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Kids turned low-traffic NPR Spotify comments into a secret group chat

484 points · 257 comments · simonpure

xnx · 1790611372 · focus · HN ↗
The Onion predicted this in 2014: "Teens Migrating From Facebook To Comments Section Of Slow-Motion Deer Video" (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4mMY2Kl3GY" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4mMY2Kl3GY)
Reminds me a little bit of the agent improvised coordination schemes.
1. flyinghamster · 1790619163 · focus · HN ↗
  It goes back even further, to 1960s/70s-era phone phreaking. A lot of budding phreaks started out by finding miswired PBX systems and using their number-out-of-service announcement recordings as impromptu conference bridges.
  Some of this is documented in audio, on <a href="https://evan-doorbell.com/" rel="nofollow">https://evan-doorbell.com/ for anyone interested.
  1. bahmboo · 1790636517 · focus · HN ↗
    Wow, what a find! Thanks for posting this. It's funny that dial tones bring back the memories!
    Yah a network where you could dial a number and get automatically connected to another phone anywhere in the US without any computers at all and not even a transistor being used! Crazy.
    Luc · 1790682998 · focus · HN ↗
    'Exploding the phone' by Lapsley is such an incredible book on the phone phreaks.
    plapsley · 1790684414 · focus · HN ↗
    Thanks for the kind words! And it's funny, when I saw this story on HN my first thought was "loop arounds and talkable busy signals!" :-).
    Luc · 1790700197 · focus · HN ↗
    Thank you for writing it, I think about it often. It is so well researched and written, I could tell it was a labor of love :)

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