IP RelayFollow

I'm sure many of you know about this, but it is just too much fun not to share.

http://www.ip-relay.com/index.htm

Pretty much its a program where an operator will relay a message over the phone to the phone number of your choice. It's fun to make the operators say stuff. They get suspicious when they hear typing in the background.

Hints to use it:

all you need to do when you open the java applet is type in the phone number, they will dial and tell you when you can relay your message.

after everything you say, type GA so the operator knows you are done.

if you want to end the conversation, type "sksk."

Have fun.

                                     ↓His opinion is ****.↓

Feels like the modern equivalent of TTY/TDD.


edit: now I feel a lot more sure;

http://wally.rit.edu/depts/ref/research/deaf/ttyuse.html

GA was 'go ahead', SK was 'stop keying'. I had a few deaf friends in high school, so occasionally fielded calls like these.

Before this web-based thing there was a similar service you could do with a TDD phone. You call an operator with your TDD phone (has a console/typewriter arrangement). The operator in turn calls whomever you want to talk to. The operator then identifies themselves as being part of a TDD call.

They give a go-ahead signal to the deaf person, who then begins a (typed) conversation; they read the conversation to you over the phone. You reply, and they type your answer back. It was TDD-by-proxy.

Edited, Fri Oct 28 16:24:56 2005 by Wingchild

It's the Burger King submissive chicken. This is his new gig.

Yeah, its a real person.

                                     ↓His opinion is ****.↓

Phone Service for Deaf a Target for Abuse.

I think you should listen to this NPR story before you feel like abusing one of these operators.