Comments on: A Boy and his Area Code

By: phentermine

phentermine — Sun, 15 Feb 2004 23:09:22 +0000

blue plastic coffee

By: Raph

Raph — Fri, 26 Dec 2003 00:10:35 +0000

Well I, for one, am very pleased to know how I can get hold of my friend Evan by phone, since his old (347) number no longer works.
You can get anyone’s SS#, address, or land-line number on Lexis-Nexis or FlatRate. Cell numbers are a bit harder to come by.

By: Arthur

Arthur — Thu, 18 Dec 2003 02:09:47 +0000

Ha, didn’t expect to start a riot. Anyway, I think a resourceful stalker could get Evan’s cell phone number if they wanted to.

Even so, it does cross a line of some sort. Imagine stumbling across a random blog, some dude you’ve never met and will never meet, going on about gay marriage or Strom Thurmond or whatever hot topic. You get worked up, you rant, you maybe comment – but you’re mollified by the idea that the speaker is not actually real to you. Just some dude out on the Internet to whom you’ll never speak, whom you’ll never even see. Something like a cell phone number bridges that divide in a way that comments and e-mail can’t. Just dial the number – instantly, this Internet stranger has a voice, an actual presence in the world. I think it’s really cool. Evan, if you ever do get any calls because your number’s on here, let me know. I’m intrigued.

And don’t even get me started on social security numbers. It’s like having a username without a password, and you only get one for every single thing you do! I mean, come on!

By: DanG

DanG — Wed, 17 Dec 2003 19:52:09 +0000

No, but Evan’s FICO score really is 697! Feel free to use this information against him.

(Note: Evan’s FICO score is not actually 697. Its 702.)

By: echillri

echillri — Wed, 17 Dec 2003 17:21:02 +0000

OK, now you’re just getting slanderous. You guys are perhaps making the point that there are things you don’t want posted on the internet. I never said otherwise. But making the shit up is only going to bring grief to the poor bastard whose social is 436-12-5609 and who perhaps scored 1200 on his SAT.

It’s being paranoid about one’s contact details that is just silly. Conceal your various metrics of high-school level intellectual performance all you want, but if you think your name, address and phone number are any kind of secret, then you probably belong in a shack in Montana, turning cow shit into truck bombs.

By: socetew

socetew — Wed, 17 Dec 2003 16:56:45 +0000

Evan scored a 1200 on his SATs.. not bad, my friend.

By: DanG

DanG — Wed, 17 Dec 2003 15:53:29 +0000

Actually, Evan’s FICO score is 697–decent, but he’s not a creditor’s wet dream or anything.

By: lisa

lisa — Wed, 17 Dec 2003 14:57:47 +0000

evan’s ss #: 436-12-5609

p.s. he has really good credit.

By: echillri

echillri — Tue, 16 Dec 2003 21:05:02 +0000

My info is not at all hard to find, and it doesn’t bother me. My resume has been online for years, with my home phone number, and I don’t get telemarketing calls or stalkers. There are some things that are important to keep private, but my phone numbers and address really aren’t them. Much better to be worried about how often you have to give your Social Security number out.

By: soce, the elemental wizard

soce, the elemental wizard — Tue, 16 Dec 2003 20:58:27 +0000

I mean, I don’t have my real name or phone number anywhere on my website, but I DO include them on all of my CDs.. I figure the business gains of allowing potential clients to contact me far outweigh the risks of giving my cellie # away freely, plus my knowing my cellphone doesn’t give away my actual home address.

peace, soce