I was interested in phreaking when I was a kid. We had those coin-operated phone booths, and at some point, I figured that clicking the receiver hook with my finger was akin to dialing a number, but in this case, you didn't have to pay. Say you wanted to dial 42 - you'd quickly press the hook four times, then wait a couple of seconds, and press it two more times. Fun times.

I remember a situation when my classmate and I were returning from school and I needed to call my parents. I told him, "Now I'll show you how to make a call for free." I started tapping the hook (while he was making fun of me), my mom picked up the phone, and I began talking to her. My friend mocked me, thinking I was talking to thin air, and asked for the receiver. He said, "Hello!", my mom replied... Well, there's no need to go into what happened next :-OOO