Just to make it really clear, the license terms don't allow somebody to copy and share the video on other platforms, just watch it for scholarly purposes. I've checked with a few people and I think I would be allowed to make my own transcription and share that, though.

With regards to the 'private' 60 Minutes story from 2012, if you happen to be a University of Auckland student or employee, and you agree to Screenrights Licencing terms, you can find an archived version of that 60 minutes episode, with story breakdown, at https://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/tv-radio/title/VA_19000_09

-k

also remember those old 4 digit numbers like 1957 and 1949 that would tell you things like the number you're calling from (doesn't work from payphones anymore though) and that one that you could order line tests from, some kind of unsecured contractor automatic service centre thing

Yeah, I don't know anything about old rotary payphones but I guess the electric current from the rotary dial was "off" until it detected the right amount of money, so by 'tapping' on the switch hook you're just bypassing that internal lock, the same way prisoners can switch hook to get multiple phone calls during their "one phone call" time or you can use on those old red phones that you used to see in some shops, where your coin literally did just unlock a physical lock on the keypad.

StepDoh, the article you linked to is related to a technique called 'blueboxing', which is where you simulate the noise (remember, PSTN phones are analogue, and so lots of logic/routing is just noises) of the "user just put in 20 cents" (or in the case of US, 25 cents) action, and since for some reason the mic was hooked up to this circuit, that signal would be sent down the line to the automatic operator, which would say "ok, i just heard the money sound, make the call".

Blueboxing worked for a long time in the US. NZ actually has had comparatively modern and secure payphones, at least from the 90s on when I was interested in how they worked...

Had never occurred to me that old switch hook bypass worked though! I never used a rotary payphone. Switch hooking was just something I did at home because I thought it was cool.