Readers of this blog will probably already know – I’m a person with many interests and a passion for preserving technologies and experiences. Just the other day, I went trawling around my hard drive to clean up some space when I stumbled upon some very old files which I had intended to blog about someday, but never got around to doing so. As a result, this now becomes more of a “tech flashback” looking back into nifty things from the past.

The Setting

It’s July 2015 and I’m on my way to university. It’s any regular morning and I’m standing in a long queue at Eddy Avenue, Central Station, waiting for the 891 UNSW Express Bus. Being early morning, it’s a busy time and the queues stretch a long way. Slowly shuffling up the queue, I fiddle with my LG D686 3G-enabled smartphone, while my ears were kept occupied listening to Kyle and Jackie’O on KIIS 106.5, streaming over the internet of-course.

As I pass the bus shelter stands on my way up, I see the ordinarily irrelevant ads have been replaced with this rather amusing poster:

(reproduced from https://campaignbrief.com/ingogo-launches-new-cheeky-con/)

I would have used a photo from my own phone, but trawling through my archives, I simply couldn’t locate the photo. So this version from Campaign Brief will have to do. When I saw the ad, I thought it was hilarious. The somewhat unflattering images of middle-aged to senior members of the public, the stilted expression of “now tapping the thing“, really reinforced just how some people hadn’t quite grasped the full potential of the smartphone just one decade ago.

It was clearly an ad for the ingogo app, with the Apple App Store and Google Play badges, but interestingly absent were any QR codes or other links. I suppose we weren’t quite as QR-savvy back then as we are since COVID-19 hit. But perhaps what might not be as obvious to some is that 1300 INGOGO is a valid phone number when transcribed using a phone keypad – 1300 464 646.

As someone who loves phones, I decided to give it a call and preserve the experience. While television and print ads usually get some attention, dial-in Easter egg phone-numbers and services often do not, meaning they are lost to time once the service decides to end the campaign.

The Experience

It just so happens that, at the time, I was a regular customer of PennyTel, a now several-times-acquired VoIP service provider that has eventually seen their customers end up at Vonex. Calls were very cheap and monthly service charges were zero, which was a great deal. At the time, I had just perfected my “transparent bridge” capture of VoIP call packets, using a physical Linksys PAP2T analog telephone adapter (ATA) and traditional corded telephone as my interface.

As a result, I placed a call to 1300 INGOGO (1300 464 646) under the watchful eye of a Wireshark capture, saving the packets into a pcap file which I have only just come to re-examine.

Because VoIP is all digital, we get the full G.711a experience of a-law companded audio at 8kHz. No need for phone patches or magnetic pick-ups like the older phone phreaks needed. Back then, use of encryption with SIP endpoints was simply not on offer either, so the call audio was “free for the taking” to anyone who can sniff the packets on their way to and from the VSP’s gateway. With a few clicks, Wireshark can happily export the audio.

Direct Link: 1300ingogo-call-audio-goughlui-com.mp4

The audio file represents my recording of the call as it took place on 8th July 2015. The AI-transcribed and edited-by-me script of the call is below:

Narrator

Hi, you’ve reached 1300 INGOGO. The number to call when you need a taxi, but don’t have the free ingogo app yet. If you are in fact here to order a taxi and haven’t yet downloaded our app, then congratulations, you’re in the right place. On hold. Just stay on the line for a little while longer and our app operators will be able to use the ingogo app to get you a taxi just as soon as they know where you are and where you’re looking to get to in said taxi.

Still waiting but don’t want to be? Hang up now and walk the street looking for an app store. Our extremely experienced call centre staff will be with you shortly. Like Beryl.

Beryl

Hi, I’m Beryl. Uh, right now I’m busy operating the free ingogo app to book and track taxis for other callers 100% live. But don’t worry, I’ll be with you shortly dear. How do I put this back on hold mate? Mavis can you help me with this please dear?

Narrator

Ohoho … thanks Beryl. And remember with ingogo, all our taxi drivers are vetted, so it’s safe. Plus ingogo features a one touch payment system for ease. Ingogo offers a $10 pick up guarantee and if your taxi doesn’t arrive and we can’t find you a replacement, we’ll give you a $10 credit. Enjoy being on hold? If not, try downloading ingogo, an app that lets you just tap and ride. Ingogo, download it free now and get your $50 credit when you register using the in-ter-net, or as you may know it, the world wide web. Terms and conditions apply.

While you wait, here’s a fun fact. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, and it’s that same technology that you’re using right now in your hand as you wait on hold. Sure, telephones these days have other features beyond the telephone call. But that’s exactly what we’re here for – to use the app for you as soon as you make it to the front of the queue.

Still waiting? If you haven’t yet downloaded the ingogo app, you’re in the right place – the perfect place to simply use the phone part of your smart phone, without any of the pesky smart functions and pesky information superhighway related such and such-es.

Ingogo, no more walking around the internet to find a taxi. Just call us and we’ll get on the internet to get you on with our finger. Now that you can just tap and ride the way you can order a taxi has changed radically, even if for you right now the way you’re doing it clearly hasn’t. Good for you old chap.

Walk into your local app store now and ask the friendly staff for a free copy of the ingogo app, or if your particular suburb doesn’t have an app center or an app store or shop, then simply call this number again next time and our deeply experienced team will only be too happy to help. Like Bruce.

Bruce

Uh, hi, yeah I’m Bruce. If you haven’t downloaded ingogo yet but you still need a taxi, uh, you’ve called the right call center. So, just stay on the line waiting and I’ll go online on the ingogo app for you right now, absolutely live to get you a taxi. I’ll be all the being in the future so you can live in the moment on hold.

Narrator

Still here? Here’s another fun fact – 1897 was a great year for the taxi industry as it saw the arrival of the first gasoline powered taxi cab, hot on the heels of the invention of the telephone some 21 years earlier. That same technology you’re using right now to call for said taxi. Ingogo, just tap and ride.

Each one of our call center staff are armed with the latest s