The Telecom Digest for September 01, 2010
Volume 29 : Issue 234 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
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Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:05:20 -0700
From: Sam Spade <sam@coldmail.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Advice on Using Credit Cards While Traveling Abroad
Message-ID: <_-WdnRHEUpW89OfRnZ2dnUVZ_rydnZ2d@giganews.com>
Monty Solomon wrote:
> Advice on Using Credit Cards While Traveling Abroad
>
> By SUSAN STELLIN
> August 24, 2010
>
> I WAS driving to the Los Angeles airport in April when apparently I
> did something suspicious: I stopped at a gas station and filled up
> the tank.
>
> By the time I returned the rental car and got to my gate, I had a
> fraud alert message from my credit card company, U.S. Bank. Since I
> don't own a car and rarely buy gas, it seems that $13 fill-up raised
> a red flag.
>
> Such is the state of credit card security, a continuing battle
> between card issuers and criminals who steal account numbers, with
> consumers caught in the fray. Whether travelers are more likely to
> become victims of credit card fraud is debatable, but we're certainly
> more likely to get tripped up by efforts to combat fraud, especially
> overseas.
>
> Here are some things to watch out for if you plan on paying with
> plastic, which isn't quite as widely accepted as the ad campaigns for
> credit cards would have you believe.
>
> ...
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/travel/29prac.html
>
Not all credit card companies are created equal, especially in this
regard. Some care about their customers a whole lot more than others
and will take extra efforts to sort things out when a possible fraud
pattern develops. Others don't care and just shut you down.
Having said that the consumer has some obvious responsibilities, but
they all too often fail to hold up their end of the bargain. A call to
the credit card company to let them know you are departing next Tuesday
for a trip throughout Western Europe makes all the difference in the
world. They should ask some security questions then duly note your account.
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:16:56 -0700
From: Sam Spade <sam@coldmail.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: The Fading Glory of the Television and Telephone
Message-ID: <zOydnVewZqVE9ufRnZ2dnUVZ_rCdnZ2d@giganews.com>
Monty Solomon wrote:
> But there's a related trend that's more perilous for the landline:
> Fully 47% of the public say that its younger, smarter and more nimble
> cousin -- the cell phone -- is a necessity of life.
>
One is a radio and the other is a telephone. Most people don't have a clue.
Also, the difference between wireline E911 and cellular 911 can be
precious moments that may make the difference between life and death.
This is even more so in a medical emergency where the caller perhaps can
only mumble. The wireline is seized on an operator-type trunk and the
address is displayed.
Using cellular service, or for that matter Voip, as the primary service
at a residence is a risky deal in the event of an emergency.
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:28:56 +1000
From: David Clayton <dcstar@myrealbox.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: 911-only public phone
Message-ID: <pan.2010.08.28.04.28.53.562310@myrealbox.com>
On Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:30:10 -0500, jsw wrote:
> Well, I thought I was well-informed about telephony trends, but I must
> admit this is a new one on me.
>
> I stopped at a convenience store earlier this morning and noticed
> something I had never seen before, a 911-only public phone mounted on the
> front of the building.
>
> It's in a mini hood-type enclosure, has a keypad, G series handset, with
> the armored cable. Hood is painted bright red, and '911 only' is noted
> very clearly.
...........
Wouldn't a GSM handset without a SIM card serve the same purpose?
Securely mounting one of those in an enclosure would seem a more
cost-effective than specialised equipment with a dedicated landline.
--
Regards, David.
David Clayton
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Knowledge is a measure of how many answers you have, intelligence is a
measure of how many questions you have.
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:37:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: 911-only public phone
Message-ID: <0b18ae2e-a0e0-4fd0-9ca6-8efaefce3c82@e14g2000yqe.googlegroups.com>
On Aug 27, 9:11 pm, John Levine <jo...@iecc.com> wrote:
> >I stopped at a convenience store earlier this morning and noticed
> >something I had never seen before, a 911-only public phone mounted
> >on the front of the building.
>
> They're pretty common as replacements for fire alarm pull boxes. We
> have one on the front of our volunteer fire department, in case someone
> comes by when nobody's there.
The above usage surprises me.
A telecomm administrator told me paying the phoneco for a conventional
public pay phone was cheaper than installing a "hot line" to the
police or fire dept. People still ocassionally use pay phones so that
revenue helps defray the cost. Further, it gives the public some
convenience which isn't available with a "hot line" type of phone.
In many places there is a public pay phone available in train stations
that is mainly there in case a passenger needs 911 help. No coin is
needed for 911 calls.
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