Phone Phun

July 1 is the day that many states implement new laws recently passed by their respective legislatures. This First of July is no different. Of particular note are new laws regarding the use of mobile phones in moving vehicles. In both California and Washington State it will be a crime to talk on a mobile phone without using a handsfree device. In Washington, it's a secondary offense, meaning that you won't get ticketed just for holding a phone to your ear: you'll need to be stopped for something else first, like driving erratically or running a red light. Not so in California, where law enforcement can stop you specifically for talking on the phone while driving.

There are plenty of options that can help you stay connected. Older phones can often use a wired earphone and microphone combination, or can operate as speakerphones. Most newer phones support Bluetooth headsets.

For a complete rundown on rules regarding mobile phone use in your car, visit the Governors Highway Safety Association website.

And remember to drive safely.

Hey, kids, back in the old days when dinosaurs roamed the earth and cell phones hadn't been invented, you could still place a call from a public place. You stepped into a box and stuck a few coins into a slot, and voilà, you could reach out and touch someone. Because of the coin activation required, these quaint instruments were called "pay phones."

While most pay phones have gone the way of the dodo, they were an important part of getting things done for many years. If you miss the ripped-up phonebooks, the funky smell, and sticky handpiece, or just want to reminisce about how things used to be, cruise by the Payphone Project. Whether it's stories of telephones of yore, or pictures of interesting examples of this style of communication, it's all here for your enjoyment.

Feb. 22: AllFreeCalls.net "will be back in the next 5 days".

50 days later: still waiting.

On Monday, the AllFreeCalls CEO said in his blog that they are "the day to return is almost upon us … expect to have an announcement in the next 48hr."

Feb. 22: AllFreeCalls.net "will be back in the next 5 days".

20 days later: still waiting.

The CEO says: "Nearly there, just working through design and set up, 100% guaranteed coming back up."

Can't… hold… breath… much… longer.

I can never remember my mobile phone number. I've had the same number for years, and still have to look it up every time anyone needs to call me on my cell. And now, the Interweb-powered solution: enter your digits at the web site PhoneSpell.org and it will show you what words and phrases your phone number spells.

Now, you shouldn't make prank phone calls… that would be wrong. But if you were going to make prank phone calls, you could use AfterVoice to do it: using text-to-speech technology, the service will call the phone number that you specify and recite the text that you enter, in your choice of 11 voices (including 4 non-English voices.) You can even specify the name and number that will appear on your victim's caller ID.

Not that you'd do that.

This promo for the movie Snakes on a Plane will send a free personalized voice message from Samuel L. Jackson to the victim… er, friend, of your choosing. The web site asks several questions about your friend (hobby, mode of transportation, etc.) to create a personalized, automated, phone call.

Create a Snakes on a Plane phone call

OK, so this site's devoted to interesting telephone numbers and other phone phun. You, dear reader, are welcome to submit the interesting phone numbers you find. Here are the ground rules for all numbers listed here. The phone numbers must be legal, free (e.g. no 1-900 or similar numbers), and clean (no p0rn). The numbers may be anywhere in the U.S., so you may end up paying long distance charges… unless you call from your toll-free mobile phone or call from work :)