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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."
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.
As much as we love to hate cell phone chatters, there are two serious problems with the paint proposal, though.
1) Cost. Copper filled nanotubes? Doesn't sound cheap. I'd expect even a plain paint with a relevant amount of copper in it to be expensive, let alone copper filled nanotubes.
2) Blocking emergency calls. Doctors on call, first responders, etc.
I was watching this thing on TV about some guy named Hitler. Someone should stop him!
2) Blocking emergency calls. Doctors on call, first responders, etc.
In a movie theater? Seriously, society has gotten along just fine before cell phones in the past. If you have an emergency, walk out of the bloody theater and use a land-line from a receptionist or payphone.
Just because there might be a potential problem without a technology doesn't mean that very technology is implicitly granted a *right* to be used.
Life is not for the lazy.
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.
Your problem is that you're trying to apply reason to the issue. This is completely irrelevant when it comes to the law. In many jurisdictions, it's illegal to own a "bullet-proof" vest, because obviously the only reason you would want it is if you're planning to do something illegal.
Don't you see, if it blocks cell phones, then it could also block other transmitting waves, such as bugs or undercover wired polizei. Anybody who wants to try and set up a drug/gun/(insert misc. illicit activity here) deal will say "Let's meet at the Opera House to discuss this." Or better yet, they'll have their own placed painted with it. As you can see, simply because some people might abuse something, it must be verboten for all of us.
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
The problem here is that everyone is being punished equally by this paint. The situation that people are trying to address is people who leave their phones on ring and talk in the middle of a large room of people. The beating seems like a reasonable expression of democracy(mob rule against the person who elected himself a victim) in action. 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. The paint does not differentiate between the two groups.
When my cell phone vibrates during a movie and I look at the number to determine if it should go to voicemail or if I should excuse myself, no one is inconvenienced. Of course, I'm also not leaving in the middle of a movie to talk to someone who wasn't polite enough to inform me ahead of time that they are planning an emergency, so I won't even stand up and bother anyone.
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Sounds hazardous to me - little airborne filaments? Sounds like asbestos. Then again, I've done no digging at all to check, so I may be full of carp.
At any rate, it seems like overkill to a problem that should've been fixed by the GSM standard itself - built into the GSM standard there should've been a mechanism to receive "silcence flags" sent by local transmitters. Church/movie theathre simply needs to have a transmitter in the room. First-responders could have special cellphoness that ignore the "silence flag".
Yeah because seeing a bright blue neon light out of the corner of my eye while in a dimlit room is not annoying in the least bit. I honestly don't think people with cellphones understand how distracting they are to everyone around them.
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.