Operator Log

14 Jan 2022

Six operators logged over fifty operator calls in 2021. Some were goofy and some were dead serious. This sample of logged calls has some sensitive and many less interesting examples removed.

2021-01-01 Caller asked for room 44, or 44g, or IG44 unit. Offered to Google. Caller apologized, hung up.
2021-01-16 Caller asked if I made Futel, I replied that I was an operator who could provide information about how to use the phone. Caller asked what the phone was for, I told them they were free to experiment with it.
2021-02-27 Looked up the number for Oregon DMV
2021-03-01 Caller asked how to call the Willamette Valley Dream Survey, I told them to use the directory.
2021-03-20 Caller asked what I knew about the WVDS(ugh). I told him the truth, that we found a phone number on a flyer and added it to a directory. He said “Interesting. Thanks.”… is it?
2021-04-02 Caller was surprised to find a phone, was just curious about it. Told them they should check the directory and that they can make free calls all over North America. They said, for like an hour or something, I said why not. They told me to have a good weekend.
2021-04-13 Caller informed operator her name.
2021-4-14 Caller wanted to know WHO IS FUTEL!? also, how to pronounce futel
2021-04-14 Caller was surprised that the phone worked, didn’t really need anything but was generally excited about the phone’s existence and functionality.
2021-04-16 Caller asked if this was the State of Oregon Unemployment Division. I said “No, this is the operator for Futel,” and the caller said “oh sorry man” and hung up.
2021-04-25 Caller said they wanted to order a pizza. I told them to just yell out their order and hung up as they were yelling it.
2021-4-25 Caller was a child pranking for pizza. I told the child that I didn’t have any pizza because I was just inside of a payphone.
2021-4-25 The same child called and said he needed the ghostbusters. When asked how many ghosts there were the child counted up to 16 ghosts. The child was told to run.
2021-04-25 Caller was just generally excited about and interested in Futel. They are making their rounds to all the Portland phones, only have 2 left I think.
2021-04-28 Caller asked the Operator for the phone number of an individual in another city. Operator was not able to find this information readily on the internet but thanked the caller for using Futel.
2021-05-01 Heard some buzzing noise and then what seemed like a childs voice say ‘Hey’ and then a hang up.
2021-05-02 Caller called to say “I love you.”
2021-05-02 Heard a recorded song, then the handset being hung up. Also, the buzz made the line sound like crap.
2021-05-02 Heard the receiving end of an ANI call, then the sound of someone listening for a monent as I watched a movie before the caller hung up.
2021-05-05 Heard some buzzing sounds and an echo of my voice.
2021-05-13 Caller asked the Operator what their favorite tree was and let the Operator know what tree they were standing under. The Operator told the caller their favorite tree and they exchanged a few other tree preferences before ending the call.
2021-05-13 Caller asked what day it was.
2021-05-19 Caller wanted to know what this phone was and Operator let him know it could make calls for free and asked if they could help with anything. Caller said he was trying to reach the police station downtown. Operator found a number for Portland Police downtown. Caller said that was not the number he had. Operator searched the number the caller gave and it was for the Multnomah County Justice Center downtown. Operator asked what happened when the Caller tried that number before, they said the screen of their phone was cracked, so they had trouble. Operator advised hanging up and trying that number using the Futel phone. Caller agreed and ended the call.
2021-05-22 Caller asked me to look up a residential number in Texas, I found what might be the correct number.
2021-05-22 Caller gave me their name and said they were going taking busses around town trying to take photos of all the phones for a blog post. They wondered if there was any way to get access to the phone at r2d2. I said I didn’t know but you could maybe just go and ask.
2021-06-04 Caller wanted to call southeast Asia. Alas, outside of our free calling area.
2021-06-17 Caller said they coulndn’t find the directory entry for the mayor, I told them to try again.
2021-06-20 Caller asked for the number of the University of Michigan hospital, which I provided.
2021-06-23 Caller asked me to connect them to the druid. I said I can’t do that but there is a menu option for it and told them good luck.
2021-07-5 Caller did not expect to reach a person and did not have a request prepared.
2021-07-07 Caller presented the operator with a hypothetical.
2021-08-02 Caller asked “where are you at?” I replied that it didn’t matter and asked if I could help them. Caller replied “yeah, where are you at?”. I hung up.
2021-08-02 Caller asked my location, I replied that I wasn’t interested in telling them. Caller asked me what questions they could ask me, I replied that I was an operator who could help them use the Futel phone. Caller asked how they could learn more about the phones, I directed them to the website. Caller asked how long that phone was there, asked if I was a volunteer operator, etc.
2021-08-10 Caller was new to the phone, was excited about it and just wanted to say that.
2021-08-22 Caller wanted the number for her boyfriend Harry Belafonte, the famous musician and actor, who was late picking her up from the hospital.
2021-08-21 Caller and I exchanged several hellos, then when I asked if I could help them caller said they wanted to call someone. I told them to hang up and choose 1 for a dialtone.
2021-08-5 Caller asked for more information about what sounded like ‘The Willamette Valley Train Survey’ which was an option in the Futel directory (later determined ‘train’ may have been ‘dream’). She wanted to know who was gathering the information and for what purpose. I didn’t have information about this option and why it was part of the Futel directory.
2021-09-02 All I can hear is your breathing, do you need an oprator?
2021-09-07 Caller wanted to know how much a call to a specific area code would cost, I told them to hang up and enter 1 for a dialtone and not put any money in.
2021-09-09 Caller wanted the number for tracfone, which I provided. Caller asked me ot hold on and mumbled for a while, then asked for the number again.
2021-09-10 Caller wanted the number for tracfone, which I provided eventually. The call was pretty noisy so it took a while to figure out what the caller was saying.
2021-09-21 Caller asked to make a call, I told them to hang up and dial 1.
2021-10-19 Caller seemed to be telling me that the phone was not working properly, the call was too distorted to tell.
2021-11-10 Caller mumbled confusedly.
2021-11-14 Light breathing.
2021-11-23 Caller requested the number of a Multnomah County animal shelter, which I provided.
2021-11-25 Caller asked for the phone number for an individual, which I may have been able to look up with a search engine.
2021-12-21 Caller wanted the number for Broadway Cab.