1997 LA Times Beeper Code Article

Image Description

The image is a 1997 LA Times article featuring a pager displaying the code "6000*843." It shows how teenagers used numerical shorthand to communicate, with a list of common codes like "143" for "I love you" and "911" for "Emergency."

Positive Aspects

This image captures a nostalgic piece of tech history, illustrating how creatively people communicated with limited technology. It perfectly complements the blog post's theme by providing a visual reference for the cleverness and simplicity of pager codes.

Key Takeaways

• In 1997, pagers were a primary communication tool, showcasing an era of simple tech solutions.
• Teenagers developed creative numerical codes to send messages, using the limited characters available.
• The article humorously contrasts the old-school pager tech with today's advanced smartphones, highlighting rapid technological progress.

Additional Insights

It's amusing to think about how a pager's 12-character limit spurred such innovation in communication. Today, we have endless emojis and GIFs, but back then, flipping numbers upside down was the peak of ingenuity. Imagine explaining to a teen today that "143" means "I love you"—they’d probably think it's some ancient hieroglyphics!