Difference between revisions of "1789: Phone Numbers"

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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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Cueball has several phone numbers stored under a contact entry on his phone for White Hat. Often, people who have known each other for a long time may have old information recorded for each other, which may no longer be accurate. However, in this case, only one of the phone numbers is (possibly) outdated.
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White Hat's answer reveals a complicated history of communication practices. This cobbled-together personal technology is a common theme for Randall.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==

Revision as of 18:37, 23 January 2017

Phone Numbers
Texting should work. Unless the message is too long, in which case it gets converted to voicemails, and I think I'm locked out of my voicemail.
Title text: Texting should work. Unless the message is too long, in which case it gets converted to voicemails, and I think I'm locked out of my voicemail.

Explanation

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Cueball has several phone numbers stored under a contact entry on his phone for White Hat. Often, people who have known each other for a long time may have old information recorded for each other, which may no longer be accurate. However, in this case, only one of the phone numbers is (possibly) outdated.

White Hat's answer reveals a complicated history of communication practices. This cobbled-together personal technology is a common theme for Randall.

Transcript

[White Hat looking at a smartphone held out by Cueball]

Cueball: I have five phone numbers for you. Which one should I use?

White Hat: That first one is my cell-- you should use the Google Voice one, since it will forward to my laptop if I'm on WiFi. #5 is my work number, which just forwards to #1. #3 should always work but can't do texts.

White Hat: You can delete #4, I think.

[Caption under the panel:]

Another reason I never call people.


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Discussion

I've definitely seen this comic before. Deja vu? OfftheRails (talk) 20:56, 23 January 2017 (UTC)

#1254 162.158.74.219 21:44, 23 January 2017 (UTC)
Yep 1254 has been linked in the explanation. --Kynde (talk) 14:55, 24 January 2017 (UTC)

“Also White Hat never actually answers the question originally posed by Cueball.” – AFAIS he should use the #2 (the Google voice one). --DaB. (talk) 20:58, 23 January 2017 (UTC)

He sort of does answer the question: The Google voice number should be used. This is number 2, since 1 is cell, 3 doesn't do texts (Google voice does), 4 is obsolete, and 5 is work.162.158.214.46 06:34, 24 January 2017 (UTC)
Yes as DaB said. I have corrected the explanation and made it clear the Google Voice is #2. --Kynde (talk) 14:55, 24 January 2017 (UTC)

"Another reason I never call people." I can't remember any previous reason given, can anyone else? --162.158.88.68 10:33, 24 January 2017 (UTC)

Typical Randall to make it a list and not give you all the item. Did it with the bad projection last week, and he has done do in other cases like a long list of reasons for doing something, where you only see a small section of the list. --Kynde (talk) 14:55, 24 January 2017 (UTC)

The statement in the explanation that most cell phones can't save such detailed information is incorrect. Android and iOS both allow setting custom types for phone numbers. 162.158.79.113 12:09, 24 January 2017 (UTC)

Agreed and have corrected this. --Kynde (talk) 14:55, 24 January 2017 (UTC)

I could not resist ... When viewed this comic on my Android phone with Firefox, the hover text got shortened to "Texting should work. Unless the message is too long, in which case..." Which I am finding funny in this context :) 141.101.107.102 15:44, 24 January 2017 (UTC)

Shouldn't this explanation mention the reason for this comic? Google updating Google Voice for the first time in 5 years? [1] 108.162.216.226 22:14, 23 January 2017 (UTC)

Yes and thanks. I will add this now. --Kynde (talk) 14:55, 24 January 2017 (UTC)

"However he then makes it clear that this _will only work when he is online with his laptop_ on a WiFi connection" Not true. Google Voice can be set up to ring several phone numbers, (6 total - see https://support.google.com/voice/answer/165221) in addition the Google Hangouts app on a computer. White Hat seems to want to use his laptop for calls when he's logged in on wifi, but the Google Voice number probably also rings his cell (#1), #3 (Landline?), and maybe even the partially defunct #4, if he has not updated his settings in a while. 162.158.214.28Sailsman63

Well obviously he has not, since he only receives his Google Voice call when he is on a WiFi connection on his laptop... But he could fix that as you say. But as long as he has not then Cueball is screwed :-) --Kynde (talk) 14:17, 25 January 2017 (UTC)
He said that it will forward to laptop if he's on wifi, not that it doesn't work otherwise. I would assume that it will call his cell (#1) when he's not on WiFi, so the only difference between #1 and #2 is that #2 would forward to laptop if he's on wifi. -- Hkmaly (talk) 00:31, 26 January 2017 (UTC)

If you send a text message to a landline number in Germany, it gets converted to speech automatically and is read (twice) to the recipient. -- 162.158.134.76 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Cool! Randall knows my brother. These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For (talk) 00:57, 29 January 2017 (UTC)