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Phone Phreaking This American hobby (which enables you to make calls all over the world for nothing) is based on the principle that some trunk calls by-pass the charging device - like for testing or 'freephone' services. Once you get onto one of these trunk lines (the Americans use a 'blue box' device) you can do fantastic things like dial your neighbour via satellite and cables right round the world - it's very much a fascinating hobby rather than a way to. avoid paying. One 'phreak' rings me up - and he's succeeded in connecting friends staying with me to Australia via his phone in America. I was once answering the phone in a political organisation's office when a girl rang up to ask if any free overseas calls were required. I asked around and people made calls to Tokyo, New Zealand, South Africa, the USA. They had never met the operator, but she had rung up one day to say she wanted to help their political activities and could arrange free calls now and then. Maybe every activist group needs an operator - maybe they all have one.