I returned to Italy recently to finish my textiles analysis course at the Lisio and had another chance to get a phone with a view.
TV
All of a sudden I see loads of phone boxes on the small screen. I guess they are still an integral part of the modern world.
Vegas, (2012) S1 E5:
In the flesh, (2013) E3:
Shetland (2013):
Another from ‘Shetland’. I like this because it shows clearly why it is unlikely we will ever see the end of the phone box and landline, at least in some parts of the world.
Payphone design
High-tech payphone concept with free Wi-Fi wins NYC design challenge
The people of New York have spoken. They’ve chosen a spiffy new payphone design with free Wi-Fi access and interactive advertising as the winner of a Reinvent Payphones design challenge…
Film & TV
The phone box plays a part in our culture that is expressed in film and television. With this in mind I thought of recognising moments in phone box screen history. Here are a couple of classic scenes from Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963):
Cornwall, UK
We just spent a few days over in Cornwall.
Penzance
Sancreed
Gweek
Payphone availability
Is It Time To Commit To Ongoing Payphone Availability?
Public payphones seem headed the way of the dinosaur, as noted here on Slashdot 10 years ago, and again by the CBC earlier this year. Reasons typically cited for their demise are falling usage, (thanks to the ubiquitous cell phone), and rising maintenance costs. But during the recent disaster in NYC caused by Hurricane Sandy public payphones proved their worth…
Model phones and much more
“Alan Wolfson is a master of the miniature. His urban sculptures are tiny, incredibly detailed views of the mundane city landmarks that urban citizens interact with on a daily basis…”
These models include phone boxes (of course).
Click here for ‘tiny streets’.
Alan Wolfson miniatures
Telephone songs
Click here for telephone song recommendations.
…Ahoy–hoy and welcome to Readers’ Recommend, where this week we’d like to hear your nominations for songs about telephones – and, ideally, songs that take place on the telephone, where the lyrics describe a phone conversation, or a message left on an answerphone, or … you get the idea. Phones.