And this is radio station WBAI, New York.
It's 10 o'clock. It's Wednesday night. It's Off the Hook.
I hope that's understood.
One big leap now.
One big leap now.
And a very good evening to everybody.
The program is Off the Hook.
This is Emmanuel Goldstein, where we spend an hour each week
talking about telephones and technology, computers and confusion
and various other things like that.
And we'll be taking phone calls a little bit later on.
Maybe we'll be hearing from Mark again from prison.
Who knows?
We'll see what goes on as far as that goes.
We have some fun things to play with, some things to announce,
some experiences to recall, and we might as well get right to it.
Let's see.
Where do we start here?
There are quite a few interesting things going on.
And I guess probably one of the more amazing ones.
I don't know if it's really amazing.
But it involves yet another way where you can manage to be ripped off on your phone bill.
We just delight in finding these things.
And we've seen 900 numbers where people can be billed the price of a car for a phone call.
We've seen 800 numbers that actually bill people back for phone calls to a toll-free number.
Well, now we have something else.
If you thought you were safe because you blocked 900 numbers
and you blocked 5-4-0 numbers and 5-5-0s and all these other things,
guess again, you're not safe anymore.
Now, I'm here at WBAI.
I really am, right here in the studio.
And we have blocked all those nasty numbers.
And we did it because we had to.
Because we don't want these kind of things showing up on our phone bills.
So there's no way that we could possibly have one of these evil things show up, right?
Okay, well, let's see if that is, in fact, true.
Now, in the interest of security, we're not going to be giving out any specific phone numbers here.
Let's see if we can actually place a call here.
This may not work the first time.
It might not work at all.
Let's see what happens.
So far, astoundingly little is happening.
Thank you for calling Risk A,
where you can talk live to our beautiful, hot, and twisted international model.
The cost of this call is only $3.99 per minute.
You must be at least 18 or older to access this service.
If you are not at least 18 or do not wish to be billed, hang up now.
Okay, off you go.
Goodbye.
Now, what that is, is a very interesting way of billing.
Now, we have a company here, a long-distance company called Wiltel.
We've talked about them before.
They're the ones that deliver caller ID nationwide.
Well, it seems that if you dial the Wiltel carrier access code, which is 10555, and then put a zero after that, meaning you want operator assistance,
and then dial this number in Canada, you'll wind up with a call to that particular service.
And you'll be billed as if you call a 900 number.
Is that unbelievable?
But it gets even better than that.
If you call this particular number, well, let's see what happens.
If we call the number that it actually translates to, okay, instead of dialing O plus this number, we're just going to dial the number direct.
Let's see if we can talk to this risque person.
Whoops.
Got to enter my special authorization code for this one.
Whoa, whoa, we can't give that out.
If you are calling for a party line, or if you are a harassing caller, you have definitely got the wrong number.
For all others, nice people, please leave your name and phone number for a prompt reply.
Thank you.
Please wait for the beep.
Well, actually, we're sort of semi-nice, but we reached the wrong number.
We're sorry to have bothered you.
Have a good night.
Okay, that is a very angry woman in Toronto who is getting no end of calls to that particular number.
And the reason for this is because she has the same exact phone number that Wiltel is using.
Now, what's odd about this is that Wiltel is using the same format as a regular phone number, area code plus number.
And by simply sticking a zero in front of it, they're routing it to some other bizarre 900-type service.
And if you dial this number direct, you'll get this person.
I mean, I don't know why they're doing it this way.
It seems very deceptive to me.
It seems very unfair to this poor person.
As you can see, she's been getting all kinds of calls.
So, something to think about.
Your number could show up next.
105-5-5-0 plus 10 digits.
Could be your number.
It goes somewhere completely different.
Who knows?
We're going to look into that a little bit more.
We can't give out the number because that would be wrong.
But I'm sure you'll find it at some point.
Well, there are other things, too.
We found out a couple of interesting facts.
One fact which is kind of disturbing, kind of ominous, is that 9X no longer seems to complete calls to 800 numbers.
Isn't that something?
Well, let's first of all try calling an 800 number.
We found an 800 number, thanks to Rebel, by the way, who actually came through with something here.
He found the number for Locktel.
Locktel Communications, which is the phone company that they use for various prison-type phone calls.
Well, let's see what happens when we call that number.
Okay, we just need to get a dial tone there.
There we go.
Didn't pay the touchtone bill on that line.
Okay, let's go over here.
Let's try this one.
Okay.
You have reached Locktel Communications.
All of our representatives are currently busy.
Please leave your name, your telephone number, and the purpose of your call, and a representative will go back to you.
Thank you, and have a good day.
Let's hit a star instead.
Nothing has been recorded.
To transfer to your own mailbox, press 1.
To transfer to an attendant, press 3.
To hear your options...
Let's transfer to an attendant.
By the way, this is always busy.
They always say this.
24 hours a day.
...while your call is being transferred.
Continue holding.
No problem.
Thank you for calling GTE.
Our office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
If you have an emergency, please contact security on 703-818-5912.
Thank you.
That is GTE located in Chantilly, Virginia.
Awfully odd, isn't it?
And when you talk to them during business hours, you'll find that they know nothing about Locktel.
So, this Locktel company apparently is part of GTE or is connected to GTE in some manner.
They're never in.
You'll always get a recording saying that they're too busy to take your call.
Please leave a message, and they'll call you back.
And if you play around with your touch tones, you'll be connected to a GTE operator who has no idea what Locktel is all about.
Kind of interesting.
That's the phone company that fiber optic Mark was forced to use to make collect calls when the phone system went down there.
And if he calls in later, we'll be able to tell him more information about that.
Now, let's pretend that we had trouble getting through to that 800 number,
and we enlisted the help of a trustee 9X operator by dialing O.
They've always come through for us in the past.
Let's see if they let us down today.
Hi, that's Camacho.
Hi, I'm having trouble reaching an 800 number.
I'm sorry, sir.
800 numbers are no longer dialed by the operator.
Oh, really? How come?
But there is a...
They didn't tell us why.
They just tell us that we can't dial them anymore.
It's not on our computer anymore.
But there is an 800 helpline if you're having trouble.
Okay, what's that?
It's 1-800-698-0000.
Okay.
And even if you tried to dial it, it wouldn't go through.
With us? No, uh-uh.
Uh-huh. You have tried.
No, no, we're not supposed to dial this number,
so we're not even supposed to make an attempt to dial 800 numbers.
Oh, I see. Okay.
There's nothing I can say to induce you to make an attempt then, I guess.
No.
Okay. Well, thanks anyway.
You're welcome.
All right. Good night.
Bye.
Well, that's one faithful employee there.
Didn't want to get her in trouble.
So, all right, let's call that number.
Great.
We called this before on the air, by the way.
6-9-8.
Zero, zero, zero, zero.
Welcome to New York Telephone's automated 800 help desk.
New York Telephone doesn't exist anymore.
You are calling from a touch-tone phone.
Enter one now.
All right.
Whoever.
Please enter the 10-digit number that you are having problems reaching,
followed by the pound key.
Okay.
That's Locktel's number.
Oh, pound.
The number you have entered is 800-363-1879.
Please press 1 if correct, 2 if you wish to re-enter,
or 0 if you wish to speak with an agent.
Please wait while we process your request.
I'm sorry, this is not a New York Telephone 800 number.
Please contact AT&T Communications,
and they may be reached at 800-222-3000.
800-222-3000.
Thank you for calling New York Telephone.
So, another method of avoiding A&I detection has been thwarted.
That's right.
You can no longer use the 9X operator to place an 800 call.
Kind of shocking there, isn't it?
But, have no fear.
There still exists some long-distance companies.
Let's see if AT&T will do it for us.
That's 1-0-2-8-8-0 for AT&T.
AT&T.
Ah.
To place a call, please dial the number that you are calling now.
Or for assistance, say operator now.
Remember when you didn't have to go through this?
Sorry.
Your response was not understood.
Yeah.
To place a call, please dial the number that you are calling now.
Or for assistance, say operator now.
Operator.
What if I couldn't say that?
What if I was impaired in some way?
And I couldn't say the word operator.
T&T.
How may I help you?
Hi.
Yes, I'm having trouble reaching an 800 number.
What number?
It's 800-698-0000.
What do you get when you dial?
Uh, I just get a strange recording.
Hold on now.
It's true.
Your call cannot be completed as dialed.
You have either an incorrect number or it's not available from New York.
Really?
Okay.
Can you try one other number for me, please?
I was having trouble with that one, too.
800-363-1879.
800-363-1879.
Thank you very much.
Okay, what we have learned from this, and this is something I've just learned right now,
is that some 800 numbers don't allow you to go through the operator in any way.
This 9X number is one of them.
Obviously, it's available to New York.
It's a 9X 800 number.
But I've noticed this also with a couple of those A&I testing numbers.
If you go through the AT&T operator, because you can no longer go through 9X,
if you go through the AT&T operator, you will get a recording similar to the one we just heard
that says your call cannot be completed as dialed.
Kind of scary.
Kind of scary that it's no longer possible to protect your identity
and not have your phone numbers shown on their A&I equipment.
Going through the operator was the traditional way of avoiding this,
and we all knew it would disappear at some point,
but it seems pretty final right now.
Okay, now on to some real fun stuff.
This is something that I think a lot of people would enjoy hearing.
It's a special phone company recording.
Let's see if we can get a clear connection here.
Listen carefully.
Thank you for using Kevin SmithX.
Yeah, okay.
I don't know how they did it.
I don't know exactly where they got the recording from,
but that is the AT&T lady saying thank you for using Kevin Mitnick,
who is the hacker still on the run somewhere in the world.
And that's been making its way around the hacker circle as a sound file for PCs.
Now, there's something else that I put that onto a phone mail system,
which is a system run by ROM.
And I discovered that they have a brand new feature on this particular system.
And I'll see if I can demonstrate this for you without giving out too much information.
Hello, this is the phone mail system.
You may either enter your extension or your name.
To enter an extension, dial the extension and then push enter or pound.
To enter your name, dial your last name, followed by first name until recognized.
Okay, we're going to enter the secret number, which I will not tell you.
Nope, it's telling us anyway.
Okay, we're going to enter the password now.
Okay, this is where the new feature is.
If you hit 9.
To change your distribution lists, push 1.
Prompt level, push 2.
Password, push 3.
Playback options, push 5.
Return to home state, push pound.
These playback options are the new feature.
You may change the volume at which your messages and the phone mail prompts are played.
And the speed at which your messages are played.
Volume level, 3.
Speed level, 3.
Raise volume, push 5.
Lower volume, push 8.
Increase speed, push 9.
Decrease speed, push 7.
Let's raise the volume a little bit.
Volume level, 4.
Speed level, 3.
Volume level, 5.
Speed level, 3.
Volume level, 5.
Speed level, 3.
I guess that's as high as we can go.
Okay, let's speed it up a little bit.
Increase speed, push 9.
Speed level, 4.
Volume level, 5.
Speed level, 5.
Volume level, 5.
Speed level, 6.
Volume level, 5.
Speed level, 7.
Volume level, 5.
Speed level, 8.
Volume level, 5.
Speed level, 8.
Volume level, 5.
Okay, 8 is as high as we can go.
Now let's...
7, save this volume speed, push pound.
Oh, this is great.
Now we're going to record a little message here.
And we're going to save this, right?
Volume level 5 and speed level 8 have been saved.
To listen, push 3, record 1.
Okay, she goes back to her regular little speech here.
Mailbox options, push 9.
Transfer, push 7, then 0.
Record message at the tone.
When finished, push star, then pound.
Hello, this is a test.
Next, we're testing out the recording functions of this particular voicemail system.
And hopefully everything is sounding just fine.
So we're going to hit a star now.
Thank you.
To replay, push 7, then 3.
Continue recording.
Now I'm not entirely sure if when I hit replay now, it'll play back at the right speed.
Let's see what happens.
Hello, this is a test.
We're testing out the recording functions of this particular voicemail system.
And hopefully everything is sounding just fine.
So we're going to hit a star now.
Thank you.
To replay, push 7.
Okay, let's...
Recording, push 1.
Finished recording, push pound.
Delete, push 6.
Let's abort this.
To cancel, push pound.
Rerecord, push 1.
To listen, push 3.
Record.
To change your distribution lists, push 1.
We're going to do the opposite now.
We're going to go a little slower.
Playback option.
You may change the volume at which your messages and the phone mail prompts are played.
And the speed at which your messages are played.
Volume level 5.
Speed level 8.
Lower volume.
Push 8.
Decrease speed.
Push 7.
To return to home state, push pound.
Better get used to it.
It's the future.
Playback.
Speed level 7.
Volume level 5.
Speed level 6.
Volume level 5.
Speed level 5.
Volume level 5.
Speed level 4.
Volume level 5.
Speed level 3.
Volume level 5.
Default.
Lower volume.
Speed level 2.
Volume level 5.
Speed level 1.
Volume level 5.
That's as low as it gets.
Lower volume.
Push 8
Increase speed
Push 9
Save this volume and speed
Push pound
Okay, let's do that
Volume level 5
And speed level 1
Have been saved
To listen, push 3
Record
Okay, you know what we're going to do now
We're going to record another message
Record message at the tone
When finished, push star, then pound
Okay, here we are again
And we're recording another test message here
Live on the air
But what I'd like to know is
What happens if I speak really fast like this
And what happens
If I speak really, really slow
Let's find out
To replay, push 7
Okay, here we are again
And we're recording another test message here
Live on the air
But what I'd like to know is
What happens if I speak really fast like this
And what happens if I speak really, really slow
Let's find out
To replay, push 7
Okay, that's enough of that
That's something
That's the new phone mail options
And the newest release of Rome phone mail
So I'm sure a lot of people out there
Playing around on phone mail systems
Will have fun with that
Now, here's a service
And we're going to be detailing this
In the next issue of 2600
A lot of things we're discovering this week
This is something that
No doubt every phone company offers
No doubt every large company offers this
I just don't know why they offer it
It's called an employee locator
And this particular one
Is run by Southwestern Bell
Alright, now
I'm not going to give out the phone numbers
But they might show up in the issue
Let's see what we can do here
Oh, that was silly of me
I didn't even select the line
Okay, let's see
Record, push 1
Whoa
Answering options
Why is she still there?
Change mailbox options
Push 9
Transfer
Okay, okay
Something malfunctioned here
And the phone mail lady didn't go away
Alright
Just bear with me for a moment here
While we attempt to fix the situation
That's scary
When a phone mail lady shows up
And you don't want her there
Okay, let's get a real dial tone
Okay
Now we're going to call the special 800 number
For Southwestern Bell
Let's see if this works
Welcome to Southwestern Bell
If you are calling from a touchtone phone
Press star now
Okay, here we go
For telephone company benefit services
Press zero
For corporation benefit services
Press one
For the employee locator
Press star
For the function locator
Press pound
For the quick call menu
Press nine
Okay, let's go for the employee locator
Enter a last name then pound
Or just pound
To search by number
Or star
To search by function
Oh shucks
Let's go for my name
G
O
L
D
S
That's far enough
Seven
Listing matches were found
To hear the first listing
Press pound
Or to further narrow the search
Enter a first name
Then pound
I think seven is good
Let's search among these seven
First listing
Eric Goldrier
Press pound to skip
Or star to cancel
Press N for number
C to call
L for location
T for title
W for work structure
D for department
S for spelling
Or H to hear again
Mercy
Okay, well let's just skip that one
Second listing
Michael Goldsmith
Press pound to skip
No, that's not right either
We want Goldstein, not Goldsmith
Third listing
Shana Goldsmith
Press pound to skip
Nope
Fourth listing
Martin Goldstein
Press pound to skip
Or star to cancel
Press N for number
C to call
L for location
I want this one
E for title
W for work structure
D for department
S for spelling
Or H to hear again
Let's hear the spelling
Spelling
Press N for name
S for street
For God's sake
City
T for title
D for department
Or X to exit
Okay, N for name
M-A-R-T-I-N
G-O-L-D-S-T-E-I-N
For listing
Martin Goldstein
Press pound to skip
Or star to cancel
Press N for number
C to call
L for location
T for title
W for work structure
D for department
S for spelling
Or H to hear again
Let's hear what their title is
Manager
Ah
Oh, I'm sorry
I missed that
Sorry, I interrupted
The computer there
Let's hear that again
Manager
Network maintenance
Ooh
That's a biggie, isn't it?
Press N for number
C to call
L for location
T for title
W for work structure
Let's get the location now
1031 Lee
Room 112
Pasadena
Texas
77506
Press pound to
This is very handy
Okay, now we can find out
What his number is
Press T for telephone number
F for fax
C for changes
Or X to exit
I don't know about changes
But let's find out
What the telephone is
713920
6118
For listing
Martin Goldstein
Press pound to skip
That's not his home number
By the way
That's his office number
So
Don't worry
Well, let's try calling him
Work structure
Call completion
Is not available
Press pound to skip
Okay, I kind of expected that
I think after hours
It's not available
But during the day
You can call these people
T for title
W for work structure
D for department
Let's find out something
About the work structure
Work structure
Press S for secretary
Or U, D, and H
To move up, down, and horizontally
Within the organization
Or press X to exit
We can move horizontally
Within the organization
Let's look at the secretary
For secretary of
Martin Goldstein
One listing match was found
Rebecca Reese
Press N for number
C to call
L for location
T for title
W for work structure
D for department
S for spelling
H to hear again
Or star to cancel
Okay, let's go into
Her work structure
Work structure
Press S for secretary
Or U, D, and H
To move up, down, and horizontally
Within the organization
Or press X to exit
Okay, I guess if I hit secretary now
I'll probably get the same person
Unless the secretary has a secretary
Do you think that's possible?
For secretary of
Rebecca Reese
No listing matches were found
Well, that makes sense
Press N for number
C to call
L for location
T for title
Okay, now we're going to move horizontally
Structure
Press S for secretary
That's hidden H
For peers of
Rebecca Reese
No listing matches were found
She has no peers
Press N
How horrible
C to call
L for location
T for title
W for work structure
D for department
S for spelling
H to hear again
Or star to cancel
Okay, let's cancel this
Enter a last name then pound
Or just pound
To search by number
Or star
To search by function
Okay, we're going back to the beginning
So we're going to hit star
For telephone company benefit services
Press zero
For corporation benefit services
Press one
For the employee locator
Press star
For the function locator
Press pound
For the quick call menu
Press nine
Okay, you can spend hours
Playing with this
But let's do some telephone company things
For employee benefits
Press one
For active employee benefits
Press two
To repeat
Press pound
The new beneficiary designation form
Form number SN1020
Is in stock
And available for ordering
Through normal channels
Please be sure to specify
The June 1994 revision
For questions pertaining
To the new beneficiary designation form
Press three
Now
For savings plan
And pay SOP matters
Including loan information
Press one
For disability
Workers' compensation
And leave of absence information
Press two
For medical dependent care reimbursement
And all other insurance matters
Except a disability
Press three
To report a death
Press four
Oh yeah
Yeah, let's report a death
We're getting transferred
We've now been transferred someplace
We've reached the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company
Survivor Benefits Unit
Our hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If you are calling to report a death
Please leave a message after the tone
And a representative will return your call
Well, I'm not going to do that
But it just goes to show
What you can do
In these particular situations
You can report deaths
You can find employees
No matter where they may be
I don't know
If you work for Southwestern Bell
Would you like that?
I don't think I'd like to be found all the time
You know, we have this conception
And I know it happens to a lot of people
Where we just want to put labels and everything
We want to be able to always know
Where something is
You know
I mean, I had a heck of a time
Tracking down my radio scanner
Over the past few days
I didn't know where the damn thing was
It could have been anywhere
And what I would have given
To have some sort of a little device on there
A homing signal of some sort
You know, a low jack
For various objects
Just to figure out where it was
You know
And I'm sure when you lose a dog
Or your child has wandered off
A lot of people want to have these
Homing devices
So they can instantly find them
And you know
There are people out there
That want to give us these homing devices
That want to install things like barcodes
And chips inside our skin
And you know
There was something I heard even recently
Where some crazy congressman somewhere
Wants to spread this special dust
Around the Mexican border
So that anybody that goes through a particular area
Will get this dust all over them
Which they cannot wash off
And which can be detected later on
When they start looking for people
With magic dust on them
It's not dangerous
They say
And it will help greatly
To ease the immigration problem
I don't know
We have to be very careful
With the way we proceed
With all this
People locator business
So if you find yourself being
Tracked in any way
At least be aware
That you're being tracked
You know
It's a scary thing
It's a really scary thing
Okay
We have some other news
And we're going to take some phone calls
Rob is here
Rob is still here
In this country
You just can't leave
Can you?
I promise I will be gone
Before the next
Before the next broadcast
Well I'm sure the customs agent
Over here will be happy to
Assist you in that endeavor
You've overstayed
Your welcome in this country
You know
That's what I've been told anyway
That's what all the officials
Are saying
I'm wondering about
This employee locator system
Do you want to locate somebody?
No I was thinking
I wonder if they use it
Internally to fire people
And to hire new people
But say you want to fire somebody
Just look them up
And then they have
The special press F to fire
If you
If you log in as their manager
Or anybody above them
In the hierarchy
You can fire people
And avoid that unpleasantness
Of confrontation
Exactly
No confrontation
It just
The voicemail system
Then calls the personnel department
It calls all the other people
It calls the peers
Issues the appropriate forms
The secretaries
It issues the right forms
It prints out the right things
You automatically get sent home
This little paper saying
You're fired because of
Blah blah blah
We wish you all the success
In finding a new job
All happens automatically
Think about it
And at the same time
It sends a little notice
To personnel
To look for somebody
To replace you
That's what I'm saying
Everything completely automatic
They should
If they're not doing this
They should
Oh that's beautiful
You never have to worry
About firing the person
That does that
Because the computer
Does it in the first place
There you go
Alright
Rob we did something
Amazing this week
We managed to get you
In to see Mark in prison
We managed to actually
Get you into
A United States federal prison
Actually we didn't have
Doubts that we'd get you
Into a federal prison
Sooner or later
But to visit Mark
Was really an accomplishment
And I have to say
It's the first time
That I've ever actually
Seen something work
In a positive manner
For him over there
We were able to get
Special permission for you
Because you're a foreigner
And you're only going to be
In the country
For a little while
And they actually
Allowed it
Kind of surprised
It was a scary situation though
Yeah what were your impressions
The part I really hated
Is that they
Try to fuck him up
In any way they can
Because
They
They want to make sure
That he has a hard time there
That really
Bothers me
It's good that he has
Friends in there
But it's
Bad what they're
Trying to do to him
Well
That's what prison is all about
You know
That they
They do things like that
He'll be out in November
And we'll
Be looking forward to
To that particular
Event
You know
One thing that happened though
During this whole thing
We were talking to him
We were
We were actually
Having a nice visit
Talking to a couple of the other
Prisoners there
That are friends of his
And then all of a sudden
You know
We were talking about
All kinds of things
We were talking about
The MetroCard
We were talking about
Unix systems
About
I don't know
Astronomy and physics
And you know
It's not like your
Typical prison visit
You know
Where most people
Talk about
Well how's the family
How's the cat
You know
All that kind of thing
We sort of get into
The more abstract
And so we're talking
For quite a while
You know
Having rather animated
Discussions and arguments
Like we usually do
And all of a sudden
One of his fellow prisoners
Says
Mark
They're calling you inside
You know
On the loudspeaker
And that was kind of odd
So he went in
And the wife of this
This fellow prisoner
Happened to
To be in the room
Where he was being
Called in
And she came out to us
Very concerned
And said
They just took him away
They just
Took him down the hall
They just
And we were flabbergasted
We couldn't figure out
Why would they
Why would they be
Taking him away
We were going over
All the conversations
That we were having
And what could we
Possibly have said wrong
What could we possibly
Have done
And how are we
How are we going to
You know
Make sure he doesn't
Get into trouble
I mean
All the things that you say
You have to watch there
You have to really
Be very paranoid
And especially if you're
A prisoner
You have to
You have to watch
What you say
And so
We decided to
You know
To play it kind of cool
But we were very
Very upset obviously
We knew that something
Was
Was seriously wrong here
And how we were
Going to deal with it
Was in question
We waited
About 15 minutes or so
And finally
We asked one of the guards
What happened to Mark
And he said
Well he'll be out soon
And of course
You know
You don't really expect
Them to tell you the truth
Because they're very good
At not telling you the truth
In situations like that
And then after
After another five minutes
Or so
We see Mark
We see Mark
Coming out of this
Special administrative office
And they bring him
Across the hall
He doesn't look very happy
Kind of
I don't know
He just didn't look happy at all
He had this
This
Down turn to his face
And we're wondering
What they could possibly
Have said or done to him
And so
You know
He comes back into the room
And you know
I take him aside
And I say
What was that all about
He said
You're not going to believe this
They wanted me to fix
The copy machine
And he wasn't able to do it either
Which is why he looked upset
They basically just
You know
Thought he was a technical whiz
And asked him to fix
The copy machine
But you know
You never know
What's going to happen
You never know
What is going to be
Something that's serious
And what's something
That's not going to be serious
But in that particular instance
I'm glad that we
Chose to play it cool
And not get all huffy
Well we're going to take
Some phone calls
Mark has not called in yet
So maybe he will
Maybe he won't
We'll see
Rob you had an interesting
Visit to Boston
You went to a place
Called The Loft
What's that all about
Oh it's great
It's a bunch of hackers
That got together
And rented a space
Somewhere in Boston
Where they all put
Their computers
And their equipment together
And it's
They sort of
Put posters over
All the windows
So it's really dark inside
It has this great
Atmosphere to it
And they have
Rows of old
VAX equipment
Old computer stuff
And they try to get it to work
And they also have
A lot of new computer stuff
And they go through
The trash of major corporations
To find usable stuff
Not just information
But they find usable equipment
That they can reuse
In their
In their workspace there
It's really
A great place
You guys found something
Rather interesting
This weekend
Didn't you?
Did we?
Well yeah
You found something
Rather interesting
I think
A piece of equipment
You were telling me about it
You really don't remember
Hackers are such short memories
A big machine
A big medical machine
Ah
Okay
Good
There was actually
Something found
But it wasn't this weekend
Which
Oh okay
It wasn't this weekend
Wherever it was
We do so many things
That we forget the things
We did only a week ago
They found an electrocardiograph
And it's a machine
To write the patterns
The electrical patterns
That the heart is generating
You found one
You just found one
Lying around
Yes
No it was in the trash
It was an old machine
It was a 60's machine
And sure
They're throwing them out
Because it doesn't do them
Any good anymore
The new machines
Can make reports directly
But what about
Third world countries
That could really use
This kind of thing?
I mean a bunch of hackers
Playing with an EKG machine
I mean what
This is a throwaway economy
Okay so
So what did you guys do
When you found this thing?
We hooked it up
And we started playing with it
And we
Tried everybody out
And they all had
These nice heart patterns
They all looked
Sort of similar
And then one guy
Had a different heart pattern
But he knew
That he had a heart problem
And then we hooked up
Some other guy
And he turned out
To have that same
Weird problem
So
You were diagnosing
Your cells there
Self-diagnosing
Yeah
Well the guy
That you hooked up
He happened to be
A biologist right
So he didn't
Yeah he self-diagnosed him
And really knew
What was happening
And said oh
This is the ventricles contracting
And this is them recharging
And this is the
He knew all the
All the terms
Unbelievable
So now that's set up
In the loft
I'll be giving out
EKGs
I think it's running
Out of thermal paper
So if anybody has
Old style EKG thermal paper
Laying around
Send it in
Or if you have any
EKG machines you're throwing out
Send them to us
We'll find use for them
Or anything like that
I mean
What other kinds of things
Do they have over there
They have vaxes
They have pinball machines
Virtually everything
You can think of
Oh there's weird stuff there
Yeah
They were afraid
Of going through the floor
Though
I was
There was this
When we were carrying
These latest two
Vax machines in
There was
There was
Real talk
Of actually
Breaking the floor
And going into
The space below
And what kind of
Lawsuits that would bring
Particularly if it
Lands on top of somebody
As that happens
Yes
That's something to be
Concerned with
And a good reason
To be on the first floor
I guess
Right
Well
That's something
So that's the loft
Up in Boston
That's hopefully
A trend in this country
Are you surprised
To find something
Like that here
No not so surprised
But it's good
It's good to find places
Where people are
Getting together
And sort of
Bundling their resources
Together so they can
Do more
It reminded me of Holland
Hey you know
I think this is Mark
Let's see if it's him
Good evening
Hi
Hey how you doing
What's up
We were just
Talking about
Various things
We were talking about
The visit we had
With you
You know where
They took you away
And you had to
Fix the copy machine
Yeah
Is it still broken
As far as I know
I think it is
Oh that's a shame
Hey you know
We found Locktel
Oh really
Yeah in fact
We have to give credit
To Rebel for finding this
Apparently it's listed
It's Locktel
L-O-C-T-E-L
And when you call it
You always get a recording
Saying that
That they're too busy
To take your call
Right now
Please leave a message
And we'll call you
Back
However if you
Hit some touch
Tones
You can transfer
Yourself to a
Customer service
Representative
For G-T-E
Oh
This person from
G-T-E is located
In Chantilly Virginia
And has no idea
What Locktel is
What state is the
Number listed in
It's
I don't know
What's
I think the whole
Thing is in
Chantilly Virginia
Yeah
Well you know
We can
Find out later
We can call
Information and
Ask them what
State it's in
But I think it is
Chantilly Virginia
So hopefully
That answers
Some questions
On your end
Yeah
What's up with you
Well I have
Something exciting
To report
Okay let's hear it
Well it'll probably
Sound really stupid
But as of yesterday
They started selling
Bread in the commissary
No kidding
Well no
It doesn't sound stupid
It sounds kind of sad
Actually
Well you mean
They haven't
Had bread at all
Before
No we've never
Had bread
Wow
And the funny
Thing is that
They sell things
That you'd ordinarily
Put on bread
What about the old
Prison staple of
Bread and water
You don't even
Get that
No apparently
Not
Wow
They sell bread
But they just
Started selling
Small loaves of
Whole wheat bread
For a dollar
Well that's
I bet you never
Thought you'd be
Excited by that
No actually
I never would
Have imagined
Okay well that's
Something
What kind of bread
Are we talking
About here
Wonder bread
Or Pepperidge
Farm or what
It's just
No name
Whole wheat bread
No name
Whole wheat
Okay
Who needs a name
Well Rob is still
Here
Say hi
Say hi Rob
And
How are you going
He's leaving the
Country in a couple
Of days
And he just got
Back from Boston
Where he was
Spending some time
At the loft
Mark you want to
Take some phone
Calls with us
Sure
Okay
212-279-3400
We were spending
Some time
Connecting to
Various
800 numbers
And carrier access
Codes
Things like that
Hey you know
We have
An area code list
Which just came out
In the phone book
With some
Really weird area codes
Like 710
For the US government
600 for some
Sort of TWX service
In Canada
Are you familiar
With any of these
Yeah actually
To my knowledge
At least from
What I've heard
In the past
The 710 area code
Was allocated
To the federal
Emergency management
Agency
FEMA
And
I don't think
It's normally
Dialable
Except in
Cases of
National emergency
Which
I don't know
If there's ever
Really actually
Been one
Or whether
710 has actually
Been in operation
I think it's
Just reserved
Uh huh
Well I'd like to
Know how it works
If anybody has
Information on
710 please
Forward it to us
And that includes
You friendly folks
Over at Belcor
Because we'd
Certainly like to
Know what
They have in store
What works
What doesn't work
Things like that
Rob you have
A look of excitement
On your face
What's going on
Over there
Well I'm going to
Give you guys
A little quiz
In area codes
Because I have
A list of area codes
Here
Oh no
And uh
How awfully trite
Uh Mark
How do you feel
About this
Um well
I have reservations
But if you
If you really must
What time are you
Reservations for
November 22nd
I know
Okay
Go ahead Rob
We gotta take
Some phone calls
What's 615
615 is
Memphis Tennessee
No
Yes it is
No
Memphis is 901
Oh
What's 615
It's Nashville
Nashville
Oh
Did you know that
Mark
Uh off the top
Of my head
I didn't know
That one
Alright
Uh ask Mark
One now
Uh what's
914
914 is
Upstate New York
Westchester
I get Nashville
And he gets
The one right
Next to us
Okay
Okay
I'll give you
Another one
I'll give you
Another one
What's
Uh
What's
I mean let me
Think let me
Think
What's
418
418
I have absolutely
No idea
418
I know what
408 is
Uh 418
That's so
That's one of
Those bizarre states
I'll take a
Wild stab
And say
South Dakota
No it's
Quebec
He went out
He went out
Of the country
Oh boy
What a cheater
Okay look
Uh give us
Another one here
We gotta prove
Ourselves
Okay I'll give
You another one
What's
Um
Uh
And feel free
To pick some
Of the new ones
Too that nobody
Knows about
Yeah you all
Know them
That's not fair
Um
Okay what's
312
312 is Chicago
Ha
There you go
That's an easy one
Mark you can take
The next one
And then we'll
Take some phone calls
Okay I'll close it
Off with
What's
518
518 is
Upstate New York
Also
I believe it's
Buffalo
No no
716 is Buffalo
518 is Albany
Okay
Yeah
Yeah I wouldn't
Have gone for the
Further details there
Mark you uh
Sounded good just
Saying New York
Alright let's take
Uh phone calls
And let's go for
The first line
Odds are 9 to 1
It's Rebel right
Let's see
Good evening
Hi um I have
One question for you
Emanuel and one for
Fiber
Okay go ahead
First let me say
Since I spoke with you
Last about two months
Ago I've changed
Long distance carriers
Around five or six
Times as long as I
As soon as I settle in
With a new one I get a
Check for like ten or
Twenty five dollars from
Another one enticing me
To switch isn't that
Like a legal bribery
Or something
Well it's something
That they do to
Entice you and if
You don't mind being
Enticed it's not
Illegal
Okay here's my
Question to you
Emanuel um what
Can I do in terms
Of schemes or
Telling an operator
To have her call
For me someone
Whose number isn't
Listed um other
Than saying like it's
An emergency is
There's some way of
You know going um
Telling her a certain
Set of circumstances
Where she would
Contact the person
Whose number is
Unlisted
I don't think
Operators can do
That although there
Is a new service
They're introducing
Where you can record
A message that will
Be delivered to an
Unlisted phone number
You will not find
Out the the number
But the person will
Get the message
Which I think is
Is not a very good
Idea especially if
You're trying to
Avoid certain people
You don't want them
To talk to you at
All um mark do you
Know anything else
About that about uh
If there's a way to
Get through to an
Unlisted number through
An operator um to my
Knowledge through
Normal channels no
The only thing uh
I can think of is
There used to be a
Non-published
Directory assistance
Which would only
Give out the number
After getting permission
From the person
I don't know if
Such a department
Still exists or not
But it was on
An individual basis
You mean they would
Call the person
And ask them
Ask them
Wow I didn't even
Know about that
Okay I have a question
From Mark but first
One more brief thing
I saw an ad in the
Villa's voice
I won't mention the
Store but they say
Free cellular flip
Phone
Free Sony cassettes
Free first month
Activation and so on
Um what would you
Assume the cats would
Be before I take them
Up on such an offer
I'm sorry you want me
Compute that Rob go
Ahead the other 11
Months activation are
Probably too expensive
Then you're kind of
Locked in for a year
Um what would a
Normal monthly cost be
Is it per uh like
One minute per I mean
One dollar per minute
To make a cellular call
Whatever it is I'm
Sure it's too high I'm
Not really familiar with
Cellular rates
Hey um Mark are you
There yeah I don't
Know if you want to
Address this or if you
Have but have there
Been any problems from
The other prisoners or
The guards vis-a-vis
Sexual harassment
Okay well let Mark
Answer that uh
No hang up and
Listen and I look
Forward to meeting you
Someday when you get
Out of the big house
Bye
Okay
Can I address that
Well I don't know
Exactly who he means
Sexual harassment to who
Uh I guess to you
I don't know uh you
Don't have to answer
That if you don't want
To
You mean uh man to
Man to man sexual
Harassment
Well you know there's
This there's this uh
You know reputation
That some prisons have
And I really don't
Think that your prison
Qualifies for that
No nothing like that
Whatsoever
I'm not knocking your
Prison or anything like
That I mean I'm sure
You know it's a it's a
Fine prison as far as
Prisons go but uh I
Just didn't see any
It's not that kind of
Place it's so it's it's
It's what they call a
Camp you know this is a
Good this is a good
Chance to talk about the
Different uh categories
You're in what's known
As a camp
That's correct
Although it's not like
You know your boy scout
Camp there we all go
Singing carols and
Things and then after
That there comes minimal
Right
Yeah there's uh well
After after well this
Is considered minimum
Security
Uh huh
It's also low security
Then there's medium
And there's medium
High
There's high
And there's maximum
And
And there's super max
Okay what is this
Super max business
I'm hearing about
Uh super max is a
New prison that I
Heard that opened that's
Uh being opened in
Colorado that's built uh
Inside a mountain
It's built inside a
Mountain
Yes
And what's the idea
Well the idea is that
It's meant for uh
Previously I guess
The types of people
That would be sent to
A place like Alcatraz
They would be considered
The most dangerous
Criminals on earth
And they would never
Ever go outside
They would never have
Any human contact
Whatsoever
Now how do you
Hold a prisoner and
Not have any human
Contact whatsoever
Well from what I've
Heard all their
Contact with the
Outside is through
Monitors through
Screens
And anything that's
Brought to them
Is uh wheeled to
Their cell
And uh
Including the shower
Which uh sort of
Comes in front of
The door
And encompasses
The entire doorway
So they don't see
Any prison guards
No
Very strange
Rob you've also
Heard about this
Right
Yeah I think I've
Seen something
Documentary about it
The idea is to
Have no contact
Whatsoever
The people
In the prison
Only have a video
Phone
To contact the
Outside world
And then they
May be able to
Make phone calls
I don't know
They may be able
To receive visitors
In their cell
Through the video
Phone
So there is no
Human contact
We already see that
In maximum security
Facilities where
People actually
Have visitors
Behind a glass wall
With the phones
Well it's only
A small step
From that
Is removing
The visitor
And the prisoner
And putting them
In totally different
Buildings
Putting the visitor
Center
In a different
Building
They may even
Try to sell this
As an advantage
Because they
Could have visitor
Centers all over
The country
Where you could
Visit a prisoner
All the way on
The other side
Of the country
So they could
Move them around
At random
They could have
Stadiums filled
With visitors
Instead of
Watching a sporting
Event
They could be
Visiting Jeffrey Dahmer
Somewhere
Yeah
That's quite a concept
Well are robots
Involved in this
Well it's what
You call a robot
I think
The bringing
Of food
And other stuff
To your cell
Is done
Mechanically
It's not done
By a human
That brings the food
There
It's done by
A machine
What happens
When someone
Gets sick
Or what happens
When someone
Seems to be dead
I mean would you
Want to go in
To Hannibal Lecter's
Cell
To take his
Body away
Unless you're
Absolutely sure
He's dead
How do you know
You know
Question
I don't know
Yeah
That's
Might maybe have
Life monitors
Of some sort
On those things
Another question
Is do you really
Want the world's
Most dangerous
Criminals all
In the same place
You know
Inside a mountain
I don't know
There's some
Questions here
But I think
The biggest question
I have is
Whether or not
This is inhuman
Treatment
Even for people
That are pretty
Inhuman themselves
You know
It seems like
This might even
Be worse than
The death penalty
But that's a whole
Whole philosophical
Discussion
We really don't
Have time for
But it's
Interesting
And well
Mark you're
Far away from
That particular
Category
You're in a
Hopefully so
You're in a
Camp there
So I don't know
If that answers
The person's
Questions
But there's
Prisons and
There's prisons
Let's take
Another phone call
Good evening
Hello
Speaking of
Area codes
I was going
Through an
Old listing
Hello
Yes go ahead
Yes I was
Going through
An old listing
And it's like
The pocket
Reference by
Thomas Glover
And they have
706 listed as
Northwestern Mexico
That's right
And that's been
Reallocated
Apparently
It's doing
They're doing
The same
NPA shop
Around Atlanta
Because they
Dialed 706
555
1212
And I got
Someone who's
Definitely
Southern accent
No 706
Has been
Reallocated
Down there
905
And 903
Also used to
Be Mexican
Area codes
They weren't
Really area
Codes
They were
Kind of like
Dialing shortcuts
And as soon
As they started
Running out of
Area codes
They claimed
Those back
Because Mexico
Is a foreign
Country that
Is not like
Canada
You have to
Dial a country
Code to get
Through to there
But they had
Some numbers
That you could
Reach
0-1-1-5-2
And plus
Whatever the
Rest of the
Numbers are
Right
So that's
You're looking
At an old
Phone book
There
Yeah
I came across
One time
I tried seeing
What was in
710
By dialing
710-551-212
I got absolutely
Nothing
Yeah
It just rang
Forever
Yeah all the
Attempts on our
End have been
Met with similar
Results
Alright thanks for
Your call
Definitely
Alright
Mark how are you
Doing on time
I haven't been
Keeping track
I hope somebody
Okay well
You'll get a
Warning click
At some point
So hopefully
You'll be able
To call us
Back if you
Do
Let's go to
The next call
Good evening
You're on
Hey there
This is a little
Bit off the
Topic but I
Was wondering
If anybody
There would
Know what
Course of action
I should take
If I want to
Get into
Experimental
Musical instruments
It's like
Changing pre-existing
Electronic
Electronic stuff
Into different
I really can't
Help you with
That
I don't
I don't
I don't
Really know
Anybody
I mean
Try a
Musician
Hangout
Or something
Like that
But that's
Really not
On the topic
At all
Good evening
You're on
Hello
Yes go ahead
Let me just
Turn my radio
Down
Okay turn it
Down
There's something
New up
I don't know
If you know
There's a
New York
Telephone company
Gone nuts
If you want
To find out
Someone's
Balance on
Their telephone
Oh yeah
You can do
That
Yeah you just
Function 890
Or whatever
1300
1100 yeah
And then you
Need to know
The next three
Digits after
Their phone
Number on
You don't
Even need
That
If they have
Their past
Due
They'll pay
You right
Away
If your past
Due
You don't
Need the
Three digits
Right
They'll say
You owe
$450
Please pay
No kidding
No kidding
I'll have to
Try that
So you
Don't need
The three
Digits
It tells
You right
Away
If the
Look for
A number
That's been
Disconnected
Uh huh
Or a number
That someone
Has been
Behind
It'll immediately
Tell you
That if you
Are up to date
They will not
Give it
Then you just
Got to scan
The three
Digits
Alright
What security
I'm sorry
What kind of
Security
Are they giving
That's no
Security at all
No security
At all
Thanks for
Letting us
Know about that
We're going
To take another
Phone call
We've lost
Mark
His time limit
Has expired
Hopefully he'll
Be able to
Reach us again
So we'll
See about that
In the meantime
Let's take
Another phone call
Good evening
You're on
Hi Emmanuel
I really got
A kick out
Of Rob's
Area code
Quiz with you
There
The first one
He gave you
You got wrong
Is Memphis
And there's a
Good way to
Remember that
Of course
Nashville is
The home of
Country music
And in the
60s there was
A very small
Group of studio
Musicians who
Played on almost
Every country
Record
And they had
Their own band
And the name
Of their band
Was Area code
615
And they've
Got a series
Of albums out
So that's a
Good way to
Remember that
One
Okay I'll try
I'll try to
Remember that
But you know
These numbers
They're awfully
Difficult sometimes
They sure can be
Alright thanks
Thanks for the tip
Bye
Rob give me another
One I might feel
Better about this
Anything please
Fast
Anything please
Fast
How about
614
614
Ohio
Somewhere
Somewhere in
Ohio
Yep
Okay
Good evening
You're on the
Air
Yes Emmanuel
I wanted to
Ask Fiber
If his
Prison experience
Had any
Going to have
Any effect
On his
Hacking
Frequency
Of his
Activities
Or if it
Changed the
Borderline
Of what he
Think is now
The borderline
Becoming a
Hacker
And a
Computer
Milton
That's really
What I wanted
To ask
That's a good
Question
Hopefully he'll
Call back in
The next minute
Or so
And we can
Ask him that
I'm not hearing
Anything from him
Right now
But we'll try
And ask him
That in the
Future if
He doesn't
Get through
Tonight
Okay
Thanks for
Your call
Good evening
You're on
The air
Hi
Regarding
Unlisted
Numbers
Yeah
Well I
Work for
State agency
About 20
Years ago
And even
Then there
Was a way
By making
One phone
Call I
Could obtain
Unlisted
Phone
Numbers
It was
To investigate
People on
Social services
And even
The cops
I understood
Couldn't
Get that
We had
A call
We called
A security
Supervisor
At the time
Of New York
Tell
And we were
Supposed to
Follow it up
With a
Confirmation
Letter
Regarding the
Case number
Et cetera
Which most
People never
Did
I did it
Meticulously
Because I
Always felt
Queasy about
The whole
Thing anyway
And I
Hated the
Job
But anyway
It can be
Done
It may
Still be
Being done
But certain
Categories
Of public
Assistance
Get it
Right away
And then
We call
The people
And they're
Outraged
Of course
How do you
Get my
Number
And then
We use
That number
To do
A clearance
To find
Out the
References
They used
On that
To discover
Hidden assets
Et cetera
Et cetera
That's pretty
Ingenious
Well it was
Pretty sneaky
But it's the
State that
Implemented
This procedure
Maybe under
Only federal
Categories
And this may
Still be
Going on
And even
The cops
Couldn't get
That on this
Thing without
A warrant
But we were
Able to get
It with one
Phone call
Well hopefully
Nobody can
Recognize your
Voice
So you won't
Get in
It was 20
Years ago
And I
Don't
Care
Okay
Good attitude
There but
Thanks for
Thanks for
Your call
And we're
Out of time
So I guess
We won't be
Hearing from
Mark again
Tonight
Maybe next
Week during
The fundraiser
He'll be
Around
So thanks
Everybody for
Calling in
And we will
Be back again
Next week for
Another exciting
Edition of
Off the Hook
So until then
Stay aware
And stay tuned
For the WBAI
Evening News
Coming up next
Good night
So I
Ripped
So I
Ripped it off the wall
I cut myself
While shaving
Now I can't make a call
It couldn't get much worse
But if they could they would
Bum diddly bum
But I best expect the worst
I hope that's understood
Bum diddly bum
Good evening
In the news tonight
Latinos on prime time television
Some say they are underrepresented
And over dramatized
The World Population Conference
Turns its attention
To sex education
For young women
And in New York
The head of the police union
Says there's no need
For a federal investigation
Of the case
In which a white cop
Shot and seriously wounded
A black police officer
With these and other stories
I'm Jose Santiago
In New York
With Verna Avery Brown
In Washington
And this is the news
For Wednesday
September 7, 1994
First to Washington
For the Pacifica National News
The chief Cuban negotiator
Headed back to Havana
After meeting in New York today
For less than an hour
With the head of the U.S. delegation
Talks on Cuban immigration
Are expected to resume Friday
The Coast Guard rescued
689 Cubans yesterday
And estimates a similar total
For today
That's slightly over half
The refugees seen over the weekend
U.S. State Department
Spokesperson Mike McCurry
Says the next few days
Should tell whether
This is a new trend
The numbers are down
That is encouraging to us
That it is entirely possible
That Cubans are beginning
To understand
That they will not be taken
To the United States
As a result of going out
To the high seas
And that they do have
The option
And the availability
Of our in-country facility
At the Cuban
At the intersection
In Havana
Over 200 Cubans
Have been moved
From the U.S. Naval Base
At Guantanamo
To a U.S. Air Force Base
In Panama
Panama has agreed
To accept up to
10,000 Cuban refugees
But they must be kept
On the U.S. base
And for no longer
Than six months
The Palestinian police
Today detained
24 people
In the Gaza Strip
All were activists
In Islamic Jihad
Which had vowed
To attack Israelis
To stop the peace accord
This makes a total
Of 45 arrests
In two days
Sunday
Islamic Jihad
Said it was responsible
For an ambush
Which killed
One Israeli soldier
And wounded two others
Israeli Prime Minister
Yitzat Rabin
Had threatened
To suspend
Self-rule talks
With the PLO
Unless the Palestinian
Authority
Cracked down
On the Muslim militants
The United Rubber Workers
And Dunlop Tire
Have tentatively agreed
To a new contract
This comes one day
After a violent
Confrontation
Between strikers
And police
That led to the arrest
Of four workers
A federal mediator
Then stepped in
Leading to today's deal
Terms of the new contract
Have not been disclosed
Dunlop Tire
Had sought concessions
After losing over
Four million dollars
Last year
But the union
Walked out
Saying they had
Made concessions
On wages and benefits
Into previous contracts
And had been promised
There would be no more
The 1,500 workers
Will be voting
On whether to ratify
The new contract
This Saturday
The Georgia State
Democratic Party
Is calling for
An ethics probe
Of GOPAC
A political action committee
Founded by
House Minority Whip
Newt Gingrich
The Atlanta Journal
Constitution
Is reporting that
GOPAC
Has taken in millions
Of dollars
In contributions
But has kept secret
With the next