When I go out, as I did this morning, and notice a brand-new Yellowbook on the front porch, it's SO easy to just toss the thing into the Blue Vortex of Doom.
Does anybody actually use phone books anymore? I know I'm wizened enough that I should (yes, we still have a wall-mounted rotary phone in the kitchen) and yet I can't remember the last time I actually cracked one open - that's why we have Google, right?
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Comments
When we got our giant
By NotWhitey
Sat, 12/26/2009 - 1:22pm
When we got our giant recycling barrel in Dedham recently, I decided to keep it at the front corner of the house. That allowed me to drop all my junk mail - and phone books - in the barrel before it even gets in the house. I'm not recycling more, but I am keeping it out of the house.
Actually, though, I can generally find a local business in the Yellow Pages faster than on the internet. Google spits out a wide range of sites, whereas the YP gives you exactly what you want, in alphabetical order. When looking for business-related information, I often get hit with feeder sites that are trying to direct traffic, rather than the businesses themselves.
Good point: Directory as directory
By adamg
Sat, 12/26/2009 - 1:31pm
I was thinking of my own personal use case, along the lines of "Why haven't I put Himalayan Bistro in my speed dial already, dagnabbit!"
Local Google search
By Jay Levitt
Sat, 12/26/2009 - 2:19pm
I used to have the same problem; in 2006 I even ordered a bunch of area Yellow Pages from Verizon, because two things the Internet still couldn't provide reliably were (a) movie listings and (b) business lookups.
But Google now lets you search by area; just add ", city, state" to the search. (I think "near city, state" works too.) F'rinstance - and I'm tempting fate here - Google this:
boston public library, boston, ma
Google
By escapedfromeastie
Sat, 12/26/2009 - 2:48pm
I've never had a problem finding anything in the area very quickly with Google. I will typically just use Google Maps and type in, for example, "Chinese restaurants near 02143". Results, reviews, maps, numbers, menus, everything I need. Else, I'll go to Yelp.
Phone books are for the elderly and for children. Elderly who need to find a local haberdashery and children for a seat boost, of course. Currently, there are 6 of them sitting in our entryway. I expect them to remain there until recycling pickup next week. There are also about 10-12 sitting in front of my office building. At some point they'll get lost under snow and by Spring should be a nice pile of yellow slop and plastic.
Local Use Books
By SwirlyGrrl
Sat, 12/26/2009 - 5:20pm
I usually keep the hyperlocal books because they often have coupons for local businesses in them, as well as easy and quick access to phone numbers for our local friends. The on line resources sometimes get picky about spelling, initials, etc. I can sort that stuff at a glance much faster.
Moreover, the local books often have very good maps in them with excellent street listing sections.
Maps
By Jay Levitt
Sat, 12/26/2009 - 5:25pm
So wait, they like print out Google Maps into a book?
if you think Google Maps is
By cowsandmilk
Sat, 12/26/2009 - 7:58pm
if you think Google Maps is good, then you haven't had a good map in your life. It's better than mapquest and Yahoo!, but definitely not even amongst the good. I'm not sure I've seen a good map of boston though, much less a great one. In Northern Virginia, there were always the ADC atlases which were amazing maps. Haven't seen that quality anywhere else.
Google maps lack one important feature
By Ron Newman
Sat, 12/26/2009 - 10:39pm
I like Google maps, but they do not show municipal boundaries, which I consider quite important around here -- especially when street names change right at the boundaries.
Any good printed map, including those that used to be in the phone book, shows these lines. (The latest Verizon directories that I received this week don't have maps, unfortunately.)
ADC
By Jay Levitt
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 2:54pm
Yes, those were amazing - and they made laminated versions, too; those plus a china marker were great for real-estate shopping.
You can tell I'm a roadgeek because I used to get excited at the "what's new" listing on the back cover. Oo! Fairfax County Parkway!
The most useful maps I have
By SwirlyGrrl
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 4:46pm
Rubel bike maps. They have some quirks - like a tendency to over idealize sloppy intersections - but they do have detail that most maps don't and in meaningful visual heirarchies (unlike google maps).
Let's face it - you usually don't need emphasis on interstates in a local map.
Are those the ones used on
By cowsandmilk
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 6:22pm
Are those the ones used on BU's running loops site?
http://www.bu.edu/track/Boston_runs/index.htm
(example http://www.bu.edu/track/Boston_runs/maps/morningru... )
That would be one of them
By SwirlyGrrl
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 7:38pm
The BU site uses Boston's Bikemap , which has a great level of detail for an urban area.
Maps for the larger areas have less detail, but cover more area. It is still a sensible level of detail for longer rides - or for finding your way on the "Blue Highways".
I just got the 2010-2011
By anon
Sat, 12/26/2009 - 6:45pm
I just got the 2010-2011 Verizon (but not really Verizon but a spin off company called Idearc) white and yellow pages. I was struck by how thin they were. The white pages is only 500 pages yet is supposed to include all of Boston proper, Arlington, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Milton, Newton, Somerville, Watertown, and Winthrop. Between unlisted numbers and cell-phone or internet phone only housholds, the number of numbers actually left to publish must be getting smaller every year, which further reduces any value of a printed white pages.
The yellow pages is thicker, about 850 pages, but the number of business that think its worth their while to be listed must presumably be decreasing as well. Soon,the phrase "as thick as a phonebook" won't mean much. I suppose in a few years the phrase "what was a phonebook?" will be more common.
I Guess We're Neanderthals
By Suldog
Mon, 12/28/2009 - 2:21pm
MY WIFE and I don't have an internet hookup at home, so we use the phone books on occasion.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com