Bill Atkinson doxxed Douglas Adams in 1987

Re:Bill Atkinson doxxed Douglas Adams in 1987 by nervousvarun on Sunday November 03, 2024 @05:43PM (#42036707)

I'm an old and your comment made me realize "prank calls" basically no longer exist.

This was an enormous cultural phenomenon that existed for decades (at least in America) and somewhat quietly has completely died off.

For anyone who might know, were prank calls as much of thing in 50s-90s Europe? Asia? Honestly don't know but it was sortof ever-present in the background of American teenage life (it was pretty likely you either were pranked or pranked someone else at some point in your adolescent life).

(Yes I realize "heavy breathing" calls are more akin to sexual harassment and on the extreme end of the "prank call" spectrum)

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Re:Bill Atkinson doxxed Douglas Adams in 1987 by pcl on Sunday November 03, 2024 @06:26PM (#42036971)

I fondly remember conference-calling two Dominos numbers to each other and cracking up as they both said “hello dominos can I take your order” to each other. Ahh college.

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Re:Bill Atkinson doxxed Douglas Adams in 1987 by jmbwell on Sunday November 03, 2024 @07:05PM (#42037187)

I’m not saying who or when or whether this ever actually happened, but there were kids in my hometown who would do this but announce to each location “please hold for a call from the regional manager” or something equally officious, then put them on and say something ridiculous but plausible enough to get them going. Ahh a different time.

Allegedly

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Re:Bill Atkinson doxxed Douglas Adams in 1987 by varjag on Sunday November 03, 2024 @06:02PM (#42036822)

The "somehow" part is most certainly all the spam/scam/robocalls that killed voice calls otherwise.

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Re:Bill Atkinson doxxed Douglas Adams in 1987 by mikeyinternews on Sunday November 03, 2024 @06:14PM (#42036887)

Prank calling was definitely still alive and strong in the 90s. At least they were we me and my friends. And not the "heavy breathing" kind, just silliness. In middle school I spliced a phone cord so my friend and I could prank from the same room. When we got 3-way calling, we would be able to prank with each other from afar AND we could each call another (unsuspecting) party and get them on a you-called-me call together. Good times :)

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Re:Bill Atkinson doxxed Douglas Adams in 1987 by op7 on Sunday November 03, 2024 @06:51PM (#42037124)

They were a thing well into the early 2010s until people began doing increasingly cruel “pranks” for Youtube views and wound up going to prison.

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Re:Bill Atkinson doxxed Douglas Adams in 1987 by EricE on Monday November 04, 2024 @10:32AM (#42042455)

A huge pop-culture example: The Simpsons with Bart and Moe going back and forth

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Re:Bill Atkinson doxxed Douglas Adams in 1987 by Lammy on Sunday November 03, 2024 @07:05PM (#42037190)

> "prank calls" basically no longer exist

https://www.tiktok.com/@putagirlon

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Re:Bill Atkinson doxxed Douglas Adams in 1987 by asta123 on Sunday November 03, 2024 @06:40PM (#42037060)

My mate was good at extending a conversation when someone dialled a wrong number, pretending he is the kid of whoever they called :)

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Re:Bill Atkinson doxxed Douglas Adams in 1987 by actionfromafar on Sunday November 03, 2024 @06:45PM (#42037085)

Definitely a thing on the other side of the pond.

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Re:Bill Atkinson doxxed Douglas Adams in 1987 by rightbyte on Monday November 04, 2024 @10:57AM (#42042715)

> Yes I realize "heavy breathing" calls are more akin to sexual harassment

Really? I was quite sure we were ghosts or other monsters when we did it. Did adults do that to get off?

Just making sounds was the 'coward' way to do prank calls, anyways.

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