BloggingThis

We bought my daughter a Disney princess phone when she was four.  It was pink and heart shaped and on clearance for about $6.  She has a phone jack in her bedroom, but we did not intend to connect the phone.  That’s ridiculous.  What 4 year old needs a phone?  She’s used it to play office, teacher, and hotel ever since.

Fast-forward four years to present.

I’m in the office, attempting to assist my beloved wife with a “this computer is slow” service request.  When I run a DSL speed test at Internet Frog everything comes out fine.  Connection is good.  Speed seems right.  Enter my daughter.  She summons my attention to a pressing matter in her room – it seems something is not working.

She’s identified that the phone cord connects nicely in this square plug-in on the wall.  I’ve got this phone working she declares!  It’s just that it keeps on making a noise.  I pick up the half-heart receiver to diagnose the situation.  Sounds like a bunch of static on the line.

I think I can solve two requests for service with one quick fix here.  I located an unused DSL filter from a junk drawer (you know, the ones we all have).  A quick install and voila.  No more static (Internet DSL broadband noise) on the phone line and no more intermittent disconnects and crappy connection speeds at the computer.

I guess she’s old enough to have a phone in her room now.  We’ll see how it goes.  In the mean time, her quotes below can best sum up a new phone in the mind of a present day 8 year old:

“Hey what’s my phone number on this phone so someone can call me?”

“I need someone to call me so I can hear what my ringtone is.”

– steve