In Don’t Hate the Phone Call, Hate the Phone, The Atlantic delves into the telephone networks of past and present.

I have long lamented the decline of voice quality on phone calls. As the article points out, mobile devices and VOIP have conditioned us to expect poor sound quality and dropped calls. The analog jumble of twisted, copper wire reliably delivered quality calls. There were many drawbacks, among them, one generally had to be tethered by some sort of wire in order to use it. Also, that old network of copper was expensive to maintain and use. Not so long ago, 10¢ per minute for domestic, long-distance calls was considered inexpensive.

I’m not so nostalgic as to call for ditching all we’ve gained to go back to the old days, I only wish the phone portion of my iPhone functioned as well as the old Nokia I used to have. I’m also happy that Verizon’s modern network still supports my old rotary, Western Electric phone.

via Slashdot