this post was submitted on 22 Dec 2023
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Memes

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Here's a phone, call somebody who cares (lemmy.world)
submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago (2 children)

It was the IT crowd, a TV show, not real life

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The original comment did read like it was an actual thing happening in England, though

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (2 children)

It did, but the numbers never changed.

I've lived in England for all of my 36 years and it's always been 999.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I'm not British, so I don't know the history of this. The article I took my info specifically said:

Until 2003, you could call directory enquiries (to find out the phone number of someone if you knew their name and address) by dialing 192. That system was privatized, and you had to dial 118 NNN, where the NNN was the number assigned to a commercial service provider, the most famous of which became 118 118.

So the joke in the show was basically, "what if we did to emergency services what we did to directory enquiries".

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Lol yea, I forgot that happened.

Don't think I've ever used directory enquiries in my life. I was 16 in 2003 and we already had the internet at home by then.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

How do you know? When is the last time you checked?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

You're right. I'd best give them a call to be on the safe side. Sure they won't mind if I explain why.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago

No, really? Wow, this is completely new information!