Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!netsys!vector!telecom-gateway From: langz@asylum.sf.ca.us (Lang Zerner) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: NPA-NXX databases Message-ID: Date: 4 Jun 89 10:40:41 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Reply-To: langz@asylum.UUCP (Lang Zerner) Organization: The Asylum; Belmont, CA Lines: 21 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 187, message 10 of 10 There is a New Jersey, USA number (probably at Bell Labs) which reads area codes from your touchtone pads, then uses a DECtalk speech synthesizer to speak the name of the city as it appears in their database. This seems to be the database that AT&T uses in itemizing its long-distance calling charges. The reader is pretty smart, but has problems in cases where vowels are removed from the city name because it would otherwise be too long. Then it just reads the letters in the name. Also, it tries to read out as words the two-letter postal codes for state names. So you get interesting results with something like SNCRLS-BLMNT, CA (which is close to the text representation of San Carlos/Belmont NPA-NXXs). Still, the system is fast and correct. I don't have the number handy, but I will be happy to look it up for you if you *MAIL* a request (remember to try the addresses below if you get a bounce, or call me at 415/327-9232). -- Be seeing you... --Lang Zerner ARPA:langz@athena.mit.edu MX:langz@asylum.sf.ca.us UUCP:bionet!asylum!langz "...and every morning we had to go and LICK the road clean with our TONGUES!"