Overlay plans (new area code)

I'm pretty sure the whole of Canada is like this. It was tres annoying when it started, it pretty much still is.

It sounds like it.

At work lately, when someone would give me their phone number, they would always say the 512 as part of the number. I kinda assumed because a lot of the numbers given were from Round Rock or Georgetown, which is north of Austin, and a long distance number. But then I would realize that no, they were calling from facilities within Austin.

I guess they were just getting ahead of the game.

I live in Canada's first overlay area.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_codes_416,_647_and_437

I found it took a few months to adjust. Now it seems normal.

It's a bit of a local status symbol to have a 416 number.

Houston has a number of area codes and will add another in 2014.

I really should explain the most annoying aspect. I live in a province with 4 area codes. Someone will give you a number with one of the two local area codes, but sometimes it's still long freakin' distance. Instead of adding the missing 1, you get a stupid recording telling you it's 'not in your area'. Then they hang up and you have to dial all over again. You can't just dial one and hit re-dial. Noooo, you have to punch all the numbers again. Where I work, even the county office is long distance... WTF?
I have cousins who live on the island. There is a boundary line, on one side you can call anyone in the area, no long distance. On the other side of the boundary any call made to the other side is long distance. The distance is less than 10 km. I wish they'd straighten out the lines first, before they **** 'em up...

uh huh, uh huh, that's exactly what I'm thinking, and am not looking forward to.

I don't know exactly what the long distance boundaries are, but it's even now annoying to dial a number and realize from that automated signal it's long distance, sorry, try again, when you know you also called someone that feels like it was even farther away, and it's local.

At least of your cell phone you can just reprogram your numbers.

I know in the big scheme of things it's no biggie, and I'm not adverse to change which is needed, like for this.

Thinking about it, what's going to be more annoying is asking people for their number, like at work, to give them a call back.

Although I said a lot of people seem to be saying the 512 in front of the number anyway, now you've got to actually write it down. I know, I know, that sounds like nothing. The way some people give you their phone number is a bit of a pet peeve of mine.

Like when you ask for their number, and they reel off, really quickly.....8479726413.....no slight pause between the area code and the exchange....you ask them to repeat, they do it even more quickly. Great, I didn't get it all the first time, why don't you speed it up 50% to make sure I'll have to ask a third time. That way you can now sound annoyed that I'm not getting it all.
Oh, or you'll ask what the last 3 numbers were, and they'll say..."7", or repeat the last 5 numbers, or some random thing like that. I'll just come out and say it...the people who are the most consistently guilty of this are those that appear to have a greater than average feeling of self importance.

I remember eons ago in high school, a teacher was playing a memory game with us, asking us to repeat back a series of numbers. It was really easy to remember 7 numbers (I guess 10 would be the same, considering the area code business), because we were so accustomed to saying back, xxx (slight pause) xxxx. It's the rhythm.

Yeah, they do that in Toronto (the 416 and the 905). You get used to it.

In Calgary, there are only two area codes, one of which was recently introduced. When they ask for my number, I give them the seven digits, and they usually ask "403?" If I had the newer area code, I'd give them the ten. This was introduced in BC quite a while ago and you get used to it. At least we only punch the numbers in instead of dialling them.

Yeah, but the people asking for the number don't know that.

I figure I'll just include my area code as part of my number, to just get it all out there.

that's definitely the way you learn to do it - otherwise you have to confirm the area code for them later - might as well get used to saying it as part of the number

since we're on our third overlay now, there's no escaping saying the full number

Because the other one is so new, I think people would expect you to say that area code. If someone told me 7 digits, I'd assume is was the older area code.

I spend so much time in Albquerque I routinely give the area code. We're all in area code 505, but stating it gives them a clue that they will dial it as a long distance if they call from Abq.

So far as I know, I don't need an area code for a local call. Maybe I should give someone a call today and see if it's still true.

I'm not meaning to argue, but that's not a good assumption to make.

Why would you assume they had an older number because they didn't say it, rather than they are just being too unaware/lazy/ignorant/stupid/assumptive themselves?

That could/will open a pandora's box in that the other person may assume you had the "old" area code because you didn't say it, then perhaps record the number wrong, then you have to contact/communicate with them again to get it right, those compounding the time/effort spend with a person. In addition, what if you now couldn't reach the person, important work/information isn't being relayed, etc. etc.

This is a clear case of "A stitch in time saves nine"

Or, someone could be new in the area, and not even know that others had various area codes, or know which was the "old" and which was the "new. You'd be asking them to just someone know this information, like as if the minute you move into a new area, you're aware of all these little, but important details.

That's right up there with sending a dozen texts back and forth, when all it took was a one minute call to just spit it all out.

I ******* hate texts. You want to tell me something, call me once, using the correct area code.

Oh, BTW, this is weird....

Wally and I were driving back from a long errand this morning, and I test called him.

Didn't matter if I just hit his number, his phone rang. I manually called him with just the 7 digits, with the area code, and with 1 plus the area code. It rang each time, with his name appearing as to who I was calling.

Maybe numbers you already had on your phone are "grandfathered" in.

Los Angeles divvied up quite a while ago now. I had to call friends with 1-213-xxx xxxx, and they me, at 1-310-xxx xxxx. What I don't now remember is if that counted as long distance on the phone bills. 213 was downtown, and 310 was more to the coast; odd, I still don't know if that was or is still counted as long distance and I've long ago thrown those phone bills out.

What I do remember with some sentimentality was when phone numbers started with names. My number in New York City was Kingsbridge 60622. In Evanston, it was University something something something something something. Maybe 91427. Numbers in old LA have turned up in various movie scenarios. Crestview, for example, was shortened to CR. I liked all that.

Back when they first instituted 7-digit dialing, they did a lot of research about the optimal length of a phone number. It was a good run.

IP addresses are in a bad way, too. IP version 4 addresses are fairly easy for me to remember. (Something like 10.1.8.64 is not too difficult.) IP version 6 addresses are a pain in the behind. (FE80::0202:B3FF:FE1E:8329 is a bit harder to call to mind....)

Wait . . . your grandfather works for the phone company?

I mispoke, Alberta has three codes. One for the north, another for the south and yet another for the whole damn province. Make sense? Not at all.

He did, until he died getting hit by a car while directing traffic around a dead mule.

True story (not the phone company part)


"So how did Grandpa die Mommy?" (he died before I was born)

"He got hit by a car while directing traffic around a dead mule."

It's things like this that help me keep life in perspective.