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.
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…
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):
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…
“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
Giant Touchscreens Coming To NYC Phone Booths
The public pay phone of the future looks like a gigantic iPad. The city plans to unveil 32-inch “smart screens” with Internet connections next month inside 250 old phone booths throughout the five boroughs…
Some more from the USA, but this time going back even longer to when I was using film. Note the last one, starring Neil Van Vuuren, and with Gillian Anderson on the side of the box!
Albuquerque
East Village, New York
New York
New York
Some from our trip to the USA, which was ages ago…
Hawaii
Hawaii
Hornitos
Mariposa
Rhyolite
My first reader’s contribution. Thanks Ian.
“Here is my picture of a San Francisco phone booth! While walking by I found it strangely compelling – with it’s shiny case and slot for quarters, so I took a pic. I had just seen the movie “Bullitt”, with Steve McQueen, where the hero makes many phone calls in exactly this type of phone booth…This particular phone was located in the Serramonte Shopping Mall, Daly City, South San Francisco on 28th Dec 2010. I was out shopping for lego :-)”
Ian Castleton
