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Driving Away Teens With High Frequency Noise

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the get-off-my-lawn dept.

ars writes "The New York Times is reporting on a device called the Mosquito invented by Howard Stapleton designed to drive teens away by emitting a high frequency noise at 75db. Apparently most older people can not hear the sounds, but teens can not stand it. Reports are that it works quite well, but some older people can hear it too. He found the prefect irritating sound by experimenting on his children."

6 of 1,035 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Yet another way for parents to avoid... by Draveed · · Score: 4, Informative

    What are you talking about? This is just a device to stop teenagers from loitering. No one said anything about parents using this to get rid of their own kids.

    --
    Oh, Edmund, can it be true? that I hold here, in my mortal hand, a nugget of purest green?
  2. Re:Wonderful by Jjeff1 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Problem is, kids AREN'T going around shooting and killing each other, at least not in the US.
    The FBI reports that crime overall has gone down steadily since 1994. The most recent stats show that 2004 had the lowest level of violence in over 3 decades.

    I wish I could find the specific graphs on this, but here's the raw data for each year... and if you take the time to look at it, it also shows that juvenile crime specifically is at it's lowest level in over a decade.

  3. Re:Yet another way for parents to avoid... by FlameboyC11 · · Score: 5, Informative

    The main reason for this is chavs, don't understand it, look it up. These are roving gangs of teens in England that like to fuck with people for no reason at all. Oh, and look up happy slapping while you're at it (honestly).

  4. Far more effective... by DaveAtFraud · · Score: 4, Informative

    Some good classical music with maybe a little John Tesh thrown in for good measure. Just don't make me haul out the "big guns" and start playing some Celine Dion!

    --
    They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty.
    Ben
  5. Re:Right by teaserX · · Score: 4, Informative

    A McDonald's near me runs off the teenagers with a ~60db loop of the 1812 Overture. I love watchin' em try to talk on the cell outside with an index finger jammed in their other ear up to the second knuckle.

    Near Halloween they switch it to Bach's Toccatta and Fuge in D Minor. Really cool for 90 seconds and then you know what Manuel Noriega must have felt like and need to flee.


    --
    We really need your help
    http://www.gofundme.com/help-sherry
  6. Calculate the freq... by yroJJory · · Score: 4, Informative

    You can actually calculate what the audible frequency is of a TV.

    For NTSC in North America:

    • 60 Hz (refresh rate) * 525 (# of lines) / 2 (interleaved, ya know!) = 15,750 Hz (15.75kHz)

    For PAL in the UK:

    • 50 Hz (refresh rate) * 625 (# of lines) / 2 (interleaved, too!) = 15,625 Hz (15.625 kHz)

    And yes, the sound drives me crazy, too. I'm 30 and an audio engineer. And I'm the only one in my household who can hear the damn TVs whining. :-)

    --
    Jory