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From: merlyn@iwarp.intel.com (Randal Schwartz)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Fun With ANI
Message-ID: <9832@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 17 Jul 90 17:48:52 GMT
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Reply-To: Randal Schwartz <merlyn@iwarp.intel.com>
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 493, Message 1 of 9


In article <9811@accuvax.nwu.edu>, john@zygot (John Higdon) writes:

| An OTC pharmacutical company is sponsoring something called "Pollen
| Trak" (with the same announcer on the machine that did "Weather
| Trak").  You call the number and you get a pollen report for your
| area. Based on the ANI data obtained in real time you are given,
| supposedly, the correct report. It gives me a Sacramento area report;
| that's hardly useful since San Jose is somewhat outside Sacramento's
| geographic sphere of influence.

| If you wish to play, the number is 800 325-5374. Be warned, however,
| that the way I found out about this was from a news story that talked
| about people complaining against the junk calls and mail generated by
| the scooped up ANI. I used one of my Telebit lines to make the call.
| If they call back they will have to log in!

Interesting.  I called this from a PBX, and it asked me to enter my
area code and phone number.  I gave it 503 555 1212.  It gave me the
report for the Portland area.  Boy, are they gonna have a fun time
calling that number back. :-)

Now, telecom experts, why didn't they get the correct number?  Is that
because I'm in the backwaters of GTE-land, or because I called from
behind a PBX?  I should try this from home, but I don't want my number
to be junk-listed.

Just another phoney user, :-)

| Randal L. Schwartz, Stonehenge Consulting Services (503)777-0095 ==========|
| on contract to Intel's iWarp project, Beaverton, Oregon, USA, Sol III      |
| merlyn@iwarp.intel.com ...!any-MX-mailer-like-uunet!iwarp.intel.com!merlyn |