Phone-y News

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If I read his SJ-R article right, the era of the seven-digit phone number may be ending soon in Central Illinois.

Area code 447 could be coming to central Illinois as early as 2009.

The Illinois Commerce Commission announced Monday it has approved a 447 “overlay” in area code 217 based on projections the existing supply of prefixes could be exhausted within a couple of years.

[snip]

An overlay would require new customers to begin using the 447 area code once all numbers in 217 are assigned. Existing customers would continue to use 217, although all customers would have to begin using 10-digit dialing, the area code plus the seven-digit number, once the overlay is implemented.

I didn’t realize there were “overlays”. I thought new area codes being added were exclusive to some geographical area. Guess not. I wonder how soon it will be before ten digit phone numbers can no longer keep up with demand. I suppose that’s the good thing about numbers, you can always add more.

Speaking of phones, the rapidly changing size and look of cell phones over the last 10 to 15 years is interfering with my enjoyment of movies and television shows made more than a couple of years ago. That is, shows that have a cell phone in play at some point. It happened again last night while I was watching an X-Files rerun. Molder and Scully, once having had access to the cutting edge of technology, were using these big-ass, clunky cell phones. Phones have now joined cars, hairstyles and clothing as items originally invisible to the viewer but have, over time, become near show-stopping curiosities.