I found out some additional stuff. Some unlisted numbers can be obtained via directory enquiries (118 200 for numbers in Austria and Germany, 118 202 for the rest of the world), some not. No idea why.
The operator service for manually connected long-distance calls is still in service, it has only changed from 09 to 118 16.

Back to standard electric.
I was sometimes really surprised abvout the small number of different receptacle/switch styles in the US. Here in Austria you have a wide range of differently styled fixtures, which only thing in common is that you can put in the same plugs. For example you would never be able to combine a Legrand wallplate with a Kopp receptacle, as you can do with a Mulberry and a Leviton one.
Some common wiring pratice:
Any horizontal wiring has to be within I think about 1' from the ceiling or floor, most commonly rhe ceiling, so there's less "chain wiring" as seen in the US. This rule tells you where not to drill holes, and it exists to reduce the risk of drilling holes into wires. Diagonal wiring is completely forbidden. So most wires are horizontally beneath the ceiling with a junction box above most of the switches/receps. Or we use one j-box between two or more fixtures and pull l-shaped lines down.
In older buildings these rules are not necessarily obeyed. Some electricians must really have loved diagonal wiring, wires running in circles, ...
Very common is also the "T'nT" splice. Before the chocolate block type connectors came up wires were twisted and taped together, then usually put in plaster or in one of those wooden frame junction boxes. Those block connectors were also sometimes put in plaster. Even without tape...
Love to scratch the plaster out of the screws!
Nice example for often repaired and extended work here: We have 7 j-boxes, 4 receptacles (2 ungrounded) , one wall light and one ceiling fixture with simple on-off switch, all that in 3 rooms. The wires start in the biggest room in a j-box. 4 cloth and rubber covered wires in plaster, not really in code but nothing unusal about. the second j-box is where the wires would normally go. They don't show up. Then there's the first receptacle. It has 2 plastic covered wires in plaster coming in ( and a later added ground). The second receptacle in this room is fed by 2 very thin ( 0,75 sq mm) plastic covered wires running beneath the ceiling through a 3rd j-box above the door to the second room where the wires to the 2nd room's light fixture should go. Now about the second room: there's a j-box (#4) directly next to the switch and receptacle # 3. Here we have 1 cloth and one plastic covered wire, coming from diagonally downwards, obviously from receptacle #2, what can't be true as the box there only contains 2 wires. No ground any more. j-box #4 has also 1 Romex leaving to 3 more j-boxes, the bathroom wall light on the other side of the wall and receptacle #4. Now to the switch: The phase goes from the receptacle to the old toggle switch and then disappears upwards. There must be a neutral somewhere! In junction box #3 you can actually see THREE wires going up to the ceiling fixture, where only 2 arrive.

Remember that it actually works!
Concerning the receptacles it can be figured out quite easily what they did, but I have no idea about the light. I just have to rip open these walls. I'm too curious.

[This message has been edited by Texas_Ranger (edited 01-02-2002).]