I’m sure some of the readers opted to skip this article after reading the title but if you’ve made it this far, enjoy!
I survived six days without use of my land line telephone service. After that shock, I am going to be a bit more appreciative of this older technology that many of us in the wireless communication age often take for granted.
Five years ago, squirrels chewed through the protective casing of the telephone lines and as I suspected, the same thing happened this past weekend. Despite the promises that I would be back in service yesterday, the repair technician did not arrive until late this afternoon. By that time I was just grateful to be back in service. I even looked forward to the next telemarketing call! But back to the purpose of this post.
Dependency on the line
In the past, I relied on my land line telephone for DSL service but thankfully, I am using cable now. Otherwise, without the line in service, my DSL and my primary back-up internet connection (dial-up service) would have both been out for six days. As someone who can barely survive without her checking email every hour, that would have been a truly life-changing experience. Fortunately, I do have broadband service through my cell phone company and in the event that service failed, I will head off to the library to make a wireless connection!
In addition to providing a back-up internet connection, my land line is also my fax line. Whoa! Did I use that word? Well, although I have scanners, there have been occasions where I still need a fax machine. After this week, I have decided to search for good online fax services, which will be the subject of my next post. Let me know what you’re using!
In the meantime, if you are still using a land line telephone like me, I hope that your local squirrel population finds something else to chew.
Have a story about an odd technology failure! Let’s share ideas!
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