Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

British Pizza Chain To Install Cones of Silence

Posted by samzenpus on from the sound-of-silence dept.

itwbennett writes "British pizza chain Pizza Express is installing iPod docks and soundproof domes in booths of their new iPizzeria stores. 'The idea is that you can plug in your iPod and play whatever music you like without disturbing other diners,' says blogger Peter Smith. 'But I'm sure it'd work for talking about government secrets and other spy stuff, too.'"

22 of 122 comments (clear)

  1. Can you rent these boots during day? by santax · · Score: 4, Funny

    *looks at wife*

  2. Why? by drhank1980 · · Score: 3, Funny

    If you really care about what music you listen too while you eat your pizza, why wouldn't you just take it back to your place and eat it there?

  3. Why a dock? by eepok · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why limit the benefit to customer with iphones and ipods? Why not a 3.5mm and 2.5mm jack (much cheaper to install and replace) so that anyone with any MP3 player or cell phone media player can hook up?

    1. Re:Why a dock? by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 4, Funny

      Exactly.
      Why a chickens?
      Why a horses?

      --
      No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
    2. Re:Why a dock? by DigiShaman · · Score: 2, Funny

      Because then it would no longer be hip now would it? Now, do you want your frappuccino now or after your meal while you read poetry from your iPad?

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    3. Re:Why a dock? by AnonymousClown · · Score: 2, Informative

      Why limit the benefit to customer with iphones and ipods? Why not a 3.5mm and 2.5mm jack (much cheaper to install and replace) so that anyone with any MP3 player or cell phone media player can hook up?

      Oh God! And allow the riff-raff to come in?!? They obviously don't want those kid of people in there.

      If you can't afford an Apple product, you can't afford to eat there. Nor do they want the folks who like to pretend to be riff-raff with their MP3 players and other non-Apple products.

      --
      RIP America

      July 4, 1776 - September 11, 2001

    4. Re:Why a dock? by DittoBox · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Try teaching people to turn the amp down when you plug in the device. Pops and clicks can get pretty loud when you insert a TRS connector.

      I wish you luck in your endeavors!

      (PS: I think you're right, but there are some issues involved here that need some extra engineering.)

      --
      Good. Cheap. Fast. Pick Two.
    5. Re:Why a dock? by Gordonjcp · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Here's a novel idea. I haven't seen anyone do this and it's probably patentable - except by posting here I have prior art ;-)

      I built a guitar fuzzbox. Plugging in a lead made all kinds of pops and crackles, so I modified the circuit so that when the plug was out it fed a small bias voltage to the amplifier stage. holding it muted. When you plug in a jack lead it disconnests the bias using the same contact you'd use to disconnect a loudspeaker on a headphone jack. The bias voltage slowly leaks away over about 250ms allowing the DC conditions in the preamp to settle, driving it out of cutoff and passing audio normally (well, except for the intentional distortion).

  4. What? by JustOK · · Score: 5, Funny

    What?

    --
    rewriting history since 2109
    1. Re:What? by Ol+Biscuitbarrel · · Score: 2, Funny

      I can't hear what you're saying, Chief.

  5. Re:Oh please. by Chris+Tucker · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "WHOOOOOOOOOOSH!"

    The sound of the joke flying SO FAR OVER YOUR HEAD, The Space Station is in danger of being hit.

    --
    Guaranteed! This comment 100% Anthrax free!
  6. Re:Wizard by God'sDuck · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Cones of silence in pizza restaurants isn't news for nerds nor stuff that matters. WTF?

    1. Mainstream parabolic sound wave manipulation
    2. Handheld computation engine orchestras
    3. Cheese
    4. Pepperoni
    5. Sausage

    How is every word on that list not newsworthy stuff that matters????

  7. Re:Why would somebody eat pizza at a pizzaria? by iYk6 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This may be hard for some Slashdotters to understand, but some people spend hours at a time outside of their basement. When they are away from home and haven't eaten, they might buy some pizza at a pizzeria and eat it there, even if they don't like the noise. They probably wouldn't even consider bringing it home. Unless they are intending to head home immediately anyway, it is quicker, more convenient, and saves gas to eat at the pizza place.

    No offense, but I find it hilarious that anybody would ask why somebody would eat their pizza in a pizzeria.

  8. Re:Apple specific? by AndrewNeo · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Oh, please. They're already called "iPizzeria".

  9. More than Music by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'd be happy to see this just to limit exposure to people who do not have an "inside voice".

  10. If there only was ... by GNUALMAFUERTE · · Score: 2, Insightful

    A device that allowed you to listen to music without disturbing others. Some kind of very small speakers that you can put very close to your eardrums. Oh well, we'll have to do with freaking cones of silence.

    --
    WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
    1. Re:If there only was ... by DIplomatic · · Score: 2, Funny

      A device that allowed you to listen to music without disturbing others. Some kind of very small speakers that you can put very close to your eardrums. Oh well, we'll have to do with freaking cones of silence.

      The old micro-sized-speakers-in-close-proximity-to-the-eardrums ploy. That's the third time I've fallen for that this month!

    2. Re:If there only was ... by DrgnDancer · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You know, sometimes people like to eat and talk with *gasp* other people while they listen to music that doesn't happen to be whatever the restaurant is piping in. Not to say that this idea doesn't have holes; I agree with several people that say it should use 3.5mm connectors so that it's not limited to iDevices (I use an iPhone, but really, why limit yourself to such a small subset of people when it would be trivial to expand the idea). Your objection just doesn't make sense though. Of course if you're sitting by yourself you can use headphones, but I doubt that's the intended use case here.

      --
      I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
  11. Re:Why would somebody eat pizza at a pizzaria? by Straterra · · Score: 2, Insightful

    How does it save gas when you have to drive back home anyway?

  12. Re:Oh please. by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 2, Funny

    Actually, at that altitude, it doesn't make a OW! OW! STOP IT!

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  13. Re:Over-engineered? by Lumpy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Pres a button... are you INSANE?

    It's far more convenient to make your customer connect to the apple app store, find your light app, install it, and then figure out how to use it to turn on the light than pressing a freaking button!

    Next you will tell me that making them use the iphone/ipod to flush the urinals is a bad idea....

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  14. Re:hate the name, but that aside by jimicus · · Score: 2, Funny

    This way, some other bugger does the washing up.