Yesterday as I was calling to check my voicemail I noticed the five buttons I press on the phone for my pin number produce the last five notes of the song "Old MacDonald Had a Farm". E-I-E-I-Ooooo, my friends. Now every time I check my voicemail I will end up with an annoying song in my head. Yes! I win!
This reminded me of the time in Bible School when I was in my room with the door closed minding my own business, and suddenly a series of unearthly wails and whines erupted from the hallway. I burst from my room to find Chad standing there making this absurd racket into the intercom. Not willing to simply chalk this up to inexplicable Chad-like eccentricity, I pressed him for an explanation. He informed me that a tone phone system simply dials the number that corresponds with the tone each button produces. So, if you can mimic the same tone with your voice, you can theoretically dial a number without pushing any buttons. Soon we were both taking turns shrieking into the phone with falsetto squeals, and sure enough, we were able to make some calls. It turned out to be strangely gratifying to make a loud noise at a phone and have it obey by calling someone. Of course, it was a little difficult to control. As I recall we had the most success calling the student phone booth, which has the convenient number of 11, so you only have to get the same note right twice.
Clever Chad.
5 comments:
Oh my Word!! Leave it to a Sandford to find new challenges in the most ordinary places...I'm surprised he wasn't tapping out Morse Code along with it!
That reminds me of the time you were trying to program your first cell phone and yelling into it, "GRAND-MAW!"
Actually, I read a book in which a lady with perfect pitch was able to trigger a security keypad by singing the right tones...she was sneakin' in to spy on some bad guys. (Sadly, I don't remember which book it was!)
Well, I read and re-read this carefully, trying to figure out how on earth Claire could have been peacefully in her own room and Chad out in the hall...and then I finally took note of the "Posted by Brad." Aha! Mystery solved :)
-Gretchen
Watch what you say about Sandfords, Luane.
You know, I was wondering the same thing as Gretchen. Chad wasn't the type to hang out in the women's quarters. This post did bring back memories of Chad telling me about singing into the phone; I never knew that you guys had actually done it. We tried it here in the phone lobby last week. My friend Abby matched the 1 tone, but nothing else.
Kendra
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