this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2024
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

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Sometime, probably close to 20 years ago, but perhaps more recently, you heard a dial tone for the last time and you didn’t even realize it would be.

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[–] dialtone@lemmy.world 135 points 9 months ago (2 children)
[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 26 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I’ve been meaning to ask, has anyone ever told you your F is a tad sharp for equal temperament? I’m not suggesting you change. I think your clean beat frequency makes you pretty cool just the way you are.

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I first read it

has anyone ever told you F

And thought it was going to be a joke continuing OP's thought 🫡

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[–] Lifecoach5000@lemmy.world 52 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Dial tone still exists. Pretty much every business phone that’s most likely a VoIP line still generates dial tone to the user’s headset.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 30 points 9 months ago (2 children)

That’s just sparkling doot

[–] kakes@sh.itjust.works 8 points 9 months ago

Man, reading this sentence felt like a little electric jolt to the brain as it pieced the memes together.

[–] 4am@lemm.ee 2 points 2 months ago

If it’s not grown in the POTS region of Bell then it’s not dialtone, it’s just sparkling doot .

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 5 points 9 months ago

Indeed, but most people will not hear it anymore as they don't use business phones, same as ordinary landline phones

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[–] r00ty@kbin.life 39 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Last time I heard a dial tone was just a second ago when I pushed the speakerphone button on my Cisco ip phone.

[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 7 points 9 months ago

Ceci n'est pas une tonalité

[–] plz1@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago (2 children)

It's actually fake, though. IP phones "play" that. Also, when on a call, they insert "comfort noise, that very low hiss you may hear, to augment the odd feeling most get with crystal clear VOIP audio.

[–] mPony@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

It's only a dial tone if it comes from a land line

otherwise it's just sparkling audio lies

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[–] SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 2 points 9 months ago (2 children)
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[–] Vinny_93@lemmy.world 31 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I still hear a dial-up modem when I close my eyes

[–] db2@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago (6 children)

But can you tell the difference between 28.8 and 33.6 just by listening?

[–] AmidFuror@fedia.io 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I don't understand the need for these. I can't read text faster than 300 baud anyway.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

We tech support folks used to be able to discern a legit US Robotics 56K over a software modem. By listening to our customers connect.

[–] ripcord@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

300, 1200, 2400, 9600, 19.2, and 56k yes.

I don't remember 28.8 and 33.6 sounds, though. I guess my life has been for nothing :(

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[–] Demonmariner@lemmy.world 28 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I have a landline, I hear a dial tone every time I pick up the phone.

[–] CmdrShepard42@lemm.ee 15 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Low-key way of informing everyone that nobody ever calls your landline.

[–] Chozo@fedia.io 7 points 9 months ago

Or that they're the ones making all the calls.

[–] MeatStiq@lemmy.world 21 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I listen to it every day at work when connecting to customers alarm systems.

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 11 points 9 months ago

Necromancer

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 19 points 9 months ago (1 children)

if you have tinnitus it never really stopped

[–] noughtnaut@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

Sorry to nitpick... Tinnitus is more likely to introduce high-frequency sound than the 440Hz dial tone. If anything, that is the one frequency that old-timey phone techs would eventually struggle to hear...

[–] Waldowal@lemmy.world 14 points 9 months ago

On a similar note for parents: At some point, you did/will pick your child up and then put them down for the last time.

[–] NeptuneOrbit@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I have a captain crunch whistle so I hear it anytime I want to!

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 3 points 9 months ago

You were one of those people.

It is still wild to me that a cheap toy was able to "hack" the phone systems back then.

[–] slazer2au@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago (1 children)

What's even worse is in some countries the file tone was a pretty good match for a guitar note so some musicians would use it as a starting point to tune their guitars.

[–] squirrel@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 9 months ago

True, I remember tuning my guitar to it. Thanks for bringing back that memory.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 6 points 9 months ago

I heard one about a week ago

[–] tiredofsametab@kbin.run 6 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I heard it last night in a movie. From an actual phone, it's been a few years, but less than 10. EDIT: actually, less than 3 years as I had to fax paperwork to get my internet. Japan!

[–] Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

My work has landlines, so I still get to hear it

[–] hperrin@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

I don’t know. I have several old phones and a touch tone dialing adapter. I like the experience. I can say with high confidence that I’ll hear a dial tone in the future.

Plus, watch any movie from the seventies through the nineties that includes a phone, and you’ll probably hear a dial tone.

[–] PanoptiDon@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

Sadly, I had to fax documents recently.

[–] Classy@sh.itjust.works 2 points 9 months ago

My work uses VoIP and when I call anyone I hear a dial tone.

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