Java_Bob

In an age where most people feel as though they can't get away from a ringing telephone, Timothy McKinney knows just how difficult it is to live without one.
Living in a San Francisco homeless shelter, he's tried to be creative about not having a phone number and has gone as far as distributing friends' contact information to prospective employers in the hopes that his buddies will pass the messages on to him when potential job offers come in.
But it hasn't always worked, and McKinney has missed many important calls.
And when that happens, "you lose your place in line," he said.
Not anymore.
Internet giant Google announced on Wednesday a plan to partner with all the homeless shelters in San Francisco and offer free phone numbers and voice mail accounts to homeless individuals, giving people the ability to distribute their own phone numbers and retrieve voice mail messages left for them whenever and from wherever they choose.
"It's great," said McKinney, who has been living in a homeless shelter since October. "Jobs can call and you don't have to run around to family and friends and wait for them to give you the message."
Having phone service is something most people take for granted, but for a homeless person it's a luxury that could lead to better circumstances, said Mayor Gavin Newsom, who was on hand for Wednesday's announcement at Project Homeless Connect, a bimonthly event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium where the homeless can show up and receive free services.
"It's the ability to communicate with friends and family and ultimately with someone who can employ someone or help someone. ... When you lose your home or address ... you lose your ability to contact other people," Newsom said.
Last year, Google acquired the San Francisco startup Grand Central, which created a service that allows customers to route all phone lines - cellular, home and business - onto one phone number.
Google plans to expand that infrastructure that's already in place to homeless individuals by providing them with free phone numbers. By using a personal identification code, homeless people can check voice mail messages left for them from any telephone.
Users can also record their own greeting, and the phone number and voice mail account do not expire.
Craig Walker, a senior product manager of voice products for Google, said he hopes to have all the homeless shelters in the city on board by the end of the year. More than 4,000 voice mail accounts already have been given out, he said.
"Our goal is to get every single homeless person in San Francisco a local 415 telephone number," Walker said.



so now they can call around to all the liquor stores for the best price on vino, or dial a crack deal, call Arnold for more free goodies, call gei , Marty, and slag for handouts....