled in the past year, to 3,800, offering a growing Touch-Tone emporium of services ranging from the practical to the kinky. Customers can call for soap- opera updates, used-car prices, stock quotes, sex fantasies or rock-concert schedules. Prices run from as little as 50 cents a call to nearly $5 for the first minute. Total revenues are expected to reach $450 million this year, up 50% from 1987. While...
...ease with which children can tune in to the dialogues, along with their capability of running up bills as high as $6,000, has inspired parents to protest the porn and party lines. Phone companies will usually forgive one month's charges if a customer claims the calls were placed by a child. As a result of these givebacks, some of the upstart phone services are facing uncollectible bills amounting to as much as 30% of their total revenue...
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...