• Gmail Conspiracy

    From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to All on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 18:36:44
    I try not to take my cellphone with me anywhere because I don't like to receive phone calls or texts while I'm out and about. And since my wife always takes her phone everywhere, I thought that I could log in to my Gmail account on her phone if needed.

    I was wrong. I can't do that. It said "You're trying to log in on an unknown device." So then to verify that "it's really me," Gmail offered to send a code to my phone. But that wouldn't work because I didn't have my phone with me. There was a button that said "Try another way.." but that literally was a fake button and it didn't do anything.

    So Google is trying to teach guys like me a lesson: "Take your phone with you everywhere, or else you won't be able to touch your Gmail account."

    And the other part of it is "We're in charge, we're gonna monitor your movements, we're gonna emit radon from your phone's battery, and you're gonna sniff the shit out of it, or else you ain't gonna be checkin no email."

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  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Aaron Thomas on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 06:06:43
    Aaron Thomas wrote to All <=-

    I try not to take my cellphone with me anywhere because I don't like to receive phone calls or texts while I'm out and about. And since my wife always takes her phone everywhere, I thought that I could log in to my Gmail account on her phone if needed.

    Why would you need to check your gmail account? Are you on call?

    There's a lot to be said, as I'm sure you've seen, of going for a walk
    and being present. I listen to podcasts on walks, but leaving the house
    with just me and my dog is a welcome change.

    We could all be more present.




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  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to Kurt Weiske on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 07:49:44
    receive phone calls or texts while I'm out and about. And since my wi always takes her phone everywhere, I thought that I could log in to m Gmail account on her phone if needed.

    Why would you need to check your gmail account? Are you on call?

    Sometimes I'm out somewhere and I decide that I want to buy something, but then I'll need to do a transfer in my online banking, and my online banking requires 2 factor authentication.

    There's a lot to be said, as I'm sure you've seen, of going for a walk
    and being present. I listen to podcasts on walks, but leaving the house with just me and my dog is a welcome change.

    There's a lot to gain by leaving your phone at home (until you need to check your Gmail.) People look like dicks when they are glued to their phones all the time. Have you ever had a conversation with a person who was staring at a phone? (It's not friendly.)

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  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to Aaron Thomas on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 10:16:00
    I try not to take my cellphone with me anywhere because I don't like to receive phone calls or texts while I'm out and about. And since my wife always takes her phone everywhere, I thought that I could log in to my Gmail account on her phone if needed.

    I was wrong. I can't do that. It said "You're trying to log in on an unknown device." So then to verify that "it's really me," Gmail offered
    to send a code to my phone. But that wouldn't work because I didn't
    have my phone with me. There was a button that said "Try another way.." but that literally was a fake button and it didn't do anything.

    So Google is trying to teach guys like me a lesson: "Take your phone
    with you everywhere, or else you won't be able to touch your Gmail account."

    This isn't a conspiracy but a security feature that prevents others from accessing your email account. In the case of google, I don't remember for sure, but the "Try another way" probably only works if you have set up
    another verification contact method for your gmail account. If you only
    gave it a phone number to text you at, there are no "another ways" left for
    it to try.



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  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to Mike Powell on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 16:51:02
    So Google is trying to teach guys like me a lesson: "Take your phone with you everywhere, or else you won't be able to touch your Gmail account."

    This isn't a conspiracy but a security feature that prevents others from accessing your email account. In the case of google, I don't remember
    for sure, but the "Try another way" probably only works if you have set
    up another verification contact method for your gmail account. If you only gave it a phone number to text you at, there are no "another ways" left for it to try.

    I checked my google settings (security section) and 2-step verification is turned off, and I have a "recovery email" address listed, but the "Try another way" button didn't offer to contact me via my recovery email address.

    2-factor verification is turned off, and Google does NOT make me use 2-factor verification when I access my account through my phone or my PC, but the malfunction only occurs when I try to access my account from someone else's phone.

    I suspect (maybe I really am crazy) that it's an phone issue. I had the same issue when I tried to access my google account from my daughter's iphone. They want to know who is who, and where everyone is, at all times. It seems to be some kind of ED treatment for somebody at the Google HQ. :)

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  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to AARON THOMAS on Thursday, February 27, 2025 01:25:00
    I try not to take my cellphone with me anywhere because I don't like to recei
    >phone calls or texts while I'm out and about. And since my wife always takes
    > phone everywhere, I thought that I could log in to my Gmail account on her p
    >e if needed.

    I was wrong. I can't do that. It said "You're trying to log in on an unknown
    >ice." So then to verify that "it's really me," Gmail offered to send a code t
    >y phone. But that wouldn't work because I didn't have my phone with me. There
    >s a button that said "Try another way.." but that literally was a fake button
    >d it didn't do anything.

    I've never been a big fan of Gmail, although you pretty much have to
    sign up for it to keep your Phone and Tablet updated. What I did was
    go to gMail and set it up to forward all incoming mail to my other
    main eMail address so I don't miss anything and anyone I do want to
    reply to I can reply from my other eMail address and switch them over.

    Another thing I do.. I don't have a wife I can rely on for a second
    cell phone so I take mine with me if I'm leaving the house for any
    length of time, but I don't like being disturbed either so, unless
    I'm expecting a serious call, I put the phone on Airplane Mode.
    This saves battery power but allows for a quick startup if needed
    and the phone is still functional for a lot of other things like
    Camera and Games or as an eReader, etc..

    Another option is putting it on Do Not Disturb mode, which I have
    set up to only allow through calls from people in my Contacts list,
    which at least blocks Spam calls and such..

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  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to KURT WEISKE on Thursday, February 27, 2025 09:22:00
    There's a lot to be said, as I'm sure you've seen, of going for a walk
    and being present. I listen to podcasts on walks, but leaving the house
    with just me and my dog is a welcome change.

    We could all be more present.

    Unless I am planning to use the camera for something, I don't take my phone
    on walks.


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  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to AARON THOMAS on Thursday, February 27, 2025 09:59:00
    This isn't a conspiracy but a security feature that prevents others from accessing your email account. In the case of google, I don't remember for sure, but the "Try another way" probably only works if you have set up another verification contact method for your gmail account. If you only gave it a phone number to text you at, there are no "another ways" left for it to try.

    I checked my google settings (security section) and 2-step verification is turned off, and I have a "recovery email" address listed, but the "Try another
    way" button didn't offer to contact me via my recovery email address.

    This is something different that 2-factor. In my case, if I try to access
    my accounts from my PC and the browser is in a private/incognito window,
    google will ask me to verify via an app on my phone (youtube, for example).
    IIRC, Facebook does the same thing.

    It is because google/FB/etc. doesn't recognize the device you are trying to access your account from (private/incognito browsers, in my case, always
    use a different device ID) and wants to know it is you. My 2-factor is
    also turned off for some of the services, but this will still happen if I try to access the account via an unknown device.

    If you have also linked your spouse's phone number to your account, I
    wonder if it would give you the option to have the code forwarded to her
    phone?

    2-factor verification is turned off, and Google does NOT make me use 2-factor verification when I access my account through my phone or my PC, but the malfunction only occurs when I try to access my account from someone else's phone.

    It doesn't make me use it if I try to access YT or Gmail from my PC (so
    long as I am using the same PC and also not a private session). It is the unrecognized device... phone, PC, tablet, or otherwise... that is
    triggering this feature.


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  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Aaron Thomas on Thursday, February 27, 2025 08:07:53
    Aaron Thomas wrote to Kurt Weiske <=-

    Sometimes I'm out somewhere and I decide that I want to buy something,
    but then I'll need to do a transfer in my online banking, and my online banking requires 2 factor authentication.

    That makes sense. I get it.

    There's a lot to be said, as I'm sure you've seen, of going for a walk
    and being present. I listen to podcasts on walks, but leaving the house with just me and my dog is a welcome change.

    There's a lot to gain by leaving your phone at home (until you need to check your Gmail.) People look like dicks when they are glued to their phones all the time. Have you ever had a conversation with a person who was staring at a phone? (It's not friendly.)

    We have friends, my age (approaching 60) that, with a gap in the
    conversation with reach for their phones - when at restaurants, or even
    at our house having a glass of wine. When you think that social networks
    were designed with the input from behaviorists to be addictive, it makes
    sense.

    Did I mention that my daughter's high school is having phone-free
    Fridays? It's interesting seeing her reaction. Mostly her issue is with
    not being able to locate her friends at lunch. They turn on location
    services and let each other see where they are... :|

    I said that people are creatures of habit, and you could probably just
    go to where you always go and meet up with them.









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  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Mike Powell on Thursday, February 27, 2025 08:07:54
    Mike Powell wrote to Aaron Thomas <=-

    This isn't a conspiracy but a security feature that prevents others
    from accessing your email account. In the case of google, I don't remember for sure, but the "Try another way" probably only works if you have set up another verification contact method for your gmail account.
    If you only gave it a phone number to text you at, there are no
    "another ways" left for it to try.

    I wondered about the notion of SIM stealing, where someone swaps your
    number to compromise 2FA. Does anyone do that? Seems awfully directed,
    unless I have millions in bitcoin I assume I'm safe from that.

    I do like TOTP, I've been using Authy, and having a means of backing up
    the seeds is nice. It's a pain when your phone crashes and you need to
    re-set up MFA.

    Hint - use a password manager to save MFA backup codes.

    I found out Keepass can even generate TOTP from within the app!



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  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to Rob Mccart on Thursday, February 27, 2025 13:38:32
    I've never been a big fan of Gmail, although you pretty much have to
    sign up for it to keep your Phone and Tablet updated. What I did was
    go to gMail and set it up to forward all incoming mail to my other
    main eMail address so I don't miss anything and anyone I do want to
    reply to I can reply from my other eMail address and switch them over.

    That's a good idea, and that's my plan. But before I go through the long process of changing my email address everywhere, I want to set up my own email server. I've started working on that but it's kind of difficult (for me.)

    length of time, but I don't like being disturbed either so, unless
    I'm expecting a serious call, I put the phone on Airplane Mode.
    This saves battery power but allows for a quick startup if needed
    and the phone is still functional for a lot of other things like
    Camera and Games or as an eReader, etc..

    Thanks for those tips. I used to get a lot of spam calls but luckily that seems to have slowed down lately.

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  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to Mike Powell on Thursday, February 27, 2025 13:45:10
    2-factor verification is turned off, and Google does NOT make me use 2-f verification when I access my account through my phone or my PC, but the malfunction only occurs when I try to access my account from someone els phone.

    It doesn't make me use it if I try to access YT or Gmail from my PC (so long as I am using the same PC and also not a private session). It is
    the unrecognized device... phone, PC, tablet, or otherwise... that is triggering this feature.

    My wife's PC is connected to our printer, so whenever I want to print something I use an incognito tab on her PC, and my password is all that Google ever asks for. I insist that they're picking on me. I've made 1 too many reptilian jokes on the internet :)

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  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to Kurt Weiske on Thursday, February 27, 2025 13:59:28
    We have friends, my age (approaching 60) that, with a gap in the conversation with reach for their phones - when at restaurants, or even
    at our house having a glass of wine. When you think that social networks were designed with the input from behaviorists to be addictive, it makes sense.

    I'm glad that I'm not the only person noticing that the left has friends in all the right places.

    Did I mention that my daughter's high school is having phone-free
    Fridays? It's interesting seeing her reaction. Mostly her issue is with not being able to locate her friends at lunch. They turn on location services and let each other see where they are... :|

    Phones are completely banned in my kid's school, and the governor and her monkeys are going to ban them in all NY schools in the near future. I'm surprised that we're ahead of California on this.

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  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Mike Powell on Thursday, February 27, 2025 15:22:35
    Re: Re: Gmail Conspiracy
    By: Mike Powell to KURT WEISKE on Thu Feb 27 2025 09:22 am

    Unless I am planning to use the camera for something, I don't take my phone on walks.

    Back when I ran, I had a Kodak MC3 - it was a little multimedia widget before its time. It had a crappy camera that took stills, movies, and played MP3s. I'd load a bunch of hair metal songs onto the CF card, and could take photos and videos along the way, without being connected to the internet.

    https://www.kataan.org/kodak-mc3-camera-review/
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  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to AARON THOMAS on Friday, February 28, 2025 07:57:00
    It doesn't make me use it if I try to access YT or Gmail from my PC (so long as I am using the same PC and also not a private session). It is the unrecognized device... phone, PC, tablet, or otherwise... that is triggering this feature.

    My wife's PC is connected to our printer, so whenever I want to print somethin
    I use an incognito tab on her PC, and my password is all that Google ever asks
    for. I insist that they're picking on me. I've made 1 too many reptilian jokes
    on the internet :)

    If you want to verify that, see if the PC logon described above still
    works. If it doesn't, the reptiles are on to you! :O :D


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  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to KURT WEISKE on Friday, February 28, 2025 08:03:00
    Unless I am planning to use the camera for something, I don't take my phone
    on walks.

    Back when I ran, I had a Kodak MC3 - it was a little multimedia widget before its time. It had a crappy camera that took stills, movies, and played MP3s. I'
    load a bunch of hair metal songs onto the CF card, and could take photos and videos along the way, without being connected to the internet.

    I have an "action camera," an Akaso Brave 6+, should I ever be motivated
    enough to pick up running. ;) I have used it to take stills and footage.
    The footage is pretty good. For stills, I prefer my purpose built camera.

    IIRC, the 6+ was the last version before they started adding "social media friendly" accessories (like a second screen on the front) which, in order
    to keep the small "action camera" profile, forced them to have to
    compromise on picture quality by removing/downsizing other bits.

    Mike

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  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to AARON THOMAS on Friday, February 28, 2025 08:25:00
    Did I mention that my daughter's high school is having phone-free Fridays? It's interesting seeing her reaction. Mostly her issue is with not being able to locate her friends at lunch. They turn on location services and let each other see where they are... :|

    Phones are completely banned in my kid's school, and the governor and her monkeys are going to ban them in all NY schools in the near future. I'm surprised that we're ahead of California on this.

    I think it is a good idea. We don't need another generation of social
    media addicts.


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  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to Mike Powell on Friday, February 28, 2025 10:41:52
    Phones are completely banned in my kid's school, and the governor and he monkeys are going to ban them in all NY schools in the near future. I'm surprised that we're ahead of California on this.

    I think it is a good idea. We don't need another generation of social media addicts.

    Yea but parents want to keep in contact with their kids (I know I do.) They're shutting off our communication with our kids without first solving the problem of unpredictable school shootings.

    I hope and literally pray that it never happens in my kids' schools, but if there's ever an issue at one of the schools then I want to be able to contact my kid without having to go through the staff members.

    Our kids know enough not to pull out their bird and pee on the floor in the classroom, so why shouldn't they also know the rules about pulling out the cellphone during class? The school is intentionally cutting off our communication with our kids and it makes me and a handful of other parents very angry.

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  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to AARON THOMAS on Saturday, March 01, 2025 01:56:00
    I've never been a big fan of Gmail, although you pretty much have to
    sign up for it to keep your Phone and Tablet updated. What I did was
    go to gMail and set it up to forward all incoming mail to my other
    main eMail address so I don't miss anything and anyone I do want to
    reply to I can reply from my other eMail address and switch them over.

    That's a good idea, and that's my plan. But before I go through the long proc
    > of changing my email address everywhere, I want to set up my own email serve
    >I've started working on that but it's kind of difficult (for me.)

    What exactly will an eMail server do? eMail seems to be a light enough
    duty thing that it wouldn't require a lot of processing power or
    storage unless you're doing something really big, like at a corporate
    level.

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  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to AARON THOMAS on Saturday, March 01, 2025 11:01:00
    Yea but parents want to keep in contact with their kids (I know I do.) They're
    shutting off our communication with our kids without first solving the problem
    of unpredictable school shootings.

    If that was my concern, I would give the kid one of those real simple
    phones that can make phone calls and maybe text and that is about it. They don't need a smart phone while they are in school.

    I hope and literally pray that it never happens in my kids' schools, but if there's ever an issue at one of the schools then I want to be able to contact my kid without having to go through the staff members.

    Understandable.

    Our kids know enough not to pull out their bird and pee on the floor in the classroom, so why shouldn't they also know the rules about pulling out the cellphone during class? The school is intentionally cutting off our communication with our kids and it makes me and a handful of other parents ver
    angry.

    Because a social media addiction, just like a drug addiction, is a much
    more powerful urge than needing to piss the floor.


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  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to Rob Mccart on Saturday, March 01, 2025 09:59:28
    That's a good idea, and that's my plan. But before I go through the lon AT>proc
    > of changing my email address everywhere, I want to set up my own email
    > serve
    >I've started working on that but it's kind of difficult (for me.)

    What exactly will an eMail server do? eMail seems to be a light enough duty thing that it wouldn't require a lot of processing power or
    storage unless you're doing something really big, like at a corporate level.

    So far I've got an email server set up that I can use to send and receive text-based email. I'm using the SMTP protocol. But my limitations that I'm trying to overcome are:

    1) I need to start using the IMAP and/or POP3 protocols so that I can:
    2) easily set up mail client software like Thunderbird
    3) view and handle emails and attachments more easily
    4) utilize a webmail client like Roundcube

    Also I'm hoping to eventually manage a user database for email accounts so that I can share this email server with other people.

    I'm new at email administration so still I have a lot to figure out and understand. But doesn't the thought of getting all that done sound pretty cool?

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  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to Mike Powell on Saturday, March 01, 2025 10:02:42
    Yea but parents want to keep in contact with their kids (I know I do.) They're
    shutting off our communication with our kids without first solving the problem
    of unpredictable school shootings.

    If that was my concern, I would give the kid one of those real simple phones that can make phone calls and maybe text and that is about it. They don't need a smart phone while they are in school.

    That was my initial reaction, but I asked if that would be ok and they said "no." Then I asked if I could give her a long range walkie talkie and they even said "no" to that (which contradicts their "social media" narrative bigtime.)

    Because a social media addiction, just like a drug addiction, is a much more powerful urge than needing to piss the floor.

    Right, but see above...

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  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to AARON THOMAS on Saturday, March 01, 2025 13:15:00
    If that was my concern, I would give the kid one of those real simple phones that can make phone calls and maybe text and that is about it. They don't need a smart phone while they are in school.

    That was my initial reaction, but I asked if that would be ok and they said "no." Then I asked if I could give her a long range walkie talkie and they eve
    said "no" to that (which contradicts their "social media" narrative bigtime.)

    Because a social media addiction, just like a drug addiction, is a much more powerful urge than needing to piss the floor.

    Right, but see above...

    hmmmm, if that is the case then it does not sound good. OT1H, I can
    understand them not wanting you to be able to call in at anytime and
    distrupt class. OTOH, the kid should have a way to contact you if there is trouble.


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  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to Mike Powell on Saturday, March 01, 2025 15:52:50
    hmmmm, if that is the case then it does not sound good. OT1H, I can understand them not wanting you to be able to call in at anytime and distrupt class. OTOH, the kid should have a way to contact you if there is trouble.

    It's ridiculous. I want to fight it, but at the same time I don't want to irritate them too much because I don't want them to retaliate against my kid.

    They are Democrats.

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  • From Shawn Highfield@1:154/700 to Aaron Thomas on Sunday, March 02, 2025 06:50:16
    Hi Aaron,
    In a message to Mike Powell you wrote:

    Yea but parents want to keep in contact with their kids (I know I
    do.) They're shutting off our communication with our kids without
    first solving the problem of unpredictable school shootings.

    My kids are in their 30's now, just to give you an idea of the time frame
    they were in school.

    Obviously cell phones were around when my kids were in school and I've
    had once since they were in a bag with a giant battery you wore over your shoulder. They didn't have cellphones. Hard to believe but both my kids
    are still alive and they made it through school without being able to
    contact us.

    Now again: different time, school shootings don't happen very often in my country either. I understand it's a weekly or more then weekly problem in
    your country, so I'm really torn up on this one.

    pulling out the cellphone during class? The school is intentionally cutting off our communication with our kids and it makes me and a
    handful of other parents very angry.

    If they are leaving it alone, just tell them to leave it in the school bag under their seat. <shrug> If they get caught they broke the rule and
    deserve punshment. (From you not the school)

    Shawn

    ... I can't promise anything but I can promise 100%.


    * SeM. 2.26 * From the Dirty Shwa
    --- SBBSecho 3.23-Linux
    * Origin: _thePharcyde telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (1:154/700)
  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to AARON THOMAS on Sunday, March 02, 2025 01:35:00
    Yea but parents want to keep in contact with their kids (I know I do.) They'r
    >hutting off our communication with our kids without first solving the problem
    > unpredictable school shootings.

    I hope and literally pray that it never happens in my kids' schools, but if t
    >e's ever an issue at one of the schools then I want to be able to contact my
    > without having to go through the staff members.

    Our kids know enough not to pull out their bird and pee on the floor in the c
    >sroom, so why shouldn't they also know the rules about pulling out the cellph
    > during class? The school is intentionally cutting off our communication with
    >r kids and it makes me and a handful of other parents very angry.

    I think the only issue with that is, any time the phone rings or pings
    the kid has to check to see if it's their parents or another kid or some
    spam thing.

    Possibly an alternative would be to find a way to block calls during
    class from everyone but their parents, although I'm not sure it can
    be set up that exclusively. It's easy to block calls from anyone other
    than those in your Contacts list (Do Not Disturb rules) but most
    people have everyone they know in their Contacts list.

    Hmm.. Looking at my phone there is an option to set that up to only
    allow Contacts 'Favorites' to ring through so that could be workable.

    ---
    * SLMR Rob * WIN'95 ERROR: Purchase 16 meg Pentium-200 to continue
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From August Abolins@1:153/757.21 to Aaron Thomas on Sunday, March 02, 2025 09:16:00
    Hello Aaron Thomas!

    Also I'm hoping to eventually manage a user database for email accounts
    so that I can share this email server with other people.

    I'm new at email administration so still I have a lot to figure out and understand. But doesn't the thought of getting all that done sound pretty cool?

    I've read from several people operating (or trying to operate)
    their own email servers is that they run into obstacles like
    getting denial/blocking of delivery to gmail or outlook or
    hotmail accounts.

    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.64
    * Origin: My Westcoast Point (1:153/757.21)
  • From August Abolins@1:153/757.21 to Aaron Thomas on Sunday, March 02, 2025 09:45:00
    Hello Aaron Thomas!

    ** On Friday 28.02.25 - 10:41, Aaron Thomas wrote to Mike Powell:

    Phones are completely banned in my kid's school, and the
    governor and he monkeys are going to ban them in all NY
    schools..

    I think it is a good idea. We don't need another
    generation of social media addicts.

    Yea but parents want to keep in contact with their kids (I
    know I do.) They're shutting off our communication with
    our kids without first solving the problem of
    unpredictable school shootings.

    Phones tended to become a tool for emergencies. So, a total
    ban might not be wise at all.

    But what really needs to be done is instilling a sense of
    respect in the classroom of juveniles.

    Many concerts and entertainment venues outright mention that
    people turn off their phones and not take pictures. If seen
    using a phone for the purposes of recording content, then the
    person is escorted out. No one seems to have a problem with
    that policy.


    Our kids know enough not to pull out their bird and pee on
    the floor in the classroom, so why shouldn't they also
    know the rules about pulling out the cellphone during
    class?

    Yep.. it boils down to understanding was is respectful.


    The school is intentionally cutting off our communication
    with our kids and it makes me and a handful of other
    parents very angry.

    Ah.. then perhaps the parent should play a strong role in
    instilling phone ettiquette to their kids.


    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.64
    * Origin: My Westcoast Point (1:153/757.21)
  • From August Abolins@1:396/45.29 to Kurt Weiske on Sunday, March 02, 2025 09:27:00
    Hello Kurt Weiske!

    ** On Thursday 27.02.25 - 08:07, Kurt Weiske wrote to Aaron Thomas:

    Did I mention that my daughter's high school is having
    phone-free Fridays? It's interesting seeing her reaction.
    Mostly her issue is with not being able to locate her
    friends at lunch. They turn on location services and let
    each other see where they are... :|

    It's probably more about the allure of smartphone apps and the
    sense of real-time control they provide. But to be in constant
    contact 24/7 is absurd.


    I said that people are creatures of habit, and you could
    probably just go to where you always go and meet up with
    them.

    I concur.. All that such a thing requires is pre-agreed upon
    location and a watch.

    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.64
    * Origin: (1:396/45.29)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Rob Mccart on Sunday, March 02, 2025 08:00:16
    Re: Re: Gmail Conspiracy
    By: Rob Mccart to AARON THOMAS on Sat Mar 01 2025 01:56 am

    What exactly will an eMail server do? eMail seems to be a light enough duty thing that it wouldn't require a lot of processing power or storage unless you're doing something really big, like at a corporate level.

    Running an email server at home is an interesting project - in 2000, I ran an email server with inbound and outbound (POP/IMAP) email, mailing lists and a small web site on a Pentium 1 system. It doesn't take a lot of horsepower, a Raspberry Pi could handle it all.

    The problem now? SPAM and mail providers. The same companies agressively blocking inbound email are doing so knowing that anyone running their own mail server is *not* running on their service, exposing their mail to search indexers, selling ads to you, etc. They'd much rather you just give up and use their email service.

    They may not even block based on your mail content and setup, but block your mail because you're on an IP address that looks suspicious. Lots of luck getting off of a blocklist...
    --- SBBSecho 3.23-Win32
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/1)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Mike Powell on Sunday, March 02, 2025 08:03:06
    Re: Re: Gmail Conspiracy
    By: Mike Powell to AARON THOMAS on Sat Mar 01 2025 11:01 am

    If that was my concern, I would give the kid one of those real simple phones that can make phone calls and maybe text and that is about it. They don't need a smart phone while they are in school.

    Yeah, a concealed Nokia candy-bar phone would be invisible, unless someone at the school searched their bag.

    That would go up against quite a few civil liberty challenges, not to mention social network pressure - when a kid has to bring a hidden burner phone in case there's a school shooting, and the school punishes him for that? That's a mess any school wouldn't want to get into.

    Now I want a phone that fits into an Altoids tin.
    --- SBBSecho 3.23-Win32
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/1)
  • From August Abolins@1:153/757.21 to Rob Mccart on Sunday, March 02, 2025 11:05:00
    Hello Rob Mccart!

    ** On Sunday 02.03.25 - 01:35, Rob Mccart wrote to AARON THOMAS:

    Possibly an alternative would be to find a way to block
    calls during class from everyone but their parents,
    although I'm not sure it can be set up that exclusively.
    It's easy to block calls from anyone other than those in
    your Contacts list (Do Not Disturb rules) but most people
    have everyone they know in their Contacts list.

    How about teachers run through a verification process that all
    phones are in airplane-mode at the beginning of the class?

    What emergency could there be that a parent needs to interrupt
    a kid during school hours? Next to none. If there were a
    change such as of a ride schedule or grocery-list, those things
    can go to vmail or txt that could be checked later.


    Hmm.. Looking at my phone there is an option to set that
    up to only allow Contacts 'Favorites' to ring through so
    that could be workable.

    Well.. then if you were the student, then maybe the parent
    could insist using that feature. But an interruption during
    school hours is still a dubious necessity.

    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.64
    * Origin: My Westcoast Point (1:153/757.21)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to August Abolins on Sunday, March 02, 2025 09:32:38
    August Abolins wrote to Kurt Weiske <=-

    I concur.. All that such a thing requires is pre-agreed upon
    location and a watch.

    And not even that - the school has bells that ring to tell you when to
    go to lunch and when to come back!



    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/1)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Aaron Thomas on Sunday, March 02, 2025 09:32:39
    Aaron Thomas wrote to Rob Mccart <=-

    I'm new at email administration so still I have a lot to figure out and understand. But doesn't the thought of getting all that done sound
    pretty cool?

    Setting up DKIM and DMARC are fiddly - they are anti-spam settings in
    DNS that help authenticate mail coming from your server as valid.
    There's a lot of information and a tester at mxtoolbox.com.

    If I had a network connection that allowed inbound SMTP, I'd do the same
    -but having to rely on a paid service to relay mail on a per-domain
    basis is a pain. I have a couple of domains I'd want to host, and I'm
    sure friends of mine would want to host them (again)

    I do have a VPS sitting around that I test with, I could always use
    that...



    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/1)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Shawn Highfield on Sunday, March 02, 2025 09:32:39
    Shawn Highfield wrote to Aaron Thomas <=-

    If they are leaving it alone, just tell them to leave it in the school
    bag under their seat. <shrug> If they get caught they broke the rule
    and deserve punshment. (From you not the school)

    I responded earlier, but I'd like to see how a school would respond to a
    parent insisting his/her child carry a turned-off feature phone in their
    bag, without taking it out, for emergency contact. The media would have
    a field day with that!


    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/1)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Rob Mccart on Sunday, March 02, 2025 09:32:39
    Rob Mccart wrote to AARON THOMAS <=-

    I think the only issue with that is, any time the phone rings or pings
    the kid has to check to see if it's their parents or another kid or
    some spam thing.

    I like the notion of a burner phone. Only the parents have the number.
    No concerns of notifications unless it's real.

    If that phone rings in class, the kid who answers it and counters the
    teacher by saying - it's my parent calling with an emergency. If you
    have a problem with that you can talk to them.

    I have an inability to deal with bullies who became teachers and bully
    kids. Let them deal with an adult for a change.





    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/1)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to Shawn Highfield on Sunday, March 02, 2025 13:31:58
    shoulder. They didn't have cellphones. Hard to believe but both my kids are still alive and they made it through school without being able to contact us.

    Now again: different time, school shootings don't happen very often in my country either. I understand it's a weekly or more then weekly problem
    in your country, so I'm really torn up on this one.

    Exactly. I went to school in the 80s & 90s and never felt the need for a phone, but there were basically no school shootings during that timeframe, there were no illegal immigrants in my school, there was no such thing as fentanyl, and the teachers weren't teaching CRT and weren't adhering to DEI.

    If they are leaving it alone, just tell them to leave it in the school
    bag under their seat. <shrug> If they get caught they broke the rule
    and deserve punshment. (From you not the school)

    That sounds like a good policy to me. But the school officials seem to be taking pleasure in controlling students, and to some extent they're controlling parents too now.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Windows/64)
    * Origin: JoesBBS.Com, Telnet:23 SSH:22 HTTP:80 (1:342/201)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to Rob Mccart on Sunday, March 02, 2025 13:54:00
    Possibly an alternative would be to find a way to block calls during
    class from everyone but their parents, although I'm not sure it can
    be set up that exclusively. It's easy to block calls from anyone other than those in your Contacts list (Do Not Disturb rules) but most
    people have everyone they know in their Contacts list.

    Hmm.. Looking at my phone there is an option to set that up to only
    allow Contacts 'Favorites' to ring through so that could be workable.

    Yes, like you mentioned, there's the "do not disturb" function. Kids are tech saavy enough to figure out how to turn that on, or at least how to turn off all sounds.

    So you get it. There are rules that need to be followed, and kids need to learn how to follow rules. If a few kids talk during class, then the solution
    should not be to put duck tape on every single child's mouth.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Windows/64)
    * Origin: JoesBBS.Com, Telnet:23 SSH:22 HTTP:80 (1:342/201)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to August Abolins on Sunday, March 02, 2025 14:08:30
    understand. But doesn't the thought of getting all that done sound pr cool?

    I've read from several people operating (or trying to operate)
    their own email servers is that they run into obstacles like
    getting denial/blocking of delivery to gmail or outlook or
    hotmail accounts.

    In my case, Google and Yahoo will let me send mail to their recipients, but it goes to their spam folders. And Microsoft absolutely refuses to allow me to send to their recipients.

    I found that frustrating at first, but I'm not going to let it discourage me. These big companies do lots of subtle things like that to discourage newcomers, but I'm not going to let them stand in my way. If somebody has an outlook/hotmail account and I can't reach them, it's actually their problem and not mine.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Windows/64)
    * Origin: JoesBBS.Com, Telnet:23 SSH:22 HTTP:80 (1:342/201)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to August Abolins on Sunday, March 02, 2025 14:10:44
    The school is intentionally cutting off our communication
    with our kids and it makes me and a handful of other
    parents very angry.

    Ah.. then perhaps the parent should play a strong role in
    instilling phone ettiquette to their kids.

    Right. But the problem is that some kids follow the rules, other kids don't, so then everybody suffers. It's the school administrators being lazy and applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Windows/64)
    * Origin: JoesBBS.Com, Telnet:23 SSH:22 HTTP:80 (1:342/201)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to Kurt Weiske on Sunday, March 02, 2025 14:15:32
    I'm new at email administration so still I have a lot to figure out a understand. But doesn't the thought of getting all that done sound pretty cool?

    Setting up DKIM and DMARC are fiddly - they are anti-spam settings in
    DNS that help authenticate mail coming from your server as valid.
    There's a lot of information and a tester at mxtoolbox.com.

    I know, DKIM was confusing, but I got all that under control (SPF too.)

    I have Postfix working fine, and I can send/recieve mail with MUTT, but I tried to configure Dovecot and something's not right. So I'm taking it one step at a time.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Windows/64)
    * Origin: JoesBBS.Com, Telnet:23 SSH:22 HTTP:80 (1:342/201)
  • From August Abolins@1:153/757.21 to Kurt Weiske on Sunday, March 02, 2025 14:11:00
    Hello Kurt Weiske!

    I concur.. All that such a thing requires is pre-agreed upon
    location and a watch.

    And not even that - the school has bells that ring to tell you when to
    go to lunch and when to come back!

    Well.. there could be scenarios where kids want to meet
    offsite. So.. some kind of time device would be wise. ;)

    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.64
    * Origin: My Westcoast Point (1:153/757.21)
  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to AARON THOMAS on Monday, March 03, 2025 01:31:00
    What exactly will an eMail server do?

    So far I've got an email server set up that I can use to send and receive tex
    >ased email. I'm using the SMTP protocol. But my limitations that I'm trying t
    >vercome are:

    1) I need to start using the IMAP and/or POP3 protocols so that I can:
    >2) easily set up mail client software like Thunderbird
    >3) view and handle emails and attachments more easily
    >4) utilize a webmail client like Roundcube

    I've used Thunderbird for decades.. Love it..

    Also I'm hoping to eventually manage a user database for email accounts so th
    >I can share this email server with other people.

    I'm new at email administration so still I have a lot to figure out and under
    >nd. But doesn't the thought of getting all that done sound pretty cool?

    So maybe you'll end up as an eMail address provider for the public?

    ---
    * SLMR Rob * Sex is the most fun you can have without smiling
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to KURT WEISKE on Monday, March 03, 2025 11:05:00
    If that was my concern, I would give the kid one of those real simple phone
    that can make phone calls and maybe text and that is about it. They don't need a smart phone while they are in school.

    Yeah, a concealed Nokia candy-bar phone would be invisible, unless someone at the school searched their bag.

    I think there are some invisible options. You would just have to be sure
    to keep the sound turned off -- or the phone entirely -- and only use it
    for outbound traffic during an emergency.

    That would go up against quite a few civil liberty challenges, not to mention social network pressure - when a kid has to bring a hidden burner phone in cas
    there's a school shooting, and the school punishes him for that? That's a mess
    any school wouldn't want to get into.

    I would agree, especially a private one.

    Now I want a phone that fits into an Altoids tin.

    The flip phone I was using 11 years ago probably would have fit in an
    Altoids tin. I never tried but, if I ever have any Altoids, I am curious enough now that I will (if I remember!).


    * SLMR 2.1a * Improve your memory, forget about work
    --- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to AARON THOMAS on Monday, March 03, 2025 12:13:00
    In my case, Google and Yahoo will let me send mail to their recipients, but it
    goes to their spam folders.

    Your recpients should be able to add your address, or whole domain, to
    their whitelists and solve that issue pretty quick then.


    * SLMR 2.1a * Pain is just God's way of hurting you.
    --- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to Rob Mccart on Monday, March 03, 2025 11:04:36
    >nd. But doesn't the thought of getting all that done sound pretty cool?

    So maybe you'll end up as an eMail address provider for the public?

    Probably not. Not too many people will want to use an email account that can't communicate with hotmail/outlook.

    But for my own personal use, I'm content with it. Anybody can reach me, but I just can't reach back out to certain people.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Windows/64)
    * Origin: JoesBBS.Com, Telnet:23 SSH:22 HTTP:80 (1:342/201)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:342/201 to Mike Powell on Monday, March 03, 2025 11:06:40
    In my case, Google and Yahoo will let me send mail to their recipients, it
    goes to their spam folders.

    Your recpients should be able to add your address, or whole domain, to their whitelists and solve that issue pretty quick then.

    Yea I guess that will solve the problem for them, but not for new/future recipients.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Windows/64)
    * Origin: JoesBBS.Com, Telnet:23 SSH:22 HTTP:80 (1:342/201)
  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to KURT WEISKE on Tuesday, March 04, 2025 01:07:00
    The problem now? SPAM and mail providers. The same companies agressively bloc
    >g inbound email are doing so knowing that anyone running their own mail serve
    >s *not* running on their service, exposing their mail to search indexers, sel
    >g ads to you, etc. They'd much rather you just give up and use their email se
    >ce.

    They may not even block based on your mail content and setup, but block your
    >l because you're on an IP address that looks suspicious. Lots of luck getting
    >f of a blocklist...

    I tend to use mail services that are free and have very little controls
    over them, but I do occasionally run into some bigger providers blocking exhange from those places claiming there is too much Spam being sent
    from them.. but so far I've been lucky enough that they will unblock
    me if I answer that eMail, with a warning not to do that, not that I
    did it in the first place. They just block everyone using that service.

    I do have a gMail account, mainly because it's required to keep my
    Phone and Tablet updated, but I rarely go there. Anything that goes
    there for me I have automatically forwarded to my other accounts.

    ---
    * SLMR Rob * Borg... James Borg... 007 has been assimilated
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to AUGUST ABOLINS on Tuesday, March 04, 2025 01:17:00
    Possibly an alternative would be to find a way to block
    calls during class from everyone but their parents,

    How about teachers run through a verification process that all
    >phones are in airplane-mode at the beginning of the class?

    That would do what the teachers want but it is a total kill of
    the phone too so no different than taking the phones away from
    the kids.

    Being old school I don't see the need for kids to have a phone
    with them during class but younger parents are probably as
    fanatical about having a phone all the time as the teenagers
    are these days.

    In Ye Good Olde Days, if there was an emergency, parents phoned
    the school and had them fetch the kid from class but I guess
    that isn't good enough anymore.

    ---
    * SLMR Rob * To boldy go forward... because we can't find reverse
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to KURT WEISKE on Tuesday, March 04, 2025 01:26:00
    I think the only issue with that is, any time the phone rings or pings
    the kid has to check to see if it's their parents or another kid or
    some spam thing.

    I like the notion of a burner phone. Only the parents have the number.
    >No concerns of notifications unless it's real.

    That might work as long as that phone was Only used for that.
    Technically, the phone I've been using for the past 7 years is
    a burner, in that it is a pre-paid service and I didn't have to
    give personal information to get it working but once you start
    putting Contacts into it and using it more, you eventually start
    getting spam calls and texts and such.

    Actually, the way most spam is done these days, they sequencially
    work their way through every possible number so you are still
    likely to get hit eventualy even on an activated phone you've
    never used.

    ---
    * SLMR Rob * From the Dept. of Insubstantiality & Subconscientiousness
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Aaron Thomas on Tuesday, March 04, 2025 07:58:59
    Aaron Thomas wrote to Kurt Weiske <=-

    I know, DKIM was confusing, but I got all that under control (SPF too.)

    I have Postfix working fine, and I can send/recieve mail with MUTT, but
    I tried to configure Dovecot and something's not right. So I'm taking
    it one step at a time.

    Sounds like half the battle is over if you can send/receive mail and
    not get spam-blocked - congratulations!



    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/1)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to August Abolins on Tuesday, March 04, 2025 07:58:59
    August Abolins wrote to Kurt Weiske <=-

    Well.. there could be scenarios where kids want to meet
    offsite. So.. some kind of time device would be wise. ;)

    Most campuses I've seen are closed campuses, these days. In my high
    school years, I went to a school situated right near downtown - you
    could walk to a handful of restaurants or a couple of parks to get off
    campus and easily be back by first bell.




    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/1)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Rob Mccart on Tuesday, March 04, 2025 07:58:59
    Rob Mccart wrote to KURT WEISKE <=-

    Actually, the way most spam is done these days, they sequencially
    work their way through every possible number so you are still
    likely to get hit eventualy even on an activated phone you've
    never used.

    That is true.

    I once worked for an ecommerce company that got an irate customer. They
    got a hold of our DID numbers and started war-dialing desk phones
    sequentially to complain. They hit my number first, then my two desktop
    support guys, then we heard a phone down the hall ring. We grabbed a
    phone list and went from cube to cube, telling people not to answer, or
    to answer it by saying "Hi, Marge!" (or whatever her name was...)

    She eventually gave up, but not after calling 30 or 40 times.





    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/1)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Rob Mccart on Tuesday, March 04, 2025 07:59:00
    Rob Mccart wrote to KURT WEISKE <=-

    I tend to use mail services that are free and have very little controls over them, but I do occasionally run into some bigger providers
    blocking exhange from those places claiming there is too much Spam
    being sent from them.. but so far I've been lucky enough that they will unblock me if I answer that eMail, with a warning not to do that, not
    that I did it in the first place. They just block everyone using that service.

    As soon as I can get port 25 opened at home, I'd love to run my own
    mail server again, and keep gmail for a backup.





    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/1)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Rob Mccart on Tuesday, March 04, 2025 07:59:00
    Rob Mccart wrote to AUGUST ABOLINS <=-

    In Ye Good Olde Days, if there was an emergency, parents phoned
    the school and had them fetch the kid from class but I guess
    that isn't good enough anymore.

    I had a scheduling change with my wife yesterday and was forced to go
    into the office. I was running late because of traffic (2 hour commute)
    and was able to coordinate my daughter going home with a friend and me
    picking her up from there. Not an emergency, but solved easily with a
    discrete text message checked outside of the classroom.



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  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to KURT WEISKE on Thursday, March 06, 2025 01:50:00
    Actually, the way most spam is done these days, they sequencially
    work their way through every possible number so you are still
    likely to get hit eventualy even on an activated phone you've
    never used.

    That is true.

    I once worked for an ecommerce company that got an irate customer. They
    >got a hold of our DID numbers and started war-dialing desk phones
    >sequentially to complain. They hit my number first, then my two desktop
    >support guys, then we heard a phone down the hall ring. We grabbed a
    >phone list and went from cube to cube, telling people not to answer, or
    >to answer it by saying "Hi, Marge!" (or whatever her name was...)

    She eventually gave up, but not after calling 30 or 40 times.

    Ha.. That made me think of my brother in law who, when he gets some
    sort of Spam call, he keeps them on the line as long as possible
    just to waste their time and resources. He makes it sound like he
    is going to give them banking info or whatever but, he's having a
    hard time finding it.. it's here somewhere.. He often keeps them on
    the line for 30 or 40 minutes before they get fed up and hang up..

    ---
    * SLMR Rob * Apathy ERROR - don't bother pressing any keys
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to KURT WEISKE on Thursday, March 06, 2025 01:59:00
    In Ye Good Olde Days, if there was an emergency, parents phoned
    the school and had them fetch the kid from class but I guess
    that isn't good enough anymore.

    I had a scheduling change with my wife yesterday and was forced to go
    >into the office. I was running late because of traffic (2 hour commute)
    >and was able to coordinate my daughter going home with a friend and me
    >picking her up from there. Not an emergency, but solved easily with a
    >discrete text message checked outside of the classroom.

    Yes, which is fine. I don't think anyone wants kids to be cut off
    from parents or even friends as long as it isn't interfering with
    classes unless it is a dire emergency.

    ---
    * SLMR Rob * Life is short... Eat dessert first
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Rob Mccart on Thursday, March 06, 2025 07:00:54
    Rob Mccart wrote to KURT WEISKE <=-

    Ha.. That made me think of my brother in law who, when he gets some
    sort of Spam call, he keeps them on the line as long as possible
    just to waste their time and resources.

    Now it's all VOIP, but it was fun when they were paying for land lines.

    There's a service called something like the Jolly Roger telephone
    service that provides unlimited call holding - transfer the call to
    them, and it goes onto a route that just plays a sleepy-sounding guy
    saying "uh huh... wait, what?? Sure... Yep..."

    I usually just put the phone down and walk away.

    Once, they said "Hello, I'm trying to reach Kurt?"

    I asked, in a panicked voice, how he knew that name?

    "Captain, we got another one asking about Kurt, what do you want me to
    do?"

    <CLICK>





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  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Rob Mccart on Thursday, March 06, 2025 07:00:54
    Rob Mccart wrote to KURT WEISKE <=-

    Yes, which is fine. I don't think anyone wants kids to be cut off
    from parents or even friends as long as it isn't interfering with
    classes unless it is a dire emergency.

    I can understand the desire to draw very specific lines, or to exclude
    all phone calls. A 15-year old can have dire dating emergencies, hair emergencies, clothing choice emergencies... :)



    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
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  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to KURT WEISKE on Saturday, March 08, 2025 00:44:00
    Ha.. That made me think of my brother in law who, when he gets some
    sort of Spam call, he keeps them on the line as long as possible
    just to waste their time and resources.

    Now it's all VOIP, but it was fun when they were paying for land lines.

    Still, the resources must be finite, just so many calls going through
    at the same time, although likely that number could still be pretty big.

    There's a service called something like the Jolly Roger telephone
    >service that provides unlimited call holding - transfer the call to
    >them, and it goes onto a route that just plays a sleepy-sounding guy
    >saying "uh huh... wait, what?? Sure... Yep..."

    Ha, that would be one way to not waste any of YOUR time.

    I usually just put the phone down and walk away.

    Lately as soon as they start talking I just hang up before they even
    tell me what they are after. I doubt I hang up on many legitimate
    business callers and, if I did, they would likely figure some glitch
    and call you right back.

    Plus a huge percentage of them are now automated calls, you don't
    talk to an actual person until they get you hooked..

    It's also my hope that if you hang up right away without interacting
    with them, your number gets flagged as a wast of time and removed
    from call lists, but that may be just wishful thinking. That said
    those types of calls have become very rare in the last while so maybe
    there's something to that..

    ---
    * SLMR Rob * To laugh at men of sense is the privilege of fools
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/1 to Rob Mccart on Saturday, March 08, 2025 09:38:02
    Rob Mccart wrote to KURT WEISKE <=-

    Lately as soon as they start talking I just hang up before they even
    tell me what they are after. I doubt I hang up on many legitimate
    business callers and, if I did, they would likely figure some glitch
    and call you right back.

    Plus a huge percentage of them are now automated calls, you don't
    talk to an actual person until they get you hooked..


    I have a local realtor who had my old number on a PDF that google
    captured.

    I get SPAM calls wanting to add me to the Google Voice Search
    service directory, whatever that is. I've made it clear that it's a
    wrong number, and gotten repeated calls from their agents that usually
    get testy when I ask to be removed from their listing. They seem to
    imply that since they have it as a business listing, they have a right
    to call.

    I also get calls from customers trying to get a hold of the realtor. I
    send them to another realtor friend of mine. I wonder how much business
    she's lost.

    I've reached out to the realtor, explaining the situation, she
    effectively told me it's Google's fault and what did I expect her to
    do? I even sent her the link to the offending file, and it's still on
    their web site.


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    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/1)
  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to KURT WEISKE on Monday, March 10, 2025 01:37:00
    I have a local realtor who had my old number on a PDF that google
    > captured.

    I get SPAM calls wanting to add me to the Google Voice Search
    > service directory, whatever that is.

    Ha.. in a much smaller way.. For a few years when I first moved
    up here I had a small out of my home computer service advertised
    as 'Computer repairs in your own home', as well as upgrades and
    system repairs. I had a few corporate customers plus the local
    Municipal Government offices used me when they found I was quite
    a bit better at difficult to find problems than the fairly big
    local computer place that had sold them all their computers..

    Anyways, I didn't advertise other than the odd 'pocket' filled with
    business cards on local grocery store bulletin boards, but one year
    I suddenly found myself listed as a business on the web site for the
    next bigger town over. It is the closest town but not where I lived.

    ---
    * SLMR Rob * If I were you... who'd be me ???
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)