

Phone credit low? Africans go for "beeping" - bootload
http://www.usabilitynews.com/news/article4211.asp

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paulgb
Sounds similar to using collect calls requests to convey a message.. "Press
one to accept a collect call from <meetmeatthebusstop> _click_ "

I remember a TV commercial that involved this a few years ago. Oddly enough, I
think it was for a phone company.

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dawie
In South-Africa, it was called Scotch-ing, as in the Tape. What would often
happen is people would say. Scotch me when you get to so and so's place, or
Scoth me when you are going for dinner...

One of the cellphone providers would also give you a code *147 or something
and someone's number and it would send a "please call me" text message with
your number included. People would say. Send me a "please call me" when you
are there...

Everyone does it.

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ajm
My family used to "Scotch-ring", a play on the Scottish reputation for
frugality.

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karzeem
On vacation in Lebanon three years ago, I learned that this same thing is
routine over there too. People work out systems about what one missed call
means as compared to two, and so on.

Funnily enough, a missed call probably conveys just about as much meaning as
the average text message.

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lkozma
Even more funnily, it probably conveys as much meaning as an hour long talk on
the phone.

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bents
Some time ago I was thinking that it wouldnt be hard to make software and
connects phone to computer and sends the text as Morse code trough prank
calls. So you would have free international communication device. Only
extremely slow.

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zaidf
From my experience of hanging out with friends in India, every conversation
ends with something like "give me a missed call."

Though it originated as a way to save money especially for pre-paid mobile
users, it has come to mean a whole lot of things now. ie. if you are to meet
someone for coffee and he hasn't shown up yet, instead of calling you give him
a missed call so he knows you're waiting.

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nickb
At my previous office, we had to wait 1+ month to get badges so we used to do
this all the time to get people to come down to open the door. No need to pick
up... if it rings twice, come to the front door and open it.

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dmnd
I remember doing this when all my friends were on prepaid phones. We called it
'pranking', though: "Just prank me when you want me to pick you up."

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danw
When I was a kid we used to call it "pranking"

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yrashk
in Ukraine poor people used to use a first free 4 seconds to talk, but after
that per-connection fee was introduced.

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alaskamiller
My friends and I do this all the time. I never leave voicemail, why bother?
The fact that I'm on the missed call list makes is good enough. And my
incoming minutes are free!

