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Nanotube Paint Blocks Cell Phones on Demand
Kozar_The_Malignant writes "Newsday is reporting on a new nanotube paint that is able to block cell phone signals on demand. The nanotubes are filled with copper, suspended in paint, and can be applied to the walls and ceiling of places such as concert halls, churches, and classrooms."
That's cool, but where do you get the tiny little paintbrushes?
Religion for nerds. Stuff that really matters
Pffft. Who needs nanotubes. I just chuck popcorn at someone yakkin' on the phone during a movie. Half the time, they don't even realize why I'm doing it.
-FL
"Nothing for you to hear here. Please move along."
Thank GOD. But I still think the best option is to just dump a can of this paint on the offenders and then light them on fire.
Much more direct. And you don't have to listen to them yap to the person next to them about how their cell phone isn't working.
NMG
can you hear me now ?
At least in the USA, cell phone jammers are illegal. Because this paint isn't emitting signals to accomplish the same purpose, could it be legal?
So I can pelt the idiots using their cell phones in a movie theater
Can I get a hat made of it?
"Do the Right Thing. It will gratify some people and astound the rest." - Mark Twain
I would want to see warning signs posted at key places in buildings where this paint is used though... And a phone number to which I can forward my cell phone when I'm inside this building as well.
Because..
The very first time I miss an emergency call because of this paint, I will be suing both the building and the company that made the paint. I might even sue the guy who applied the paint on the walls..
Some people RELY on their cell phones' ability to receive calls...
Karma: Bad (but who really cares anyway?)
...as long as the areas where cell phones are blocked are clearly marked as dead areas. It's something that you really need to know if you're on call.
A way to block calls to all thoses assholes with the obnoxious ring tones at the worst times!
This nano technology may indeed be a trillion dollar business like the article claims, but it's going to have to get the blessing of the FCC to be usable here in the US. If not, it'll be relelgated to backrooms of spy shops like all the other cell phone blocking technology already present.
...hello nano-copper hairspray in stylish punk green.
I'm going to paint my phone with it (grin)
"In case you get trapped by fire, go outside to call 911"
The "On Demand" portion seems to be a hack. The paint does block the wireless signals. For you to "turn off" the paint though requires that you capture the wireless signals outside the protected area and then rebroadcast them inside.
Not exactly "On Demand".
Yeah, the calls will be silenced during the show, but when intermission comes, all those pent up calls notify the all the phones of waiting voice mails at one time. As soon as the signal is allowed through a bunch of phones all ring at once and everybody starts talking at once.
In related news, I'm developping a method to turn lead into gold. Anybody want to invest?
Where has all the fear of the grey goo gone? Are nano particles now considered safe for use in consumer products and everything else?
I recall reading that there were/are some serious safety concerns with the effects of nano material on biological systems.
Did I miss some news reports?
I am totally going to paint my bedroom with this stuff.
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
In a cinema there are often hundreds of people. The chance that at least one person out of those hundreds has an 'emergency' during the length of a movie is significant. This means that any time I see a movie I have to endure a significant chance of it being ruined because of someone else's problem. No thanks. If you're worried about emergencies DON'T WATCH MOVIES OR GO TO CONCERTS. It's as simple as that. You can wait for the DVD or buy the CD instead.
"The White House is not an intelligence-gathering agency," -- Scott McClellan, Whitehouse spokesman.
Imagine the lawsuit that results when there's a heart attack at a theater and 911 doesn't get there in time because they tried calling 911 and it didn't work, due to they panic they didn't think about running outside to call. Until it can specifically block only non 911 calls no system will see much use. If all the companies were on a single GSM standard like in Europe it would be much easier to make a device or institute a mandatory system for the cell phone companies where government buildings, airports, and perhaps privately movie theaters can choose to block non 911 calls. til then, good luck
For real people, despite how many of us feel, very few us are so important that we cannot do without a cell phone for a few hours.
From TFA:
> Nanotechnology, the emerging science of harnessing sub-microscopic organisms for everyday uses,
Um, last I checked nanotech had nothing to do with small "organisms".
This is the best thing since cell phones came out! "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly..." Next thing you'll have unblockable cell phones.... "Perhaps she'll die..." They should implement this paint everywhere, like in... Restaurants... so you know when you're date is faking a phone call to get out of the boring conversation about Star Trek and Captain Kirk really being superior to Star Wars and Luke Skywalker. Hospitals... so you can't interfere with the Catscan machine and cause someone to have a stroke. Movie theaters... so I can hear every last over-acted-word come out of Leonardo Dicaprio's mouth. Grocery stores... so I don't have to hear the soccer mom order her husband around remotely. Yes, I love this paint!
"No one will really be free until nerd persecution ends."
Perhaps airplanes could use a little nanotube paint as well?
"Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised."
-Marilyn Manson
There may be some serious health risks associated with nanotubes and other small particles. Hopefully the companies involved do thorough health risk assessments before putting it up everywhere.
I don't think copper by itself is carcinogenic, but what about nanotubes? What happens when you need to sand down the wall?
Quid festinatio swallonis est aetherfuga inonusti?
Africus aut Europaeus?
And I should pay any attention to the rest of the article because ...?
For what it's worth, the article also claims that the:
paint relies on the wizardry of nanotechnology to create a system that locks out unwanted cell phone signals on demand
This would be remarkable and is not true. Actually (from later on in the article), the company will:
combine this signal-blocking paint scheme with a radio-filtering device that collects phone signals from outside a shielded space, allowing certain transmissions to proceed
Which still sounds useful, but is a lot less exciting.
people went out, doctors went out, parents went out, and we did ok.
last Sunday in church (spare me the religion debate) a cell phone rang while the priest was consecrating the host. Jesus was pissed.
if people could be trusted to turn them to vibrate this sort of thing wouldn't even be on the drawing board. but people suck.
You know, i'd have much fewer people pointing at my shiny hat.
just trying to keep the Liberal Media out!
do() || do_not();
As to people who need their cell phones (parents with children, brain sugeons, etc.), use a system like you have at restaurants that use the wireless pagers. They would be tuned to work inside the building; someone dials a number or goes online, sends a message to the theatre, church, whatever, and it's relayed.
GetOuttaMySpace - The Anti-Social Network
Wouldn't this allow kidnappers or anyone else for that matter to block cell phone signals maliciously, or unintentionally in the case of an emergency?
It's not wasting time, I'm educating myself.
And you can't prove in court that it is. You're expecting POTS like performance and NO ONE will back you that cells can do that. Cell is intermitant, and if you're relying on it knowing you may have to respond to an emergency, then it's your own fault for any damages that are inccured, period. You might get a stupid jury and judge find for you, but if the defense has competant lawyers, you won't win. Even if they don't put up signs warning you.
What we really need is people with common sense/courtesy. Don't have an obnoxious ringtone. Don't talk on the phone in a movie theatre, etc.
My situation: I've got to wear a hospital pager 24/7. New movie theatre with signal-jamming capability? I can't go. Sure, I've got sense enough to keep it on vibrate, but i'm the minority. We have to resort to actually crippling the devices to keep people from being idiots.
Han shot first.
I want some of this so bad. The possibilities are endless. Imagine getting an annoying persons cell phone and painting the inside of the case. Blissful silence.
Click Click Bloody Click PANCAKES!
New webcomic updated on Sundays: HERE
All of this sounds very nice, but will these nanofibers become in a decade or two the next asbestos? Before one puts these nanotubes out in the open and in large amounts there should be studies about this.
Ooooh yea, if the GP is "so valuable" than what is he doing in a movie theater anyway? He should be sleeping in the emergency waiting room, eating at the cafeteria, and taking showers in the changing room.
Really, if you have to treat your cell phone like a shot of insulin or a pacemaker, then don't go to the theater. If you do, you are the cause your own problems.
And before you go on whining about how you deserve the same pasttimes as other people, remember you made the choice to live a lifestyle that depends on cell phones. Oh sure, someone's gotta do it, but then they gotta make the sacrifices too.
No sympathy for you GP. If you sue I hope the court slaps you silly.
But what happens when there's a disaster (earthquake, hurricane, explosion, etc) and people get trapped in said facility? Or there's an emergency, like someone breaking their arm or having a heartattack?
How do you call for help? How do you let people know you're in there?
Blocking a means of emergency communications should be illegal. Especially with something that can't be turned off.
Sure, cell phones are a disturbance and a distraction, but they're not a danger to society or anything close to being an epidemic.
...spike
Ewwwwww, coconut...
This is a public service announcement from the office of *insert lawyer's name here*.
*******Do you rely on your cellphone in order to receive calls? You should then consider suing cell phone companies for not existing in the past. You potentially missed hundreds of emergency calls, and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in business opportunities because cell phone companies did not exist to provide you the means to receive them! That's where the office of *insert lawyer's name here* can help! Call 555-8282. Once again, 555-8282.********
{/Tongue in cheek}
You do prove a valid point. Warning signs will be required, because as annoying as people find them in some situations, cellular telephones have become for many people a necessary part of life. As a college student, I actually have no other line aside from my cellular phone.
The cynic in me envisions a trial lawyer engaging the survivors of people killed in a theater fire, cell phone in hand...
Lurking at the bottom of the gravity well, getting old
"Imagine the lawsuit that results when there's a heart attack at a theater and 911 doesn't get there in time because they tried calling 911 and it didn't work, due to they panic they didn't think about running outside to call."
I can imagine the lawsuit now.
"Person dies because other person is very very stupid"
In all seriousness, do you genuinely believe this would EVER happen?
Of course not, you're just another naysayer with no real objection, so you have to make up an idiotic one.
How pathetic are you that you follow me from topic to topic and waste all your mod points at once modding me down?
The company's press release says that they licensed a patent for technology to provide an RF signal inside the RF blocked area, allowing them to choose who gets calls and who doesn't, or.....to charge people more for placing calls inside an area.
Now that sounds like a money maker. "IF you would like to make a call from inside the MCI arena, please call 555-5555 to activate your phone for just $5.99."
But, I would love to see if this stuff really works. The company doesn't appear to say why tubes of aluminum silicates with added copper would be better than other materials for blocking RF. I wonder what is going on?
That's cool, but where do you get the tiny little paintbrushes?
:)
Here.
Just to prove that science is stranger than fiction
(Mod this interesting, if you want)
Oh yeah? Well, what happens when TERRORISTS take over a concert hall or movie theater and nobody can call for help?? If you support nanotechnology, the terrorists have already won. Why do you hate America, physicists?!
My Wife and I were in the theatre and I had my cell on vibrate. Due to its position in my pocket, I was unable to feel my cell phone ring. Thanks to not having a cell, so to speak, when my son cut his hand bad enough to warrant an emergency room visit, my inlaws had to call the theatre and they had to send an usher in to yell out our names. Surely even a cell phone ring would have been less disruptive then that. I know there was a ton of whispering as people were wondering what could have happened.
without a backup. As mentioned by lots of other respondents, RF reception can be affected by any number of external factors, and you'd never know unless you continuously checked your phone's received signal strength indication. Does your phone alert you when it goes into "no service"? No? Better sue the phone maker for putting you at risk of being without a lifeline... or else read your service contract, and the phone's manual, carefully. If you need 100% communication reliability with someone, better stay within arm's reach. Nothing else is totally reliable.
Less is more.
I'm going to paint her phone with it.
ed note: it sounds like he died, he didn't. He was just really afraid of going to a hospital and dying. I just worded it awkwardly and haven't had enough coffee today.
Bury me in mashed potatoes.
If it can block cellphone calls, it will certainly block the rays from the orbiting mind-control satellites. The movie would start, this blocking system would be activated, and the whole audience would riot when the MPAA ad with the starving carpenter berating the audience for stealing movies when they just paid full admission was run.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
It would appear that they are trying to elimate annoying ringing, but how many cell phones make a noise when reception is lost ? Mine makes a periodic beeping sound, so are we just trading ringing for beeping ?
Because of cell phones, 24/7 reachability has become the rule, rather than the exception. This has extended to the business world, where many employees are virtually on call 24/7. In some cases, this is minor, but in others, it can be critical. Emergency responders such as doctors and nurses, senior IT folks (such as myself, when I'm on call), and others keep their cells on them and can still have something of a life rather than stay at home and wait for the home.
Being denied the ability to do this would be suck. For me, not so much, my on-call is limited. For others, it'd be impossible.
What would be cool is if you could either give your cell phone to a greeter or usher, or forward your calls to a call center number. Then, they would either take your name and table (if a restaurant), or give you a tiny vibrating pager (if a theater) that you can be notified of a call.
What's the big deal here? The paint is conductive. The conductivity cannot be switched on and off, but by reading between the lines of TFA, they have an antenna inside the faraday cage which can selectively provide connectivity to the outside world. You can do the same thing with copper mesh (and I have, to make ultra-quiet recordings of microvolt biological signals) to create an entire room that is a faraday cage.
The only thing newsworthy is that this paint contains nanotechnology. Sure, that's nice. But the summary and title are misleading: The paint blocks, always. The additional antenna blocks on demand, and there's nothing special there.
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
This seems a huge risk for people waiting on a new heart/liver/etc. What happens when they don't get that call?
They die.
So they're making paintable faraday cages?
Someone's been watching a little too much Star Trek...
Now if they could come up with a nanopaint that would cause the cell phone's backlight to not turn on...
(From someone who's been to too many movies lately where some lus3r decided they wanted to check their text messages or play brickout or whatever during the movie.)
Don't underestimate the power of The Source
Given that most people are talking about beating up people who use the phone in a concert / film theatre / class room where you don't need technology any more sophisticated than a loud voice and the ability to shout "Oi. Idiot. Turn the bloody thing off will you?" I just want to say that this will be a massive boon for the Emergency Services. Currently there are places (film theatres libraries and train carriages spring to mind) where the owners try to block all of the signal to stop people from talking. I'm okay about this as their choice as owners but it becomes a problem when there is an emergency and you need the Fire / Ambulance Service to get in and use their communication systems. At least now it is at a touch of a switch to turn it off an on again.
I also want to say that the brain surgeon justification is very contrived and Mr. Farren should be ashamed to have used it. If you absolutely have to be contactable for the next two hours then ensure that the restaurant / cinema / train carriage / brothel has signal before you enter.
Rustolium has a product that is magnetic paint that has the same effect.
I painted my daughter's room with it and it dropped the Cellphone signal in the room to barely useable. if I painted the door and replaced the screens with aluminum I am sure it would block almost all the signal.
Why wait for this high tech stuff t hat will cost hundreds of dollars when you can use a product that exists now. Heck copper bearing paint that is electrically conductive has also been around for years that does this job as well.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
There are some reports that fullerenes, the carbon
nano-particles, have dangerous health risks.
So, people who spend their life researching this for
labs are very motivated to produce a product from it
so their life's work brings them wealth, and are not
exactly incentivized to consider possible health risks.
They are already putting nanoparticles into clothing
and paint and other uses.
I hope we do not have millions of people getting cancer
so that some people can get rich from buckeyballs.
Why not just pay them off for doing research which is
positive?
There is nothing illegal about passive material or even designing a building that will block cell phone signals as long as they don't produce any signals on their own. Where the FCC would come into play is if these fibers were somehow transmitting an active jamming signal. I'm sure that the FCC's main concern is that active jamming might jam more than just its intended target. I can't say that I disagree with that concern.
:)
Someone else mentioned a Faraday cage, which might be great to implement with new buildings but would probably be unrealistic for existing buildings, depending on the nature of the business/organization.
For theatres and auditoriums, this is an excellent alternative, particularly since a lot of theatres and auditoriums could probably use a new coat of paint anyway.
The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.
More and more information is coming to light that materials that are normally harmless can be extremely hazardous when distributed on a nanoparticle scale. Quoting from a recent Washington Post article:
So when all this nifty paint starts flaking off and nanoparticles of copper start setting up shop in your organs, are we going to have to go through something like the whole asbestos abatement process again? Don't get me wrong, I'm as excited about the potential of nanoparticles and nanotech in general, but it seems we should be figuring out how to control this before we start figuring out how to use it.
Isn't cell technology "line of sight"? What happens if I am standing outside of the building that is using the cell blocking paint and the cell tower is on the other side of the building?
"Times may change, but standards must remain the same." - George Carlin.
Is it cheap enough to paint on cars? How about directly onto cell phones?
Register the editry.
"...nanotechnology, the emerging science of harnessing sub-microscopic organisms..."
What?!
Where the fuck did you get _that_ definition?
Too bad using this to block cell signals would be against the law. FCC mandates say that you can't purposefully interfere with those signals.
or else!
What's to prevent people from using the paint without making it known? You walk into a building and suddenly your phone stops working.
What they really want to do is force the phones to be silent, not non-functional. (A little radio beacon to tell phones to go into silent mode.)
On a brighter note, this probably renders RFID tags useless too. Dip it in the paint, and presto-chango no more RF.
I don't know about the U.S, but here in Brazil we have quite a problem about drug dealers getting cell phones and commanding their gangs from within their cells. If this paint does work on prisons and is cheap, it could avoid many crimes.
This looks to me to be another hyped up nano-invention. A building with metal walls will do just as good a job (if not better) shielding RF than using a paint that has copper in it.
Ceci n'est pas une sig.
This article seems to almost point towards the earlier article about cell phones on airplanes. Could this be a possible solution for the cabin of aircrafts?
I will forever be a student.
How do you spell "lightning rod"?
Could this be a way to block RFID signals? Wear clothes or a sticker made of this stuff over an embedded tag and people only see the signal when you press a button.
Why is it that when you believe something it's an opinion, but when I believe something it's a manifesto?
What would be really awful is if you had an emergency and couldn't make a call because you were inside.
Or even worse, someday you might want signals to travel in and out of a building for something like Wimax. What do you do, scrape the walls of an entire movie theatre?
What are the effects of exposure to this paint as dust? Eventually that stuff will come off the walls. I can't imagine breathing copper would be good for you. Would the particles be small enough to get into the bloodstream?
I'm all for cell phone blocking technology, but perhaps a little more research is in order on what happens in the long term.
Now we can use our cell phones on planes without interfering with the plane's instruments!
Now I can just paint my body with this to avoid the mind control rays!
The society for a thought-free internet welcomes you.
Well, what passes as an emergency to your company probably doesn't pass as an emergency to the rest of us, not worth disrupting the (increasingly expensive) movie experience for 100 people.
At the same time, my phone is always on vibrate in a theatre, or other such occasion, and i mute it before it vibrates to much/or stop the call completely, walk outside and deal with the situation. As the gp mentioned, I would gladly forward calls to a provided emergency number, even if i had to walk over to some employee, set it up, and tell them where i am seating.
Unfortunately, most people aren't as courteous as you. I don't think anyone's suggesting that what you're describing *not* be an alternative - I think the theater would be quite willing to help you in exchange for not allowing you cell service.
I'm willing to compromise, but you people saying that this isnt true and should never happen, or that the people in my position or that of Doctors and such shouldnt have a life need to get over yourselves.
No, the people who think they're more important than the other 100 people in the theater need to get over themselves. No one's saying Doctors shouldn't have lives, but in every case, there's a workaround that doesn't involve getting calls in the theater. Anyway, the majority of calls in theaters aren't to doctors, and most aren't emergencies.
As you say, the compromise of giving your theater number to the friendly counter jockey should be quite acceptable to all.
If the system is selectively blocking calls, then I assume when power is lost it shuts off the system.
Other than that, I can't think of an non-criminal emergency (heart attack as opposed to attempted murder) that would be in significantly worse shape in the 25 seconds that it takes to find an emergency exit.
Really, they're going to harvest nanotubes from clay? If they're so bloody ubiquitous in clay, why are labs spending millions to figure out how to manufacture them?
And where the hell are they gonna find a funnel small enought to get the copper in?
Seriously though, this article was obviously written by someone who has no tech sense whatsoever.
From the article: Now, since when does a carbon based nanotube qualify as a "sub-microscopic organism"? They better be careful, they'll have PETA after them for using living organisms in paint...
It's pretty amusing, the way the prediction from the National Science Foundation was worked in there, almost like a direct endorsement.
Can you say "Scam"?
FTFA
"nanotechnology, the emerging science of harnessing sub-microscopic organisms"
Uh. No.
Rather I see this more used in areas of high security where you don't want anyone to communicate with the outside. The CIA built this into their new headquarters in Virginia but that had to be incorporated in to the design of the building. This is probably easier to implement and used for other locations where you can't redesign the whole building like a CIA field office.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
...nanotechnology, the emerging science of harnessing sub-microscopic organisms (no, long chains of molecules in interesting shapes) for everyday uses...
;)
At this size, which is near (at) the molecular scale, materials have different physical properties than they normally do (than they do at the macroscopic scale)
By filling these tubes with nano-particles (molecules) of copper, the company can create a medium to suspend the signal-blocking (conductive) metal...
From my understanding here, basically they've found a way to create an instant Faraday cage. Since this is just shielding that absorbs radio signals, it isn't illegal, or even within the scope of the FCC to regulate. (AFAIK they don't regulate aluminum-foil hats either) However, depending on the alignment of the nanotubes in the paint (I would assume they're randomly aligned, but maybe not), perhaps it could turn a whole wall into an antenna if you just hook your phone/etc up to the wall
-=[You cannot consistently judge this statement to be true.]=-
Once you get the paint on the wall and activate it, all it will need is a locked door and a fire.
.adios/losers ~snake
The manufacture, importation, sale or offer for sale, including advertising, of devices designed to block or jam wireless transmissions is prohibited. 47 U.S.C. Section 302a(b). Parties in violation of these provisions may be subject to the penalties set out in 47 U.S.C. Sections 501-510. Fines for a first offense can range as high as $11,000 for each violation or imprisonment for up to one year, and the device used may also be seized and forfeited to the U.S. government.
Block cell phone, can also ban an emergency call? So how can we call for help, if someone has hearth attack in the class room or concert hall?
Most people just forget to turn their phones off in theaters, they aren't being malicious. This would serve as a reminder or, better yet, just silence the phone for them.
"nanotube paints black cell phones on demand."
Probably a few years too soon for that.
This should never be used. Too many events have happened in the past were cell phones saved lives/could have saved lives. What are we going to tell the parents when their child gets killed by another student when someone could have opened their cell phone and called 911 to save his/her life.
http://chickencamels.poemofquotes.com/
It is illegal not to have adequate unbarred emergency exit doors in any public facility, like a theater.
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.-TJ
There's really nothing nano-dependent in this idea.
Cell phones around here use the 800MHz part of the spectrum. Around that range, radio waves are about 1 foot long. To stop those waves from penetrating you need something on the order of mosquito-screening.
You don't need nano-particles.
The only reason nano-tech is in this fine article is the clay quarry this guy owns happens to have clay particles that small.
Sign, Yet another ridiculous nano-article.
optimus2861 is correct, but to clarify this, if you're alone with an unresponsive adult, haul ass to call 911, then come back to do what you can for him (rescue breathing, CPR, defib with AED).
Ref: 2005 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care - Part 4: Adult Basic Life Support - Section: Adult BLS Sequence
Just won't be able to to the theatre any more!
This is very cool but how much is it gonna cost? Correct me if I'm wrong but right now nanotubes are so expensive they can't use 'em to store hydrogen for your hydrogen-powered car. So you're gonna put 'em in paint? This is like the caviar omlette on crack.
Yet another solution in need of a problem. Management already ejects people who are causing a disturbance (cell phone or no). Why would you want to spend untold millions of dollars on this ridiculous paint when you can pay some poor shlub minimum wage to say "Sir, you're going to have to put your pants on and leave"? You're STILL going to have to have someone doing this when the problem is NOT a cell phone, so it's not as if you're saving any money on manpower.
>the 20 seconds save on the phone wont matter in the 20 minutes it will take to get there.
Actually it can. I managed self-insurance programs for school districts. We had an adverse jury verdict that hinged on just that issue. Fifteen seconds cost us $500,000.00. I don't agree with the decision, but juries decide questions of fact, which are almost never appealable.
Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
What do you do if you go into a parking garage that goes below ground where there is usually no cell phone service once you go below a certain level?. You'll sue the company that built the parking garage, the company that manages the parking garage, the company that manages the building the parking garage is in and so forth? It's unrealistic to expect that a cell phone will always work everywhere you go.
I have another idea. Maybe they should try putting lead in the paint.
Reality check: my wife has her own medical practice, and she's the sole practitioner. Therefore, she is on call 24/7. Always. Year-round. The logical conclusion of your idiotic argument, then, is that she should never be allowed to leave the house.
I suspect her opinion will differ from yours.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
The only thing newsworthy is that this paint contains nanotechnology. Sure, that's nice.
And it's not even the original/interesting type of nanotechnology. It's the "me too" big-stuff-made-out-of-randomly-placed-bit-of-small -stuff type of nanotechnology, just like cupcakes and floor wax and a billion other things.
--MarkusQ
I would also pay extra for able to selectivly block out the crying babies and kids that can't seem to chew with their mouth closed.
Two articles on the front page. These guys have developed a paint that will stop cell phone signals. And the airlines are worried cell phones will eventually crash planes. Shield the cockpits using this paint? Slashdot saves lives.
"What is the answer?" (Silence) "In that case, what is the question?" --Gertrude Stein
this is not here
This
As a woodworker I am aware of the respiratory issues with small particles. Any time I see "X times smaller than a human hair" I think lung damage.
When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.
The reason why active cellphone jammers are highly illegal is that if the installer doesn't configure the jammer properly, the result is that the nearest cellphone tower might not work properly due to interference from the jammer's spurious signal, which can use a dead spot for cellphone coverage.
Passive blocking, on the other hand, is probably legal because you install things like nanotechnology painted walls and/or walls with wire mesh to control where can receive and transmit cellphone/pager signals. I do, however, want strongly-worded warnings posted about going into any area that has passive blocking of such signals, which will prevent people who need to be on call all the time with their cellphones from accidently going into such an area.
I see two primary applications for this. 1. Paint your car so you can't use your damned cellphone while driving, and 2. in hospitals, coating the walls because cell phones tend to disrupt very sensitive equipment. You going to sue for something someone put on their walls because they don't want your incoming transmissions to interfere with whatever session/class/movie/business meeting/secret meeting/etc.? See, this is the problem with half of the USA, You people will litigate at damned near anything. FOR FUCK'S SAKE IT'S GOD- DAMNED PAINT!
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
As for how they age it would be cool if the oxidized copper look comes through ..
I'm thinking asbestos and other small particulates don't corrode like copper. Breathing the copper dust might not be too harmful and is supposed to be in your blood unlike tasty lead.
I thought that nanotubes where already conductive?
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
So this is what? Some sort of architectural Tinfoil hat? I can absolutely understand all the wonderful positives of something like this, but what about emergency or important calls (read: life/death situations, or kids trying to contact their parents for a good reason)? Maybe they should alter it somewhat to filter mundane calls from important ones, rather than ONLY allowing or blocking all calls.
how is babby formed?
Maybe we'll start seeing it used on automobiles.
Interesting idea, for the idiots that just don't get it the first time their phone rings, but you better be able to guarantee you can shut off the power blocking the signals. If there's an emergency, you don't want everyone running to the only phone in the building. It's just common courtesy for people to shut off their phones on their own before walking into places where it's not allowed. We don't need a babysitter telling us, "we shut off your phone for you, thank you." Just post a guard at the entrances to grab those morons who left their phones on. They'll learn.
=*^.^*=
How much would it cost me to paint every cell phone tower in the world?
Creative misinterpretation is your friend.
...to splash on those annoying people at movie theaters, restaurants...
Will it work, too?
and much more to the point getting ordinary spray paint and paint the offending phone. Guaranteed to interrupt that conversation!
All this talk about jamming or blocking cell phones makes no sense. It clearly infringes on people who may have a legitimate need, to pander to people who simply forget to adjust their ring volume or vibration intensity.
So, why not just make an open standard, that all cell phones could abide by, where the user could optionally enable a mode to allow the phone's ring volume to be overridden. A theatre could broadcast a signal that would say "zero volume ringer, any vibration allowed". A more serious venue might limit both the ringer and the vibration. A restaurant might allow a single ring. Etc...
The key is that it would be optional, but on by default with new phones. And it wouldn't interfere with your regular ring settings, but just temporarily override them.
time to throw around the same old tired arguments..
* this is illegal, i have a right to use my cell phone where ever i want
* people that use cell phones in movie theatres should die
* i'm a doctor and i like to go to movies when i'm on call
* i have kids, what if something happens to them and they can't reach me
anyone got more to add?
MY CELLPHONE MIGHT NOT WORK SOMEWHERE!
Must find reason why this is unacceptable.
Tough Luck!
Guess what: No need for big signs, alternate numbers, passing out pagers, etc.
Every cellphone has a "Service Indicator". When it's out of touch - it knows.
Your phone knows, it can be trivially set to signal to you when it looses contact so you know.
Therefore, if you're really on such a short leash you can't be out of touch for 90 minutes or whatever, then it is your responsibility to see to it your cellphone is receiving a signal.
Not a theater's.
Not a restaurant's.
Not your service provider's
YOUR'S
So no tunnels fo you, no going deep inside big buildings, shadows of hills, large cellphone-calling crowds, or places with faraday cages.
And, and before we hear for the 10,000th time some asinine variation of "Doctors must be in touch":
Finally, if it is so absolutely vital that YOU be instantly reachable at all times then those around you, whomever it is depending on you, had really reconsider the position they're putting you, and themselves, in. If the proverbial bus hits you tomorrow are they really that screwed?
If so, who allowed this situation to develop? If this is business then that person needs to be fired, now. If it's social, then this really isn't healthy. Parenting: If you can't be out of touch then what kind of child/childcare is happening?
Finally, on behalf of all of us with enough sense to turn off our cellphones, go out for a dinner without interrupting the person we're with for folks we're not with, having confidence in the good sense of the person we've left our child with, the rationiality to arrange to have 90 minutes 'off-hook' so we can enjoy the show: We'll be happy to tell you how it was.
Leave a message and we'll call you back, when convenient.
I don't read ACs: If a post isn't worth so much as a nom de plume to its author then I wont bother either.
This is a case of people itching to use new technology somewhere, weather it's practical or not.
I liken this application of technology to slapping a coat of paint over a stain on the wall, sooner or later that stain is just going to bleed through.
It would be a much better idea to work with mobile device manufacturers to build in somthing that automaticly switches devices to silent modes when in certain areas.
Someone could argue that having somthing switch their devices automaticly is some type of invasion, but considering the alternative that is the subject of this article, I for one would rather the auto-silencer.
Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
That's the first thing I thought of when I saw this article, too.
All I can say is, thank goodness we have such a clear-headed, responsible government to effectively study, monitor and regulate this stuff.
Are you so focused on your cell phone reception that, in a room literally full of people, you can't just shout, "this guy is having a heart attack!" and let the camera operator or an usher do the calling? How stupid are you, really?
Virg
The short answer is yes, this will be like asbestos.
There are unfortunately many people in the nanotechnology industry who promote products without regard to safety. It pisses me off, because those of us actually trying to help people will be stuck with the stigma of working in an irresponsible industry.
"Tell me when and where you are going to see a movie next. I'd love to express my actual *right* of speech and talk during the entire movie"
I'll bet people exercise their right of free speech and call you an asshole both to your face and your back.
And no doubt they'd be right.
It's too bad your mom didn't use a wirehanger.
"Um, how is this person supposed to be notified of the emergency if his cell phone or pager cannot get a signal?"
We've had movie theaters a lot longer than we've had cell phones & pagers and the solution is the person on call must be in an area that he can receive the page/call.
That may mean in practice that you can't go to the theater when you're on call. But when you're in an airplane, you generally can't receive calls either. And if you go to the middle of a lot of places in the middle of nowhere you can't get a signal. The person on call must stay in an area that receives service.
That may mean in practice that if you are on call, you can't go to the movies, but so what?
You were mistaken. Which is odd, since memory shouldn't be a problem for you
Funny, thats how laws work too.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Everything seems to cause cancer. Why not carbon nanotubes too?
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
I took an ethics class last term, and we went over nanotechnology in a bit of detail--
One of the properties of nanotubes being that they can pass through and open up tears in matter in which they pass through very easily... For instance breath enough in and your lungs'll be shot; get it into your bloodstream and it'll tear your heart up.
Now that's the way I understand it; am I wrong?
"Oh crap! This movie theater/church is on fire and the door is blocked!"
"Don't worry, I'll call 911 on my cell phone... uh oh... it's not working for some reason."
Sort of a long shot I know, and hopefully people outside would still call for help, but I'm sure sooner or later some sort of "good" transmission would also be blocked.
Is inventing a cell-phone blocking paint really easier than people just taking an ounce of effort in the name of common courtesy in public spaces?
Unlike many of you, it almost never goes off.
But if it does and I miss it, all hell breaks loose. I mostly just live my life with a plastic box hanging off my waist poking me in the belly but otherwise not bothering me, because I have pager service pretty much everywhere I go.
If blocking of radio signal in public places becomes common place, my life goes to heck.
The preferred solution is to not have a problem.
Coat passenger trains, buses, movie theaters, pizzerias, nightclubs, maybe subway stations and everywhere else Muslims bomb with this paint. You'll stop that common technique of using cellphone and other wireless signals as bomb triggers. It could be extremely effective at stopping the strategy Islamic terrorists have used where they watch and wait until emergency responders arrive at the scene and then set off a second wave of bombs to cause even greater casualties. This could be significantly cheaper than active jamming which is illegal in the USA too.
We are all thinking it, so I will say it. This isn't neccessary, just stop letting black people into movies. Problem solved.
I think many are missing the biggest loophole here. This would only be truly effective if you were completely surrounded by painted surfaces. In an office? move near a window and hey presto, you get signal.
It means that you can limit access to some locations, and actively shield others, but its hardly a "kill all wifi" solution.
I do have another thought though, I wonder how useful paint like this would be on "stealth" aircraft. Could any RF engineers advise if a pseudo faraday cage such as this would effectively reflect enough energy for a radar to paint a target or not?
And LIBRARIES! And trains and planes and buses! And lobbies and waiting rooms! And museums and conservatories!
And just to get the flaming out of the way in one post: Hell, No, nobody has a "right" to use a cell phone PERIOD! It is a convenience and priviledge bestowed only recently by science. If your phone call is so important that it cannot wait, it's important enough that you need to step outside of the library when I'm reading, the theatre when I'm trying to listen to the show, the rides at the amusement park I'm trying to enjoy, the orgy where I'm trying to get my freak on*, the doctor's office when I'm trying to hear my kid's diagnosis, etc. Anybody who responds to say otherwise has some serious issues with polite society.
The public transportation is debatable. Maybe buses/trains/etc. could have a "no cell phone zone". Restaurants, too. My rule of thumb is, any place and time where it would be rude to have a loud, extended conversation with any other person in the room (such as when you'd be interrupting the person who is speaking, singing, or performing), then it's rude to use a cell phone.
PS No, I'm also not a "technophobe". I actually appreciate cell phones so much, I design wallpaper for them.
* no, I actually saw this happen at some private club, I think it was in Vegas.
Every hotel will be painted with this stuff. Oh look, now you have to use the hideously expensive room phone.
Never mind Spamassassin. When's Spammerassassin coming out?
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn2219
The people who may have a legitimate emergency interrupt them at any random time 24x7 often can take those calls without disrupting others. These people do not need to be punished.
My mother owns a cell phone for one reason only: because my father has heart disease and has already been hospitalized three times this year. Here's the problem: my mother is a drama teacher. Hence, she is in a classroom most of the day, with the remainder of her time spent in auditoriums, theatres, and other kinds of performance venues. She has her cell phone on her at all times (on vibrate) just in case an emergency call comes in from/in regards to my father. Nobody else calls her during the day on her cell; we all know that she's busy teaching and can't take calls!
As has been pointed out in the parent comment, the would paint "punish" my mother for discreet, extremely important use of her cell phone. What about doctors and other professionals who have to be reachable around the clock? Sure, they often use pagers instead of/as well as cell phones, but I have to assume that pager signals would be blocked as well. My aunt's baby ended up being stillborn because the small-town doctor wasn't able to be reached, and in transit to a larger hospital, the baby died in utero. Can you imagine something like this happening because the doctor was conscientious enough to go give a talk about the dangers of STD's at the local high school?
"The problem here is that everyone is being punished equally by this paint."
No, that's completely wrong.
No one is being punished, they are ACCEPTING TERMS OF USE.
Your ridiculous attempt to play the victim sickens me.
How pathetic are you that you follow me from topic to topic and waste all your mod points at once modding me down?
"As has been pointed out in the parent comment, the would paint "punish" my mother for discreet, extremely important use of her cell phone."
All right, I've had it with this idiotic response being parroted repeatedly.
YOUR MOTHER IS NOT BEING PUNISHED. SHE IS CHOOSING TO PLACE HERSELF IN A SITUATION WHERE HER PHONE MAY NOT WORK. SHE HAS THE OPTION OF NOT PLACING HERSELF IN THAT SITUATION.
Your argument, whic has been repeated 50 times easily in this thread, was dumb the first time some moron spewed it out. The fact that many others have refuted the idea makes your rush to use it even worse.
How pathetic are you that you follow me from topic to topic and waste all your mod points at once modding me down?
"If you gave it any thought you would realize that just based on stupid things such as stickers on hair dryers that say to not use around a bath."
I understand perfectly your desire to post AC after making amoronic comment like this.
If you can't tell the difference between the hair dryer situation and this situation, then you'd be better off removing the sticker from the hair dryer and using it incorrectly.
Now, why you post at all is a mystery, seeing as how you openly admit no once gives a shit about your opinion. How so?
"Anonymous Coward"
That's how. How does it feel to be so worthless that EVEN IF you said something useful (which has about as much chance of happening as you getting some ass) that NO ONE would care?
Yeah, if I were you I'd want to end it all too, so why haven't you yet?
How pathetic are you that you follow me from topic to topic and waste all your mod points at once modding me down?
Organic life is a proof-by-example that molecular nanotechnology is possible, so your statement is trivially incorrect (and, curiously, contracts your immediately preceding paragraph). It's generally considered courteous to have some knowledge of a subject before you try to comment on it. I recommend reading Engines of Creation or picking up a copy of Nanosystems at your local bookstore. Thanks.
I'm glad that you have the confidence of your convictions. Unfortunately perhaps you don't have sufficient life experience to justify your perceptions.
In my case, I have four kids. When I am away from home, I need to be reachable ALL the time in case I am needed at home. For example, I can recall being at the office when my wife called distraught that my 9 month old son had just experienced a siezure, and needed urgent medical attention. I also can recall a time when my 2 year old fell off a swing and needed stitches. Being a parent is a 24x7x365 job for 18 or more years.
Should my wife and I refuse to ever have dates during that time period? I think not. I can wear my cell phone, set to vibrate, and ignore calls not from home. Should the institutions I visit demand that they control whether I can be summoned to participate? I think not.
You are entitled to have an enjoyable experience in the theater, uninterrupted by thoughtless and rude people. I will not dispute that, but frankly my cell phone buzzing quietly is no more of, and perhaps less of an interruption than the people who cough, sneeze, or need to leave due to a full bladder.
I think it's perfectly reasonable for me to carry my cell phone and to quietly excuse myself in case of emergency.
Respectfully,
Anomaly
But Herr Heisenberg, how does the electron know when I'm looking?
Ceterum censeo subscriptionem esse delendam.
In fact, my wife *did* call 911 about the siezure, which handles the emergency care for the phyical need of the one child, but does *nothing* to assist in the emotional care for my wife - who needed my support.
In addition, if we follow the logical outcome of the scenario you present, while she is riding in the ambulance with the EMS personnel, who is caring for the needs of the *rest* of my kids?
But Herr Heisenberg, how does the electron know when I'm looking?