Still Rocking A Beeper?

Many of you know I have an unnatural obsession with retro technology. Whether it is the aging television antenna in my attic, my old Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or my vintage iMac collection, I have a fondness for "blast from the past" gadgets.

It is in that spirit that I ponder the pager...or as it was often referred to back in the day, the "beeper."

Bridget and I frequently drive by the ATS "The Beeper People" building at 29th and Harney (near Downtown Omaha). 

Before Americans were tied at the hip to cellphones, my wife had a pager. We were in college at the time. She had it so her family could get ahold of her... or, as was the case with pagers in that era, you'd basically "signal" her. 

It was kinda handy -- especially when she was at work. I could call Bridget's beeper and type in my home number or a special code (I sometimes used 007... it made me feel like a spy). 

After the connection was made, you'd have to wait until she called back (which required being near a phone).

(As I type this it sounds like the electronic equivalent of sending smoke signals).

I can't remember how long Bridget had her pager.

She obtained her first cellphone in 1996. It was one of those foot-long beige bricks that looked like something used to call in artillery fire during World War II. 

I remember when we picked up the phone. Her uncle had us drive out along a desolate stretch of gravel road in western Douglas County. The phone was waiting for Bridget on the front seat of a 1960-something Dodge Dart, parked next to a dreary farmhouse.

(I can only imagine the look on my face at that moment.) 

But enough about that phone... You will be happy to know that pagers are still in use.

According to a 2016 story on Slate, 85 percent of hospitals still use pagers. The devices (in various forms) have been around since the 1950s. In addition, paging networks are apparently more reliable than cellular networks, and have more broadcast power. 

While cellphones and smartphones have cut into sales of pagers, they continue to serve a role in medical, emergency services, and other assorted industries. 

I can't recall the last time I saw someone sporting a pager. 

This scene from Tron: Legacy (where Alan Bradley tells Sam Flynn about a page he received from Sam's father) reminds me of the days when Bridget had a pager, and illustrates how the devices have become something of a humorous footnote in tech history:

"Oh man... Still rocking the pager. Alan, good for you." 

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