Comments on The End of the White Pages

But how will we start porch fires without them?

because normal people don't pay for space.

Sounds great to me. They're five kilos of dead tree that I don't need.

I used the phone book yesterday. I don't have a computer with me 24/7.WTF?

OK,granted,I used the yellow pages, but still...I want a phone book! I'm paying $45 a month. You gotta give me something tangible for that much money.

Yeay, Public Intern!

@5:

"People who prefer a printed copy can request one at 1-866-732-5977 and a copy will be mailed within 10 days."

Yaaaaaaaay Public Intern!

Not everyone has a computer.
Even those with computers sometimes have stone knife-and-bearskin versions that they can't run to for every phone number.

This is...boggling.

My mother is in a rural area, has no computer, probably would have no ISP if she did. How in the world is she supposed to find out about that 800 number and call it every year?

Save some trees. Just send a request notice in the stupid bill. There's always a mountain of unclaimed white & yellow pages in my apt. bldg. until the custodian hauls them off to recycling.

Funnily enough, I had a call last night from the folks at the Gallup poll. Thought I might get to impart my political views, but nooooooo, they wanted to know about my telephone directory usage. Had to find the stupid book and now it's been opened for the first time since I received it 4 months ago. I haven't used a phone book in at least a couple years. They wanted to know about online usage as well and that took up most of the interview. So long as they still make it available free to those who want it they really should stop delivering all that wasted effort/resources/landfill.

Unlike when I was a kid, the idea of looking a persons name up in order to find their phone number seems excessively creepy to me. I'm guessing there's people over the age of 40 that actually do answer their landline, but still, if you have to find it in a book, you probably shouldn't be calling that person.

Businesses, on the other hand; well, I hope your customers can either pay to use Information or are online. Probably not too much to ask, really.