Comments on: In it for the Money: Time with AT&T (Part 2)

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:37:20 +0000

So with new privacy policy – will Google be capturing your messages and/or numbers called?

By: Tom Brandt

Tom Brandt — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 02:39:47 +0000

Dave, 1) you can configure gvoice for either choice – either display the gvoice number assigned to you, or display the actual number of the caller. 2) yes, you can reroute the gvoice number to any number very easily. You must have access to the phone you assign the number to because gvoice will call that number and you have to respond to some prompts to prove that it is your phone you are forwarding calls to. So you couldn’t route your pediatrician’s calls to Obama (not that you’d want to).

Keep in mind that you can route only one gvoice number to any phone, you can’t route multiple gvoice numbers to one phone.

By: David Erik Nelson

David Erik Nelson — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:26:04 +0000

Joel Goldberg: Despite my ongoing struggles with Google’s Universe of Services, I’m intrigued. Two quick questions: 1) When you get a call that’s been routed via Google Voice, does your cell phone show the actual number of the caller, or just some crazy Google Phone System number? 2) Am I correct in understanding that you can pretty easily bounce this number around between phones? I.e., at the drop of a hat I could reroute it to my wife’s cellphone, or the White House, or whatever?

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:24:49 +0000

Steve, I wasn’t trying to rationalize anything. But it is true that if we didn’t have a money system, this problem and/or column wouldn’t have occurred. Of course we would then be in a different section of the multiverse.

By: Steve Bean

Steve Bean — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 03:32:02 +0000

@1: “Things balance out.” Finally worked out why that didn’t ring true. It’s a rationalization of theft—in particular, theft by those higher in the hierarchy from those below them.

On the other hand, I will be making a similar claim (that things balance out) in my reasoning for why ending the use of money (and the concept of exchange in general) would be a valid choice (by the majority who are lower in the hierarchy.)

By: Rod Johnson

Rod Johnson — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 19:00:34 +0000

Plus you get hilarious text transcriptions of your messages.

By: Joel Goldberg

Joel Goldberg — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:17:14 +0000

David, I don’t want to think of how many times I’ve encountered a small discrepancy or billing issue and told myself that it’s not worth the time and hassle to resolve.

And if you really use your landline as little as you say but want to keep the number, set up an account at Google Voice, port your number over (one-time cost: $20) and set it to forward to your cell phone. Problem solved, and it’s reversible any time you want. Added bonus: you can set up GV to make ultra-cheap overseas calls from your cell phone as needed.

By: Eyehearta2

Eyehearta2 — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:41:38 +0000

I am pretty sure you can get Comcast to “take” your old number. I switched and they took mine.

…but then you would have been out $300 worth of columns, so there is a trade there.

By: Joe S.

Joe S. — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:27:28 +0000

I’m going to take a wild stab in the dark and say the people who don’t “get” these articles are people who have someone else make these calls for them (or autopay and never, ever look at their bills). Keep on keepin’ on, David.

By: Alan Benard

Alan Benard — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:52:58 +0000

Dave must be doing something right. He’s annoying people.