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Portable Phone Numbers = Market for Cool Numbers 395

Posted by CmdrTaco from the i-want-get-bent dept.
goombah99 writes "The New phone number rules that allow you to keep your phone number when you switch carriers has given rise to phone nascent number property rights. On E-bay you can bid on 867-5309 (made famous by Tommy Tutone's Jenny I got your number). As I write this the bid is over $8000 dollars with seven days to go. What other numbers are famous or valuable? Will we see a land rush like the internet names?"
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Portable Phone Numbers = Market for Cool Numbers More

Portable Phone Numbers = Market for Cool Numbers

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  • Prank Calls (Score:5, Funny)

    by electrichamster ( 703053 ) * on Sunday February 15, 2004 @09:49AM (#8285407) Homepage
    Great, now I can prank call the winnning bidder...

  • I'd prefer ACDC's Dirty Deeds (Score:4, Interesting)

    by richardoz ( 529837 ) * on Sunday February 15, 2004 @09:50AM (#8285413) Homepage
    ...
    Pick up the phone
    I'm always home
    Call me any time
    Just ring
    3624368
    I lead a life of crime
    ...

  • I think the general "gee-whiz" factor of owning 867-5309 would wear off really quickly. I know I called this number in the past, how many other people did too? I think the guy that is selling this is making a nice penny on his past headaches.

    Mike

  • Mine (Score:2, Funny)

    by dr ttol ( 674155 )
    My cell phone number is (XXX) U-OWE-HIM.

    I won't give out the area code of course. But it is the area code for a major city.

    Should I sell it? Seems like a quick way to get the extra cash.

    Whatcha think slashdotians?

    • Realnames, anyone? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by trezor ( 555230 )

      If this catches on as much as RealNames did, you'll all of a sudden need to be a millionaire to get a cellphone.

      And then your cellphone will die.

      We've had this for a long time in Norway, and yes, give it a year or two and this will all die. Hopefully, at least it did over here.

  • Besides if it's legal or not... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Flounder ( 42112 ) * on Sunday February 15, 2004 @09:51AM (#8285423)
    Does the mechanism for transferring your phone number from one service to another allow for transferring phone numbers from one user to another?

    If it actually works, this is a brilliant idea, and it's certainly harder to squat on phone numbers than domain names.

  • What other numbers are famous or valuable? (Score:5, Funny)

    by zegebbers ( 751020 ) on Sunday February 15, 2004 @09:52AM (#8285426) Homepage
    Who wants to buy 3-14-159-265?

  • Ack... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Nicholas Evans ( 731773 )
    Who's trying to sell my phone number...again?
  • Well this would be a pretty silly number to try to get for yourself...but I remember growing up seeing their commercials on TV, where you've got the moustached older gentleman and then the women singing at the end "five eight eight, two three hundred, Empire!"

  • 288-3825 (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 15, 2004 @09:54AM (#8285440)
    Which spells BUT-FUCK. Please, don't ask me why I know this.

    • Re:288-3825 (Score:2, Funny)

      by RexHowland ( 71795 )
      I just found out my number is 1-CLEAR-TAUNT.

      Pretty cool. Clearly, I can taunt someone.

      It's either that, or 1-ALE-AQUA-TOT.

      I think I'm going to start telling people these instead of giving out my number.
  • In China [bbc.co.uk], numbers with 8 in them are supposed to be lucky, so there might be some bidding on that.

    Of course, all that superstition I don't go for. Can anyone sell me 420-4242? ;)

    • Re:Lucky Phone Numbers (Score:2, Informative)

      by vchoy ( 134429 )
      For those that are not Chinese (or asian), Here's the cantonese side of the story:

      8 (eight) is 'baet'' which 'sounds' like how one would pronounce 'faet' which means 'fortune (rich)'

      2 (two) is 'yi' which 'sounds' like how one would pronounce 'ye' which means 'easy'

      4 (four) is 'sei' which 'sounds' eactly how one would pronounce 'sei' which means 'death/die'

      So if your number is 8888888 or 282828 for example, it means good fortune.

      If Your number is 4444444 or 242424, it's means bad fortune (easy death) a

    • Re:Lucky Phone Numbers (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Wired magazine had an article a couple years ago about Woz's quest to get a one-digit phone number. The closest he got was 800-888-8888, until the 888 toll-free code was made. So he grabbed the all-8 number and immediately started getting crank calls with weird gurgling sounds on the other end. Turns out lots of little kids just find a phone dial and bang on the same button for a while. :)

  • What about? (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    666-6666. My guess, however, is that Microsoft just won't give it up!

  • Nerdy? (Score:5, Funny)

    by isNaN ( 45985 ) <.sebastian.claesson. .at. .gmail.com.> on Sunday February 15, 2004 @09:56AM (#8285462)
    You'll have to be a *real* nerd to actually buy a "famous" phone number!

    ohh... wait... forgot I was on /. there for a while ;)

  • Old stuff (and higher prices) in China (Score:5, Interesting)

    by 1u3hr ( 530656 ) on Sunday February 15, 2004 @09:57AM (#8285467)
    In China this has been around for years. Chinese numerology gives great value to number 8. See for instance "A special phone number, 88888888, was auctioned Monday in this capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, for 2.33 million yuan (about 280,723 US dollars)." [peopledaily.com.cn] In Hong Kong there's a premium on lucky phone numbers and you can buy and sell them, the mobile phone companies usually have a board outside with lists of auspicious numbers available.
  • Here's the Clicky [snopes.com]

  • "Ownership" of the phone number (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dada21 ( 163177 ) <adam.dada@gmail.com> on Sunday February 15, 2004 @10:00AM (#8285482) Homepage Journal
    It is odd how people have become acclimated to the belief that they own their phone number. Back in the day (in the 80s) I had lost a phone number when a local business wanted it. The phone company explained clearly in their legal text (which was in the phone book) that you don't own the number, and can lose it at any time.

    Do phone numbers really matter all that much? I used to know all my friends' phone numbers by memory. Now, speed dial makes it worthless.

    If someone changes their number, they e-mail me, I save it to my contacts list, and when I sync my phone the new phone number is there. I don't think I call more than 1 person a day from my phone without using the contact list. I use over 3000 minutes a month from my cell phone, so that's around 9-10 people a day I call without knowing their number.

    For a business, having a cool number that spells something or references the business in a memorable way makes sense only when you need to get people to call you after seeing an advertisement. Once you regularly call someone, you probably won't recall that number, even if its something great like 4-DADA-21.

    I know I don't own my phone number. I also know I'll be paying more on my cell phone bill so that others can keep their numbers. I've switched cell phone numbers probably 4 times in 8 years, and never really lost contact with anyone.

    If people matter to me, they know more than my phone number. They have my e-mail address, they have my home address, they can contact me through other friends. If I lost my number today, I'd be hampered for maybe 2 days and then it would be business as usual.

    I'd rather not pay for this feature so others can "protect their private property."
    • Do phone numbers really matter all that much? I used to know all my friends' phone numbers by memory. Now, speed dial makes it worthless.

      Yes. Not everybody in this world is technologically savvy -- not even savvy enough to use speed dial. In fact, I remember last christmas my family had a round of "Update Contact Information." While everybody pulled out their pysical address books, I was the only one who pulled out my cell phone to update contacts. Yes, they all have speed dial on their cell phones an
    • I'd like to start by saying that the fee for preserving phone numbers is completely bologna and doesn't cost the company a cent. True, you still have to pay this, but I'd like to toss that aside.

      Being in college right now I regularly go on coop (paid internships). I've bought a cellphone so that my phone number doesn't change every six months when my address changes. It's bad enough having to update twenty places each time I move (financial institutions, etc) at least if I forget one they have a phone
    • Switch to T-Mobile. When other companies started charging fees (Breakdown by company [wessalmon.com]), T-Mobile refrained. Not only did they not raise my rate, they actually gave a good number of their longer-term clients bonus minutes to help encourage them to stay with the company. Yeah T-Mobile.
  • 555-FAKE (3253)

  • eBay (Score:5, Funny)

    by ThomK ( 194273 ) on Sunday February 15, 2004 @10:03AM (#8285498) Homepage Journal
    Why use eBay? Just call the guy.

  • The same thing happened here (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ArcticPuppy ( 592282 ) on Sunday February 15, 2004 @10:05AM (#8285504) Journal
    Here in Norway we got number portability a couple of years back. For a couple of weeks the newspapers were filled with stories of numbers going for outragous prizes. There were even specialized web sites where one could auction cell phone numbers. A couple of months later, everyone sobered and the market dried up. The whole thing was even sillier than the domain name market in the dot com era.

  • It is a fake! (Score:5, Funny)

    by twoslice ( 457793 ) on Sunday February 15, 2004 @10:05AM (#8285511)
    On E-bay you can bid on 867-5309 (made famous by Tommy Tutone's Jenny I got your number).

    I called the number and there was no Jenny there. - Just some guy calling me an asshole for calling him at 3am...

  • My pot dealer has (Score:4, Funny)

    by hackstraw ( 262471 ) * on Sunday February 15, 2004 @10:07AM (#8285524)

    xxx-9333 (weed)
  • Because if not then every area code supports this number. 867-5309 for everybody! Using Vonage where you can change your area code to anything (for home usage) you could get 867-5309 with a Wyoming area code.

    Sadly I still cannot have BR-549.

  • The ultimate ubiquitous identifier (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Froze ( 398171 ) on Sunday February 15, 2004 @10:10AM (#8285540)
    Get out your tin foil hats!

    The government is going to make your phone number the publically acceptable, accessable replacement for your SSN. You will be assigned a number at birth, it will always be yours, you can get others, but this one is for life. There won't be any legal restrictions on using it as a ID like your SSN, the only protection you get is the do not call list.

    Far fetched conspiracy theorys aside, anyone care to speculate on the possible pros and cons of such a scheme?
    • Frankly, not everyone has a phone. My current phone number is registered under my wife's name, and I don't have a cell phone. Before I got married, I went a couple years with no phone. If people wanted to talk to me, they had to stop by.

      Unless the Gub'mint is handing out free telphone service, there will always be those on the edge of society that don't have any electronic way to reach them.

      Of course, with payphones waving byebye, or increasing their cost (50 cents? I remember when it was ten...), it is getting harder for those without phone service to function on a 'normal' level.

      My wife and I are always talking about getting a cell phone, but she doesn't want to be reached anywhere she goes, and I don't like the idea of a GPS tracked number associated with me.

      Plus, you'd think that service would be cheaper now that everyone and their brother has one - I'm a cheapskate who doesn't think that a cell is 'worth' it yet - it helps that I now live in a small town where everything is 5 minutes away.

      All that said, your theory or proposal doesn't sound that far-fetched. Technology now or will soon allow the govenment to know absolutely everything about its citizens, and those in power like to stay there. The thing is that this plan, like all other information gathering, tracking, and ID-ing, will fail to document those who have the cash to 'stay out of the system'. When was the last time you ever saw anyone rich on jury duty?

      This national ID=phone number idea will work great everyone who isn't very rich or very poor. And that's a lot of people.

      I'm thinking you're ripe for a defense department contract.

      • I don't understand the whole "I don't have a phone" or the more common "I don't have a cell phone" because "I don't want to be reached". There is a better solution, it's called "turning them off" or "not answering them". The thing that really aggravates me is that people always say it with a sense of pride, just like people who don't have TVs (a decision that does have merit). I'm sorry, but there is no pride to be taken in telling everyone you care about that you don't consider talking to them important

  • You can't beat Creative Printing (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 15, 2004 @10:10AM (#8285543)
    515-382-5968 [creativepr...oducts.com].

    For those too lazy to find a phoneagram script, their number equates to 515-FUC-KYOU.

    I searched Google but couldn't come up with any other real examples of 382-5968. I would imagine most telcos know about it and don't assign the number, I'm surprised someone managed to actually get it in Iowa.
  • I remember when 867-5309 first came out (or whatever the actual name of the song is). People who had that number were constantly harassed by young pranksters like myself calling and asking to speak to Jenny. According to the news, people who had that number were forced to change it due to the never-ending phone calls. Instant celebrity is not all its cracked up to be.

  • 867-5309 in 401 (Score:3, Informative)

    by sho-gun ( 2440 ) on Sunday February 15, 2004 @10:13AM (#8285565)
    Here in RI in area code 401, a plumbing service owns
    the number, and advertises it on the radio, and even
    sings a bit of the jenny song.

    I wonder if they had to dish out the $$ for it or
    if they simply requested it from thier phone company.
    • I'm in RI and have heard this on the radio a few times. At first I looked at the auction and thought $8k (currently) was a lot for a phone number, but then considered that even months after I heard that ad on the radio, I still remember the number and that it's for a phone company. No idea which company, but I might call them if I needed a plumber.

      To get that kind of long-term memory is a steal at a few thousand....

  • Area Code 212 isn't mentioned in the song.. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by i_want_you_to_throw_ ( 559379 ) * on Sunday February 15, 2004 @10:16AM (#8285583) Journal
    Here are the lyrics,...
    Jenny, Jenny who can I turn to
    You give me something I can hold on to
    I know you'll think I'm like the others before
    Who saw your name and number on the wall
    Jenny I've got your number
    I need to make you mine
    Jenny don't change your number
    8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
    8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
    Jenny, Jenny you're the girl for me
    You don't know me but you make me so happy
    I tried to call you before
    But I lost my nerve
    I tried my imagination
    But I was disturbed
    Jenny I've got your number
    I need to make you mine
    Jenny don't change your number
    8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
    8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
    I got it (I got it), I got it
    I got your number on the wall
    I got it (I got it), I got it
    For a good time call
    Jenny don't change your number
    I need to make you mine
    Jenny I've got your number
    8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
    8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)

    Solo

    Jenny don't change your number
    I need to make you mine
    Jenny I call your number
    8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
    8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
    Next two lines sung over
    background refrain of "867-5309"
    Jenny, Jenny who can I turn to
    For the price of a dime
    I can always turn to you
    8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
    8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
    Fade out repeating "5309"

    Lead Singer Tommy Heath actually grew up in Texas, Montana and spent some time in Japan.

    He is though, a software engineer [tutone.com]

  • Can you slashdot a phone number? (Score:5, Funny)

    by ggvaidya ( 747058 ) on Sunday February 15, 2004 @10:16AM (#8285586) Homepage Journal
    867-5309, eh?

    Can a phone number be slashdotted? :) I think we're about to find out!

  • How can you search for unique numbers? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Controlio ( 78666 ) on Sunday February 15, 2004 @10:18AM (#8285598)
    My company owns a block of 1000 phone numbers, and I've always wanted to get a number that spelled something either related to our department or an acronym which would be easy for clients to remember. But I can't find anything on the internet which helps you make words out of phone numbers. I would need to find a search engine or program that would accept an input like 345-555-6??? and spit out all the possible combinations that make words our of 4 digits, 7 digits, or 10 digits.

    Has anyone run across a program or a website that could help?
  • From Mitch's standup:

    If I got to pick my phone number, it would be 222-2222. That way when people ask me for my number, I could just say 'press two for a while'. I wouldn't answer the phone, 'hello,' I'd answer it 'stop!'

  • What happens to text messaging? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by defile ( 1059 ) on Sunday February 15, 2004 @10:24AM (#8285626) Homepage Journal

    Lets say someone has the phone number 8005551212 and they're a Voicestream/T-Mobile customer. To email them a text message you'd email 8005551212@voicestream.net.

    Since I presume phone numbers are allocated about the same way IP addresses are (in blocks), to make a phone number that was assigned to T-Mobile ring for Sprint, T-Mobile must forward the call somehow. Does this mean T-Mobile also forwards text messages?

    That is, would 8005551212@messaging.sprintpcs.com work? Or would you still have to send to 8005551212@voicestream.net because it's T-Mobile's job to forward it?

    • oh, that's easy -- just break the service so it doesn't work and people quit using it!

      That seems to be AT&T Wireless's plan, anyway. Last year it was terribly slow, then it started to get unreliable, and now my Nagios emails just bounce after a day or two of wandering around in the AT&T email system. According to their website I'm still using the right address, but something ain't right.

  • Stewie: Hello operator? Hello? Oh god, that's right you have to punch in the numbers nowadays. Aah, I should know this ... oh yes, 867-5309, that's it. No wait that's not it, damn you Tommy Tutone! Only one thing to do! 111-1111. Lois? Damn. 111-1112. Lois? Damn. 111-1113. Damn!

    z

  • I get lots of mail, and a lot of it wastes time- mine and yours. [cmdrtaco.net]

    So maybe call him instead ... How about
    267-8226
    -or maybe-
    237-8226

    Alphabetize the digits before modding this post down ... and then go ahead and mod this post down anyways, but at least give it the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure CMD-TACO, or CMR-TACO might pay top dollar if you reserve it first.

    That would be a great story for Slashdot ... Slashot reader holds CmdrTaco's phone number hostage.
    Let me guess:
    1. Reserve Phone Number
    2.

  • Would have to be 247-9999
  • Specialty phone numbers have always been bought sold and traded. Back when the only toll-free area code was '800', and the available numbers in this area code were running out there were many sales of such numbers. The practice was considered somewhat illicit, which is what prompted the faster introduction of the '888', '877', and '866' area codes. The introduction of number portability simply increases the visibility and lowers the barriers to entry of this market. All in all, this is - economically speaki
  • How will the actual transfer take place?

    The transfer regs were put in place to allow one person to change their provider and keep their original number. AFAIK, they say nothing about selling your number to another person and then keeping the same provider (presumably with a new number).

    What if the phone company has a waiting list for a particular number (or has their own bidding process)? The winner of the eBay auction could find themselves in line behind 17 other people, even after paying thousands o
  • I'm in the market for a cell phone right now. I had planned on getting a specific number that meant something to me. Untill recently (of course) this number has been left unused in AT&T Wirless' pool. Now just as I go to get a phone someone was assigned this number. If I could reach a [montetary] agreement with the current user of the number is it possible to get it transfered? How does one go about this? If it matters I was even planning on getting service through AT&T Wireless. I've asked p

    • Re:How does this work? (Score:3, Informative)

      by telstar ( 236404 )
      Don't stress it ... you're going to get blank stares from the AT&T salespeople no mater what you ask them. I'd call 212-867-5309 in a week or two and ask them how it worked ... and if it worked.
  • THX-1138 (from the movie title)
    CPL 5938 (from Remake-Remodel by Roxy Music)

    RS

  • As I write this the bid is over $8000 dollars with seven days to go.

    Just because somebody has bid that much, it doesn't mean that somebody intends to bid that much. Bids for `flavor of the day' items like this and the world's largest cheetos often go way up really fast.

    It wouldn't surprise me at all if many (most?) of those bids aren't serious at all. Especially those from the users with little feedback.

    However, thanks to Tommy Tutone, unlike the world's largest cheeto, this number does actua

  • Blues Brothers Band obligatory quote: 634-5789 (Score:3, Interesting)

    by dark-br ( 473115 ) on Sunday February 15, 2004 @10:51AM (#8285807) Homepage
    If you need some good loving Call on me
    And if you need some good hugging Call on me baby
    I'll be right here at home
    All you gotta do is pick up the telephone and dial now
    Six three four five seven eight nine
    That's my number
    Six three four five seven eight nine

  • There was a Cingular commercial recently that had a girl dancing around to that song being so happy that she could keep her 867-5309 number.

  • ironic number (Score:5, Funny)

    by JustKidding ( 591117 ) on Sunday February 15, 2004 @11:07AM (#8285905)
    Here in the Netherlands, you can always call the local police station by dailing 0900-8844, which spells 0900-TUIG.
    Tuig means scum in dutch.

  • Wozniak's famous number... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by tinrobot ( 314936 ) on Sunday February 15, 2004 @11:17AM (#8285982)
    I remember reading in Wired that Steve Wozniak got the number 888-888-8888 when the 800 numbers switched over to 888.

    He found the number unusable because he got tons of wrong numbers from small children -- who seemed to have a habit of pressing the 8 key repeatedly...

  • Number 867-5309 in the wild (Score:3, Funny)

    by SecretAsianMan ( 45389 ) on Monday February 16, 2004 @12:28AM (#8291326) Homepage
    The small rural town Maysville, Oklahoma, USA is where I grew up. Its exchange code is 867, and until very recently all numbers in the exchange were in the 4xxx/5xxx range. So of course there was an 867-5309. People called all the time asking for Jenny. It has been, at different times, the number for:
    • The grade school cafeteria. Too much fun to be had with that.
    • An ex-girlfriend. Her family had fun and set up a cool answering machine greeting.
    • A girlfriend of my ex-girlfriend. They just got pissed off.
    • Last I heard, some elderly couple, who are undoubtedly quite puzzled by now if they still have the number.
    I play guitar, and someday I would really like to cover this song in my band as an inside joke. It would be especially cool if the ex-girlfriend just happened to be in the audience.

    Somebody call 405-867-5309 and see who has the number now.

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