Phone Weirdness

[Trevp666]

Tesco clubcard is particularly data hungry.
That's how they can target you in the post with vouchers for the specific products you usually buy anyway - because their system remembers everything you buy when you scan the card.
They also (of course) know how much you usually spend and on which sorts of items so can use that as a leverage to get you to spend more by giving you (eg) a voucher for £5 off when you spend £50 on 'clothing', if all you bought was a £30 pair of trousers one day.

I don't bother with any 'rewards cards' cos they're all rubbish really.
The Tesco one sounds good when you go in there and it says (eg) "Greynoff Vodka £18 - or only £12 with clubcard." and then you find that in any other store it is just £12 at it's normal price anyway.
Also most cards will give 1 point for every pound spent.
Which again, when you see a product that will give you an extra 40 points, sounds like an idea to opt for purchasing that item.
But when 1 point = 1 penny means you have to spend £5000 to get fifty quid in points, that extra 40 points is not much of a benefit.

 

[uair01]

 

[solsticebelle]

My sister’s iPhone called my landline today on its own. She normally calls my cell number when she calls me, not my landline number, so that was doubly odd. She wasn’t even near her phone when it happened. But my iPhone makes calls on its own too and it can be embarrassing. My previous iPhone did the same thing, but only once — and the first person my current iPhone called spontaneously—interrupting a call I was already on — was to that very same person, a distant business associate I subsequently removed from my contacts list.

I‘m sure this is just a technical glitch but it’s very annoying and weird.

I’ve also had something weird happen with my landline. A few years ago, I was talking to a friend on my landline and as we were finishing our conversation by confirming some plans I said “ok” about something, my friend said something else and I started to say “ok” again but before I could say the “k” part of it, this creepy, gravelly sounding voice interrupted me by saying, in a drawn out, mocking way, “oooookkaaaay” — sounding like it was somebody on a phone extension. My friend didn’t hear it but I was extremely freaked out and she stayed on the line while I nervously checked my house. It’s never happened again thankfully.

 

[ChasFink]

My sister’s iPhone called my landline today on its own. She normally calls my cell number when she calls me, not my landline number, so that was doubly odd. She wasn’t even near her phone when it happened. But my iPhone makes calls on its own too and it can be embarrassing. My previous iPhone did the same thing, but only once — and the first person my current iPhone called spontaneously—interrupting a call I was already on — was to that very same person, a distant business associate I subsequently removed from my contacts list.

I‘m sure this is just a technical glitch but it’s very annoying and weird.

I’ve also had something weird happen with my landline. A few years ago, I was talking to a friend on my landline and as we were finishing our conversation by confirming some plans I said “ok” about something, my friend said something else and I started to say “ok” again but before I could say the “k” part of it, this creepy, gravelly sounding voice interrupted me by saying, in a drawn out, mocking way, “oooookkaaaay” — sounding like it was somebody on a phone extension. My friend didn’t hear it but I was extremely freaked out and she stayed on the line while I nervously checked my house. It’s never happened again thankfully.

Three theories about the "okay".

I have had the experience of crosstalk on landlines. It could have been someone else's conversation that you were hearing due to a badly wired junction box somewhere - which means they might have heard you and the "okay" might actually be responding to yours.

Theory two: radio reception. I used to live near a small Christian radio station with its own transmitter tower. Our landlines always picked up the station. I eventually traced the problem to a long cord plugged into a poorly shielded computer modem.

Finally, if your friend was on a cell phone, it could have been a really bad case of the echo one sometimes gets in mobile calls. Voices on modern mobile calls are digitized and compressed, so an accidental stretching of your first "okay" might be possible.

 

[Mythopoeika]

I’ve also had something weird happen with my landline. A few years ago, I was talking to a friend on my landline and as we were finishing our conversation by confirming some plans I said “ok” about something, my friend said something else and I started to say “ok” again but before I could say the “k” part of it, this creepy, gravelly sounding voice interrupted me by saying, in a drawn out, mocking way, “oooookkaaaay” — sounding like it was somebody on a phone extension. My friend didn’t hear it but I was extremely freaked out and she stayed on the line while I nervously checked my house. It’s never happened again thankfully.

I had issues like this when calling my Mum. It hasn't happened for ages now, because I call my Mum with my mobile and avoid using the landline. I had the very real feeling that someone was tapping my phone.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Finally, if your friend was on a cell phone, it could have been a really bad case of the echo one sometimes gets in mobile calls. Voices on modern mobile calls are digitized and compressed, so an accidental stretching of your first "okay" might be possible.

OK, that is a viable theory. That does happen when I'm calling my Mum. Huge echoes of my own voice, often distorted.

 

[Eyespy]

They listen.
Earlier this week I had lunch with some old friends, after lamenting the decline in standards in the "civil Service" we got on to phones and computers. Mine was the oldest and since I uploaded the dreaded track and trace app it has also been the crankiest . We had a bit of a laugh about this and the ever increasing pressures to do everything on line and went our separate ways. Minutes later I had a text from track and trace telling me I had been in contact with an infected person and I must do a PCR test immediately. Text even had a helpful link so that I could input my bank details and order test kits at a bargain price...............

 

[Mythopoeika]

They listen.
Earlier this week I had lunch with some old friends, after lamenting the decline in standards in the "civil Service" we got on to phones and computers. Mine was the oldest and since I uploaded the dreaded track and trace app it has also been the crankiest . We had a bit of a laugh about this and the ever increasing pressures to do everything on line and went our separate ways. Minutes later I had a text from track and trace telling me I had been in contact with an infected person and I must do a PCR test immediately. Text even had a helpful link so that I could input my bank details and order test kits at a bargain price...............

Now, that is worrying.

 

[Eyespy]

I found out later that one of my lunch companions had a similar message shortly after me. Either our phones were all listening or the restaurant was bugged.

 

[XEPER_]

We all know our phones listen to what we say, and show us ads for things we talk about.
But what about our THOUGHTS?
We got new taps fitted last week and the plumber accidentally scraped the sink. He told me a "ceramic bath rubber" would get the marks out so I've got one and been using it. It's REALLY hard work so I was idly wondering if anyone had ever thought to put the rubber on an electric drill.
Got up this morning, on Facebook, an ad shows up for a bathroom cleaning tool which attaches to electric drills to clean sinks and showers and stuff.
Never seen the ad before, I didn't even know they actually made these things but it was extremely weird!

 

[MorningAngel]

We all know our phones listen to what we say, and show us ads for things we talk about.
But what about our THOUGHTS?
We got new taps fitted last week and the plumber accidentally scraped the sink. He told me a "ceramic bath rubber" would get the marks out so I've got one and been using it. It's REALLY hard work so I was idly wondering if anyone had ever thought to put the rubber on an electric drill.
Got up this morning, on Facebook, an ad shows up for a bathroom cleaning tool which attaches to electric drills to clean sinks and showers and stuff.
Never seen the ad before, I didn't even know they actually made these things but it was extremely weird!

Maybe it’s because we live in a simulation.

It is a bit concerning.

 

[JahaRa]

Tesco clubcard is particularly data hungry.
That's how they can target you in the post with vouchers for the specific products you usually buy anyway - because their system remembers everything you buy when you scan the card.
They also (of course) know how much you usually spend and on which sorts of items so can use that as a leverage to get you to spend more by giving you (eg) a voucher for £5 off when you spend £50 on 'clothing', if all you bought was a £30 pair of trousers one day.

I don't bother with any 'rewards cards' cos they're all rubbish really.
The Tesco one sounds good when you go in there and it says (eg) "Greynoff Vodka £18 - or only £12 with clubcard." and then you find that in any other store it is just £12 at it's normal price anyway.
Also most cards will give 1 point for every pound spent.
Which again, when you see a product that will give you an extra 40 points, sounds like an idea to opt for purchasing that item.
But when 1 point = 1 penny means you have to spend £5000 to get fifty quid in points, that extra 40 points is not much of a benefit.

I have a Smiths card (known as Kroger in other states) and they have gas stations with their grocey stores. In May and June I often spend about 200.00 a month on gift cards for birthdays and graduations. That gives me 40 cents per gallon off on a fillup of gas at their gas station. I will take the rewards. I am planning on buying gift cards I will use in order to get that 40 cents per gallon next month as well. I paiid 4.19 per gallon a few days ago, the regular price was 4.59, and if I just used the discount from the card it would be 3 cents a gallon off. Until recently that 3 cents was not worth it but now no one has gas for less than 4.59 a gallon.

They also send me "coupons" in the mail for stuff I buy. I use those too. But I rarely use the ones that give 10% off if you spend 50.00 or more.

 

[solsticebelle]

We all know our phones listen to what we say, and show us ads for things we talk about.
But what about our THOUGHTS?
We got new taps fitted last week and the plumber accidentally scraped the sink. He told me a "ceramic bath rubber" would get the marks out so I've got one and been using it. It's REALLY hard work so I was idly wondering if anyone had ever thought to put the rubber on an electric drill.
Got up this morning, on Facebook, an ad shows up for a bathroom cleaning tool which attaches to electric drills to clean sinks and showers and stuff.
Never seen the ad before, I didn't even know they actually made these things but it was extremely weird!

That has happened to me on my iPad. I watch YouTube videos on it all the time and I was shocked to see a video clip of a song that had been going through my head show up in my feed. It was a song from a movie that I had watched on my iPad but not on YouTube and it hadn’t been any time recent, not had I even been watching anything other than history or current events type videos on YouTube for ages when it showed up. It really was as if YouTube had read my mind though of course I know that’s impossible. I hope…

 

[Trevp666]

200.00 a month on gift cards

A little known fact is that big chain stores love it when people buy gift cards because mostly they do not give 'change' so if you have a gift card worth 20 and you spend 17 you don't get the 3 back.
Also there was research done which found that of all the gift cards issued in a year, a fairly large percentage (can't remember the exact amount but 30% sounds about right) was never actually 'cashed in' for buying something.
Same as the travel cards used for London Transport (Oyster Cards) - it is reckoned that there are millions of pounds worth of unused credit sitting on Oyster Cards in peoples pockets.

Sorry I just realised that my post displays substantial 'thread drift'.

Err........

All of the above received in a strange phone text.

 

[MorningAngel]

A little known fact is that big chain stores love it when people buy gift cards because mostly they do not give 'change' so if you have a gift card worth 20 and you spend 17 you don't get the 3 back.
Also there was research done which found that of all the gift cards issued in a year, a fairly large percentage (can't remember the exact amount but 30% sounds about right) was never actually 'cashed in' for buying something.
Same as the travel cards used for London Transport (Oyster Cards) - it is reckoned that there are millions of pounds worth of unused credit sitting on Oyster Cards in peoples pockets.

Sorry I just realised that my post displays substantial 'thread drift'.

Err........

All of the above received in a strange phone text.

I’ve never known shop branded gift vouchers not not to give change. Now everything tends to be on cards so the balance just stays on there. It is right a lot don’t get used though. Years ago there was no use by date on vouchers. In our shop we ended up with some really ancient ones which we had to take as there was no end date.

I’ve got an Oyster card with a tiny amount on it as when contactless cards started being the same price I started using them. It’s a lot easier than having to top up all the time.

Back to phones you can get a lot of vouchers on your phone these days.

 

[Trevp666]

Back to phones you can get a lot of vouchers on your phone these days.

Yes there seems to be a growing tide/current pushing everything towards being on smartphones, which is a worrying trend, because we are seeing this already being done in places like China, which then means that people can have their access to cash and services restricted when/if they either don't have a phone or it fails to function properly (or of course if the authorities decide to implement restrictions as part of a social credit system etc).
Also, I always think, what happens if/when there is another 'carrington event' and electrical systems etc go 'tits up', or a war happens with the use of an EMP weapon?
I mean okay it sounds a bit outré but it could happen.

 

[Floyd1]

We all know our phones listen to what we say, and show us ads for things we talk about.
But what about our THOUGHTS?
We got new taps fitted last week and the plumber accidentally scraped the sink. He told me a "ceramic bath rubber" would get the marks out so I've got one and been using it. It's REALLY hard work so I was idly wondering if anyone had ever thought to put the rubber on an electric drill.
Got up this morning, on Facebook, an ad shows up for a bathroom cleaning tool which attaches to electric drills to clean sinks and showers and stuff.
Never seen the ad before, I didn't even know they actually made these things but it was extremely weird!

I suspect all that has happened is that you had thought of something that has already been invented. Putting 'buffers' and polishers etc on drills is not a new idea.

 

[MorningAngel]

Yes there seems to be a growing tide/current pushing everything towards being on smartphones, which is a worrying trend, because we are seeing this already being done in places like China, which then means that people can have their access to cash and services restricted when/if they either don't have a phone or it fails to function properly (or of course if the authorities decide to implement restrictions as part of a social credit system etc).
Also, I always think, what happens if/when there is another 'carrington event' and electrical systems etc go 'tits up', or a war happens with the use of an EMP weapon?
I mean okay it sounds a bit outré but it could happen.

I don’t trust computers so more often than not I print off things like tickets in case my phone dies. Also a lot of people’s phones die because their charge doesn’t last long enough leaving them without whatever was on there. I always carry a portable charger which saved me when I went to London the other week and my phone couldn’t hack it.

 

[Trevp666]

My mobile lasts about 3 or 4 days between charges. Saying that though, it hardly gets any use in normal daily operation, plus I switch it off entirely at night.
Also I always use 'device maintenance' at least a couple of times a day to ensure that any background apps etc are turned off, and I have the 'power saving' option on it's 2nd best level which keeps the brightness of the screen down etc.

If I go on a drive somewhere new and have to use the sat-nav, and also have music playing, then that can eat into the power significantly.

 

[Ronnie Jersey]

A little known fact is that big chain stores love it when people buy gift cards because mostly they do not give 'change' so if you have a gift card worth 20 and you spend 17 you don't get the 3 back.
Also there was research done which found that of all the gift cards issued in a year, a fairly large percentage (can't remember the exact amount but 30% sounds about right) was never actually 'cashed in' for buying something.
Same as the travel cards used for London Transport (Oyster Cards) - it is reckoned that there are millions of pounds worth of unused credit sitting on Oyster Cards in peoples pockets.

Sorry I just realised that my post displays substantial 'thread drift'.

Err........

All of the above received in a strange phone text.

I suspect the same -
I ordered something online (which I do more and more of instead of physically visiting stores), and had to return it to Kohl's department store in person. Well I had purchased the item using my Paypal card, yet the refund paperwork showed it going to a 'Discover' card, which I do not have.
To make a long story short, the clerk had no idea what to tell me, so I requested a cash refund, he said the only other thing he could do is give me a store gift card in that amount, which I accepted because he could not give me cash.
That tells me it is a manipulation to keep your purchases in their store.

 

[XEPER_]

I suspect all that has happened is that you had thought of something that has already been invented. Putting 'buffers' and polishers etc on drills is not a new idea.

Yes, but I've never seen an advert for one of them before....

 

[Seasidepagan]

I found out later that one of my lunch companions had a similar message shortly after me. Either our phones were all listening or the restaurant was bugged.

My daughter husband and I all
Experience this: when we have been talking about something we are bombarded with adverts, helpful Links etc on our phones. More worrying is when it happens when you have been merely thinking about something.

 

[Mungoman]

This is getting a little weird...

I can understand if you made enquiries on the web via your phone, and the bombardment that comes with that sort of activity - but talking between acquaintances...and I'm not going anywhere near thoughts of a product while in the vicinity of your mobile/cell phone.

 

[MorningAngel]

I tell you what we get, which I think is down the broadband in our house. If I look for something, it’ll then show mum adverts for it. No very helpful when your trying to buy a surprise present.

 

[Jepra Peld]

We all know our phones listen to what we say, and show us ads for things we talk about.
But what about our THOUGHTS?
We got new taps fitted last week and the plumber accidentally scraped the sink. He told me a "ceramic bath rubber" would get the marks out so I've got one and been using it. It's REALLY hard work so I was idly wondering if anyone had ever thought to put the rubber on an electric drill.
Got up this morning, on Facebook, an ad shows up for a bathroom cleaning tool which attaches to electric drills to clean sinks and showers and stuff.
Never seen the ad before, I didn't even know they actually made these things but it was extremely weird!

This happened to me recently. I am 45 and have just started experiencing joint pains for the first time in my life. I haven't discussed it with anyone, but have wondered to myself if it might be menopause related. On Facebook the other day what do I see but an article about joint pain can be caused by menopause.

 

[Coal]

Most of the advert. targetting is done using ‘machine learning’ programs, which are subtle enough to spot changes in behaviour that you yourself haven't yet noticed and can be driven (for example) by physical changes to yourself.

They’re (probably) not even aimed at ‘you’ but are based on patterns of past and similar behaviour and changes to them.

So suggested playlists for (say) Netflix (machine learning), google suggested searches (more machine learning)...and so on.

 

[Jepra Peld]

I guess Facebook would know how old I am and hear their adverts towards that. It was just a bit odd that it should mention joint pain specifically rather then any other menopause symptons.

 

[Bad Bungle]

I have a mobile phone - not smart, doesn't do apps - and got a text at lunch time simply saying "my new mobile phone no is +447927 ....."
I obviously don't know who it was from (except for +447927 ......) but I have a sufficiency of sisters and female acquaintances to make it statistically possible to be genuine.
I reply 'And your old phone number .. ?' hoping Big Sis who was dropped on her head as a baby would take a hint and identify herself.
New message "'Old one can be deleted, ending 911"
OK so some-one now knows a text number is live - for what purpose ?

 

[Mythopoeika]

OK so some-one now knows a text number is live - for what purpose ?

They've compiled a list and sold it to scammers.
The scammers will send out texts that have dodgy links, which would be a problem if you had an app-capable smartphone.
But you don't, so they're barking up the wrong tree.

 

[Bad Bungle]

Odd how scammers and the like only pop up a few hours after BT send me a message. Can only guess that either BT are selling the lists or have been comprehensively hacked.