We still have a landline. Comes in handy; for one thing, we have lousy cell reception here at the Manse, and I really hate using a cell phone to talk to people to begin with (crap audio, calls drop at odd times, the phone is not ergonomically fitted to my hand, etc.).
The problem with a landline, though, is that at least through AT&T, you can only block 10 numbers at a time. And on a landline where we’ve had the same number since the 1970’s, we get a lot of junk calls.
I’m sure if I were to call AT&T and bitch about the inability to block more than 10 numbers, and how damn stupid that is in this day and age, they’d tell me that the system simply won’t support lists longer than that. And I would have to call bullshit on them…because all of this stuff is database-driven (it has to be, or it wouldn’t have a chance in hell of working), and the only thing stopping AT&T from allowing me unlimited call blocking is that they don’t want to do it. Probably because they’re afraid I’d start blocking all of the jerkholes who are exempt from the federal and state do-not-call lists, like politicians and charities and all those other people trying to hoover my hard-earned money out of my pocket.
I guess it’s time to start looking for a third-party alternative. And don’t suggest that we switch to Comcast VoIP. Number 1, the regular copper landline system doesn’t go down when the power goes out. Number 2, Comcast only lets you block 12 numbers, so that’s no improvement.
Probably going to go with something like this. There used to be computer apps that did this, too, by picking up Caller ID on your landline modem. But who the hell has a modem hooked up to their computer anymore?
There’s also a service called Nomorobo that sounds interesting, but it only works with VoIP. Oh well.