Thread

1. gumby · 1790625014 · focus · HN ↗

   French kids started doing this in the 1930s with the talking clock (a French invention BTW). The clock was basically a busbar: callers were all connected to the clock. When it was not speaking the time (at the minute) callers could speak and be heard by others. And it was a free call!

   The phone system had switched to digital by the time I started using it so I never got to experience this, but in exchange I could use Minitel!

   1. Lammy · 1790625756 · focus · HN ↗

      See also: similar mid-20th-century Bell System phenomenon <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Beep_line" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Beep_line
   2. andai · 1790682998 · focus · HN ↗

      That&#x27;s brilliant! You reminded me of a story from my childhood.

      This one time my neighbor rang my doorbell. I answered on the intercom.

      We talked for a minute and were then both puzzled. &quot;Why did you ring the bell?&quot;

      &quot;I didn&#x27;t ring the bell. You did!&quot;

      Turns out we were both in our apartments, and an unknown third party downstairs had rung both our bells at the same time.

      This was how I discovered the doorbell intercom also functions as &quot;bus&quot; where all apartments can talk to each other. (It also blares your conversation onto the street downstrairs, though.)

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