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UK Commissioner Seeks To Ban Ultrasonic Anti-Teen Device
mikesd81 points out a Times Online article that discusses the legality of the Mosquito sound device, which is used to annoy and drive off younger people with sounds that are too high-pitched for most adults to hear. We discussed how annoying this device can be a couple years ago. From Times Online:
"Sir Albert Aynsley-Green, the Children's Commissioner for England appointed to represent the views of the country's 11 million children, has set up a campaign — called Buzz Off — that is calling for the Mosquito to be banned on grounds that it infringes the rights of young people. 'These devices are indiscriminate and target all children and young people, including babies, regardless of whether they are behaving or misbehaving,' Sir Al told the BBC. 'The use of measures such as these are simply demonizing children and young people, creating a dangerous and widening divide between the young and the old.'"
It lists at 500 pounds. That is over 1000 US dollars. Why is it so expensive? It's just a waveform generator, an amp, and a speaker, right?
If you tried the mosquito samples and simply couldn't hear the last, highest frequency one -- the problem is not your hearing. I opened it with an audio editor to be sure, and the waveform is a flat line. There is NO SOUND in that file.
Circumcision is child abuse.
Use Audacity, a free/open source program. Available for Mac OS X, Windows, and the platform it originated on, Linux. Ask it to generate a 25,000Hz sine-wave tone for 10 seconds. Then take a listen to the results. Can you hear the tone? I can.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
earplugs.
And one thing I did find useful, generating a high-pitched noise above human hearing (I've got a delta-1010lt connected to a PA system, it's oscillator is 50Khz) was to get my neighbors dog's to STFU. I certainly wasn't keen on disturbing the rest of my neighbors by yelling at the dogs at 1,2,3,5,6,7am. Worked a treat - even for the dogs in the next street along - and no-one was the wiser - thus avoiding unnecessary confrontation. It's amazing what can be done with a few heavy duty tweeters, an amp, and a distorting high-frequency signal source (ardour and ladspa in this case).
Beside I know heeps of kids that have high frequency ring tones so that their teachers cannot hear their mobiles ringing in class, cheeky little brats. Might be agood idea under some circumstances IF used with restraint and wisdom - not just to be obnoxious. I only used enough high frequency noise on the dogs so they would learn to keep quiet.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
I have no objection to kids playing anywhere they like.
But how do you justify the broken windows and the chronic litter?
I live in a neighborhood with similar issues, and I'll be DAMNED if I will try to understand what is happening from their side. There is NO acceptable reason for trashing a bus shelter or a DLR shelter. There is NO good reason to dump rubbish bins in the street. There is NO acceptable reason for urinating on the stairs to the train platforms.
When they decide to become part of society, I'll treat them like they deserve to be. While they're playing at Lord of the Flies, I'll treat them like the animals they are.
Furthermore, in support of your argument, the UK news is consistently riddled with stories where adults who have approached such groups have been kicked to shit, or more recently to death.
No one has a problem with constructive activities or even people hanging out, but that's not what they do anymore, because people don't stop them, give an inch and they take a mile. Smashed cars, smashed windows, stabbings, gang wars, old women/men being battered to death, the list goes on.
Biomech
Except that kids aren't the only one who can hear those things. I'm 30 and I can still hear outside the "adult range". You had better believe I will be avoiding spending my income at any store that annoys me.
On a more amusing note here in Montreal they use classical music for the same purpose. Stores that don't want kids around will play it outside their shops. Pissed me off the first time heard something good and went inside to get a better listen only to discover that inside they were playing some crap radio station.
As a parent of a 16 year old I can tell you what is wrong.
1 - parents of other kids are morons. They dont teach them right from wrong or any respect for themselves or others.
2 - right now out of control is "cool" the more out of control the "cooler" you are. Destruction of someone elses things, theft and shoplifting are considered the coolest of them all.
3 - Kids teach other kids destructive things. No kid would pick up a cigarette and start smoking if it was not for their idiot friends forcing it on them. No kid would cut themselves if it was not for their idiot friends guilting them into it or convincing them to do it. Same for the good kids getting into destruction and mayhem. It's the other stupid brats sucking the kids into it.
I solved a vandalisim problem on my property, when the cops arrived and had the kids in hand, I talked with the cop and then with the kids. I said, "I have a pump shotgun. I talked to the officer on this and he said I am legally allowed to do this. Next time I hear noises in my garage or home, I will not stop and tell you to leave, I will fire a couple of rounds into your chest. you will probably die a very slow and painful death." the officer backed me up telling them that they were home invading and I have the right to kill them. The kids shit themselves right there. One started crying. I have had no problems for 2 years now.
My global solution? return of corporal punishment. Kids and Young adults today know there are no repercussions to their actions. what's the worst that will happen? Mom or Dad will have to pay for me smashing out all the windows on that car? who cares, all I'll get is grounded from the TV for 3 months and I'll sneak out at night anyways.
Beat the brats ass and they will not only get the point but realize there is something bad that will happen to them if they do it. Also cince most parents wont do it, the state gets to do it. Help support caning of the 12-18 age group, because the worthless parents refuse to punish the kids for doing something wrong.
You're absolutely right about mothers with babies. Imagine trying and trying to quieten a crying baby, all the time unaware that it's being targetted by a device you don't know is there.
Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
I think the problem ultimately lies in society itself, as the rich/poor divide gets wider kids on the lower end have less and less hope. While hope cant be forced on people, something has to be done about hope! Attacking them with devices like this and stop and search just reinforces the divide. The lib-dem candidate for london mayor said "we need effective policing" (he was a police oficer for 31 years so waether or not hed be a good mayor he does know exactly what hes talking about (btw he was policing the brixton riots in 81)) not blanket police suppression, thats failed in the past and is going to fail now too.
btw im 20 and live in hoxton london, which isnt a 'safe' area but these things couldnt be further from the solution.
IranAir Flight 655 never forget!
Hardly. When I was growing up, these kinds of people wigging out and shooting up places was VERY rare. I was very young when the sniper at U of TX happened....that was HUGE news. I think there was someone that drove a car into a Luby's cafeteria, and started killing some people, but, those types of incidents were few and far between.
When I was in school...and there was a fight, 99.9% of the time everyone survived because only fists were used...on the RARE occasion, there was a knife pulled, at least in my experience. You rarely heard of a weapon being brought to school, much less being used. And it isn't like we had less guns or access to guns back then.
This situation of mass school shootings...is a very recent trend. Something has changed. Where I grew up, you didn't have gangs running all around. YOu didn't have to worry about teens carrying guns around, and not being afraid to use them.
No, I'm not looking at my youth through rose colored 20/20 glasses. We had our problems, but, the extreme violence you are seeing throughout the country, was not around back then. You pretty much only heard about gangs and the like in large cities like NY or LA...but, rarely other places in the country.
And we had just as many poor people back then....
No, something has changed. Somewhere along the line....the basic belief in the value of a human life has been somehow lost.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Because, of course, indiscriminately harassing an entire population for the actions of a few members is an appropriate response.
The logical response by these rebellious youth, then, should be treat all older people the exact same as those who treat them shittily. After all, why should they be bothered to actually address the pain-in-the-ass old people when they could just urinate on their steps of all the old people?
Yes, class warfare, that's how we can solve these problems.