Over the years Bell's Mind has gone from a simple PHP script in 2003 to a pretty serious GWT and PostgreSQL based application. Initially it was just a web-based copy of dual parallel's command-line based NPA lookup tool, it then started to pull data from NANPA for more detailed results, and finally allowed people to submit their own scanned numbers. Since the transition to GWT, though, it appears that something was lost from the usability standpoint. This is the exact opposite of what we intended for the system. This article is here to give you a full explanation of what you can do on this site so you don't have to fumble around and figure it out on your own.
First, Bell's Mind is a two-part system. The first part is the blog which we use to post updates and phreak relevant content. The second part is the frontend which is used to perform lookups and post scanned numbers. The frontend is probably what you came here looking for so let's talk about that first.
When you open the frontend you're given a tabbed interface with three tabs. They are:
The NPA-NXX/CLLI search page is where you would perform all of your searches. The CLLI search is offline though since our data is old and only getting older. As of today you can search by NPA (areacode) or NPA-NXX (areacode and exchange). Each search type brings back different sets of data. The NPA search brings back the following fields:
The NPA-NXX search brings back the following fields:
Each scanned number includes information on who scanned the number, when they scanned it, what type of number it was (VMB, IVR, etc), any notes they submitted about it, and a "callto" link that can be used to call the number via your computer (Skype or similar) or phone.
This page is a great place to start if you plan to scan a particular exchange since you can see who has scanned it and how recently they did it. This helps avoid people scanning the same exchanges over and over again. In the future we will be adding a few functions to help you scan out exchanges, keep track of where you left off, and get other people to help you out with your scanning projects.
The login tab lets you log into the system once you have an account. After logging in there is another panel that opens up that lets you submit numbers and see the last hundred numbers submitted, all on the same page.
Registration is dead simple. Go to the registration page, enter your account information, and you're set. We don't validate the information but if you want to ever reset your password you'll need to enter a valid e-mail address. We don't send an initial verification e-mail so if you're paranoid about privacy then just make sure you don't lose your password.
Those are the basics. We'll post in the blog if there are updates to this information as new feature are designed, tested, and implemented. We've been dusty for a while but we're always working behind the scenes to keep things running, stable, and fresh.