The Atlantic:

I want to tell you about the controversy the Bell System’s embrace of numeracy provoked—how resentful some people became when their familiar method of making phone calls was taken from them. I want to tell you about why the change was necessary, and how it still informs our conception of phone calls and text messages. I want to tell you about the future of the phone number.

Interesting article if only for the tidbit about why New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit got their respective area codes.