Thursday 13 May 2010

Blocked

How odd.  My phone just quacked and I went to answer it, and the screen said "blocked caller."  I don't understand at all - I've not blocked anyone and I can't find anything on the phone that says how to block or unblock anyone anyway.  Can any of you suggest an explanation, please?

19 comments:

Rog said...

It would have been Dave asking for inspiration as he's stuck on page 1 of his new book.

There is a lot of mystery in the air at the moment. Ziggi has gone off somewhere with Christopher, Kaz has still not re-emerged, Dave has ascended with cracked molars, the other Dave has gonne to play with Nick. Where will it all end?

Rog said...

I just looked it up...It means they have caller ID sending turned off, or are calling from a system that doesn't support caller ID e.g. a lot of internal telephone exchanges

Z said...

I promise I'll continue to blog from Scotland next week.

I expect that Dave has got stuck on a really difficult word - like when Al was taking French A Level and the first page of the set book in the first term had a word that wasn't in his big Collins Robert dictionary. Turned out to mean goatee beard.

Anyway. So it means that no one can phone me on my mobile if they've withheld their number? Presumably, even if I'd got them as a contact, it would still happen as the number isn't available to be recognised. How odd. Thank you for looking it up - I knew that someone would be cleverer than I am.

Rog said...

You should be able to answer the call though - you just won't know who it is until they speak.

Try a test!

Dave said...

I don't know how to withhold my number (story of my life) so it wasn't me.

Z said...

Even more oddly, there wasn't an option to answer it. But I just blocked my own home number, rang my mobile on it and could answer it.

You dial 141 and then the number you're phoning, Dave.

Corker said...

The caller may used a different number different number than usual, they may have left the right one by now, check again in a little while?

Corker said...

check again check again and triple check?!?!?!

oops. (I am a touch excited at the prospect of trying to obtain a pilot's license)

Sarah said...

Well I'm glad that's all cleared up then

Anonymous said...

Nice idea that the phone blocks itself.

Z said...

Ooh, Corker, that's great. Al learned to fly some years ago - he couldn't afford to keep it up in the end, so let it lapse, but he loved it.

Well, Sarah, it's so much easier to let someone else do the research. And now we all know.

Self-consorship, Mago?

Anonymous said...

I mean its the next logical step: Some of these machines are portable bureaus or offices now; the idea of artificial intelligence is not that actual as 30 years ago, but the logarythms are very sophisticated now; looking at all the possible "assistence systems" for example in cars today - its only for your safety!? where decisions are made by computer-programs based on some input by detectors - and the portable is wirelessly connected with the rolling "system" - so why should the little helper not be able to decide for me?
"I, portable" "Me, mobile" - "u, user". Nothing new, just came to think about this.

Z said...

I felt a bit that that had happened when I saw the 'blocked' message that I hadn't put there. Of course, it means the other way - not that I'd blocked the caller but that he'd blocked his number - but it still was disconcerting. Mind you, Microsoft Word is bad enough, changing things without asking me and deciding to reset my settings.

martina said...

I get that message on the landline-it is usually some sales, survey or charity calling. They don't want you to know who is calling, because you might not answer.

Anonymous said...

I have a portable (grandpa edition), now and then I find numbers collected I did not use. Its by Siemens and some years old and I am happy to leave the contract with debitel at the next possibility, I guess in August - see I have to check this.
I will not have a portable again.

"Mikro Schuft" ("Little rotter"? - or is it too friendly?) still does evil things. Word is a fine program now - if you manage to switch off all the bloody automatics. In some respects the openoffice writer is more satisfying.

Z said...

I've registered to get no cold callers on our landlines and it usually works, fortunately. I think that the expression must be an American one - we'd get number withheld or something - don't know exactly as I've never paid for caller ID.

I have to admit that it's the iphone that's make me love my mobile, Mago - I used to use my (very) old one only occasionally and didn't have a contract, just pay as you go.

I've got a very old version of Word. I've got it set up as I want, mostly, but incoming documents sometimes change the settings.

Anonymous said...

Go to the "Formatvorlagen" - you know the ".dot"s, the single format-thingy where you choose all - and switch off the goddam "automatically renew", or is it "actualize"? - new document brings new "standard.dot" / "normal.dot" / new formats; you work with it and make it "save"; settings become "automatically renewed" - you start new with blank page, actualized settings work: It has cost me nerves and hairs, this standard "option".

Zig said...

That Rog is a mine of information isn't he - I wonder if he can look up how to unzoom my iphone that has decided of its own volition to increase the size of everything so I can only see about 1/10th!

Z said...

I don't think I've got that - it is an old version and it's the Mac version so not exactly the same. I'll look, but I've searched about every inch of the thing over the years and I've never come across it.

Ziggi, have you tried putting your second and third finger apart on the screen and then drawing them together? A sort of closing scissor movement.