The Town That Banned Wi-Fi

An anonymous reader sends a story from The Guardian about Green Bank, West Virginia, a small town housing the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. There are other telescopes nearby, too. Because the telescopes are so sensitive, stray electromagnetic signals are strictly regulated in the surrounding area, which is called the National Radio Quiet Zone. But the town is running into a problem: its population was around 120 when this began, and by now about 40 people have moved there because they want to get away from radio waves and Wi-Fi signals and other types of electromagnetic radiation. There have been reports of tensions in the town: tales of threats and abuse unfitting to a sleepy mountain village. And it is all the stranger when you consider that no serious scientific study has been able to establish that electrosensitivity exists. ... Where the locals might have been happy to tolerate one or two of the sensitives, the mass migration was beyond the pale. ... People would walk towards [one woman] with concealed electronics, in an effort to provoke a reaction. A meeting she and her husband organised to help educate the others about electrosensitivity descended into a slanging match.

Comments

Sad, isn't it?

[dtmos]

A thunderstorm must torture these people terribly.

Re:Sad, isn't it?

[Anonymous Coward]

Never mind that, just think of all the EM from the sun!

Re:Sad, isn't it?

[gijoel]

No, man, that's like, uh, organic EM field. Not any of this man made, GMO electromagnetism. You just wouldn't understand man, you're just, like, too far into Big Electro man.

Re: Sad, isn't it?

[Talderas]

It's organic, non-GMO, gluten free, free range EM.

"Other types of electromagnetic radiation"

[khchung]

So, they have to hide from the Sun during the day like a vampire also?

Re:"Other types of electromagnetic radiation"

[Hognoxious]

Many people are sensitive not to EM radiation, but to seeing antennas.

If that's the case they're pretty dumb for moving to a place full of radio telescopes. They must be really powerful if they can see for millions of miles, right? Just look how big they are!

Re:"Other types of electromagnetic radiation"

[Overzeetop]

No shit. I went to a studio to record some stuff last week, and the microphone was so big I was worried my hearing was going to be damaged.

Re:"Other types of electromagnetic radiation"

[fnj]

You have a LIVING HUMAN in reception in your company??? Answering the phone and greeting people who walk in?

Re:"Other types of electromagnetic radiation"

[yndrd1984]

Yes. We're legally allowed to discriminate against dead people, at least for now.

Re:SubjectsInCommentsAreStupid

[Anonymous Coward]

no serious scientific study has been able to establish that electrosensitivity exists

How come nobody had the common courtesy of a "simple" double blind experiment?

Because no matter how much you want to, poking these people's eyes out is against the law.

Re:Yeah, make fun of them, but...

[Anonymous Coward]

Seems to me they just need to invest in plenty of neon signs reading "FUCK OFF!".

Re:SubjectsInCommentsAreStupid

[Bigbutt]

It's because by then, that part of your brain had already burned out.

[John]

Re:SubjectsInCommentsAreStupid

[Anonymous Coward]

You missed the best quote:

“See those?” he asked.

“Aeroplane trails?”

“Not contrails – chemtrails,” he said. “The government sprays the air – it gets in the atmosphere.” He paused and looked me in the eye. “The world needs to know what’s happening here.”

Whole House Plug

[Camel Pilot]

They could have just opted for "science" and the incredibly cheap $50 Whole House Plug Neutralizer and neutralize those bad boy EMFs :)

http://www.amazon.com/Aulterra...