Antarctic payphone

This is one of those photos that really gives away one's age Actually, using "photo" instead of "image does the job just as well. So does using the word "screen" in front of a seven-year old in any context other than television or computer monitors, but that's another story. Okay, but what's so special about this particular pho... image? It's a payphone and the more erudite amongst you might also notice that it's the sort used in New Zealand, but so what? The answer is that it isn't in New Zealand, it's at McMurdo Station at the South Pole. More to the point, it's a payphone with a 911 sticker (where do the cops come from? Wellington?) and it's an unnerving demonstration of how far we've come in the realm of telecommunications.

I'm not a stranger to polar exploration. I've had an interest in the subject ever since seeing Scott of the Antarctic as a boy and as an archaeologist I've even had the privilege of having some small part in some work in Antarctica, but that was a long time ago and I often find it hard to believe how far things have come in the Worst Place on Earth. For obvious reasons, I still think of Antarctica as a place of rude huts, tunnels, and an overly ambitious geodesic dome–usually varying between plywood and horrible '70s decor and the whole thing smelling of fish and diesel. As for communications, that was the province of the unreliable radio shack where the operators wistfully talked about the new satellite station that they were going to get as soon as anyone could figure out how to get it to work at 50 below zero.

Fast forward to the 21st century and what do we get? Accommodations designed by honest to Gropius architects that have all sorts of greenery, no draughts, and are comfortable enough for the staff to import an embarassing number of condoms. As for communications, forget about wonky short wave or SSB links; it's Internet and phones in every room with a card payphone in the corridor for summer workers who are just passing through. I wouldn't be surprised if they have cell phone service at the Mountains of Madness, but frankly, I'm not very keen on finding out. "Hello, Marge? Yeah. I'm going to be a little late home tonight. Ran into some shoggoths here. Hell of a mess. Naw, McMurdo's sending in daisy cutters, so we're cool. Hey, I made a funny! Cool. Get it?"

Oh, God.

Not that i should be too surprised. Sir Arthur C Clarke was talking about payphones on space stations by 2001. We may not have those, but cardphones at the South Pole is a pretty good second.

What i find even more interesting is the handset flex. Notice that it's a light rubber and wore job and not one of those armoured coil things? Looks like the vandalism problem isn't too bad down there, though from what I've heard about some of the parties...

But that's for another story.