However did we live during the era of the White Pages phone directory.
replySure, but then you have the problem of figuring out which Sarah Connor in Los Angeles.
replyTo say nothing of popular names.
My name is not particularly common although I was the first to claim firstname.lastname@gmail.com. I've been getting email intended for other people with the same name for decades.
replyI've seen estimates that there are only 10,000 people with my last name in the US. Back in the days of local telephone directories, I was always the only one with that last name.
Internet scaling is an interesting thing. I don't know if I feel less unique or that I'm in an exclusive club.
I registered [my HN username]@yahoo.com many, many years ago. Once a year I log into that mail account and I'm always amazed at how many other people have decided to give out that email, at Yahoo! of all places, as their own. Why? Just, why?
replySpam and scam had to work on a human scale, via locals paid something resembling a living wage, not automated machines sending millions a second or people working for pennies a day.
replyI want a phone that can only ring if the source of the call is within artillery range.