These days, one can identify the origin of a phone call using caller i.d. One can also buy a service that thwarts others who want to use caller i.d. (caller i.d. block). I propose an arms race – style escalation of these services to be rolled out over a period of time. Thus, Caller I.D. Block Override, to be followed by Caller I.D. Block Override Defeater, etc. ad infinitum, each service disabling the previous one in an incremental fashion.
Such services could be applied to one’s monthly bill, but I think it might be more Satanic to have them somehow built into the phone company’s network, allowing customers to engage in telephonic one-upsmanship at their convenience by hitting special keys. Thus:
*ring* *ring*
First Guy: “Who the hell is calling me?” (beep)
Other Guy: “Hey, he’s trying to find out who I am! I’ll show him!” (beep)
First Guy: “What the …? Time to break out the big guns. Hmm, maybe The Rebuker.” (beep)
Other Guy: “Okay loser, have a taste of my new Super Mega Ultra Caller I.D. Block Override Defeat Preventer Mach III!” (beep)
(Sounds of grunting and electronic beeps fill the air)
People will thus be enabled to waste enormous amounts of time in the process of determining and defeating the knowledge of who is on the other end of the line, while the phone company profits.-- snarfyguy, Nov 13 2002 (?) Almost related http://www.rit.edu/...libanphonecall.htmlYou've probably seen before, but anyway... [RayfordSteele, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004] I already screen calls - we get three or four a day from withheld numbers - comes of living somewhere posh. If they withheld their number I wouldn't even bother trying to find out who it really was. I'm not interested in boosting the profits of our phone company more than absolutely necessary. Just my poisernal view, you understand.-- PeterSilly, Nov 13 2002 Better to have a phone that doesn't ring if Caller I.D. info isn't available.-- phoenix, Nov 13 2002 There should also be a phone weapon forcing the phone to ring in an uninterrupted fashion, steadily, until the call is answered. This would convey more of a sense of urgency.-- bungston, Nov 13 2002 And a complementary feature to defeat that feature as well. Nice.-- snarfyguy, Nov 13 2002 Caller ID is only so effective; long distance confounds it, I believe.-- RayfordSteele, Nov 13 2002 Didn't we already see this in "The Big Hit"? The Trace Buster Buster gag...-- Croesus47, Nov 14 2002 Sort of what UB said. What's the point of having a phone and then not answering the calls? I'm bemused.-- DrBob, Nov 14 2002 Yeah [rayfordsteele]. it still makes me laugh when i check the caller id and it says that "New jersey" is calling me. makes me feel so special i guess.-- notme, Nov 14 2002 [DrBob]: Indeed, what is the point? It should go without saying that the intent here is satirical.-- snarfyguy, Nov 14 2002 //the point of having a phone// [Doc], I don't answer my phone, but I use it to call other people who don't answer theirs. The secret is the answering machine. In [snarf]'s new system, people would pay to have someone sneak into my place, pick up the phone when it rings and hand me the phone. "Yes, he's right here on the couch. --It's for you..." I'd then pay a small fee to keep the covert "operators" out. And it goes on...-- Amos Kito, Nov 14 2002 DrBob: this bizarre habit is very popular in NYC - people we know here have long been using answering machines to filter callers. (You can tell because you always get their answering machines, then they pick up when you're halfway through leaving your message.)
I'm still undecided whether it's a coping mechanism in a high-stress society, or bloody-minded anti-social behaviour.-- DrCurry, Nov 14 2002 I don't think I know anyone here who answers the phone. And nobody's offended: either the person you're calling will pick up when you identify yourself, or you can can deduce the person is not home ("not being at home," of course, possibly equalling "not wanting to talk to you," but hey, *shrug*).-- snarfyguy, Nov 14 2002 Why not give unlisted numbers an identifier which would show up on caller id, so that the number would remain confidential but allow others to recognize the caller? Battered women and others could call others and still feel safe about confidentiality.-- augustr, Nov 14 2002 Augustr, I like that idea. That would be a nice touch for avoiding those telemarketers with lots of numbers: assign a single unlisted caller ID to the entire bank of numbers: I.E. callerID would just display "caller: ident15487". If you want to remember who it is, apply a label to it. If not, ignore it. I know this would help me, as I get lots of calls from telemarketers which I'd like to ignore, as well as numerous calls from "unlisted or private number" that I'd like to pick up. A one-way ID link such as this would be of great help.-- Freefall, Nov 15 2002 A phone number that is unlisted but is also somehow knowable is an intriguing idea. Must work on that...-- snarfyguy, Nov 16 2002 Is there not software to track blocked calls? Why does the tracing information go to the police. Why not make it possible for data from the call to be sent to the customer.-- rcgras, May 12 2003 random, halfbakery