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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."
There already is an area like this, It's called the Amish Country, Pennsylvania Dutch, etc. Seriously. The article describes being bothered by anything electronic, ranging from radio waves to hairdryers. May as well go back to the horse and buggy.
Don't Tread on Me
and how is this accomplished exactly? What credible research shows that one person is more likely to be affected by radio waves then someone else. Does this also mean that there are no TV broadcasts, no radio broadcasts, no police radios, no satellite reception. I mean... if you're going to cut one source of RF, you better cut it all, just to be on the safe side.
-Restil
Play with my webcams and lights here
I don't know about effects on one's health, but radio frequency interference can be a real problem. For example, I have a set of cordless headphones that I use so I can roam my room listening to music and not bother anyone else. However, my neighbor's cordless phone uses the same frequency (approximately 900MHz, in case you're interested.) I can tell when he's using the phone because the static interrupts my music. If I tune my headphones carefully, I can even hear his conversation.
Banning wireless technology entirely (as the article describes them doing in Mendocino) is probably not a good solution, but I think there should be regulations and standards enforced to make ensure better cooperation between wireless devices, to prevent interference.
And I have one all-important question: Have *any* of these people been tested within the confines of an experiment to see if they *really* experience these problems? Try putting them through an experiment in an environment secure & devoid of radio activity (say, a bunker somewhere with a guassian cage around it).
Such an experiment would entail:
Only with that kind of an experiment can their claims be given any sort of credence. Until then, its all quackery.
Didja see the part where he doesn't disclose his diagnosis, so he can keep collecting disability benefits? His scam goes:
1) Whine a lot about a man-made phenomenon.
2) Get good at malingering.
3) See a doctor, claiming 1) makes you "sick".
4) Vote for your living from that day forward. (The louder you bitch, the more you cash in!)
Really, this guy deserves a kick from every Californian, because we are supporting this bullshit with our taxes.
That hyphen is entirely superfluous.
I object to that article, and to the next reply.
There is a communities of people who live wire and wireless free in the US, they are called the Amish. Nice folk, live a simple life. They don't try to remove radio stations from nearby communities.
Now if someone beleives that the transmissions are giving them trouble, move to Montana or North Dakota, don't stay in Ca and certainly don't try to move everyone backwards with you. There are alternatives, and they are feasable.
Burn Hollywood Burn
I'm there. Unix when you're high is a treat. Playing with my FreeBSD box after a bowl or two is a great way to satiate either the anti-social [sit there in front of your computer for hours without having to talk to anybody] or super-social [email, and lots of it] person you may become. While there are many other things I can enjoy under the influence, unix is a treat for me.
... well - give it a shot. Explore. If it doesn't work for you... well, you probably haven't lost much. And it's pretty hard to experiment without learning _something_ right?
I love to build - and I especially like to be crafty and work with my hands after a nice J with some friends. I like to build, fix, and create. And while marijuana can make you pretty spacy, it often helps me to concentrate - and become less distractable than I usually am. I can give myself a little project, or part of a big one, and just go at it.
The slight change in perspective at the command line can be a benefit too. Seeing problems and relations between system resources in a different way can help anyone become a better sysadmin or to better solve problems that may develop. Stepping off your own beaten path can lead to shortcuts and enlightenment. You may realize you've been taking the long way home on a simple function you've been performing for years. A chance to explore - that's what it's really all about.
While I don't suggest relying on yourself when you're very high or whipping out a J at work - if you never use your computer when you smoke - or if you used to smoke long ago, but haven't in a while
Just remember to dose yoruself properly. Don't do too much - or you'll just stare at your screen and call me crazy. Use your command history - and keep an editor window open to jot down ideas or help you remember what you've done. [Short term memory IS affected - so compensate!]
Experiment. You're bound to learn _something_
Indeed. Who's to say that some among us can't be sickened by:
1) small doses of fluoride in the water
2) small doses of iron in the water
3) small doses of radiation from smoke detectors
4) small doses of nutrasweet
5) small doses of saccharin
6) small doses of psychic energy
7) small needles inserted into energy points in the body
8) small amounts of chemicals emitted by menstruating women
9) small amounts of pig sweat in perfumes
10) extremely large amounts of staph bacteria on everything we touch
11) etc.
The answer to your question "who's to say that some among us can't be sickened by smaller ones?" is ME. It's called the burden of proof. The person making the claim needs to provide the evidence. Without evidence the rational position to take is "I don't believe it. Prove it."
If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
is by faking them out. Put them in a room with a fake transmitter and tell them that everytime the green light goes on, they are going to get zapped and you will watch thier reactions. Except, in reality, you actually zap them when the light is OFF. Then after they finish having thier seizures or whatever when the EMF radation is off and they seem to recover when it's on, go publish your report saying that too little radiation is bad for people's health.
"Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!"
She of the burning mouse-palm evidently didn't mind letting her students cruise the Web back in '96. One of the goals of a course was to "USE TECHNOLOGY and the INTERNET to communicate, cooperate and write with students in other places". Hmm. I wonder if she's apologized to all those poor twitchin' kids she led astray?
> Please, you idiots making fun of these people, you are true idiots and it is becouse you are not complaining on the companies instead. They should create products not transmitting harmful radiation. They should find alternative methods of doing same things that doesnt HARM humans.
There are some real problems with this. Creating products that don't create harmful radiation (based on this fellow's definition of "dangerous") would require them to build devices that don't use electricity, since he's complaining about any radiant EM field, and these fields are induced by electric current. Needless to say, few people (in the modern world, anyway) are willing to give up the use of electricity to protect themselves from EM fields.
> And becouse, you are the #1 on the list to become electricsensitive. And many of you are that already Your ears getting hot? It feels like sand in your eyes? Dry skin? And many more things that are signs of electricsensitivity.
The problem here is that of all of the sysmptoms listed, none of them (and no combination of them) seems exclusive to the condition. Moreover, the only backing information cited was a vague reference to a Swedish study, and the facts from the only study data the Swedes ever published stated that people who claimed to be electrically sensitive could not detect and were not demonstrably affected by EM fields in double blind tests. This would tend to refute Mr. Firstenburg's claims, but strangely the web site makes no mention of the results, only the study. This leads me to believe that more proof is needed about the causal link of bad health and EM exposure before it makes sense to start in on lifestyle changes.
Virg
But your grandmother hasn't gone on a crusade to rid her entire city of CRTs. Haven't you noticed: you can't go to a restauant, mall, airport, or many other public places without having a television mounted somewhere.
I agree that psychosomatic illnesses are a very real problem which needs addressing. But we need to start out by acknowedging that the problem lies with the individual, not with the item inciting their phobia. What this crackpot needs is therapy, not legislation.
The mind is a very powerful thing. You can convince yourself (intentionally or not) of a great many things. The problem started when he start convincing others of them too. It sounds like the people in the town were just fine until this guy starting convincing them otherwise.
I only have a problem with this guy forcing his problems on others. I have an irrational fear of seeing cinnamon raisin bread. Once, when I was a kid, I was very sick and I watched (and smelled) my mother make some cinnamon raisin bread. Now, the sight or smell of the stuff makes me very sick to my stomach. I know it's all in my head, and I don't go around telling other people that it makes me feel sick and we should put a stop to having cinnamon raisin bread available.