stupid 9 outside line
Kuro5Chin
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:fwZ2-S8mXu8J:www.kuro5hin.org/story/2002/4/25/21742/8241+stupid+9+outside+line&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=8&client=firefox-a
“Now the last piece is this: You may think that in-band signaling is a thing of the past, but it isn't. In the telecom company's infinite wisdom, they have overloaded this switch-hook depression to an extreme degree. It can be a hang-up request to "start over", it can be a rotary "1", AND, if you happen to have already connected to a party, it is now the "flash" signal, a request to put the first caller on hold, and get a new line, for three-way calling, etc.
So, here is what I think happened. I dial
1. "9-1",
2. aw shit, I'm not at work
3.
4. don't hear dial tone (because we are connecting to emergancy dispatcher!)
5.
6. Dial my lady... yack away... moments later, troops arrive!
Just to let you know to be cautious in a similar circumstance.”
Also found this link, from the same page as above. If you’re brave and really want to find out, maybe you can under the “North American Numbering Plan Administration.”
http://www.nanpa.com/
The North American Numbering Plan Administration? Really? We have an organization just dedicated to this? Sounds like a horrifically boring job...
1 comment:
Glad I inspired you. Like the use of the word "stupid" in the search terms.
One piece on that blog/diary post is incorrect:
"Now I realize that simply dialing 9-1-1 at work wouldn't do anything, because the first 9 just gets you an outside line. You would have to dial the sequence "9-9-1-1" in order to dial the emergancy dispatcher."
You actually CAN just dial 9-1-1 from most office phones instead of 9-9-1-1. It's a "feature" to anticipate that people in a panic will forget the extra nine in a true emergency situation, so just plain 9-1-1 maps properly.
But regardless, the "why" is still a mystery.
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