23 Jul
1998
23 Jul
'98
8:30 a.m.
What is the official meaning of the symbol #?
BTW, in the UK # is _never_ called "pound".
"Hash" is the most usual
name, followed by "gate" and "hatch". "Pound" means a
script L with a
couple of horizontal bars through it :-)
How is 'recall' done? Where is the number stored? As for the
keypad configurations, I'm sure it all goes back to competing
calculator models.
That's what I was afraid of. Although a neater
hack still would be a
modified dial that did 11 pulses for * and 12 for #. Mechanically
possible, but I wouldn't want to try and modify the old dial.
There is a blanked-off hole in most type 746 phones that can
accommodate
1 or 2 buttons, and I was thinking of putting # and *
there, but this
is
more usually used for a "recall" button.
Incidentally, does anyone know why "timed break" recall buttons are
replacing local earth ones? And how long is the break?
> While a pulse-to-DTMF converter is a neat hack (and these sort of
> converters were installed in some step-by-step exchanges in the US,
at
> least there were in my local exchange when we were
step-by-step, but
come
> to think of it I don't know why, unless they
were converting my pulse
> dialed digits to DTMF so that some other adjunct piece of equipment
such
> as a Dialed Number Recorder could know what digits
I was dialing, for
> purposes of surveillance ;) it'd be easier to just buy a cheap DTMF
phone.
Sam, you should be ashamed of yourself. The object of the exercise was
not to get a DTMF phone, but to get one with a _rotary dial_. I
already
have a DTMF phone, and I am interested in thes project
_purely_ for
hack
value.
Slightly less far off topic, does anyone know the reason for the
divergence in layout between phone keypads and computer ones, i.e.
123 789
456 vs. 456 ?
789 123
0 0
Which came first?
Philip.
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23 Jul
23 Jul
10:11 a.m.
On Thu, 23 Jul 1998, Max Eskin wrote:
What is the official meaning of the symbol #?
Whatever you want it to be. That's why its called a "symbol".
How is 'recall' done? Where is the number
stored? As for the
If we're talking about the phone company recall feature, its stored at the
telco switch in a "register" (more likely a computer database on a hard
drive).
Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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September 26 & 27...Vintage Computer Festival 2
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8:19 p.m.
On Thu, 23 Jul 1998, William Donzelli wrote:
The thing actually has an official name, but I doubt many people still use
it. Its an "octothorpe"!
William Donzelli
william(a)ans.net
You mean those little 'prongs' sticking out on the four sides are
"thorpes"? How 'bout that! Learn something new every day. :)
- don
What is the official meaning of the symbol #?
Whatever you want it to be. That's why its called a "symbol". 
9:27 p.m.
> The thing actually has an official name, but I
doubt many people still use
> it. Its an "octothorpe"!
You mean those little 'prongs' sticking out on
the four sides are
"thorpes"? How 'bout that! Learn something new every day. :)
No, the squares framed by the lines are "thorpes." The unmarked square is not
a thorpe.
1 | 2 | 3
---+-----+---
4 | | 5
---+-----+---
6 | 7 | 8
At least, that's the way I understand it. Apparently the symbol was used on
maps to denote small villages. Also apparently, the symbol depicts a village
surrounded by eight crop fields; this relates to the name ("octo" +
"thorpe" =
"eight" + "field"). I thought the word "thorpe" (as used in
English place-
names) referred to the village itself, but I could be wrong.
Whatever the story, octothorpe DOES seem to be the official name!
-- Derek
9:43 p.m.
On Thu, 23 Jul 1998, D. Peschel wrote:
I looked in my Webster's Collegiate dictionary which contains all the
obligatory swear words and racial slurs (so you know its compleat) and it
defines "thorp" (note, no 'e' in this dictionary's spelling) as a
village
or hamlet (archaic).
Annoyingly however, this dictionary has "cocksucker" (I swear!) but no
"octothorp" so I can't conclude my brief investigation.
The End
Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ever onward.
September 26 & 27...Vintage Computer Festival 2
See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details!
[Last web page update: 07/21/98]
> The thing
actually has an official name, but I doubt many people still use
> it. Its an "octothorpe"!
You mean those little 'prongs' sticking
out on the four sides are
"thorpes"? How 'bout that! Learn something new every day. :)
No, the squares framed by the lines are "thorpes." The unmarked square is not
a thorpe.
1 | 2 | 3
---+-----+---
4 | | 5
---+-----+---
6 | 7 | 8
At least, that's the way I understand it. Apparently the symbol was used on
maps to denote small villages. Also apparently, the symbol depicts a village
surrounded by eight crop fields; this relates to the name ("octo" +
"thorpe" =
"eight" + "field"). I thought the word "thorpe" (as used
in English place-
names) referred to the village itself, but I could be wrong.
10:01 p.m.
I looked in my Webster's Collegiate dictionary
which contains all the
obligatory swear words and racial slurs (so you know its compleat) and it
defines "thorp" (note, no 'e' in this dictionary's spelling) as a
village
or hamlet (archaic).
We have the Oxford English Dictionary online (nyah -- the OED is basically
the ultimate reference on strange English words or word origins, except for
new words or slang). It also defines thorp as a village. Interestingly, the
word "thorp" seems to be descended from a root that also gave us
"tribe".
I just thought I'd let you know that. :)
This question has come up quite a few times on USENET (on comp.dcom.telecom,
among other places). I've seen official-looking documents, but that's not to
say I remember them correctly. I'm not even sure I trust them (this may be
one of those questions with no completely good answer).
The comp.dcom.telecom archives have more info. I'm sure. I forget where they
currently live and I'm too lazy to look them up.
-- Derek
24 Jul
24 Jul
9:28 a.m.
On Thu, 23 Jul 1998, D. Peschel wrote:
Now that is fascinating. Really!
- don
> The thing
actually has an official name, but I doubt many people still use
> it. Its an "octothorpe"!
You mean those little 'prongs' sticking
out on the four sides are
"thorpes"? How 'bout that! Learn something new every day. :)
No, the squares framed by the lines are "thorpes." The unmarked square is not
a thorpe.
1 | 2 | 3
---+-----+---
4 | | 5
---+-----+---
6 | 7 | 8
At least, that's the way I understand it. Apparently the symbol was used on
maps to denote small villages. Also apparently, the symbol depicts a village
surrounded by eight crop fields; this relates to the name ("octo" +
"thorpe" =
"eight" + "field"). I thought the word "thorpe" (as used
in English place-
names) referred to the village itself, but I could be wrong.
Whatever the story, octothorpe DOES seem to be the official name!
-- Derek
9496
days inactive
9497
days old
7 comments
5 participants
participants (5)
-
dastar＠ncal.verio.com -
donm＠cts.com -
dpeschel＠u.washington.edu -
maxeskin＠hotmail.com -
william＠ans.net