#7 Blog About Technology

I grew up in a rural area where the phone system was what was known as a party line. You and your immediate neighbors shared the line. Everyone had a ring code: if the phone rang "long" once, then "short" twice, that was your call. If it rang "long" once, then "short" once, it was someone else"s call. Typically, each group had six or so parties covering a square mile or so. If there was a bad storm or other emergency everyone could be on the line at the same time--sort of like an intercom. People could also eavesdrop if they were deft at handling a receiver. Technology can be great for information sharing; not so great for privacy.