Caller control of phone ringer

February 8th, 2012
ideas, phone, tech
I want this as my voicemail message:
This phone is set to vibrate. If this is really important [1] dial '73' to make the phone ring. Otherwise, please leave a message.
I leave my phone set on vibrate and often ignore it: just because I have a box in my pocket doesn't mean that people elsewhere should take priority over people in the same room. In person, if B comes up while I'm talking to A they will politely wait until A is done. If it's urgent, they can say "excuse me, but this is really important", and seize priority. Phones should have this too. It wouldn't have to go into full ringing: a brief sound following a vibrating ring that I had ignored would tell me that someone had claimed urgency.

(Would people claim urgency excessively? I don't think so, but if they did in practice I could make this available only to people I trusted not to abuse it.)

This is part of my general retrogrouch outlook.


[1] And possibly: "... and you're willing to pay $1 if I disagree ..."

Referenced in: Phone Update: 3 months In

Comment via: google plus, facebook, substack

Recent posts on blogs I like:

You will not be a member of the permanent underclass

I see some people worrying about being in the “permanent underclass.” AI will be better than humans at everything, and automate all the jobs, and then no one will be able to earn money through their work.

via Thing of Things April 5, 2026

Microfictions

A few microfictions, very much inspired by Quiet Pine Trees. I hope to add more over time. No LLMs.

via Evan Fields March 27, 2026

Daycares and the Brown School

As someone in Somerville I notice that there are quite high prices regarding childcare. The average family in Somerville pays $1,100 to $3,500 for daycare per month, and I want to make the costs more affordable. I have also noticed that housing is quite …

via Lily Wise's Blog Posts March 22, 2026

more     (via openring)