“I’ve worked with a hotel that has 200 rooms in it and they put one of my antique phones in every one of them,” he said. “Other people decide they want to have a 1930s decor or something ...

But demand for 21st century phone technology is crowding her and the 400,000 other households in Illinois where phones use landlines. It's about 10 percent of AT&T's phone business.

If you decide to get the most basic of phones and want to get an Uber, for example, know that you can order a car by phone (dial 1-833-USE-UBER). You can also call a cab company.

IDEAS Friendships fed by old-fashioned phone calls We have more ways to keep in touch with friends than ever. But few of those communication methods combine presence and intimacy.

If you decide to get the most basic of phones and want to get an Uber, for example, know that you can order a car by phone (dial 1-833-USE-UBER). You can also call a cab company.