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California's "Wireless-Free" Zone
pangur writes: "In Wired, there's the story about how Arthur Firstenberg changed Mendocino, CA into a 'wireless-free zone' as a safehaven for those deemed 'electrically sensitive'. His critics claim that he is driving away any chance of a significant economy."
That book of his sounds interesting. Is there an electronic version available?
They should move to another universe, provided they aren't already living in one...
Eric
"Seven Deadly Sins? I thought it was a to-do list!"
Mendocino had been attracting thousands of people due to their reduced levels of EMF exposure. It now seems that these people may have been actually endangering their mental health.
-bugg
I must be electrically sensitive too, because every time I put a fork on the wall socket I also get a "Burning pain" and "Electric shocks".
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
That must take on hell of a large microwave, and what setting would you use? "Half-Baked"
Is a Sig really an expression of the person behind the post or just random nonsense?
It's worked for kooks for many, many years. In fact, you might say it's a "proven" solution to the problems of wireless interference with your brain waves, at least to the same extent that it's been "proven" that wireless hurts your head!
development.lombardi.com
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
... is the aluminum-foil-covered hat to keep out the CIA mind control rays. There has never been a single piece of hard evidence for low-intensity radio waves causing the symptoms he and others describe. Considering how long radio-based devices have been in common use (just over a century) it's very hard to believe that this is real.
In fact, it sounds to me like classic mass hysteria, which (unfortunately) is a well-documented medical phenomenon. If this guy and his buddies are looking for a place to live that will satisfy their needs, may I suggest Salem, Mass.?
The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
""This overexposure to pulsed microwaves has been a personal tragedy for me," Wagner said in an e-mail interview. "I'm left hypersensitive -- even my mouse burns my hand when I use my computer now."
Isn't a mouse a MECHANICAL DEVICE - virtually 99 percent electronics free...there may be a diode or two in there..but it can't be generating an electronic signal - it's probably only getting the barest of electricity from the PS2 port to power the thing. (unless you're using one of those new Infrared mice) -
If it's burning your hand, then that means it's probably IN YOUR FRIGGEN HEAD!!!!
Sounds like someone's setting themselves up for another juicy lawsuit. Glad I don't live in California right now or I'd be paying for it.
----------
ah honey, we're all resplendent - Bill Mallonee
For someone who is "Hypersensitive" wouldn't this be harmful?
"Nowadays when Firstenberg travels, he lugs along a bevy of devices to detect radio frequencies, including a meter that gauges electrical, magnetic and microwave fields."
"shocking and electrifying"
-- Knowing too much can get you killed, but knowing who knows too much can make you rich.
Why doesn't this guy build himself a Faraday cage, and leave everybody else alone?
Nope, don't like it. Too simple. Too clear cut...
The revolution will be televised. Blackout restrictions apply.
The guy's electrically sensitive, and yet he carries around sensors to tell him when he's in fields he's sensitive to. :) Funny, I'm thermally sensitive (anything over a couple hundred degrees causes intense burning pains), but I don't carry around a thermometer to tell me when I've stepped in the campfire.
Granted, but as a chronic kidney stone former, I prefer bottled or filtered water to the tap - I live in a so-called Kidney Stone belt due to levels of minerals and such in our drinking water...
However I agree that Bob Evian is making a killing from the tap in his "Mountain" basement.
Not the CIA! Major League Baseball with their roving constellations of satellites...
What a f%cking nut job this Firstenberg is. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the nutburger preaching all the multiple chemical sensitivity crap. Its sad to see a local economy being devistated by the lunatic fears of a vocal whackjob.
Click on my link and read about real science and not this pseudo science cow manure.
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
Perhaps they should put up a giant metal sheild over the whole town to block out services like satellite TV and GPS too.....or just lobby the providers of those services to stop them entirely.
On a slight tangent, is the effect created by microwaving a town wacko about the same as for an AOL CD?
If I leave my laptop on my lap for more than a few minutes, I develop a burning sensation.
Bender: (points scanner at Fry)
Fry: Ouch, My Sperm.
Bender: (Scans Fry again)
Fry: Funny, it didn't hurt that time.
SD
âoeWho knew something as harmless as willful ignorance could end up having real consequences?â
I was wiring a 3 phase 220 outlet and I got hit with 220. It thew me clear across the room. I guess this would qualify me as "electrically sensitive".
-ted
English teacher Christy Wagner said her students suddenly became "irritable and easily distracted" and that she herself felt nauseous whenever she was at the school
::snore::
Since when have English students not been irritable and easily distracted?
Teacher: "Billy, what did Shakespeare mean with his use of the term 'ass-backwards' in Sonnet 103?"
Billy:
Sensitivity of the emotional kind is called for here.
The tin-foil hat brigade need places to live, too.
--
E_NOSIG
...including a woman who appeared at one meeting wearing dark sunglasses and protective headgear
Aluminum foil hat?
He didn't realize he was using a 2.4 GHz cordless mouse 10 miles from the actual computer and someone had hooked up a giant hidden power supply inside the mouse.
No wonder it's burning his hand! It could burn trees down if they were between him and the receiver!
The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. - Benjamin Franklin
> Perhaps she uses a non-point-and-click mail reader?
If a mouse burns her hands, how could a computer keyboard fail to burn her fingertips?
Chris Mattern
Or better yet, when the school has it's public hearing with the goofballs complaining of the emf reveal that it hasn't been broadcasting for the last two weeks. It'd blow their minds :)
Field day for all California Ham's should be held in Mendocino this year. Special emphasis on 23cm moonbounce operation requested. All HF ops with 1500 watt amps should bring their own generators, as an electrical shortage is expected.
Temkin
so if i go there and start using my cell phone near someone can they arrest me for ES-assault?
Even if they had a legitimate problem (which i dont believe they do) i say there obvioulsy not as evolved as they should be and to bad for them - life sucks then you get run over by a bus.
Ave Molech Setting
As my friend Virtros suggests, don't use your mouse in a microwave!
For geek dads: Contraction Timer
good god man! there -are- people less rational than audiophiles out there!
I can't believe I missed this on the county's website - I believe it explains everything:
Official Mendocino RF Band Plan
The following band plan has been established to assist Mendocino residents in identifying their illness and subsequently locating the offending service provider. Should you require public assistance in notifying a provider to terminate service and initiate financial repairations for the harm caused, please contact our office at (707) 463-4480, or visit our website.
BANDPLAN (Revised January 4, 2002)
BAND: VLF
3-10 Hz - heart disease, cancer, diabetes, strange voices, ghosts, UFOs and other unexplained apparations (see this site for scientific proof and to learn about a special device that will protect your home from these evil VLF rays)
60 Hz - cancer, heart disease, mental illness, colds, flu, hairloss, rashes, psychotic episodes, ebola, gulf war syndrome
BAND: HF
26.965-27.405 MHz - Obesity, intestinal gas, intellectual stunting, unexplained cravings for tractor pulls, women with tatoos and very cheap beer
BAND: VHF/UHF
400-470 MHz - Uncontrollable sexual urges, strange thoughts, dishonesty, attraction to interns, voices, balding, interest in congressional office
800-950 MHz - AIDS, Herpes and other SIDs
BAND: SHF AND ABOVE
2400-2472 MHz - Cancer, blisters, warts, headaches, nausea
5300-5850 MHz - Blindness, body odor, night sweats, rashes
Sounds like Eddie, the brother-in-law from National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.
"Had a metal plate in my head, but everytime I would fire up the microwave, I'd piss my pants and forget who I was for a half an hour."
> you really think this huge ammount of wave shit waving through us constantly has no effect on you?
Well, when you've phrased that so accurately, how can anyone disagree?
Stories like this remind me of when my mother's friend's son got a cable modem in his room a few years ago, and suddenly was unable to get up at any reasonable time in the morning to go to school. Since they thought I was a computer expert, I was quizzed if the cable modem could be emitting "bad ions" that were damaging his health. I didn't have the heart to say that it wasn't bad ions, just staying up late downloading porn and playing Quake that was the problem.
There are some pretty big holes in this chart.
Nothing mentioned between 60 Hz and 27 MHz, so all those quacks on the AM band (535 kHz - 1605 kHz) are still able to talk to their gullible audiences about E-M sensitivity.
Also conveniently lacking are all your VHF TV channels. That gap between 27 MHz and 400 MHz is more than big enough for all channels between 2 and 13 (54 MHz - 88 MHz for channels 2 through 6, and 174 MHz - 215 MHz for 7 through 13). You may be sensitive to other parts of the spectrum, but at least you can still catch your Must See TV with no risk of odd sexual urges!
FM radio is also OK (88 MHz to 108 MHz), so NPR is still good for me. Thank heaven for little favors...
But some of you Dawson's Creek fanatics may be out of luck. The UHF TV channels are mostly harmless (470 MHz - 608 MHz for channels 14 to 36, 614 MHz - 806 MHz for 38 to 69), but as we can see, channel 69 may cause AIDS. Check your local listings!
New customers of satellite radio should be safe (they tend to sit in the S-band, between 2.31 GHz and 2.36 GHz, just under the frequencies for blisters and warts).
Unfortunately for Cox, Comcast and other cable companies is the way they get their feeds on the C-band (3.6 GHz to 7.025 GHz) Proof positive that too much late-night Cinemax can make you go blind!
Even worse for them, their competitors in the digital satellite market are sitting pretty in the ku-band (10.7 GHz - 14.5 GHz). Too energetic for any problems listed here.
On a slightly more serious note, I'm surprised they didn't mention the serious (proven) health risks of more energetic frequencies, like the severe burns that can be caused by EM waves in the 350 THz - 400 THz range, or the relation between skin cancer and frequencies over 750 THz. Hell, if you have too much of anything between 400 THz and 750 THz, you might go blind!
The Onion describes new technology that is bound to cure electrical sensitivity. Approved for your use by men in very white coats.
Why am I tempted to move to Mendocino and start a HAM radio hobby?
if ($it != $onething) {$it = $another;}
Hrm, from page 2 of the wired article:
Looks like he sort of tried that route already...
- A non-productive mind is with absolutely zero balance.
- AC
The crusade of the good people of Mendocino, CA has inspired me to make an effort to help aliviate the pain and suffering of myself and many others. I am photosensitive, meaning my eyes burn if I don't wear sunglasses or tinted lenses outdoors on a sunny day. I am told that many other people, even a few of my friends, are also affected by this horrible affliction. This is why I am taking advantage of this thread to announce my plans to invade a small town with photosensitive people (Lorne NB looks promising right now) and block out the sun and all other forms of light.