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phone

Fewer unsolicited calls

About half a year ago, I published some statistics about 102 unsolicited phone calls – now it’s time for an update with the data from the rest of the year. The number of such calls to me clearly decreased: to about one third, from 102 in weeks 4-29 to 31 in weeks 30-52 (labeled “~H1” and “~H2” in the following diagrams, because they don’t exactly correspond to the half years).

Maybe thanks to the nice message (implemented with my FRITZ!Box 7170 and my ISDN phone with answering machine) for callers who do not transmit their caller ID which says (translated)

“Good day. You are calling without transmitting your number. Since this is typical for unwanted commercial calls, you are directly – without audible ringing – directed to this answering machine. Please enable your caller ID transmission, or leave a message so you can be called back. Thank you.”

one or more cold call centers kicked me out of their database. :mrgreen:

Of course the “no number => unwanted” conclusion isn’t always 100% sure, but who calls me legitimately can leave a message or try again with caller ID – these (few) cases have been taken into account here.

Here’s a breakdown by weekday, time of day, and calendar week:

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Right or left?

Finally I got round to photograph this somewhat old sign:

Customer parking 60m left

Translation: Customer parking 60m left

Looks stupid at first, but actually makes sense: those customers arriving from one direction see this sign next to the main entrance, continue to drive 60m in the direction of the arrow, then turn left to the parking site; those arriving from the other direction have already seen the parking site anyway.

(Telekom headquarters Heilbronn, 12/2007)


Appel-und-Ei-Phone

Translation and explanation: German “für einen Apfel/Appel und ein Ei”, literally “for an apple and an egg”, “Ei” pronounced like “i”, means “for peanuts”, “for little money.”

No, with these prices, that’s certainly not an apt name for that “cult cell phone” or whatchamacallit what Apple wants to sell via T-Mobile in Germany from now on to its longingly waiting disciples… ;)

Thickrate

…or what else is the result if – as reported e.g. on on Spiegel Online (German), but that’s apparently not an isolated case – you have a flat rate for your iPhone and receive an 80-page printed bill in which every single call, every single SMS and every single data transfer are listed, even though they are included in the flat rate and thus billed with $0.00?

:phone:

And that with all the environmental-frendliness that Apple and AT&T like to emphasize…

102 Unsolicited Calls

Good that I’ve configured my FRITZ!Box 7170 and my ISDN phone with answering machine such that I don’t get disturbed by calls to my (published) main MSN that do not transmit their caller ID, which in virtually all cases are call centers and others who rather stay anonymous (my relatives with old analog connection are few, and they know a “secret” MSN) – they only hear an appropriate message, and except for some pseudo-raffle robots, only once someone said:

“Not bad, this answering machine.”

:)

Using the FritzBox’s call list, I now created a little set of statistics:

In the previous 6 months (26 weeks), there were 102 such calls, that’s 3.9 per week, although fluctuating quite heavily between 0 and 12. Just one coincidentally hit the “secret” MSN, five (at regular distance on two days, so it was the same call center) on the third MSN where a fax is connected only occasionaly. Only once the “number” 049 was transmitted, once one from Cologne from a robot.

Here’s a breakdown by weekday, time of day, and calendar week:

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