![Tech hacks change so quickly these days, this one made me feel 100yrs old. [300x222 - 19KB]](https://pic8.co/sh/kSxXS8.jpg){kind=link}
If you want to blow their millenial/zoomer minds, ask them about phone phreaking.
... Ok, I'll bite. What is that?
Before phone switching was handled digitally, you could hack the analog automated switch board with tones played thru the send line of your phone. There was a whistle that came in a cereal box that could get you free long distance. I've never done it tho, that was well before me.
Wow.... that's clever.
You can still do this on POTS phones, at least to dial. Just playing the right sounds into the microphone will dial the number.
How did we go from whistling into telephones to blowing air into axe wounds?
Apparently you could record the tone it made when putting quarters in and just play it back through the mic to trick the payphones into thinking that you were putting quarters in.
Never worked for me.
Also apparently you could tear a dollar at just the right spot before feeding it into a change machine to get the quarters and your dollar back.
Never worked for me.
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