[VoIP] We've lost a pioneer

[Donald Froula]

Here's a link to a Discovery Channel video of Joe
whistling away. This is in the days when long distance
trunks with no DC continuity used 2600 pulses not only
for supervision (on hook/off hook), but also to repeat
the dial pulses. Later, 2600 was used only for
supervision and the Blue Box MF digits for dialing.
You can hear the MF of the next tandem link after Joe
pulse dials with 2600.

Joe is at 4 minutes:40 seconds into the show. Highly
recommended viewing. It has many of the Esquire
phreaks. Captain Crunch is even shown making blue box
calls with Steve Wozniak from a pay phone (simulated
for the camera, I'm sure!).

http://www.phreakvids.com/TLC_Hackers_Computer_Outlaws.avi

Don

--- Jayson Smith <ratguy at insightbb.com> wrote:

> Joe Engressia, A.K.A. Joe the Whistler, A.K.A.
> Joybubbles passed
> away in his apartment approximately two days ago. He
> was found by
> management personnel after a phone friend grew
> concerned when he
> hadn't heard from him in several days. His family in
> Florida was
> notified. He was fifty-eight years old.
>      As most of you know, his ordeals with the phone
> company over
> the blue box issue were noted in the October 1971
> Esquire Magazine
> article
> "Secrets of the Little Blue Box." Recent interests
> included
> humorous telephone postings called Phlogs on
> voicemail services.
> He wrote Telephiles for Playback Magazine. His
> interests also
> included children's literature and paraphernalia..
>      Although I never knew Joe personally, I did
> talk to him on the
> Wawina, Minnesota conference line which was set up
> on June 15,
> 2006, when Wawina cut over from N2 to T1 for its
> toll trunks. He
> also left many messages on a message board which was
> set up in the
> weeks prior to the cutover.
>      Please post this message to any other lists
> where you feel it
> would be appropriate, or send it to individuals. I
> am not in close
> contact with any of the old phone phreak crowd, but
> I'm sure some
> of you are, and can get the news out.
> Jayson
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