Re: Emergency-only phone

I think even "phones without valid cell plans" are capable of making 911 calls (at least, I *hope* so as I have one stuffed in the glove box -- with a charger -- for just that purpose!).

The "senior crowd" are marketed devices with large buttons and no frills -- just to be able to phone their kids, etc.

You can purchase phones/plans that restrict the phone to only calling a certain set of predefined phone numbers (a friend has one for her pre-dementia mother to ensure she *can't* call any of the scams listed on TV but *can* call her).

IIRC, every phone made today has GPS -- which is displayed at the "call center" when you call 911.

And, none of these issues would, therefore, require a special, "limited market" device to be developed. ("it's all software")

Like everbody knows how to say "Greiss".

Speaking of which, your reappearance reminds me of several things, like...

Kirk after the fake Vulcan death grip, Kirk after the koon ut kalifee, Kirk's disappearance in Tholian space, Spock's shuttle emerging from the amoeba, Spock after his orb was destroyed, Finney hiding in engineering, Scotty being shot by Nomad, Chekov being shot by the Earps.

In other words, I'm glad to see you're back, but I (and some others) thought you were dead.

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Hopefully there's another number you can call to test it, like the old 958.

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I thought Grise was pronounced "greasy" >:-} ...Jim Thompson

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| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
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I love to cook with wine.     Sometimes I even put it in the food.

all GSM phone can call 112 (and 911 and other standard emergency numbers) even with out a sim card and if using another provider in range if you own is not in range, it'll even say so on the display "emergency only"

I'm sure CDMA has similar requirements in the standard

called enhanced 911 (E911) I think it has some sort of requiment

and FCC recommend you don't have 911 on a single button dial up

-Lasse

Unfortunately, if there *is*, I am not aware of it! :< As cell phones have no guarantee of *service*, I just lump the possibility that the phone "may not work" (due to a defect or incompatibility with 'current' wireless standards) in with the possibility that a *functional* phone may still not be able to "get reception" in a particular location/situation.

I can live with that uncertainty. 40 years ago we *all* would be "without phone contact" if our vehicle ran off the road. Yet, we somehow didn't suffer a mass extinction! :>

(I'm more worried about the consequences of electrical system failure and how many things in a modern vehicle rely on it! And, whether or not I am *aware* of all of those consequences...)

Ya, I wondered about that for a while but found you posting on other groups. Rich, got any new corny jokes? Mikek

GSM, CDMA (in the cell phone context) don't mean anything to me (as a non-cell phone user) :> I've never bothered to engage a technology that I'm not going to be using... :-/

[The two times I've taken SWMBO'd emergency phone with me to "call when my flight lands", I had to study the damn phone to figure out how to *use* it! :> ]

I had read somewhere, years ago, that cell phones remained capable of accessing 911 even "without service (contract)". But, I know cell phone technologies have evolved since then and *assumed* that an "old" cell phone wouldn't be capable of accessing the network(s) AT ALL (?). Hence my current practice of "upgrading" our "911 phones" each time I encounter someone upgrading their

*daily use* cell phone! :>

I think cell phones see such tremendous turnover that damn near anyone who has/uses one has whatever capabilities are required (?)

The "current practices" wrt 911 seem to change often. Originally, it was "for emergency use, only". I.e., if you wanted to call the PD to report a theft (after the fact), you used the "regular" PD phone number.

Then, someone decided that *all* calls should go to the 911 number (which seemed ludicrous!).

More recently, it seems folks are trying to "uneducate/reeducate" people back to the original 911 role.

And, of course, people who don't seem to understand what constitutes a genuine "emergency"!

[I recall seeing a news story, recently, about a "flood" of calls to 911 for something insane -- like people complaining that their CATV service was out in some "high demand" time.]

I'm curious why not? I don't use my phone much but it does make a lot of things much easier so I wouldn't go anywhere with out it

I quite sure the phones still work

I mean to say has become a requirement, i.e. newer phone must be able to do it

here all the PDs had numbers ending in 1448 ( from gospel of Mark 14:48 "that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me")

now if you dial 114 you will get the nearest police station

0>

here so many dialed 112 to test their cell phone before they had a sim card a recording of "you have called 112" was added so there was a few seconds to hang up before you get an operator

-Lasse

I've worked out of the house (i.e., "at home" in case that has the OPPOSITE meaning, elsewhere :> ) for 20+ years. So, there has always been a "land line" (or three) around if I need it.

[I put less than 1,500 miles/year on my vehicle -- to give you an idea of how seldom I am "away from home". :> ]

I, long ago, decided that telephone (business) conversations were fraught with misunderstanding: "I thought you said this would take two weeks?" "No, when you were fishing around for a *hypothetical* time schedule for a *hypothetical* design, I told you 'it could take a few weeks IFF '."

So, I moved ALL business correspondence to email. This provides BOTH parties with a record of what was said along with context and dates. Furthermore, it forces people (myself included) to

*think* about what they want to ask instead of just "talking off the cuff". And, it gives the other party time to decide on the proper reply: none of this "give me a rough idea" crap! [It also has the wonderful characteristic that it doesn't ring the phone during "normal" (for other people :> ) business hours (I tend to live and work on a time-shifted schedule -- no idea when you can count on me being awake/asleep/home/away/etc.)]

As many of my friends are located far away, it also is convenient for keeping in touch with them -- as best suits our individual schedules (e.g., "Hi Don, I just put the kids to bed so I've got some time to answer your last message...")

And, lets me omit lots of prose when I want to explain something I've done, encountered, etc.: "Here's a photo..."

*Local* friends I interact with face-to-face. E.g., walk to visit someone instead of pestering them on the phone! [I see The Phone as a convenience for The Caller and a demand placed upon The Callee. This largely influences how I *use* it! E.g., to see what time a business opens/closes, not to "chat"]

I know the GOS feature was a "new" addition. E.g., the first

911 phone I had was a motogorilla microtac (?) in the late 90's (?). HUGE (and "dumb") by today's standards.

Currently, I carry an 8125 (HTC?) in the car as it also gives me a camera (think: auto accident evidence) and WiFi access (check email if I'm not home -- has been handy when I've been attending to sick friends at hospital, etc.).

Yikes! Have to be able to quote scripture to call the police?? :>

Is 911 something *different*? (Or, is "114" your equivalent of 911?)

-----------------------------^^^^^^ ??

Wait -- what's the difference between 112 and 114 (and 911)? (is 114 the *non*-emergency police number?)

So, because of the actions of idiots, an extra second or two is added to the response time of *every* "emergency" call. Sheesh!

"Thank you for calling 112. A dispatcher will be with you shortly. A police officer is being dispatched to your location at this very moment. If you have reached this number in error, you can explain that to the attending officer when he/she arrives..."

Or, "A $49 charge has been placed on your phone record. To have this charge dismissed, you can request a court date to explain your need for this service. If the responding officer deems you to have had a genuine emergency, the charge will automatically be waived..."

[A friend's (very) young son once phoned 911 to report his bicycle "missing". Then, hung up in a panic. When the police *returned* his call, his parents were informed that they (police) had found his bicycle on the side of the road -- where HE had left it -- and had confiscated it lest someone STEAL it (police didn't know who the rightful owner was at the time). "Oooops!"]

(sigh)

nah, but there is (the myth?) that some clever policeman chose the number for the first police phone line in somthing like 1925

in europe 112 is the emergency number (like the US 911)

114 is just short for the normal number to the local police station

yes

112 is EUs 911

I guess second or two delay is better than no line available

-Lasse

Point well made! :>

Ya, what's that all about, my parents had the same black phone on the wall for 35 years! Mikek

When I read a name I think about how it sounds. The same is true for terms, which I often pronounce wrong if I've only read them.

I also imagine faces, which are certainly wrong except for Rich and Jim who have published pictures, but I can't help picturing people's faces in a vague, hazy sort of way. It only happens after getting to know someone a little though.

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Actually, usenet is a text service, so I expect that any 'saying' that gets done won't involve much in the way of pronunciation or phonetics.

...although I wouldn't hold it against you, if mouthing the words make them easier to understand?

RL

On a sunny day (Wed, 04 Sep 2013 12:19:34 -0700) it happened Don Y wrote in :

New laws in the EU requires all cars to have an automatic emergency calling system. Starting in just a few years... ? One year from now? The car will report itself (and its location) if for example airbags activate.

On a sunny day (Thu, 05 Sep 2013 08:27:39 GMT) it happened Jan Panteltje wrote in :

PS, I think that is all NEW cars...

And that phone didn't even have an accelerometer.

What would you have said if someone told you 30, 20, or even 10 years ago, that some day you'll have an integrating accelerometer in your phone.

WTF? Am I going to throw it at somebody?

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I read somewhere that there is a flood of spurious 911 calls, Christmas Day.

People given cellphones as presents, testing, service not yet enabled.

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