[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH-FqLdqWLo&w=1280&h=720]

In 2004, there were 25,000 pay phones in New York City. Now, according to NYC.gov, there are just over 8,900 active payphones across the five boroughs.

What’s been happening to all these phones? Mashable News put together this very cool story profiling the “pay phone repairmen,” who have been tasked with collecting and updating the treasures that are inextricably linked with the their neighborhood history. Pay phones may not be as widespread nowadays, but they’re definitely not dying. The key, as the repairmen note, is that the new iterations have nothing to do with the actual phone.

In conclusion, WiFi rules all.