Joe Engressia, Expert 'Phone Phreak,' Dies

sarwer writes: All Things Considered on August 20, 2007 ran a interesting story about "phone phreaking" pioneer Joe Engressia. An article in Esquire in 1971 revealed a world of "phone phreaking." At the center of that world was a young man named Joe Engressia, who later changed his name to Joybubbles. Engressia died in Minneapolis earlier this month. Engressia had an unusual relationship with the telephone: He was born blind and used his unusual auditory gifts to pioneer the practice of "phone phreaking," which involved manipulating public telephone networks.