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Cell-Phone Wars
Makarand writes "According to this article in the Houston Chronicle people
fed up with cell phone chatter have declared
war against cell phones.
They are arming themselves with detectors, jammers and other gizmos to defend privacy,
security, sanity and blissful silence. Although jamming cell phones is not
legal in the US, pocket-sized jammers are available online and even on
eBay. Cell-phone jammers typically work by disrupting
the communication between handsets and cellular towers
by flooding an area with interference
or selectively blocking signals by broadcasting on frequencies
used by these phones. The FCC
has received very few complaints about jammed cell phones
and has never taken action against anyone for that violation."
They tried to call and complain, but ...
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
...just wait until someone blocks a 911 call.
Cellular Telephones aren't just used for idle chatter. Remember, a lot (not most, but not insignificant) of cellular traffic comes from telemetry systems. So, the next call you might jam could be some heart paitent's ECG telling his cardiologist that he's having a heart attack, or somebody's Saab saying that it's airbag has gone off in an accident, or perhaps it is just a cell call, and it's just the hospital trying to get their neurosurgeon in.
-twb
"I can't hear you now"
It is apparent that many people do use cell phones a lot. I mean, its convient then going to a payphone. Anyone can contact you anywhere in the world (if you have a good signal), but people use them too much. They should do more of a push to use SMS and it would solve the problem with people talking too much.
The FCC has received very few complaints about jammed cell phones and has never taken action against anyone for that violation.
How could they take action? The people with the jammers keep them in their pockets. And the only reason they're doing it is for the entertainment/proving a point aspect. It's not as if Wal*Mart is mass-installing jammers to stop shoppers talking while shopping, so how would the FCC catch anyone?
Besides, with the way people move around, service would only appear to be patchy, dropping out as you walk past someone with a jammer, then coming back again. Cellphones do this anyway , so how you would you know what to complain about?
This is pretty much a non story because it's hard to tell if you're being jammed or if you're just getting a crappy signal. Sure, you shouldn't be blocking cellphone signals, but I can't see how the FCC is going to catch you doing it.
Wow, they sell jammers? That is terrible, so disruptive and bad, it's just wrong. Where do you buy those by the way?
sig:
See the "..for smart people" banners Wired runs here? Look elsewhere guys.
> As a top IT executive for a fortune 50, I spend a lot of time on global conference calls. I would be extremely annoyed, and would consider it an attack on both me personally, and me professionally (and, by extension, my company) if someone were to jam my cellular during an important conference call.
As a normal person, I consider it an attack on me both personally and professionally, when someone use a cell phone in an inappropriate context.
I recommend you not do this.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
I'm tired as fuck of all the self-righteous pricks running around who think their one-on-one conversations are more important than my conversation over the phone. If I'm at a restraunt dining alone (traveling for business or just a loser....) unless everyone can't talk then I'll talk on my phone till the cows come home. Ms. Manners can shove it... Never is it acceptable where no one should be talking, movies, churches, etc....but unless it's unacceptable for everyone to talk, then find something else to bitch about.
With a swift kick to the nuts!
While 'warfare' may not be the right answer, Its about time people are fighing back.
.. and thats why god made paint balls :)
About the only thing i can think of that is more rude, is a SUV driver
---- Booth was a patriot ----
One of the great advantages of Cell Phones is the ability to call for help in the case of an emergency. I can't really understand the justification for interfereing with this function because you want to have your coffee in silence. It seems a little reactionary, libraries are meant to be quiet, not cafes and restaurants.
...is just to learn some proper manners.
Don't shout loudly if it bothers people and don't jam other people's cell phones.
Real life is overrated.
In situations like this I try to catch the offending person's eye and with a sad expression shake my head no. It very often works.
Jamming sounds like a great solution at first. but wouldn't Faraday cages be simpler? I drive past a theater that overpowers my FM radio along a few hundred ft stretch of roadway. If they lined the theater with copper foil, it would stop the cell phones and the interference the theater itself is producing.
Tin foil may be an answer after all...
Ah, first the war on drugs, the war on poverty then the war on terror.
I see we've solved those issues to now have the time to wage war on those annoying annoying people on cellphones.
I think those people who are complaining must be the people who don't get enough cell calls and feel left out. Amusing as it would be I'll break the fingers of the first person cellphone jamming I see.
Why is it socially acceptable to talk to people but as soon as the person is separated by a bit of technology is it considered obnoxious and socially unacceptable?
I haven't posted in so long, my sig is out of date.
I've often wondered if this kind of technology might be employed in a legal manner by businesses and other establishments. If enough people take to using these devices the FCC may well bow to public pressure.
It won't be much later that we'll see restaurants offering "cellular or non-cellular" seating and theaters (both cinematic and live) physically preventing the use of phones in their establishments.
I welcome it. Cell phones have their uses but are frankly some of the most intrusive devices to penetrate the market as of late. There are barriers of common courtesy that need to remain in place. The person you're standing in front of simply needs to take precedence over the person calling you to let you know orange juice is on sale. The cashier has the right to expect you to pay attention to your purchase. And damnit, I have the right to a dinner in peace.
Killfile(TGK)
No trees were killed in the creation of this post. However, many electrons were inconvenienced.
What we really need is a jammer that will only effect 13 to 17 year old girls.
There are tons of people in college that just yap away in the middle of class and everywhere you go their cell phone is their best buddy. As a student paying for my education I get tired of dealing with the constant interruption to MY EDUCATION. If people are going to be dumb about using their cell phones then others can go right ahead and jam calls. They should do the same thing in movie theatres and other "quiet" areas to keep the peace.
The 'Safe Haven' system by Iceberg is not a camera phone jammer.
It's basically a feature that needs to be built into the phone. When it receives a certain signal it disables the camera. Iceberg claim it could be used for laptops and PDA's but neglect to mention that disabling the technology would be trivial for any determined pervert.
The complaints over camera phones are pretty idiotic anyway. The determined pervert could just use a tiny camera if they really wanted to take photo's anywhere.
I'm not paying Nokia et al to integrate technology that selectively disables my phone. It reminds me the recent debacle about printers with built in mechanisms to defeat currency copying. I'd rather Nokia and HP spent their time working on useful new features than trying to nursemaid me.
If you are worried about someone taking your photo in the locker room, that is your problem.
who cares if it's vital or not. If you're sitting there conversing with your mates, then I have every right to talk to my friend/associate/whatever virtually... again, if it's a library, chrurch, theatre, where NO ONE should talk to anyone, fine....but to have a conversation with a person on the phone in a normal tone is no more distracting than listening to your annoying drivel to your table mates.... the logic is total BS: the first paragraph alone where some asshole is jamming conversation at a coffee house????? come the F*&^% on....tell the prick to go to a library...IF I caught someone doing this I wouldn't hesitate to take a swing at him... And you know the only people running around with these devices would be greasy little geeks without friends to bring in person or to call on the phone that you could wipe the floor with one hand..
I don't see a huge problem with cell phones. As long as you can control how loud you are and respect other people (ie. not in theatres or other quiet places). Illegally jamming signals all the time is a wee bit too harsh.
People can make 911 calls from a land line
Conduct your business at your office or at home.
Don't do it in my library, movie theatre, bookstore, coffee shop.
I will block these inconsiderate loudmouths.
Noise pollution should be outlawed.
I've been upgraded to "bad"!
I'm tired as fuck of all the self-righteous pricks running around who think their one-on-one conversations are more important than my conversation over the phone.
Those are my feelings EXACTLY. The only difference that I've thought of is the tendency for some morons to talk a lot more loudly on a cell call than during a one-on-one conversation. I've found that imitating them puts a stop to that, usually.
To ensure perfect aim, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target
when you have AT&T's GSM: its like having a legal cell phone jammer at all times!
My cell phone is on vibrate 24/7. Why should I get jammed? The only good solution is a bluetooth type technology that silences any phone in the area without disabling them.
Sure some people are inconsiderate jerks. People talk to people sitting next to them in movies all the time. We don't duct tape everyone's mouthes shut on the way in.
Actually they should have screened the line for Return of the King. If you didn't see the first two movies, you should not have been allowed in. There were people all around me having the first 6 hours of film described to them on the fly.
-B
While cell phone jamming in public spaces is illegal, my research suggests that jamming on private property is not illegal. It appears this has never been challenged in court. The big question though is, whether or not it's a good practice.
I finally relented and got a cell phone vary recently. I (like almsot every other slashdot reader) work in the tech sector 8 hours a day 5 days a week and have revused until recently to bring some of this technology into my home. I don't have cable TV, I don't have an answering machine and until a few weeks ago I didn't have a cell phone.
I for one, would be in favor of movie theaters jamming cell phones inside the theaters themselves, and any other private institution (museums perhaps) who wish to, being able to legally jam cell frequencies at their discression, within their own premisis. It should be considered no different than banning smoking in facilities on private property. The owners should have discression here, And if cell phone users don't like it they can take their business elsewhere. This will cause the business owners to carefully consider the practice before enguaging in it.
I do believe that signage should be requires when such jamming is in effect, so patrons would be aware they will be incomunicado while they are within the given facility, such that they can make an informed choice.
--CTh
--Got Lists? | Top 95 Star Wars Line
Oh, all the lawyers just got a woody. Another lawsuit in the making.
Poor people whine. Rich people call their lawyers.
bun-fhuinneog agam!
Jamming cellphones in an area greater than your personal space is incredibly fucking selfish. When you go out in public, you are subject to the social norms of the area you live in. If other people in your city think it is cool to be obnoxious on the cell phone, deal with it, try and change it through non passive-aggressive means or move.
When I lived in San Francisco I would be amazed when people would get pissed at others for talking in normal tones on cellphones while on the bus. As I told this one old guy who was yelling, "Why don't you yell at the couple in front of her who are talking even louder?!". Personally I don't use my cellphone in crowded places and always keep my ringer off. I don't see why so many people who have vitriol for those who conduct themselves with decent manners.
--- I do not moderate.
Where it impedes on others rights and freedoms.
Talking on a cell phone during a movie, or while driving down the road ( not being attentive, and illegal in many areas ) crosses that line..
Nice try though...
---- Booth was a patriot ----
The first day I there with them, one of the hardware engineers pulled this thing that looks like a cell phone out of his pocket. He looked at me at said, "Watch this," and pointed toward a guy crossing the street, talking on a cell phone.
My coworker then pressed a button on his "cell phone" and a second or two later, the man on the street took the phone away from his ear and looked at the display as if to see if the call had been dropped. He put it back to his ear, appeared to say something, and then repeated this sequence a couple of times before giving up.
The device was a jammer that my coworker had built into a cell phone case to make it inconspicuous.
It was pretty funny to see hordes of people rushing around, all looking at their phones trying to figure out what's going on.
I could only imagine what they were saying: "Hello? Can you hear me now?"
Dr Superlove 300ml. I use my powers for awesome
"As a top IT executive for a fortune 50, I spend a lot of time on global conference calls. I would be extremely annoyed, and would consider it an attack on both me personally, and me professionally (and, by extension, my company) if someone were to jam my cellular during an important conference call. ... I recommend you not do this."
I think proves the link between cell phones and brain damage.
In the theatre industry we have to think of other creative ways of stopping cellphones even from being switched on (even on silent - as most tech people know, digital cellphones can badly interfere with electronic equipment). Thus, a company does produce a "cellphone detector", picking up cellphone radiation. An automated message can inform people to turn their phones off - failing that, in cases where phones MUST be turned off (live recordings etc) you can refuse to start until all phones are off.
For most people on mobile phones (cell phones) they're used properly, no shouting and no louder than if you're talking with someone who's next to you. I use my mobile regularly and always try to make sure I'm not being disruptive, not in the wrong places (eg libraries) and no shouting. Just because a few people abuse them, does not mean most people do.
Someone carrying a jammer is being deliberately and obnoxiously selfish. They're worse than the ignorant fools who talk to loudly.
then this would not be a problem. Society has functioned for many years without cellular technology. If you have an area such as a movie theatre or a classy restaraunt you should be expected to use some judgement and turn it to vibrate or off to go to VM. This is the ideal, but people have shown time and again that this is not in line with reality. I am all for business owners jamming these devices. I think that there ought to be a large sign stating that the devices will not work and to use a land line if you need to make emergency calls. I have seen so many times that people will take calls anywhere and talk completely disregarding your feelings to have a peaceful dinner or watch a movie without hearing about somebodys personal crap. This could be a great niche market for people that want have a peaceful shopping or viewing experience that is uninterupted. I pay money to get away from pagers, cellphones and others screaming kids and I expect that this will not be a problem. If I want the noise of everyday life I will go home or to work. There ought to be a place to get away from this stuff.
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If YOU had a cell phone and YOU had something that you deemed important enough to talk to someone about wherever you were, who do you care about most? Your job, your success in business, or some nearby person who you'll never see again, and who has some kind of insane twisted fixation on someone else talking on a cell phone? Seriously...I don't mind when other people are talking on their cell phones. You guys are acting like nut cases here. Why don't you pick something else to notice about other people and hassle them about, like loud footsteps, breathing, blinking too much, not laughing the same way you do, or anything else that will send you into a blind rage? Psychos.
...
As Bill Maher says, if you have to take your cell phone with you to the movies, set it to vibrate, and shove it up your ass.
In the West we have now taken the concept of individual freedom to the level of infringing on other people's individual freedoms. It boils down to "My rights are more important than your rights. What I want is more important than what you want."
Thus we have people jamming cell phones because they think their hate of people talking on cell phones is more important than the need of other people to talk on cell phones.
However, this hate is created by people who think their right to talk on their cell phones in an inappropriate manner (ie bellowing at a restaurant or talking during a movie) is more important than other people's rights to an enjoyable experience.
bun-fhuinneog agam!
It's not legal to activly jam Cell phones because your not supposed to be broadcasting on that piece of spectrum. Now anybody that has ever had eletronics 101 should remember a faraday cage and how easy they are to build but let me elaborate:
Your a Movie Theater and you dont want cell phones or other wireless devices to work so as to not have people gabbing on them during the movie.
When you build or do any extensive renovation your prbably going to use a lot of drywall if you install a few layers of chicken fence or other suitable fine grid or wire. Make sure the doors are metal (fire code I would think) and that they maintain a good contact to the grid etc etc etc. When the doors are closed yours not going to see an increadable ammount of attenuation to any RF signals with a wavelength longer than the mesh pitch and a good attenuation to most everything else.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage Gives and overview and a link to tempest the DOD's solution to RF leakeage.
Now you have a movie theater that cell phones dont work in. It would be nice if we could clasify transmision types say via bluetooth since thats a hot new thing on cell phones and have the possibility to ask the phone to switch to silent mode while not affecting paging functions for doctors and other on call critical people that can be assumed to be more responcible than a 15 year old with and "emergency" call.
No sir I dont like it.
Jerks like this should go live in Colonial Williamsburg. Let the rest of us get on with the 21st Century, where we can talk to our friends and business associates anytime with just the push of a button. Not that it's a Utopia or anything, but...well, yeah, in at least this one aspect it kind of is.
> I recommend you grow the fuck up and realise that world does not revolve around you.
That's just about the ultimate in irony, in the context of a discussion of the annoying habits of cell phone users.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
If it's illegal, there seems to be an exception when government institutions are doing it.
Though jamming a cell phone is illegal, it is legal to dampen the signal with certain materials. Strategies like this are already employed in some buildings such as theaters, and if this backlash continues we can expect to see damping in many more public places.
Having to VPN lately in the afternoons due to a class... I've had to relocate to places like chain book stores and *%'s due to the deal on wireless service i get with my provider. Over the past month I've noticed a really concentrated culture of people who operate cellphones in public places. And yes, they are annoying at times. But in more than one particular instance, I've overheard the opposite side of the spectrum... The guy behind the counter of one chain was complaining about how the cafe where he goes has a bright red sign that prohibits the use of cellphones... and how if he had it his way... he'd make sure that this place was the same. This was in a particularly busy *$'s with wi-fi and at around a particularly busy time time of day... that acts as a hub for alot of suit and tie types... some of which keep to themselves and some of which are annoying beyond belief. The point the general populace has to realize is that anywhere you have wi-fi... you are bound to have virtual commuters... I don't go to the local whole earthy, mom and pop place to do work... I go there to relax and trust me I leave the phone off. I go to chains because I get a good deal per month and I have the opportunity to change surroundings and do my work away from home... and honestly sometimes I feel more motivated as well. But its amazing how many people for whatever psychological reasons will project this 'hate your kind' aura... even if you are just checking your voicemail. Its not like I'm whipping out my cellphone in the middle of a library or upscale dining establishment and yelling "BOB get me those TPS reports, STAT." There are plenty of places where cell phone usage is not courteous... and believe me I try to be as mindful as the next person... but employees and visitors of chains like the aforementioned need to realize there are places where it is a fact of life. You don't like those places... support a place like the mom and pop's that encourage cafe usage for relaxation. Don't go all neo-luddite and get yourself an EMP. The kind that do that are just as worse... and probably the exact same psychological profile as the people they hate... abrasive, intrustrive, and ego driven... full of opinions on how the world ought to be. When I moved to this city I learned really quick how much easier and less expensive it was to have a cell... Ameritech when I first moved here took 3 months to install a phone in my apartment... I've moved three times since then and never installed a phone line since.
What bothers me is when people proceed to have conversations in inappropriate places. In the middle of a college lecture, it's not unheard of for students to answer and begin chatting on their phone. I haven't had that happen to me in the classes I teach, but I did have a student try to do this in the middle of an exam. He quickly said goodbye and shut off the phone as I reached to confiscate it. For all I know the person on the other end was giving him answers. My rule of thumb is: if I'm somewhere where having a conversation with the person next to me is inappropriate, I shouldn't have a cell phone conversation there either.
If it's that important, find a land line.
...but at least I'm not bitter.
It's people like you that cause huge traffic jams because you're talking on your cell phone and not paying attention to the road, then you cut off a tractor trailer who then in turn jacknifes, and runs over a bus full of nuns which catches fire, burning alive all those inside.
You're lucky that people only jam your cell phone calls, if it was up to me, I'd stab you in the face with a soldering iron.
It's about respect for your fellow person...starting with the one in front of you!!! I can understand the shopkeeper who deals with this 50 times a day. people come to your shop and you can't give good service because they interrupt your transaction with them for the phone....and OFTEN have the nerve to get mad at YOU "because you're taking too long!" Not to mention disrupting other customers patiently standing in line with loud disagreements, or lack of attention to what's going on around them. It's a menace!!!
That said, jamming or blocking phones isn't the answer, it just makes people ruder! Cell phones have spread the general problem of computers to the masses...computers have allowed businesses to micromanage and interrupt business plans on moment's notice...cell phones allow thoses same types of people to deal with everything NOW...instead of budgeting their time and attention to allow their responsibilites to be properly performed...And THAT is the bigger problem with "instant everything"!!
The main tool to fight this would be better voicemail/sms messages...allowing people to be notified of messages, but keep the phone off until they can give proper attention, those tools are available, but still don't work that well for every minute use. Businesses with "quiet, private places" for phone conversations would help too...they wiped out most phone booths about 10 years ago and didn't replace the "space" to make communications in.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns999 92461
Magnetic wood blocks mobile phone signals
11:00 27 June 02
Magnetic wood could be a major plank in the battle against noisy cellphone users. The high-tech material absorbs microwave radio signals, making it impossible to use a mobile phone in any room lined with it. Or a radio for that matter. So theatres and restaurants, for example, can stop people using cellphones on their premises without resorting to signal jammers.
The anti-cellphone sandwich
These are illegal in some countries, including the US, Britain and Australia. Jammers also cause wider problems because their signals can spill out of the building they are covering, interfering with other people's calls.
The magnetic wood - so called because it is packed with minute magnetic particles - is the brainchild of Hideo Oka and a team of electronics engineers at Iwate University in Morioka, northern Japan. They chose wood as their preferred blocking material because it offers more natural, aesthetic options for interior design. Oka hopes that it will soon be possible to buy the novel wood panelling by the metre at your local hardware store.
While normal wood is transparent to radio waves, Oka's blocks them because it contains fine particles of a magnetic material called nickel-zinc ferrite. When an electromagnetic wave hits the ferrite particles, the magnetic part of the wave is absorbed.
Bluetooth frequencies
The team looked at four different ways of making wood absorb radio waves before hitting on the best one. The first was simply wood coated with a ferrite powder. The others were made by mixing ferrite powder with cider wood powder and pressing it into boards, or impregnating the wood with particles, or sandwiching wood pulp containing ferrite powder between two thin wooden panels.
Oka tested each wood in turn by putting collars of each material over a short antenna that broadcasts radio waves at the typical GSM mobile phone frequencies of 900 megahertz and 1.8 gigahertz.
The antenna can also broadcast at frequencies up to 2.5 gigahertz, which covers the range commonly used for wireless networks like Bluetooth and the emerging IEEE 802.11 standard, better known as Wi-Fi. A receiver measured the strength of the radio waves transmitted through the material.
Ferrite sandwich
In the end, Oka found that ferrite sandwiched between thin sheets of wood performed best. Further tests showed that a 4-millimetre-thick sandwich absorbed the most microwave radiation, cutting the wave's power by 97 per cent. Increasing the thickness of the outer wooden sheets of the sandwich increased the frequency of radio waves that the shield would absorb.
The wood-based shields could be used to make doors and walls for rooms or even entire buildings where mobile phones simply won't work. While the prospect of being forcefully cut off might horrify some cellphone addicts, Oka says theatre-goers and restaurant customers might appreciate the silence.
Panels that absorb radio waves could also help with a problem emerging in Japanese cities, where many homes are being fitted with wireless computing networks. If several networks are set up close together, they can interfere with each other. The new panels could divide up the house into different areas, allowing several networks can operate close by.
Oka believes he can make the wood cheap enough for it to be viable. And he now hopes to cut the cost still further by making the panels from recycled magnetic materials and waste wood.
I disagree there ought to be places that are cellphone free and if a person does not like this policy they can find some other place to shop or view movies etc... It's not about eliminating the technology it's about trying to make up for the judgement that others often lack. The only way to deal with some people that lack any social etiquite is to make some places cellular dead. If it's posted that this is the policy then you have the option to leave.
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I want to get one of those devices and just run after the Verizon guy all the time.
"There is no teacher but the enemy."-Mazer Rackham
Anyway, it's the covert camera phones that will usher in a whole new form of rudeness. :-( The tech industry seems singularly devoted these days to giving armaments to the assholes of the world.
invading the silence by utter (moo) rudeness.
*blink* I'm sorry, do you have mad cow disease? :-) What that a strange "udder" reference?
--- Ban humanity.
They're in a public place, if they want to talk on a cell phone, it's their right. Hell, if they want to sit there whistling "It's a small world, after all" while banging on pans, they can do that too.
What makes people think that one person's silence is worth trampling on everyone else's rights to do the things they want to do? If they don't want to hear people talking, they can get earplugs.
"The inventor of the cell phone never thought about the fact that people would be using them constantly and impeding on other people's privacy," he said. "The inventor of the camera phone never thought about the fact that they would be used in locker rooms and other inappropriate places."
I'm sure it crossed the minds of the inventors, but in some cases the benefits outweigh the cons, well at least for the cell phone anyway. The camera phone is worthless.
If inventors didn't think of the consequences, then RFID would already be all over the place and then people would stop laughing at me for wearing a tin foil hat in public.
> They're in a public place, if they want to talk on a cell phone, it's their right. Hell, if they want to sit there whistling "It's a small world, after all" while banging on pans, they can do that too.
Yeah, try that next time you're in a restaurant, theatre, or museum, and see what happens.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Well, now at least we have a good lead on who this "Anonymous Coward" guy is.
Dude. You're a top IT exec for a Fortune 50 company. You have to have something better to do with your time. And I thought I posted too much.
You want the truthiness? You can't handle the truthiness!
Instead of sending out signals that distrupt cell phones, you should be able to buy a device that sends out a message that says "block incoming calls", "block outgoing calls", or "both". The cell phones should be able to override this information, but by default it should be respected. The message should include a GPS location signal, a serial/registration number of the device, and a text description of the location of the device. Local laws should dictate when and were it would be legal to use these devices. (I suspect it would be "private property only", with a few exceptions.)
Face it, most people really want to respect the no-cell phone requests for places that it isn't appropriate, but when you have a hundred people in a room, someone is sure to forget to turn off their phone. They are also going to forget to turn it back on after they leave.
A legalized "no cell phone zone" device would not stop assholes from overriding the request, but it would make life much easier for everyone else.
SPF support for most open source mail servers can be found at libspf2.
As for heading into and out of the shower room, please put a towel around your ugly stuff. If fear of camera cell phones makes people a bit more modest in the locker room, I'm all for it. There's nothing worse than sitting on the bench trying to tie up your shoelaces when some guy with a dick he's proud of walks up completely naked and tries to start a conversation. You look up and you're in direct eye contact with his one eye. Horrible. Would it kill you to wrap a towel around you when you come out of the damn shower?
First of all, I should say that I don't actually use my cell phone in restaurants or close to other people just because it is so disapproved of.
But, frankly, I think this dislike of cell phones is irrational and itself annoying. People talk to other people everywhere, often in loud or annoying voices. It makes no difference to me whether someone talks into a cell phone or to someone across from them; at least, when they talk into a cell phone, I don't need to hear the responses.
I'm beginning to suspect that what really annoys people about public cell phone usage is that they are missing out on half of conversation that they would really like to listen in on in its entirety.
...going on ebay right now to look at prices for one of these? I am!
Jonathanjk.com
The problem is not talking on the phone. It's that most people talk WAY TOO LOUD on a cellphone, way above the appropriate level. Personally, I keep my voice down, but most people don't.
So, yes you have a right to talk where talking is appropriate. No, you don't have a right to SHOUT FOR AN HOUR because you're too stupid to realize that people naturally talk louder on the phone.
Yeah, but if you are talking so loudly that I can't hear my one-on-one conversation, then we're going to have a problem.
Jaysyn
There is a war going on for your mind.
Even the 911 caller would likely not distinguish a blocked/jammed call from a normal "no service" area.
This would be in America, right? In much of the rest of the world there is no concept of "a normal no-service area". Somewhere you can't get service is abnormal.
If you want to have dinner in peace, I recomend you eat at home.
Restaurants are noisy places by nature anyway, with the restaurant's music system playing, couples chatting with eachother, co-workers laughing and joking, single guys hitting on the waitresses, people at the bar cheering or booing at whatever sports thing is on the TV sets, etc.
Where does this notion that restaurants are innapropriate places for cell-phones come from?
I'm tired as fuck of all the self-righteous pricks running around who think their one-on-one conversations are more important than my conversation over the phone.
It's not the conversations themselves that are the problem. It's the fact that people on cell phones usually talk unreasonably loudly that makes them a problem. Not to mention their stupid polyphonic ringers blasting out at 60 decibels every 10 minutes.
Who the hell decided talking to someone on a cellphone while in a restaurant is any different than talking to a person physically there?
That's my own criteria for using a cell phone. That is, if I'm in a situation where I feel it's appropriate to talk to a "real" person, it's fine to talk on a cellphone, as long as it can be done at a "normal" volume level (normal for the context.)
So, movie theaters are definitely out. Museums? Why not, as long as you're not disturbing a tour, and other people are talking freely to companions.
Yes, there are inappropriate situations in which to use a cell phone, but what makes me mad is all the self-righteous people who glare at you if they see you with a cellphone to your ear ANYWHERE, even in totally "appropriate" situations. (Yes, there are quite a few such people.)
assert(birth_date<time-86400)
It's do what you want nation, but no loud talking.
In the rest of the world, where cell phones adoption is way higher, this issue is so 1995. Cope and move on, it's progress sucker.
It's not the every day chatter that annoys people. A large majority of the people with cell phones know how to use them respectfully. But some people don't. Don't answer your phone in a movie, and if you really need to at least step outside or towards the back. Don't think that when the pickup is less then an inch from your mouth you have to project your voice 50 feet away in a quiet room. Don't think you can hold up lines, lanes of traffic, or elevators just because your not through with your conversation when your time has come. Cell phones aren't inherently rude, but the way some people choose to use them certainly is.
The darkness... controls the music. The music... controls the soul.
To me it's typically fine if someone is talking on their cell phone in a public place at a reasonable volume level. What gets annoying is when people don't turn off their annoying ring tones when they are in public places. Or when they talk on the phone in a normal or louder volume in certain public places where people talk in much quieter voices like libraries, quiet trains or planes, and many other places. Another thing that gets very irritating is people that try to do multiple things at once, when one of the things includes talking on their cell phone in a public place. This includes talking on the phone while in store checkouts, or any other places where they are holding up a bunch of people because they can't get off their damn phone for 5 minutes to get done with what they are in line to do.
Er, what's the point of asking people to turn off cell phones in a government office waiting room? Do they think the spectacle of one of them working and four of them dozing is so fascinating that no one will want to have it rudely interrupted?
/. If the government wants us to respect the law, it should set a better example.
Do we want to live in a place where everyone is expected to be connected remotely all the time? Where remote connection is way more important than face-to-face? Move into The Matrix then!
"There is no teacher but the enemy."-Mazer Rackham
find a stranger to help, find a payphone, run and get help. it's that simple.
Relying on payphones for assistance is folly! The only way to keep in contact with emergency services should be by horseback. The odd palantir could be used too, but ONLY FOR BACKUP.
On the serious side, regular radio networks are absolutely essential for the emergency services to operate. Cell phones are good for citizen contact during regular accidents and day-to-day contact between officers, but may break down during disasters like 9/11.
Irene KHAAAAAAN!
Most people I know do pull over to use the cell phone when driving. But, there are those idiots out there who think that multi-tasking while driving is a good thing. They should have to commute through the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky bridges on a daily basis, see all the accidents that happen. Maybe witnessing a few deaths will help instill the true meaning of distracted driver.
Beyond the drivers who use them at the wrong time, the rest are just irritating jerks. I always take my conversation away from those who might be interrupted by it. That is outside, down the hall, private room. It is called being polite. That aside though, I would be pissed if someone were jamming my cell phone. I think the appropriate action is to ask politely (first time) for a rude cell phone owner to take it elsewhere. If that does not work, we have done everything from turning our own volume up to the point where said arse had to leave to hear to pointedly telling the individual we were not going to put up with their rude interruptions anymore (to which we have actually received applause from those around us). Honestly, such drastic measures are rarely needed, as almost everyone once asked has been polite.
InnerWeb
Freud might say that Intelligent Design is religion's ID.
Just like Kazaa, it's not the technology it's the people doing the bad things.
Everyone seems to think that the world is there for them and that is it. So what if they are at a theater blabbing on the phone, or if it's 2am and they decide they must drive through neighboorhoods with enough bass to break up a kidney stone.
There are simple solutions - get management that has balls. Don't want people blabbing in your resturaunt, eject them. Have ushers in the theaters eject people who are being obnoxious. When I say a broadway play, that happened...someone brought a baby who was crying and they were told they would have to go out to the lobby until the baby quieted down.
Of course then they'll be tons of lawsuits over how they were discriminated against, etc...
Sigh...sometimes I wish I lived for a shorter time before electronics. mmmm...that's good gruel!
Uh, the whole point of the article is that with these jamming devices being sold to private, unlicensed individuals, he can't be sure of that.
I agree with you in theory. The problem is that for some reason, when most (some?) people put a cell phone to their ear, their volume increases by an order of magnitude. Thus, the couple talking at the table next to me does not bother me, but the idiot on the phone four tables over is annoying everyone in the whole restaurant. Not everyone does this, but enough people do have this annoying habit to the point where people now associate cell phones with obnoxious a-holes. Thus, the backlash we are now observing.
Every time I leave my house, I have to listen to: *BLEEEP* HEY! WHAT ARE YOU UP TO? *BLEEEP* SHIT. YOU? *BLEEEP* COOL. YOU HEAR ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT AT SO-AND-SO'S? *BLEEEP* NAW. WHAT HAPPENED? ON and on it goes. Now jamming is not the answer, but being forced to be a part of every self-important assh*le's personal life it NOT something I have to tolerate. A regular cell conversation at a normal tone is fine. NEXTEL megaphone conversations are NOT. If I must listen to you banter endlessly over that loud-ass walkie-talkie, then you must listen to me shout the Star Wars theme. It's only fair.
itadakimasu
Funny, but your absolutely valid rant applies equally well to the people who insist on using their cell phones anywhere and at any time it pleases them. I suppose that's why the battle rages and will continue to do so.
The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaser bank.
-- Scotty.
When you have a normal conversation you unconsciously adjust the level of your own voice relative to other people talking and the general background noise level. Phone designers can use this fact to provide some control over the volume at which people talk when using the phone.
The amount of feedback has to be carefully judged otherwise you will talk to quietly and the user at the other end won't hear you properly. I suspect that this feature is left off of mobile phones because if people speak louder then the speach quality will be better at the other end.
That's very perceptive of you Mr Stapleton and rather unexpected in a G Major
A couple of years ago I was visiting the North rim of the Grand Canyon, when I encountered some prick sitting on a bench in one of the little tourist areas. He was telling some poor gullible woman on the other end of the conversation that he was sitting alone on top of one of those spires in the canyon which he had just finished climbing (not remotely true.)
He proceeded to tell the woman (I assume it was a woman from his lothario manner, tone, etc,) that the view of the canyon was so beautiful from where he had climbed, that he just had to call and share the experience with her.
Myself , and others around me heard this bald-faced lie, and we all looked at him and then each other - keep in mind that none of us there knew each other, then we all spontaniously started making background sounds to illustrate to the woman on the other end that this loser was not where he claimed he was. I said something like: "Sir, you're gonna haveta move your car!" Others made similar noise.
The look he gave us was wonderful. Then he started to explain to the woman that there must be cellphone interference happening.
I'll probably get Modded as flamebait for this, but...
When it comes to the discussion of cell phones and jamming here on slashdot, it seems like the same tired old arguments are being used.
I, for one, have grown tired of seeing the same lame situation where supposed "Law" and "Rights" are touted as absolutes to give anyone entitlement to, in virtually any situation and for any reason, the justification to make or receive a cel-phone call.
Before I put in my two cents worth here is a brief recap of this asinine argument, since it now has many levels to follow:
DrEldarion said:
"They're in a public place, if they want to talk on a cell phone, it's their right. Hell, if they want to sit there whistling 'It's a small world, after all' while banging on pans, they can do that too."
Blackparrot responded:
"Yeah, try that next time you're in a restaurant, theatre, or museum, and see what happens."
Then DrEldarion retorted:
"If the person is in a private place, and the people who run the place have objections to it, then they and ONLY they have the right to do something about it. If the person is in a public place, then NOBODY has a right to do anything."
My two cents:
Really? "NOBODY has the right to do anything" ? Have you ever heard of Laws with regard to "Disturbing the peace"? I hear people actually get arrested for such eggregious behavior every once in a while.
These "Laws" and "Rights" that you make referenece to were created by people to govern and manage behavior. They are, like many situations in life, best understood in the context of their creation and application. This is illustrated by Carl Sagan's quote, "What Rights does a Drowning Man in the middle of an Ocean have"?
When people do things that are bad and/or against social/cultural norms, as they do from time to time, certain laws get enforced or enacted to correct them. You may have noticed that when behavior gets out of hand (e.g. profanity in church, holding up the line at a ATM machine, harassing a woman at a bar, or whistling "It's a small world after all" and baging on pans virtually ANYWHERE), people won't always wait for the Law, whether it gives/denies explicit permission, to respond appropriately.
Wonder why the FCC has, to date, never enforced this law? Perhaps it is because they have never found reason enough to take a stand and make an example of someone who clearly abused their "Right" to enfore the social and cultural expectations for peace and quiet in the given situation.
Please don't assume think we all, like you, believe that the "Law" and "Rights" are absolute in any virtually any situation and for (virtually) any reason. If you do, you may find yourself in front of a judge/jury/policeman/bouncer/angry citizen(s) that think otherwise....
There's only so much rudeness and nonsense people will put up with, whether you agree with them or not.
end of rant.
.
uR iGn0ranc3, Their Power
Personally, I don't have much of a problem with people talking on cell-phones in environments where others keep conversations going, provided they're not one of these types who thinks that the further away they are from the person they're talking to, the louder they have to screem at the phone.
What really buggs me are all those ring signals. Those are very abnormal sounds which are hard for the brain to filter out. If there was some kind of spec. which stated that each phone should broadcast a kind of "IsItOkToTriggerARIIIIIING()" query and wait half a second or so for a veto response before sounding off that annoying sound from the device, it'd go a long way at mitigating what I believe bug most people.
Having worked in so called "Open Landscape" offices for about 5 years now, I've pretty much learned to "tune out" all conversation noise when I need to think. However, artificial noise such as the classic RIIIING or all the personalized ring tunes are still piercing my conciousness and that's really what's bugging me.
If I could just veto those sounds, which might get the cellphone to use vibrate or similar, I'd pretty much be statisfied.
However, just "randomly" jamming anyones call is just rude imo. I like the freedom cellphones provide me, allowing me for example to pick up the kids on time while still being able to attend that "important" conference call the boss has been nagging about all week. (and is always scheduled to impossible hours, due to the timezone difference of our american colleagues, who pretty much arriving to their offices when we are about to leave ours').
In a society that believes in nothing, fear becomes the only agenda ~ Bill Durodié
...especially when noone is hurt. And believe me, the dangers of jamming cell phones are miniscule, don't try to sell me the stories of blocked 911 calls. I see nothing but good coming out of this. Either we will have low-power cellular communications, a better communications mode, less noisy phones or may be more polite people. It's always exciting to watch the struggle of guns vs. armour. More power to the jammers!
Future Wiki -- If you don't think about the future, you cannot have one.
There's a reason cell phones have vibrate mode and voice mail...I put mine on vibrate when I'm in a restuarant, check it if it rings, and excuse myself and step outside to return the call, if it is urgent. Otherwise, call back later. In movie theatres, museums, etc I just turn it off..
Turn the jammer just when you need it. When you hear someone on the theater talking on the phone turn the jammer on, that will end the conversation and the person go away from where you are to get a better signal.
I don't know if everyone has just decided they are more important than everyone else or if they just don't care, but it seems to get a little worse every year. From people talking on a cell phone in a theather to road rage.
I'm not drunk, I just have a speech impediment. And a stomach virus. And an inner ear infection.
Phone Bashing
"Ear plugs. Then you don't gotta listen to nuthing. And it's a hell of lot cheaper. And it covers a vast range of applications. Anyone got a jammer for a screaming baby? no? is that any less annoying than a cell phone yakker?
Uh huh, that's what I thought..."
Yea including the audio on the film that I paid to watch. As far as kids go I have two (2 and 7) I can honestly say that there are many events that people should get a sitter and get over it. That is bad social etiquette every bit as bad as a cellphone if not worse. I do not know how many times I have gone to a nice dinner and a movie with my wife to get bombarded by a bunch of screaming kids. If I wanted that I would go home and take care of my own kids. There should be some place that you can get away from it all.
Got hosting
... Yes, there are annoying people who speak very loudly on their cell-phones in restaurants and the like. There are people who answer them in theaters, classes and other "non-talking" environments. There are people who talk on the phone (or to passengers) while driving, and give their talking process a higher attention priority than the driving process.
However, these are the ones that get noticed. The ones who speak quietly while dining alone in a restaurant or on the subway; the ones who speak on a phone or to other passengers safely while driving; the ones who set the phone to vibe and then surreptitiosly look at the caller ID during a film, class, meeting, etc... these people are not noticed and probably outnumber the annoying ones by far.
If you jam cellular frequencies, not only are you screwing with all the safety devices already mentioned, but you're screwing with people who are behaving politely and reasonably.
Would you start spraying febreeze at everyone entering a store because occaisonal patrons come in without having bathed recently? It might help with them, while pissing off people who do behave properly. Jamming makes You the nuisance who should be removed.
Incidentally, just went to the movies yesterday, saw an amusing ad, promising cell-phone-user ejection seats in the theater soon. . .
600+ comments on this story and not a single one mentioning that you can't jam CDMA, which is what SprintPCS and Verizon are. TDMA systems like GSM and AT&T and Cingular? Sure they can be jammed, but not CDMA, and not any of the 3G systems, which are ALL CDMA based.
CDMA was originally researched and refined by the military for precisely this reason. Because it uses a spread spectrum, a single carrier (or several) can't jam it. You'd need to jam the entire BAND, at a high enough power level, and that is physically impossible. Well, it might be possible with military grade gear, but we're talking huge amounts of power here. You'd need an entire destroyer to carry and power it.
One simple rule for its versus it's
[/sarcasm]
Come play Moral Decay!
Talking to someone on a cell phone is not exactly like talking to someone in person.
For example, I work in retail. This happens very frequently: somebody comes in and asks for assistance. While you are helping them, their cell phone rings. They answer it, and talk, sometimes for 10 minutes or more. As a salesperson, I am expected to just hang on waiting for them to finish, which I do. Although I would not express this (as I am trying to make a sale), it is very irritating to waste somebody's valuable time like this.
Actually, payphones are disappearing by the boatload. Every payphone at my college is now an empty wall jack. They're not worth maintaining because most people have....wait for it...cell phones.
-B
Three users on a bus have an impact upon up everybody.
The jammer is a cool idea, but unfortunately, it is no safer.
If jammers were only a couple of bucks, I'd turn them on and hide them in Starbucks and under bus seats and such. Under desks in busy work places. --Not that it does much for public health, I just think it is appropriate to raise the stress level of the ignorant. Ignorance isn't always passive in how it endangers you; there are guys like me out there who are annoyed with you for messing up the world and think you should pay in high stress.
A good friend of mine was hit by a car being driven by an idiot on a cell phone. Brain damage, indeed.
-FL
which only makes the mobile and the base station turn up the power level, increasing the health hazard......
Slightly off topic, but...
Actually, studies are showing cell phones are not dangerous.
I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed...
Face it, if I went around banging on a bell or making all sorts of annoying noises demanding attention from someone before I would shut up, in normal society, I would expect my face smashed in to shut me up.
But let a machine do it, and people will not only ignore other people in their presence, they will grant the machine priority. A ringing phone seems to have top priority with most people. I find it extremely annoying to make time to meet with someone, only to be usurped by someone else using the phone.
It shouldn't bother me, but it does.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]