In the modern era of loneliness I don't need to wonder why. I'm just wondering why it doesn't have a modern app replacement.

@cosmosisrose

Жыл бұрын

there are still lines to call for this stuff. aside from suicide lines to call in crisis there’s also ones that are just for venting in general, like Samaritans, and they often have email services too if you can’t speak to them out loud. I also think I’ve seen apps and websites with a more similar concept to the service in the video where you can hear about other people’s problems too but I can’t think of any specific names off the top of my head

@jamess1787

Жыл бұрын

@@cosmosisrose 900 numbers are bill by the minute. You want to pay me? No problem!

@Skittenmeow

Жыл бұрын

I'm wondering if "better help" is a modern replacement, except you get to talk to a professional.

@cosmosisrose

Жыл бұрын

@@jamess1787 I wasn’t talking about ones you have to pay for, I mean the concept lol. Samaritans is free but there are probably also ones where you have to pay

@lizc6393

Жыл бұрын

There are websites like 7cups

Ad Company: So Eva what would you like your ad to say? Should we say you're psychic? Telepathic? Eva: Nah just say I'm Swedish lol.

@JRufu

Жыл бұрын

You know they never go to war!? Gustavus Adolphus: ...

Hahahahaha! The look on your face at 0:02 and 3:12 was perfect.

Lord, I remember that Freddie Freaker ad. I had the same look as you on my face even back then. I didn't get it. A lifetime of people falling for far dumber scams since then has explained a lot. It feels weird that seeing that again leaves me with the oddest sense of nostalgia.

900 numbers were a parent's nightmare. Well, depending on the sort of household you lived in, it might only happen once, the crazy phone bill. Still that crazy phone bill would be off-the-charts.

@dorpth

7 ай бұрын

I never did 900 numbers, but I did do something almost as bad. I dialed up a BBC with our modem in order to download a bunch of dumb Doom mods. The problem was it was an international number in Canada, and download speeds were slow as hell with our 2400 Baud modem. I think it took an hour to download a 100k mod. It said the BBC was in "British Columbia", which my dumb kid brain thought was next to the District of Columbia. My parents got a bill for $150, all so I could turn the monsters in Doom into Barney the Dinosaur =(

I used to kill time at airports or whenever I had to wait for something by dialing 1-900 at a pay phone, then randomly smashing the number pad to see what I got. I don't remember anything in particular, except once I woke somebody up, which I felt kind of bad about, I think because I usually just came to pre-recordings and I was probably doing this after a credit card was required for payment (mostly in the 90s).

Another great video, Phil. I grew up in the late 80s-90s and remember staying up late watching TV. These 900 ads would play all the time. USA Networks ‘Up All Night’ movie marathons would be LITTERED with the sex hotlines and psychics. I, and those my age at that time, were DEFINITELY the target audience lol.

I’m betting that passive record will be more popular it the future. Exactly like dashcams are recording and only save clips after a trigger. We’ll have personal bodycams or glasses that are constantly running. Then when you want, you tap the button and it records the last 30s to memory.

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

This is a good one!

Does anyone remember Post Secret where you sent in a postcard confession, which was published on a website/blog? It was in the 2000s. I even remember buying a book at one stage. Often they were sad secrets. At least mine were.

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

i remember that!!!

@Skittenmeow

Жыл бұрын

@@PhilEdwardsInc glad I'm not the only one! It was cathartic, and normalised a lot of things I'd thought were "abnormal" about myself.

@pdpUU

Жыл бұрын

My aunt would save her favorites on her desktop. They came out once a week at that time? I was like 8-9 years old when I’d go to her house and look at the secrets. The sad sad secrets made me feel less alone in my sad sad family life. The happy secrets gave me hope.

This is actually a very important tool. People need others to talk to.

@meltedyakkystick3891

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, like Freddie Freaker. I don't know what I would do without the freak.

That’s fascinating. We had something similar in the UK but I only ever saw ads for erotic chat lines. Usually for gay men who liked muscles and leather. I’ve still got a few VHS tapes I taped in the late 90s, where between wholesome kids’ shows like Bagpuss there’s adverts for those phone lines. (They were recorded from late-night reruns of classics, intended more for nostalgic adults than kids.)

@puddleglum3306

11 ай бұрын

0891 FIFTY! FIFTY! FIFTY!

@kaitlyn__L

11 ай бұрын

@@puddleglum3306 haha that’s the one!

This is the first I've heard of 1-900 numbers. I'd only heard of 1-800.

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

they were all over the airwaves!

I was born in the late 90s so hearing about this helps put a lot of context together for why things are how they are now. I wonder how far back niche culture can be tracked, surely there was avenues to let it out even before the 80s just required more resources to utilize... Phil I only found your personal channel recently but I've watched a ton of the videos in the past couple weeks and they're all incredible! I also immediately recognized your style from vox though I didn't learn you were /literally/ the same guy until a few days in of watching here, haha. Thanks for doing what you're doing!!

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

haha thanks!

Freddie Freaker is the last thing I expected to see on your channel

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

he haunts me still

Excellent video Phil. I like how you talk about the topics you choose seriously but not too seriously. That Freddie Freaker clip had me rolling. Keep up the good work. 👍

I was only born in the 90s, so a tad late to the party, but I've never been able to wrap my head around these 900 numbers or the strange communities that formed around them. I almost regret that I didn't suck it up and try calling one as a kid.

$2 in 1986 was a lot of money.

A rutabaga is similar to a turnip. They’re great boiled, but I can’t imagine one in a pie. I wonder if Phil was thinking of rhubarb pies, which are delicious.

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

nope i was thinking of moms bizarre predilection to roast root vegetables at major holidays

@ArbysMom

Жыл бұрын

@@PhilEdwardsInc Yikes! 🥴

Im glad i stuck around till the end cuz that mock ad of yours was the highlight of the video hahaha, as always great fun videos!

I think VR could be a candidate for that tech that isn't quite there yet.

3:04 peetah freddy frikker is t-posing in our living room

@Phil Edwards you've got the cry hotline niche covered for me. Everytime I see your face in a video I weep uncontrollably. In all seriousness, great video and the one over at Vox too. Also, what's a rutabaga? Is there a 900 number for finding out?

@kaitlyn__L

Жыл бұрын

A rutabaga is also known as a swede, or a neep :)

@ryanortega1511

Жыл бұрын

Kind of vegetable.

Swede's never go to war. Oh my sweet summer child. I remember seeing an article that suggested that basically we'd do all our browsing through a social media account. They believed that users saw the internet like a community, that we wanted a permanent identity associated with all our activities. I think about how what would have changed the net. If everything you said or did on the internet was tracked and people could look at it, imagine how different the internet would be? It would have some massive advantages, it would make spreading false or misleading information incredibly risky and allow people to track it back to its source but removing that anonymity would cause problems for people who, for one reason or another, can't express themselves freely.

@tjenadonn6158

Жыл бұрын

Starts blasting Sabaton's Carolus Rex in their general direction

The precursor to the internet always makes for interesting subjects and topics. Great video as always Phil, Nice ending as well!

I loved this video and those clips scratched some ancient memories. But I need a deeper dive on this cry line.

I love this video. I had actually recently seen the cry commercial and was very confused/amused

this also reminds of the Simpsons episode where Lisa spends all night on the 1-900 Corey hotline

What's more interesting for me, is that these 1-900 Numbers usually end with some word instead of just showing the numbers. I know it's to make it easier to remember, but I think I've never seen something like that in Germany.

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

huh they are everywhere here - i wonder why it’s be different

Fantastic! Please keep up the awesome content!

Man, I love your videos. You always find interesting topics to talk about

All the men taking down the number so that we can secretively deal with our trauma and emotions lol. Yay to us men having no clue what emotions are.

I remember calling a Nightmare on Elm Street 900 number as a kid...boy was my Mom upset when she saw the phone bill!

its that time for a new phil upload!!!! yayyy!! keep up the great work!

I imagined the 1-900-CRY line was just some asshole insulting you nonestop till you hung up the phone.

The start of the virtual participation society, a moment in history where the fourth wall of media was broken, never to be closed again.

Commenting for the algo. Your videos are great- I've been subbed for a while and I've seen the count steadily grow. Quality, well researched and thoughtful.

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

thanks for that.

great video. I've now watched every piece of info I could re the cry number. gonna go check out what else you talk about

inspiring video phil. looking for the next big thing.

I can't believe there was a nine-year-old somewhere listening to the challenger disaster in real time over their home line.

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

😬

Subbed, production quality is top notch and the ideas are interesting.

Originally intended to be used by technical support lines. It was abandoned by reputable companies, so they wouldn't be linked to the Adult Industry, so they jumped over to 800 (Toll-Free Numbers). The original Nintendo Power Phone line was a 900 number.

I work in an office where part of my job is getting phone invoices signed. Employees sometimes ask me why...I say just make sure there's no 1-900 numbers like sex lines on it, or other weird calls on their line, and sign. I haven't experienced it on my own phone line, but when others can access your phone, it's good practice to keep an eye on charges.

Gotta admit that Freddie Freaker song is is pretty catchy 😂

You've earned your like. that was a wacky trip down memory lane.

This was great as always!

The early 2000s version was Omegle!

Fantastic video !

I just listed to the 99 Percent Invisible episode about 900 numbers, and then Phil drops a new episode too? Good times, good times.

In the UK it was 0898 numbers, the jingles were infectious. Mostly chat lines where you were on a group call.

I clicked on this video thinking that it would be similar to the 0800 lines in NZ, then I remembered it's America 😂 (0800 lines in NZ are free to call)

I feel like I've fallen into a parallel universe, like the Mandela effect. I've never seen 1-900 before, only 1-800

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

it's out there, pretending to be real...

Phil, the links to the other videos are blocking the disclaimer on the bottom!

that leaf wall is sick 😮

We're already seeing that change right now......when journalistic integrity died. The print newspaper failing to keep up with the internet and papers going into bankruptcy a few back started a situation where news is now spun to fit the views of the intended audience and if you don't like the news you simply look for a source that tells the version you like. It's been downhill with that since around 2010

I noticed how Madam Eva didn’t offer help w ikea furniture assembly

5:08 Am I reading that small print correctly? Were Telcor, Inc., charging _fifty-nine dollars and ninety-five cents_ per call??

I have 2 things I look forward to on Sundays John Oliver and Phil Edwards

I'm curious about how 976-xxxx compares in conception and evolution. I don't even remember which came first. I don't remember a 976 CryLine, but it would still be an interesting rabbit hole.

Maybe something like VR. It's pretty niche right now and caters mostly to people who play video games, but it could be used for all sorts of things in the future.

Ai companionship, like Replika. I'm calling it now.

i got in trouble for a massive phone bill after i called a 900 sex chat line . i just listened to what people were saying on the call. it was basically like a group call and all these adults were chatting, some were making moaning sounds. when i finally spoke i said "hi" and someone else said "it sounds like a child is on" then i hung up.

@PhilEdwardsInc

29 күн бұрын

hahaha a formative moment i'm sure

So +1 900 numbers are like our 0190 numbers in Germany, which are now 0900 as well. Those were very expensive and often dialers used these numbers to dial in on computers and produced a very expensive internet bill after that. Dialers were on sketchy websites and are now less relevant, because we no longer go on the internet with 56k modems and ISDN. I do not know if dialers were that threat in the US...

I dated a girl once that said she would put on those tear jerker movies because "sometimes you just need a good cry" (her exact words). It's as if for her crying was a form of sadness masturbation. I don't quite understand it, although I admit on rare occasions I have experienced crying about some memory and perhaps it did feel good. I bet the people who called these cry numbers were mostly women and for some reason it provided a sense of relief.

Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Lisa calls the Corey hotline and it's just him saying words that rhyme with his name.

I don't feel like you really answered the proposed question. You answered how, sort of, but left the why alone.

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

Yeah I ended up realizing the answer to the question was, like, human suffering. The shorter reason is that somebody could make money off it - which I did do though!

@cee8mee

Жыл бұрын

@@PhilEdwardsInc Ain't that the truth! Cheers!

algorithmic punch!

College Humor did a bit about videos that are "p@&n for crying." The first 10 minutes of the movie "Up" is the most replayed part. I can't think of any movie that has a sadder opening than, Up.

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

nominating “the giving tree” for the book edition

IMHO it's the web3 world. Blockchain and the MetaVerse. We have stuff like Bitcoin and VR, but there's some killer implementation that'll take it out of the collectables/communication/crypto realm where it's just a novelty and into something that can actually truly bring utility. I'm not into any of those things so for me, web3 is just some weird niche. But there IS some layer above thats better.

ooh wow!

20,000 Hertz podcast recently went down this rabbit hole and interviewed a few people that owned big lines of the time.

I bet that 1900 CRY lady thought no one would ever see they shameful ad she did in 1987 to a make a $100 while she was in collage..

I love Freddy freaker

A phone number for crying and, according to the Silver Jews, a license plate for loneliness. What a time to be alive.

Just coincidence? Same topic in the last episode of the Twenty thousand hertz podcast 😉 just without crying 😭

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

have heard the show before but not that one. great minds! if anybodys stalking the comments here, check out that podcast!

I remember this well. 🤥

6:56 Is that...Kenny G.?

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

the one and only

What kind of watch is that? I like it.

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

Casio F-91W - the only watch that matters

The end of the video was 🧑‍🍳 💋

Some of these guys got in trouble for marketing towards kids

VR ... the answer to Phil's question at the end is VR...

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

Yeah I had this in mind too…

I remember 1-976 numbers

Always interesting!!!

theres a podcast coming soon, dont worry

Thanks, this was thought provoking. One wild guess as to where this is all headed; voluntary truman-show-esque live streams. AI piloted camera-copter-bots streaming your life 18 hours a day. Phil, I'm sorry, you do look a bit like that 900-ESP guy.

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

haha i can't argue with any of that

Do one for the gangster party line. Talk some shit!

Wait, rutabaga pie? I’m struggling with that concept. Do Americans eat this or is this memes?

The real reason you cried is because of your phone bill after the call.

Earthlings are weird

How little Americans know about world to see Sweden as some sort of magical land? Also no, Sweden had wars in past.

I think the percentage stats were accurate. People are far more ridiculously obsessed about everything, including sex, these days.

But Sweden has gone to war

If Sweden never goes to war, then why did it just join NATO??? Explain that Swedish Psychic

Phil's looking HOT.

The Born again Christian that lusted in his heart for many women 😂(With my apologies for being so irreverential).

Boop

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

beep

It's kind of remarkable how much I like your KZread channel considering how much I dislike Vox. you've truly ascended beyond the media company you work at. much in the same way that Bryan David Gilbert has ascended beyond Polygon The both of you Are really creative and only seem to be getting held back by the bigger companies than lease/leash your creativity

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

haha that's nice to be in the same sentence as the almighty bdg! (i can talk about him like a celebrity since i never actually met him)

You don't look like the guy in the seance ad, you have a way better haircut than him.

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

never felt more relieved

First

@PhilEdwardsInc

Жыл бұрын

🏆

@mentomuncherVEVO

Жыл бұрын

@@PhilEdwardsInc this is literally my biggest achievement in life

Fornite is the precursor to the true metaverse.

not all 900 numbers was for adult services remember vcr+? you could call a 900 number and enter the time and date and get a code for recording.