Mobile Phone Abuse and AbUsers

Doctor Hu writes "The Economist has a story ("Think Before You Talk") describing a new range of mobile phone prototypes designed by Ideo to discourage antisocial usage - devices ringing in concert halls, loud proclamations that the caller is on his way home, etc. The first of the series uses electric shocks to condition the user to talk at a non-intrusive level; the others are similarly ingenious. Not intended to be commercially produced, just to provoke discussion (and provide publicity for Ideo, presumably). Nice comment at the end from one of the designers that for devices like mobile phones, "user-centric" design needs to take the needs of people nearby the user into account as well."

Comments

Does it...

[Ransak]

... come with a way to zap anyone with a ringtone of 'Mambo #5'?

It's a start,

[OldStash]

but in a truly perfect society, all phones would cut out after two minutes of monologue.

Re:It's a start,

[OldStash]

The Nokia 8210's battery already implements something similar.

Sounds like something to give to your enemy.

[Mockura]

The first of the series uses electric shocks to condition the user to talk at a non-intrusive level

So, just wait for them to use it, then walk up next to them and scream, yell...whatever!

You: "Hey, Joe!!!!"

Them: "Wha? AAAARRRRGH!"

You're happy, they're dazed, and all is right with the world!

Spider's Truth Bomb

[HarveyBirdman]

What's funny is that now the non-phone users have become the assholes in many cases. I can understand not liking phone use in restaurants or movies, but the prissy indignation of some of the addle-brained losers out there has gone too far.

Example: I was with a friend at a large home improvement center, and he phoned home to the wife to check on her color preferences for some mini-blinds. A lady nearby did the big, exaggerated sigh and shook her head.

We're standing in the middle of a noisy, cavernous store big enough to have an independent weather system, and she's upset someone is using a phone. What's the difference between that and him talking to one of the store staff, or talking to me? I mean, the resident birds in this store have evolved into their own sub-species, sparrowus homedepotus. This store is big!

I looked back at the woman and quietly asked, "What do you do when faced with a real problem?" She walked off in a huff, the big fat bitch.

On the flip side, the same friend, who always claims talking on the phone does not distract him from driving called me from the road last week. In the middle of the conversation, the call is cut off. He phones back a minute later and said he had to drop the phone because he turned the wrong way down a one way street. Fortunately the nearest traffic was two blocks away. Doh!