Bye Bye Now
"Bye Bye Now" is a short film documenting the faded role of public phone boxes in Ireland.
Sorry!
This advertising-supported Telebeam payphone in Astoria has been "TEMPORARILY OUT OF SERVICE" for several years. I have attempted to do something about it.
Tokyo Airport Payphones, 2008
Two Tokyo Airport Payphones, seen by SMW
Carol Burnett Show: Phone Booth Skit
The Carol Burnett Show team just can't ignore the tantalizing sound of a ringing public telephone.
Inside a TCC Teleplex Payphone
An abandoned TCC Teleplex payphone seems to want to tell its stories.
On the Alifu Atoll. Republic of Maldives.
A February, 2008, photo of a payphone on the Alifu Atoll (South Ari Atoll) in the Republic of Maldives.
Turk Telekom Payphones.
A couple of payphones from Istanbul. December, 2012.
It’s Payphone Mulching Season
This Christmas tree was left curbside to be picked up by the Sanitation Department for mulching and recycling. I would not be too surprised if they hauled off the payphone while they're at it.
Should the Emergency Callbox Be Reinvented?
One species of New York City public telephony which simply will not die is the red emergency call box. Though it seems like an unlikely source for inspiration perhaps the stubborn survival of this dinosaur technology could encourage entrants in NYC's current Reinvent the Payphone contest to explore ways to revive the callboxes as a complement to today's payphones, or even as the public telephone of the future.
Payphone Reinventors: Look to the Boneyard!
Contestants in New York City's Reinvent Payphones contest might want to look for inspiration from unlikely sources: How about the boneyard? That's where the winning entrant in Britain's payphone contest looked when developing the iconic K2 Phone Box.
NYC: Reinvent Payphones
New York City has turned to Joe Q. Public for ideas on the payphone of the future, focusing (among other things) on the role of public telephones as public utilities for disaster planning and emergency situations.
NYC Releases Its PPT (Public Pay Telephone) Dataset
As someone whose longtime interest in payphones has been met with a mix of ambivalence and ridicule I find it interesting to see the variety of perspectives giving fresh attention the subject. In the wake of superstorm Sandy it appears that payphones are being taken seriously for their role in public safety.
NYC PPT (Public Pay Telephone) Data To Be Released?
Earlier this year I submitted a request to the NYC Open Data web site suggesting that the city release its database of PPT (Public Pay Telephone) locations. My suggestion was never approved and appeared to have been ignored. Last night I submitted the request again.
Save Public Telephones!
Some who regarded them as irrelevant now may recognize that wholesale routing out of public telephones has created dangers to public safety. I believe this is true not just in large scale emergencies but in the everyday lives of those who simply lost or forgot to bring their cell phone with them and find themselves stranded because of it.
This Payphone Survived the Hurricane. The Tree Did Not.
I hope that everyone who needed one was able to find a working payphone after hurricane Sandy knocked out cell and landline service to thousands of customers. This payphone, several feet from a large tree felled by Sandy's brutal wind gusts, survived the storm with its dial tone and functionality intact.
Who Still Uses Payphones?
Young woman using a payphone as her infant child looks on. October, 2012. Believe it or not, folks, people still use payphones.
Abandoned Payphone. Greenpoint Avenue, Queens.
The old urban legend about hypodermic needles being stuck inside coin return slots got a new lease on life when i discovered a sharp object inside this abandoned payphone in Queens.
Jaisalmer, India. Near the Thar Desert at Jaisalmer Fort.
Payphone at Jaisalmer Fort, near the Pakistan border, in India.
Payphones Should Be Free Phones
All phones are payphones. Whether or not you pay for the call a charge is levied somewhere by somebody to somebody else for the privilege of connecting your phone to another telephone. Public Pay Telephones maintain a special distinction among other styles of payphones for their deliberate and stigmatized pay-as-you-go cash-only mechanism.
LOUD
LOUD. Press to Change Volume
Pyongyang, North Korea
Pyongyang, North Korea Payphone
Payphones News From Texas, Canada, and Brazil
A summary of recent payphone news looks at stories from San Antonio, Canada, and Brazil.
Alfred Hitchcock: Phone Booth Scene from “The Birds”
The Payphone Project steps through the famous phone booth scene from Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds"
Is That Really A Verizon Payphone?
A recent development in New York City payphones probably caught the attention of absolutely nobody but it represents a rare bit of good news for those of us who still use public telephones and whose disaster-scenario planning includes knowing where to find a public phone in an emergency.
People Still Use Payphones.
People still use payphones.
Out of Change?
Out of change? Need to make a phone call? This abandoned payphone in Long Island City, Queens, would be no good if you had all the change in the world.
SKUZZ Payphone
The name sayzz it all.
Dialing Instructions, Coastal Communications Payphone
For local calls - Deposit 25¢ for 3 minutes, dial number (Overtime is 10¢ for an additional 2 minutes). NOTE: On local calls, over deposits are NOT applied to call.