From: byron@cc.gatech.edu (Byron A Jeff)
Subject: Re: Caller ID block?
Reply-To: byron@cc.gatech.edu (Byron A Jeff)
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 16:16:08 GMT

In article <1992Dec22.212743.1856@lunatix.uucp> chelf@lunatix.uucp (Chad Helfenberger) writes:
>[trimming some extra stuff]
>   
>In article <1992Dec22.145426.19388@cc.gatech.edu> byron@cc.gatech.edu (Byron A Jeff) writes:
>>>>
>>>Are you *truly* serious about the excluding an entire area code + prefix?  I 
>>>laughed so hard when I read that I thought it must be a joke, however, 
>>>reading the rest of your message, I assume you ARE serious.  Why would you 
>>
>>I'm deadly serious. And excluding a whole area code (which I would not do)
>>or area code/prefix (which I would) only take one line in a kill file
>>(i.e. 1-512-891-XXXX). No need to buy RAM each week at all.
>
>Hmm.  I seem to remember that people don't always have the same number for 
>the lifetime of their businesses or selves.  This would be ok, if that were 
>true.  Everyone lived for a long time without Caller ID, and now it's like 
>it's a basic human right or something.

That's not what I'm saying. I've learned that you can't "uninvent" technology.
You only have two options: 1) Try your damndest to make it unprofitable to
use. 2) Join in the fun. It's obvious to me that CNID is going to make the
Bells big bucks and that it's not going away. I'm trying to find ways to
use it to my advantage.

My "F-List" described below are for the absolute worst offenders. Not every
business that calls my house is going to be hung up on. Most will just
get an answering machine. So if an "F-List" offender changes phone numbers,
or moves, or whatever I still won't hear from them directly and after the
change is noted the new number can be moved back to the "F list".

>
>>You've obviously not dealt with a computer dialer. Sample:
>>
>[example of computerized marketers deleted]
>>
>>Ad-nauseum. They'll keep calling all day/all night until you talk to the
>>sales-droid. Why do you think Congress finally had to grapple with legislation
>>to prevent computer dialers. BTW did that pass?
>
>Well, I have dealt with computer dialers, and I agree.  They are annoying as 
>all get up.  However, yes, I believe the law has passed now.

My wife tells me it's activation is pending some court case.

>
>>Even a persistent human telemarketer will keep on calling until you threaten
>>to call the authorities. And even then you're annoyed by having you phone
>>ring at all.
>
>The first time the telemarketer calls, tell them if they call again you will 
>take legal action.  If the droid doesn't seem to understand, ask to speak to 
>a supervisor.  I get approximately 2 telemarketing calls a YEAR, since I 
>started threatening them and not passing my number to businesses via CNID.

My wife (a former telecom industry employee) told me three interesting items
about CNID and CNID blocking.

1) You have to subscribe to the CNID service to get blocking. 
2) CNID blocking is for all calls. i.e. there is no way to temporarily turn
   it off like *70 for call waiting.
3) Your number is CNID'd even if you don't have the CNID service
Are these correct? Chad do you have CNID? Is your blocking on permanently?

>
>>>Why make it harder on the EMS/Hospital?  Why can't you remove the 1984 
>>>aspects of this altogether and forget adding millions of numbers to a kill 
>>>list as they are placed?  All the reasons you stated for using the emergency 
>>>ID sequence (or whatever you want to call it) are very good arguments 
>>>against CNID.
>>
>>The point I'm trying to make is that CNID give me the opportunity for me to
>>decide who I want to have access, not the person calling. Every day I have
>>telemarketers, computers, hangups, wrong numbers, late nite calls (usually
>>wrong numbers) come over my phone. A true emergency is extremely, extremely
>>rare and on the occasions that is has happened it's been someone I know anyway.
>>So I'd gladly add a marginal discomfort (by having an emergency access code)
>>to an extremely rare event in order to manage the garbage my phone receives
>>on a 24/7 basis.
>
>CNID doesn't prevent anyone from calling you.  It just doesn't ring your 
>phone (in your 'black box' case, that is).  People can call you from a 
>payphone, and you'd think they were allowing you to have their number.  
>Anyway, in a lot of areas, when your phone is ringing (even if your box 
>prevents it from ringing), your line is busy.  So building up this massive 
>list of people who are not allowed to call you may busy out your phone when 
>they call.

They call anyway. The screener just sits between the inside and outside lines
of my house. It it validates calls on the outside line before ringing the
inside line phones. All it really does is save me the trouble of having to
answer the phone and talk to folks I'd rather have my answering machine deal
with. Again I don't think the list is massive. Maybe 5 or 10 folks that are
persistent and annoying for whatever reason.

Let me give you an example. We moved and got a new phone number. We soon
found out that the number used to belong to a defunct day care center in
the area. You'd be surprised how 6AM wake up calls of "Are you accepting
new applications?" would make you want to have more control over your phone.
Ended up changing numbers. Baby Bell made another quick $15. The screener
box would have alleviated the problem's symptoms by shunting off folks to
an answering machine without ringing the phone.

>
>>My "kill list" as you call it will not be large. Actually there will be two
>>small lists and all the rest:
>>
>>A List: Numbers to accept at any and all times. Parents, family, friends.
>>F List: Numbers to reject at any and all times. Persistent computers, tele-
>>        marketers, pranks, annoying people.
>>Default: any other number not on list A or F.
>>
>>"A list" folks always get you, "F list" folks won't get you at all and depending
>
>How can you say it will not be large?  If you add every telemarketer that 
>calls you onto the 'F' list, then it *will* become QUITE large.

No No NO! only the cronic ones (you know the ones you bitch out, cuss out
the manager, and their computer keeps calling you.) All the others are on
the default list and get the answering machine without ringing the inside 
lines.

>
>[inner workings of black box deleted]
>>
>>If you havn't noticed most every business in this country already has this
>>method in place. They're called receptionists. All I want at home is a
>>computer based receptionist.
>
>One big difference.  Receptionists make notes of who calls.  CNID doesn't.  
>Why?  Because CNID is not an AI box which converses with whoever calls.

True. But you can gain valuable info that most big buck answering machines
have:

1) Phone number, and name if it's in the database.
2) time of call.
3) Regular answering machine message.

It's one deficency of answering machines that you can't analyze the name/number
of the person calling. does any commercial answering machine have CNID/
name database built-in?

>
>>BTW you can laugh away but if/when I get this box built then if you try to call
>>me you'll get an answering machine and my phone won't ring at all. And that
>>my friend would make this "Big Brother" extremely happy ;-).
>
>I won't laugh when you build it.  I wish you luck.  However, I think that 
>this little black box is just a way to avoid telemarketers.  I find it fun 
>to cuss them out, when they call.  I don't find it an annoyance, except in 
>some cases.. Anyway, my opinion doesn't really matter.  I was just throwing 
>that out there..

I know and appriciate you comments. I'm just trying to figure out how to
best utilize CNID without dealing with the privacy aspect. I find my time is
too valuable to be bothered asnwering the phone to folks I don't want to 
talk to. CNID gives me additional info about those folks calling.

BTW something else to add to the fire. Yesterday (12/21) I got a strange call
from a woman claiming that prank calls were coming from my house. I don't
know if she got the number from CNID or *69 ringback service. I'm certain
that it wasn't true (I was on the phone at the time she said the calls were
made) but just intersting about how information can be used against you.

Later on dudettes and dudes.

BAJ
---
Another random extraction from the mental bit stream of...
Byron A. Jeff - PhD student operating in parallel!
Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332   Internet: byron@cc.gatech.edu
Newsgroups: alt.cyberpunk