I was talking to a coworker about these new phishing attacks that send your name and address and sometimes a picture of your house, and I was saying how creepy it is, and they told me that phonebooks were delivered to everyone and used to have like literally everyone in a city listed by last name with their phone number and address. Is that for real?

  • wallybeavis@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Mid 40s, and I too feel old now - at first I thought OP was setting us up for a joke. The local phone company still delivered phone books to everyone in my city until a few years ago.

    I think it was an old legal requirement for any phone company providing landline services to also provide phonebooks. Unfortunately most weren’t even recycled, they were either burned in backyard firepits, or just thrown out

    • WoahWoah@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 months ago

      No joke! I don’t know if I’ve ever actually seen a phone book. How would they even fit? Seems like they would have been enormous.

      I did see a payphone in a restaurant once but it didn’t work. I saw another one outside of a gas station on a road trip in the south. That one had a dial tone, but I think you had to pay more to call anyone we knew, so we just took selfies pretending to use it.

      • brygphilomena@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Residential listings were “white pages” and businesses were “yellow pages.”

        Yes, they were big, printed on very thin paper, with small typeface.

        • WoahWoah@lemmy.worldOP
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          2 months ago

          OMG 🤣🤣🤣

          Edit: is Hershey where they make the chocolate? Didn’t realize that was a town and not just a company. I’m learning so much today

            • WoahWoah@lemmy.worldOP
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              2 months ago

              Like in the town town or the amusement thing.

              Did this dude enslave small-statured orange people by chance?

              • Geekocracy@lemmy.world
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                2 months ago

                The town, or at least the main street that goes by the factory. As far as I know, no orange people were enslaved.
                Seriously though, Milton Hershey was surprisingly progressive for his time. He built affordable homes for his workers and helped them become home owners. The school he built was originally for orphaned boys.

                • Andy@slrpnk.net
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                  2 months ago

                  I’m from Pittsburgh. I think we ran a cross country meet in Hershey once.

                  The amusement park and factory tour are all quite charming. It’s hard to recommend one make a dedicated trip, but if anyone is ever on a road trip nearby, it’s worth the detour to stop by for a day.

                  Then again, my recommendation is 20 years old. It could be either better or worse now.

                  • Geekocracy@lemmy.world
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                    14 days ago

                    I’m from Pittsburgh. I think we ran a cross country meet It’s been maybe a little longer for me :)

                    But in the meantime the park has grown from a neighborhood attraction to an east coast destination. I am always a bit amused when my coworkers vacation there.