Archives for June 2008

ISDN

ISDN is an abbreviation for Integrated Services Digital Network and is a type of telephone line.

ISDN offers advantages over the standard type of telephone line, as it is possible to make two phone calls at once and to have up to 10 numbers, although normally only 3 are assigned.

In the days before internet telephones and cheap mobile phones, this meant that a family could have a number for each person and even if someone made a long phone call the other line would remain available. Small businesses often use ISDN lines to separate telephone and fax calls.

ISDN also offers additional services such as conference calls and call re-direction (“follow me”).

Normal telephones require an adapter to work on an ISDN line, known as an “A/B-Wandler”. The line itself is a digital connection to the telephone exchange and the numbers dialled are transferred digitally as opposed to using DTMF tones or pulses.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)

Download the MP3 file | Subscribe to the podcast

Das Festnetz

Das Festnetz is the name given to the cable-based telephone network, known in English as land lines or PSTN.

Telephone numbers in this network have a set Vorwahl (Prefix or STD-Code). Previously the numbers were often assigned to a particular property, these days it is usually possible to take your number with you as long as the area code stays the same.

Apart from the Deutsche Telekom some cities have their own cable-based telephone networks, but there are also two larger completely separate networks owned by the Deutsche Bahn and the German army.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)

Download the MP3 file | Subscribe to the podcast

Bread and milk

I have two observations to make about a recent trip to a local supermarket.

For some time I’ve suspected that the price of bread has gone up, but today I am certain. I know that last year I was often paying around 1 Euro for a loaf of bread, depending on the type.

Here is the price that greeted me today:

Now, while the price of bread may be going up, the milk-producing farmers are complaining that they are not getting enough for a pint – sorry, litre – of milk. So they have gone on strike and are not supplying the dairies that in turn supply the supermarkets.

So there is a shortage of normal quality milk. The more expensive brands are still in stock, but this is what the normal milk area looked like today:

There’s none left! Apparently the strike ended today, so I shall be hoping to see a new delivery soon.

What was particularly interesting was that it was a discounter that made the first move to increase the amount paid to farmers for their milk. But at first the strike continued anyway. Now the price for the consumer is set to go back down again, leaving us with the threat of new strikes.

All of which leaves me wondering: when will we be able to buy milk again, and what we will have to pay for it?

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