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Section 1: Cell Phones are Everywhere Out of every 1000 calls made on cell phones, I would estimate that at least 925 are completely unnecessary, and another 50 are less than urgent and could wait until later. The typical cell phone user seems quite entertained by the sound of his or her own voice, which apparently is reason enough to place a call. Sometimes I suspect these solipsistic people are just talking to a dial tone, just to make themselves look important. Of course there are also plenty of narcissistic pinheads who can't make a trip to a grocery store, to a movie, to church, or anywhere else without hearing themselves talk on the phone. Some of them can't even sit through a traffic light without placing a call. In the worst case, there are those self-important egotists who do not and will not turn off their phones at a funeral or in church or at a meeting, even after being asked. ("Can I call you back? We're having a moment of silence!") Beside the annoyance to the people around the cell phone user, the widespread use of cell phones has had another adverse effect: Since almost everyone in town has a cell phone, pay phones are rapidly disappearing. It is quite naïve to expect complete privacy when talking on the phone. The chances are pretty good that your phone conversations are just between you and the person you called, but there are no guarantees. When you use a cordless phone or a cell phone, you are talking on a two-way radio, and your expectations of privacy should be appropriately low. My annoyance with cell phone users is mainly due to my failure to purchase one for myself. I can get by without one -- why can't you? Obviously I'm not the first person to be negatively impressed by the ubiquitous cell phone. Many people have similar opinions... Our Cell Phones, Ourselves. Americans spend, on average, about seven hours a month talking on their cell phones. ... How has the wireless telephone encouraged us to connect individually but disconnect socially, ceding, in the process, much that was civil and civilized about the use of public space? Cellular Degeneration: The CTIA [Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association] estimates that there are more than 195 million wireless subscribers in the U.S. — that's more than 70 percent of Americans. Research in Motion (RIM), the manufacturer of the BlackBerry, reports that more than 49,000 corporations worldwide use their services, supplying more than 3 million users with the addictive little device often referred to as "crackberry." Crackberry Crunch: Techno "addiction" is plainly becoming both a social phenomena and a growing social problem in our age. As such, it can only be a matter of time before nanny-governments — it being none of their business — insist on manufacturers devising warnings or even spamming us to that effect. For whom the phone rings: There are those who use [cell phones] and, then, there are those of us who think that there is something awfully silly about people who can't go five minutes without having one glued to their ear. 25 years of cell phone service. Today [10/13/2008] marks the 25th anniversary of the first commercial wireless call. It happened Oct. 13, 1983, at Soldier Field, where Ameritech Mobile, now part of Verizon Wireless, made the call from a Motorola DynaTAC 8000X known as the "brick" phone. The phone cost $3,995, was 13 inches long, and weighed 1.75 pounds. More Customers Give Up the Cellphone Contract. "Frugal is the new chic," said Joy Miller, 33, a piano teacher in Aubrey, Tex. After almost a decade on contract plans with Verizon Wireless, Mrs. Miller and her husband decided this month to test-drive a few prepaid plans, including MetroPCS. "In today's economy, it's not cool to pay $120 a month for a phone. It's a waste of money." Verizon Wireless now has 68.7 million subscribers and generates $48.7 billion in annual revenue. Total wireless subscribers totaled 262.7 million, or 84 percent of the U.S. population, as of June, according to the International Association for Wireless Telecommunications. Nearly half, or 46 percent, of children ages 8 to 12 use cell phones, according to the Nielsen Co. * Section 2: The use of cell phones while driving Driving to and from work is difficult enough, but it appears that I'm the only person on the freeway who isn't yapping on the phone. Many of the people who needlessly chat on their telephones while driving on the freeway are the same self-centered jerks who throw cigarettes out of their cars and start grass fires -- absent-mindedly, of course. Hazard: Phone-Using Drivers Slow Traffic. Drivers talking on cell phones are probably making your commute even longer, concludes a new study. Motorists yakking away, even with hands-free devices, crawl about 2 mph slower on commuter-clogged roads than people not on the phone, and they just don't keep up with the flow of traffic, said study author David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah. Blame longer commutes on cellphones. Motorists yakking away, even with hands-free devices, crawl about 2 mph slower on commuter-clogged roads than people not on the phone, and they don't keep up with the flow of traffic, said study author David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah. "The distracted driver tends to drive slower and have delayed reactions," said Strayer, ["]People kind of get stuck behind that person, and it makes everyone pay the price of that distracted driver." Steer clear of rude and dangerous cell phone use. People who can't set their cell phones aside while driving can become more than discourteous, they can be dangerous. People who answer, dial or talk on their cell phones while driving are often putting too much of their concentration on their phones rather than their mirrors, speed and pedestrians in crosswalks. Another disturbing trend that has taken hold among many youths is texting while driving. Sixteen States May Ban Banning Texting While Driving. Citing an alleged rise in automobile accidents, 16 states — including Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York — are considering legislation to ban text messaging, or "texting," while driving. The data supporting the allegations stem mostly from a study conducted by Nationwide Insurance, which estimates the number of texting-related accidents is increasing. An estimated 20 percent of U.S. drivers send text messages while behind the wheel, and 66 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds text when driving alone, according to the study. Utah Gets Tough With Texting Drivers. In most states, if somebody is texting behind the wheel and causes a crash that injures or kills someone, the penalty can be as light as a fine. Utah is much tougher. After a crash here that killed two scientists — and prompted a dogged investigation by a police officer and local victim's advocate — Utah passed the nation's toughest law to crack down on texting behind the wheel. Offenders now face up to 15 years in prison. Texting driver slams into Boise patrol car. Police say a texting driver slammed into the back of a parked Boise patrol car at about 60-65 miles per hour Saturday night on I-84 in Meridian. The force of the crash sent the cruiser sliding about 200 feet down the highway. It skidded to a stop just shy of another police car parked on the shoulder. Teen Girl Falls In Open Manhole While Texting. It was an accident waiting to happen — an open sewer and a 15-year-old girl who was texting while she walked. Alexa Longueira, a high school sophomore, was walking along Victory Boulevard near Travis Avenue on Staten Island Wednesday evening [7/8/2009] when she felt the earth move and was plunged into smelly darkness. Cell Phone Ban May Follow Massachusetts Trolley Crash. The head of the Boston-area transit authority said Saturday he'll ban all train and bus operators from even carrying cell phones on board after a trolley driver told police he was texting his girlfriend before a collision Friday. About 50 people were hurt in the underground crash in downtown Boston, though none of the injuries was life-threatening. Update; slightly off topic: Texting Trolley Driver Is Transgendered Male. The Boston-area transit authority trolley driver who allegedly slammed into another train while text-messaging his girlfriend Friday was hired as a minority because of his transgendered "female-to-male" status and had three speeding tickets on his driving record in recent years, ABC News has learned. Woman gets 30 days in jail for texting in court. A Utah mother of four small children has been jailed on a judge's order to serve 30 days behind bars for allegedly sending a text message while she was watching a court proceeding. The report comes from her father-in-law, Dennis Jackson, who told WND of the series of events that left his daughter-in-law, Susan Henwood, imprisoned. My daughter racked up 14,528 text messages in one month. Given that she's had a cell phone for less than six months, and she is supposed to share the phone with her 14-year-old brother (and use it mainly for emergencies) — well, I'm speechless. ... But still... A 440-page phone bill? Thankfully, [her mother] signed up all of them for unlimited texting. If not, the 20 cents per text for Reina would have totaled $2,905.60. Miami tops auto club list for rude drivers. Stressed Miami drivers speed, tailgate and cut off other drivers so frequently that the city earned the title of worst road rage in a survey released Tuesday [5/16/2006]. AutoVantage, an automobile membership club offering travel services and roadside assistance, also listed Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles and Boston among the top five cities for rude driving. Study: Distraction Behind Most Car Crashes. Those sleep-deprived, multitasking drivers — clutching cell phones, fiddling with their radios or applying lipstick — apparently are involved in an awful lot of crashes. Distracted drivers were involved in nearly eight out of 10 collisions or near-crashes, says a study released Thursday [4/20/2006] by the government. Cell Phone Regulation Federalizes Traffic Law: Just when you thought there was nothing left for Congress to federalize, along comes a bill by Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-NY, and Sen. Jon Corzine, D-NJ, that would regulate how Americans use their cell phones while driving. Apparently no human action is too small or parochial for the federal government to police. So now Congress wants to play the role of local traffic cop, too. California Governor Signs Bill Banning Hand-Held Cell Phones While Driving. The measure will take effect July 1st, 2008 and will make it an infraction to use a hand-held cell phone while driving except to make a call to an emergency service provider. A first offense will be punishable by a $20 fine. Subsequent violations will carry $50 fines. It's similar to laws in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington DC. The Editor says... It is unfortunate that so many cell phone users have made this kind of legislation necessary through their irresponsibility and narcissism. But it is also worth noting that laws of this sort have been created first in the "blue" states, where most voters are advocates of big government. Notice also that many cities and states have no problem with cell phone use in motor vehicles, as long as the phone is a hand-free device. In those areas, are drivers required to use both hands to control their cars? And what about the drivers who don't have two hands? NJ Drivers Face Fines For Texting On Cell Phones. New Jersey is one of four states where talking on a hand-held phone while driving is against the law. It's the first state where it is primary offense, meaning it is reason enough for police to pull a driver over. Ontario drivers could face $500 fines for using cellphones. Using a cellphone while driving could mean up to a $500 fine in Ontario under a proposed law that would see the province join other jurisdictions in banning the use of hand-held devices to talk, e-mail or send text messages while behind the wheel. Law restricting cell use in cars takes effect today. Beginning today [3/1/2008], police in New Jersey can write $100 tickets to motorists they catch using hand-held cell phones behind the wheel. Cell phone use by drivers has been against the law in New Jersey since 2004, but it has been a secondary offense. A police officer could only write a ticket if the driver had been pulled over for speeding or running a stop light or some other infraction. The updated law makes talking or texting on a hand-held cell phone a primary offense. The Editor says... Oh, yes, and it makes another handy excuse to look for guns and drugs in the car during a traffic stop. That's where the real money is anyway. But what about the use of CB radio, FRS walkie-talkies and other two-way radios? What about other activities that require the use of a hand, such as smoking, taking a sip of a beverage, or catching a sneeze with a Kleenex? Is it illegal to apply make-up while driving to work? New Jersey's revised cell phone law: After reading it, it appears that talking not only on a hand held cell phone will earn you a ticket, but it now includes "electronic communication device" (read two way radio here), ... CB, FRS, etc. Just wait till some trucker or other good buddy is stopped and receives a ticket under this newly revised law, then the screaming will start. Full text of the New Jersey law. [Includes this exception] "For the purposes of this section, an 'electronic communication device' shall not include an amateur radio." The Editor continues... This is Big Brother's Doublespeak at its finest. An amateur radio most certainly is an "electronic communication device." That fact cannot be legislated away. There is no difference between a CB radio, an FRS walkie-talkie and an amateur radio, when it comes to picking up the mike, squeezing the button, and talking to someone else. In fact, many (if not most) VHF amateur radios have Touch-tone keypads on them, which makes them potentially much more of a distraction. Cell phone bill upgraded to include all wireless communication devices. To ensure that drivers are not text messaging, calling, playing games or checking sports scores while driving, [Texas] Senate Bill 154 prohibits using all forms of wireless communication devices, not just cell phones, while a vehicle is moving, unless the driver is using a hands-free device. … Although any distraction may result in a driver's becoming inattentive to the task at hand, wireless communication devices may require drivers to look away from the road for longer periods while dialing, text messaging or checking messages. See? Hands-free devices are no better! Cell Phones Distract Drivers More than Passengers Do. Cell phones distract car drivers more than talkative passengers, and hands-free devices don't make for safer driving, according to a recent Reuters report on a new study published by the Journal of Experimential Psychology: Applied. Even worse, drivers who use mobile phones are as impaired as those who are legally drunk. University of Utah researchers used a series of driving-simulation tests to determine that hands-free gadgets such as a Bluetooth headset are just as distracting as holding a phone to your ear. Sixteen States May Ban Texting While Driving. Citing an alleged rise in automobile accidents, 16 states — including Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York — are considering legislation to ban text messaging, or "texting," while driving. The data supporting the allegations stem mostly from a study conducted by Nationwide Insurance, which estimates the number of texting-related accidents is increasing. An estimated 20 percent of U.S. drivers send text messages while behind the wheel, and 66 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds text when driving alone, according to the study. California's Cell Phone Law Takes Effect. Well, today's the day that political expediency and anti-science stupidity combine for the banning of handheld cell phones while driving in California. … Even the Luddite who spent years pushing through this legislation admits that the science and studies are against him, but he's convinced that having both hands on the wheel is safer. Countries that ban cell phones while driving (List 1). Countries that ban cell phones while driving (List 2). Somewhat related: 'Paris Hilton' lapdog driving bill is vetoed. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed the so-called "Paris Hilton bill" that would have banned Californian motorists from driving with pets in their laps. The Republican governor tossed out the measure to crack down on a practice the bill's author says is distracting and dangerous: having a dog, cat or other animal in your lap when behind the wheel. Woman charged with careless driving after crashing while eating bowl of cereal. Drivers have heard it's dangerous to drive while using a cellphone. But now police are warning about the hazards of grabbing breakfast behind the wheel. Section 3: Cell Phone Countermeasures As mentioned above, sometimes it appears that I'm the only person on the freeway who isn't talking on the phone while driving. There have been many times when I've wanted to disconnect the driver ahead of me from his phone conversation so he could concentrate on driving. It is fairly easy to spot the nearby drivers who are talking on the phone: They drive like drunks -- they are slow, uncertain, wandering all over the road. Wouldn't it be great to find an easy way to disconnect them from their idle conversations, at least long enough to squeeze by on the highway? There is a way to block cell phone traffic, but actively jamming cell phone signals is illegal in the U.S. In my opinion, be it ever so humble, cell phone jamming should be permitted, at least in middle schools, high schools, libraries, jails and prisons. Jamming should also be permitted on private property such as restaurants, movie theaters, churches and museums. I predict jamming never will be legalized because the FCC will argue that police and fire departments need to be able to communicate everywhere, all the time. That's just a red herring. Most police and fire department radios operate on VHF and lower-UHF bands that would not be affected by cell phone jamming. On the other hand, I recall reading, years ago, that some public safety radio systems were nestled in amongst the cell phone frequencies when the FCC, beginning around 1994, required "police scanner" radios to have cellular phone frequencies (824 to 894 MHz) blocked. If there are public safety radios interspersed with cell phone frequencies, then they would be affected by wideband interference. Since so many people have been annoyed and inconvenienced by the ubiquitous abuse of cell phones, you would think that free market innovation would lead to simple solutions, and in many other countries, the solution is the portable cell phone jammer. The jammer sends out a blanket of noise in the same frequency range as the cell phone, and by raising the noise floor, makes it impossible for the phone to stay connected. The cell phone user doesn't know the cause of the interruption, in most cases, and just puts off the conversation until later. In Israel, museums and restaurants use full-time cellular blocking, because, as stated already, there are those people who just won't cooperate and turn their phones off. Unfortunately in the United States, the intentional interruption of a radio signal is prohibited (by the Communications Act of 1934, as amended). Jamming is only permitted in countries where the overall benefit to society is more important than some individual's hurt feelings. So, yes, the use of a cell phone jammer is illegal, yet there are those who are so irritated by cell phone addicts that they don't mind taking the risk of operating outside the law for a few seconds at a time in order to cut off someone else's conversation, especially when that conversation seems to go on and on, and seems to get louder and more frivolous with every passing minute. You could theoretically build your own cell phone jammer. Somewhat ironically, the people with the most technical expertise in the field of radio communication are the ones with the most to lose if they get caught with one of these gadgets (homemade or not). I have four FCC licenses that would probably be at risk of revocation if the government could prove that I jammed a cell phone conversation -- no matter how well justified my actions were. Cell phone jamming products are widely available in other countries. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] What is a Cell Phone Jammer? A cell phone jammer is a device that emits signals in the same frequency range that cell phones use, effectively blocking their transmissions by creating strong interference. Someone using a cell phone within the range of a jammer will lose signal, but have no way of knowing a jammer was the reason. The phone will simply indicate poor reception strength. Are Cell Phone Jammers Legal? With the ubiquitous use of cell phones, a backlash has occurred. While some people practice cell phone etiquette, many others noisily discuss their private, professional or mundane business in public areas, forcing everyone nearby to listen. On trains, subways, buses, in the grocery market, shopping mall and café, people are aggravating fellow citizens with their non-stop chit-chat. Cell Phones — Here Come the Jammers. One of the Times news stories that has generated the most buzz this week has been this one, reporting on the increasing use of cell phone jammers to cut off conversations of annoying people blabbing on the cell phones in public places. The devices are illegal, since they interfere with protected radio frequencies, and we cannot endorse them — but we understand the frustrations of people who are buying them. Large majority of theater-goers favor cell phone jamming. New poll results published by UK's The Stage newspaper say that nearly three-quarters of all theater-goers in London favor the blocking of cell phone signal in theaters during live performances, with over 80 percent of the opinion that theater managers are not doing enough to quell rude cell phone usage during shows. The Joy in Jamming: The cellphone jammers express great joy initially at being able to silence chatterers. They also generally seem to feel some guilt, particularly over time. Word From on High: Jam Cell Calls. The four Roman Catholic Churches in this northern city began using the devices, from Tel Aviv-based Netline Communications Technologies, after an insurance salesman imported them as a personal favor for a priest. "There are still many people who don't understand that being at Mass is sharing a moment with God," said the Rev. Juan Jose Martinez, a spokesman for archdiocese. "Sadly, we had no other choice but to use these little gadgets." … "Those who bring cell phones to church are not committed to God," Escobedo said. "It's very distracting to be praying and suddenly hear birds chirping or techno music." Cell-phone jammers may soon be all over. The physics of jamming a cell phone are actually quite simple. Cell phones operate by sending signals along a range of the electromagnetic spectrum reserved for their use. All a cell-phone jamming device needs to do is broadcast a signal on those same frequencies, and it will interfere with any devices trying to transmit in that range. The net effect for a hapless cell-phone user? The phone's screen will simply indicate that no signal is available. Odds are most people won't even notice that their phones are being jammed. They'll just assume that they're in a dead spot -- and feel annoyed. Car key to block mobiles while driving. A pair of US inventors are bringing to market a computerized car key that prevents people from chatting on mobile telephones or sending text messages while driving. Key2SafeDriving adds to a trend of using technology to thwart speeding, drunken driving, and other risky behavior proven to ramp-up the odds of crashing. They Be Jammin' in France. Mobile-phone jamming in public venues has become legal in France, and a survey published last week indicates that a large majority of French citizens support the measure. Cell phone jamming: Next time some loudmouth on the bus starts yapping on his cell phone, it's nice to know you have a few options, aside from joining the conversation or resorting to violence. Swiss authorities jam illegal phones in prisons. Jamming equipment is being installed at three Swiss prisons for a trial period to stop inmates making phone calls from their cells using smuggled handsets. Prison bosses say there is growing concern that prisoners are using mobile phones to commit crimes, intimidate witnesses and plan escapes. Trying to Keep Cell Phones Out of Prison. Authorities in India recently confiscated more than 600 cell phones in a prison in the state of Gujarat. Not even high-security areas like Texas' death row are exempt. Cell-phone access can mean chaos. Brazilian officials say cell phones are used to organize and plan widespread riots that are endemic to their crowded prisons; Canadian prosecutors said a notorious drug kingpin continued business behind bars using his cell phone; and a man awaiting trial on a homicide charge in Maryland has been accused of arranging via cell phone the murder of a key witness in the case. Of course jamming is perfectly okay if Uncle Sam does it himself. U.S. Deploys Orbital Communications Jammer. "An interesting article at the Washington Times makes note of a recent satellite launch by the U.S. It seems we have put a jammer in space that will allow us to disrupt enemy communication systems at will. From the article: 'The U.S. military is bracing for future attacks in space, and the Air Force has deployed an electronic-warfare unit capable of jamming enemy satellites, the general in charge of space defenses says. "You can't go to war and win without space."'" The Editor quickly points out... The same satellite could also be used to squelch an uprising in this country as well. Portable Phone Jammer: This $166 cell phone jammer is the size of a cell phone, has a 5-10 meter range, and blocks GSM 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz. Personal Cell Phone Signal Blocker Device. Creates enough interference to block all cell phone signals around you (GSM/CDMA/DCS/PHS/3G). Special message from Editor: Please and let me know if you order one of these jammers, and the device makes it through Customs, and you don't automatically go to prison for possessing it. Bring a cell phone jammer with you if you are going to carjack someone's GM vehicle. OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown hits the brakes on jacked cars. Although OnStar has offered Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance to its subscribers since 1996, the firm is getting set to add a snazzy new enhancement for 2009 vehicles. The feature, dubbed Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, can use GPS to pinpoint a vehicle once it has been reported as stolen, and after OnStar confirms with local police that it has the vehicle within sight, it can then be slowed down remotely. The Editor says... "Slowed down remotely" means it can be controlled through the use of OnStar's built-in cell phone. Therefore, this feature is useless if the well-equipped car thief has jammed the cell phone. More information about OnStar can be found here. The Wave Bubble Wave Bubble portable RF Jammer. Wave Bubble: the portable, undercover RF jammer. Zone of Silence: Limor Fried got the idea when a friend with whom she was eating dinner broke off their conversation to answer her cellphone. Fried got mad. Then she got even, in the way a graduate student at the MIT Media Laboratory, very well might. She built a gadget. She calls it the Wave Bubble because it creates a cellphone-free bubble of silence 4 meters in diameter. It does so by jamming the phones' radio-frequency bands with a junk signal of a few milliwatts. She's not the first to make a cellphone jammer. They are for sale over the Internet as well as on the streets of New York and other big cities. Restaurants, hospitals, and schools reportedly have been buying them. Protecting Your Personal Space. The FCC should take a clue from what is happening in other parts of the world. For example, in Japan, jammers are legal in concert halls to shut down the wireless "noise." Brazil and Spain use jammers in prisons to keep inmates from secret communications. In India, they are used to silence cell phone users in the Parliament and France has authorized the use of them in movie theaters (that gets my vote, for sure). Social Defense Mechanisms: Tools for Reclaiming Our Personal Space. In contemporary Western society, electronic devices are becoming so prevalent that many people find themselves surrounded by technologies they find frustrating or annoying. The electronics industry has little incentive to address this complaint; I designed two counter-technologies to help people defend their personal space from unwanted electronic intrusion. Jamming GPS (intentionally or otherwise) along with GSM phones Some cell phone jammers available on the internet put out a signal that is so broad and sloppy that they indiscriminately jam every signal in the high UHF range, including GPS signals. Some devices are sold specifically as GPS jammers. These devices would be useful if you have a company car or rental car that has a GPS-based speed logger (similar to an airplane's "black box"). If you want to drive the car somewhere you're not supposed to go, like across state lines, or at a speed slightly faster than the posted limit, then you might want to disable the GPS receiver without tampering with the physical installation (disconnecting cables, removing fuses, etc.). Read this: Jamming GPS within 10 feet of your own car is one thing, but imagine the consequences if your jammer disrupts air traffic. Especially a jamming device that you have "modified" or "souped-up" for greater coverage. That's a sure way to get in lots of hot water, because the feds don't take such matters lightly. Jamming GPS over a wide area is something to be avoided. I advise against it. You might get away with creating a "wave bubble", but you are asking for trouble if you create a big cloud of unwelcome RF. A much better way to defeat the GPS receiver in a built-in Big Brother device is to wrap aluminum foil around the antenna; or, as mentioned above, remove the power fuse. Have you read the akdart.com disclaimer? Any actions you take based on whatever you saw, or think you saw, on this site are entirely your own responsibility. GPS jammers for sale: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Information only: [A] [B] [C] [D] Homemade GPS jammers raise concerns. Government officials and communications experts are assessing the public safety and security implications of a newly posted online article that provides directions for making cheap devices that can jam Global Positioning System (GPS) signals. Another GPS / GSM jammer: Wave Bubble. Built by Limor and presented on ladyada.net, this device is a self-tuning portable RF jammer that can can jam many different frequency bands without the need for a spectrum analyzer. Even though the earlier version ... has big antennas sticking out, the later version ... is more compact, small enough to fit inside a pack of cigarettes. GPS and GSM jammer: If the do-it-yourself version of the GPS jammer is above your skills you may be interested in this GPS and GSM jammer. This GPS / GSM jammer plugs into the cigarette lighter in your car and gives your paronoid self a peace of mind. It is manufactured by a company in Netherlands called DetectNu, however it is not showing in their online shop at this moment. GPS Jammers and Spy-vs.-Spy: Whether homemade or off-the-shelf, are GPS jammers a bona fide threat? Mario Casabona, president of ERI, thinks so. Writing in a paid "advertorial" that appeared in the December, 2002, issue of GPS World magazine, Casabona stated: "With the schematics you get on the Internet, you can build a jammer that's a real concern, and the U.S. military is particularly interested." Some experts are more sanguine, but still anxious. Why would anyone want a GPS jammer? Here's one reason. Wisconsin court upholds GPS tracking by police. Wisconsin police can attach GPS to cars to secretly track anybody's movements without obtaining search warrants, an appeals court ruled Thursday [5/7/2009]. Courts Divided on Police Use of GPS Tracking. If a police officer puts a GPS tracking device on your car, should he or she have to get a warrant first? It's a simple question, but one, so far, without a clear legal answer. In an example of how unsettled the issue is, in just the past week, appeals courts in two different states delivered completely opposite rulings. Here is another reason. Motor industry slams speed-curbing trial. [Scroll down] It is linked to a GPS navigation system and sounds a chime if the car exceeds the limit. It can cut fuel supply to the engine, reducing speed, if the driver fails to slow down. Iraq and GPS: Some Frequently Asked Questions. Even though military GPS receivers determine their position (and velocity and time) from the P(Y)-code, they generally have acquired the C/A-code first and then using information from that signal have zeroed in on the P-code. Most of the military-grade GPS receivers now in existence work on this principle. Automatic detection of GPS jamming: Modern GPS receivers include the capability to detect GPS interference and can provide reports showing higher than normal signal levels in the GPS band and lower than normal signal/noise ratio. This condition indicates the presence of a GPS threat. The JLOC system allows networked GPS receivers to send reports to the JLOC Master Station of detected interference, acting as JLOC sensors. GPS jamming incident in San Diego harbor in January 2007. The U.S. Navy was conducting a scheduled communications jamming training exercise in the Port of San Diego. Two Navy ships participated in the exercise for approximately two hours. … [Along with numerous other services, GPS was jammed] — unintentionally of course — and the jamming continued for approximately two hours. Information about using GPS as a hobby can be found here. Section 4: Shielding as opposed to jamming Neither a cell phone nor any other VHF or UHF radio can get a signal through an RF shield, that is, a conductive screen that encloses the radio on all sides. You can prove this to yourself with a simple experiment: tune a small portable FM radio to a local station with a strong signal. Then wrap the radio in aluminum foil, and you'll notice that the radio cannot pick up the signal. The radio signal can't get inside the foil. This effect was first described by Michael Faraday, who never even owned an FM radio. A shielded enclosure called a "screen room" or Faraday cage is used wherever a radio dead zone is needed for interference-free testing. The walls, ceiling and floor of a screen room contain copper screens that are connected together, and grounded as well. A movie theater with similar construction would be a cell-phone free zone, but it would also be a dead zone for all other radios. In the event of an emergency, police and fire radios would also be useless in such a room, unless someone opens a hole in one of the walls. Since shielding is passive, it is legal, undetectable, and requires no power. Its greatest disadvantage is that shielding is permanent -- it can't be turned off. Sometimes entire buildings -- mostly at military bases or defense contractors -- are shielded for the purpose of either protecting the occupants (and their computers) from eavesdropping, or from the effects of electromagnetic pulse warfare (EMP). These are generally known as "Tempest hardened" facilities. Apparently it is not uncommon for these buildings to have 100 dB of isolation from the outside world, so it would be impossible to make a cellular phone call from within such a building. For additional material on this topic, use your favorite search engine to investigate terms like EMP, HEMP, TEMPEST, and High Altitude Exoatmospheric Nuclear Survivability. Scientists developing cell blocking paint. Scientists are perfecting a paint that can switch between blocking and allowing cellular communication. The clever coating uses nanotubes filled with copper to do its magic, but the specifics weren't announced. A Transparent Sheet That Can Block Mobile Phone Signals: A new transparent film for windows has been developed which is claimed can block or seriously degrade radio signal penetration. While aimed at companies seeking to secure internal wireless communications, doubtless some organisations will investigate the possibility of using this to block mobile phone signals. Section 5: Cell phones and pagers in theaters Movie theaters to ask for jamming rights. The movie theater business is currently in some trouble thanks to falling attendance quarter after quarter. Some owners believe that instituting cell phone signal jamming will help bring back the crowds. 73% of Movie-Goers Agree, Cell Phone Chatter Most Annoying. While choices for this summer's best on-screen fare may differ, film-goers nationwide agree on their least favorite in- theater, off-screen performance — somebody yakking on a cell phone. In a recent survey of U.S. movie-goers, an overwhelming 73 percent indicated that talking on a cell phone in a theater topped the list of bad movie manners. The Editor says... The movie theaters are in trouble for more reasons than that. No, I'm not talking about the prices of popcorn and Milk Duds. The theaters charge very high tickets prices, and after you get inside the tiny, filthy, smelly theater, you have to watch commercials before the show starts. The movie never starts at the advertised time — that's when the trailers and commercials start — yet nobody complains. Nor does anyone complain when the film is all scratched up, out of focus on the edges of the screen, and wobbles from side to side. Even the "best" movies have shallow and predictable plots, illustrated by unrealistic computer-generated graphics. How many minutes of car chases, gunshots and explosions can you watch in a week and still retain your sanity? Theater owners want cell phones blocked. The National Association of Theater Owners wants the Federal Communications Commission to allow the blocking of cell phone signals in theaters. John Fithian, the president of the trade organization, told the Los Angeles Times theater owners 'have to block rude behavior' as the industry tries to come up with ways to bring people back to the cinemas. A month later, the same story showed up on Reuters: Movie theaters may ask to jam cell phones. Movie theater owners faced with falling attendance are considering asking federal authorities for permission to jam cell phone reception in an attempt to stop annoying conversations during films, the head of the industry's trade group said on Tuesday [3/14/2006]. Arrested for asking for quiet in cinema. An Australian tourist has been charged with assault after telling a Texas woman to stop talking on her mobile phone at the movies. Pauline Clayton was enjoying a matinee screening of Brokeback Mountain in a Texas cinema when her day suddenly turned ugly. The former Sunshine Coast councillor said about halfway through the movie, a mobile phone started ringing nearby, a woman answered it and started talking. Section 5A: Cell phones aboard airliners FCC to Reconsider Ban on Cellphones in Airplanes. The FCC has announced that it would consider changing its rules to "facilitate" cellphone use in aircraft. This is welcome news. The phone ban was imposed in the early 1990s due to concerns that the then-new wireless technology would interfere with vital onboard safety equipment. However, in the years since, researchers have been able to come up with little or no evidence of a problem. Rather than protect safety, some say, the prohibition has merely served to protect firms than offer seatback phones. The Editor says... In my opinion, be it ever so humble, this has nothing to do with safety -- it is about control. If it is that easy for a cell phone to disrupt aircraft navigation or control systems, then why bother with box cutters, guns and shoe bombs? As I understand it, the actual problem with cell phones — using 20th century technology — was that with an altitude of a few hundred feet, a single cell phone could activate (i.e., tie up) several cell sites simultaneously. However, once your plane climbs above about 20,000 feet, you probably would not be able to communicate with a cell site long enough to make a call. This is because the nearest cell phone site is at least four miles away (straight down), probably much farther, and even if you are directly above the nearest cell tower, the antennas on that tower are focused slightly below the horizon, and they won't pick up your phone. FAA will not lift ban on in-flight cell-phone use. The Federal Aviation Administration said [recently] that the FAA's rules against the use of wireless devices while airborne will remain in place notwithstanding a proposal from the FCC to lift its ban on devices while on flight. EU Allows Mobile Phones on Airplanes. You can use your cell phone in the skies over Europe later this year under new rules that will allow air travelers to stay in touch — and raise the cringe-inducing prospect of sitting next to a chatterbox at 30,000 feet. But don't expect to use your phone on a U.S. flight anytime soon. … Phone service will be blocked during takeoff and landing, EU spokesman Martin Selmayr said. Verizon to End Airline Telephone Service. Verizon Airfone, whose handsets have graced the backs of airline seats for more than two decades, will end its phone service on commercial airliners before the end of the year. Verizon Communications, Airfone's parent company, has decided instead to focus on its faster-growing broadband, cellular and television businesses. Personal Electronic Devices on Commercial Aircraft: Phones transmit whenever they are turned on, whether they are being used for a call or not. It is notoriously difficult to assess the strength or structure of enclosed electromagnetic fields, such as those formed by a transmitter in a more-or-less Faraday cage, and all the electrical wiring of the aircraft is contained within the cage. Children's cell phones worry airlines. As the summer vacation season approaches, Japanese airlines are growing increasingly concerned about children bringing cell phones aboard because they contain a built-in crime prevention function that automatically restarts the phone if it is switched off. Cell Phone Use Aboard Planes: An international survey of frequent flyers proves what we already knew -- that permitting in-flight cell phone use is an irritation most of us want to avoid. Why can't I use my cellular phone on an airliner? Cell phones on airliners interfere with the terrestrial cellular telephone network. Interference with a plane's avionics or navigation system is poorly documented and a secondary problem. Except to the Federal Aviation Administration, which usually favors no risks and consequently prohibits cell phone use on-board. ... Cell phones transmit in nearly straight lines. From an airplane a cell phone can connect to nearly any cell site in view below, causing much turmoil, especially with a jet moving 500 miles an hour, passing by one cell after another far more quickly than the systems were designed for. The real reason you can't use cell phones on airplanes. Cellular phone usage aboard airplanes is proliferating. Before the departure of any given flight, no less than four or five passengers (sometimes 20 or more) will have a cell phone glued to one ear. On the ground, the decision to allow mobile calls is left to the discretion of individual airlines. But government regulations prohibit cell phone use in flight. Contrary to what most passengers believe, the Federal Communication Commission (the government agency that regulates telephone usage), not the FAA, imposed the in-flight ban on cell phones in 1991. Cell phone calls on planes. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission prohibits the use of mobile telephones aboard any aircraft in flight. The reason given is that mobile phone systems depend on channel reuse, and operating a phone at altitude may violate the fundamental assumptions that allow channel reuse to work. Airlines ban cell phones -- but why? American Airlines warns passengers that cell phones "may interfere with the aircraft's communication and navigation systems." Similar warnings come from Delta, United and Continental. British Airways links cellular interference to potential problems with compasses and even cabin pressure. What the airlines don't tell passengers is that there is no scientific evidence to support these claims. Why U.S. Airlines Still Won't Join the Mobile Mile-High Club. [Scroll down] The FCC received around 8000 comments, a large number of them from individuals opposed to the prospect of cellphone cacophony at 30,000 ft. The Flight Attendants Association also filed strong objections, saying it feared a sharp rise in rage incidents. Cell phones to take flight. As shown by the flurry of comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission in the past few days, there's a consensus building to relax rules that since 1991 have banned cell phone use on U.S. commercial flights. Now the hard work begins -- deciding to what extent to ease the rules. Fliers Fear Cellular Blab, Hot-Air Planes. Airline passengers already are beginning to brace for the eventual introduction of cell phones on commercial flights. Listen to Richard Archambault, an architect from Schaumburg, Ill., who wants to plug his ears against the expected yelling into balky receivers. "People who don't hesitate to talk in restaurants or other taboo venues will take their disrespectful attitudes with them to the skies and turn a once-quiet place of refuge into a noisy, office-like environment to the detriment of all," Archambault said. Airborne Cell Phones? No Way! The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday [12/15/2004] unanimously proposed lifting the ban if issues about safety and technical hurdles can be overcome. FCC officials said their mandate was to facilitate communications. But the potential of scores of passengers talking on mobile phones during a lengthy flight has many travelers worried that their last quiet haven from such conversations will evaporate. Study Warns Cell Phones Could Cause Airliner Crash. [Scroll down] Researchers crisscrossed the northeast United States on commercial flights, monitoring radio emissions from passenger use of cell phones and other electronic devices. ... The researchers found that on average one to four cell phone calls are typically made from every commercial flight in the northeast United States. Some of these calls are made during critical flight stages such as climb-out, or on final approach. Era of in-flight mobile phone use begins in Europe. Relatively unobtrusive data calls, like mobile e-mail and messaging, have been available for a while on airlines including Emirates, Qantas, JetBlue, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines. But last month, Emirates became the first airline to enable in-flight mobile voice services, on an Airbus A340 from Dubai to Casablanca. Southwest passenger cited for cell phone chatter. Southwest Airlines says a passenger who refused to get off his cell phone during a flight found Dallas police waiting for him. ... Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King says flight attendants had repeatedly asked the man to get off the phone while airborne. More details... Austin man charged after refusing to hang up cellphone during Southwest Airlines flight. An Austin businessman was charged with disorderly conduct after he allegedly refused to stop using his mobile phone on a flight Monday from Austin to Dallas Love Field. Dallas police met the plane after the pilot radioed ahead to the Love Field tower. ... According to the police report, Mr. Jones was asked to turn off his cellphone and responded, "Kiss my [expletive]." When asked again, he said, "Kiss my [expletive]. Not happening." Section 6: Eavesdropping / monitoring / other privacy risks Cell Phones! All you need to know to monitor them. Can cellular or cordless phones be eavesdropped upon? Eavesdropping on wireless phones implies intercepting the radio signal to listen to the call. Intercepting radio waves is easy, converting them back into sound requires the proper equipment. The type of phone you use, and the importance of your calls, as perceived by: nosy neighbors, spouses, business competitors, law enforcement, etc. all contribute to the likelihood of your call being overheard. The FCC can monitor any signal you can send. The same is true of the military. And the technicians who work for your cell phone provider can listen in any time they want. While it is considerably more difficult for snoopers to listen in on cell phones now that the old analog phones have been phased out, it is still true that the eavesdropper doesn't have to be very close to your phone — (s)he only needs to be within the radius of the same cell. Keep in mind that it isn't necessary to hear what was said on your phone in order to embarrass you. Sometimes all it takes is a list of the numbers you have called, and the date and time of those calls. In some cases that information is available (for sale). Hand over the cell. Principals in at least three suburban schools have searched students' cellphone text messages when they suspected the students of cheating, drug abuse or other school violations. Officials in the Douglas and Jefferson school districts say policies that allow them to search lockers, backpacks and cars parked on school grounds also authorize searches of cellphones when there is a "reasonable suspicion" of wrongdoing. Yes, as my wife can tell you from first-hand experience, text messages are used in high schools to cheat on exams. It is easily preventable, but not without major changes at the FCC. The most practical solution to the problem of cheating via cell phones would be to blanket the school buildings with wideband RF noise to jam all cellular calls -- or build the schools with screened walls and ceilings to prevent signals from entering or leaving. Once in class, the kids don't need to be on the phone. With this system in place, they could make all the calls they want outside the building. Wireless Technology: They'll Know Where You Are: Under the so-called Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (CALEA) police are given the authority to track the locations of any cell phone users even if they're not dialing 911. Protecting cell phone users' privacy. Numerous Web sites, such as Locatecell.com and CellTolls.com, are advertising that they can provide records of incoming and outgoing cell phone calls — for less than $100, in some cases. That kind of information is often used by law enforcement agencies in their investigations. However, the online availability of such data could be exploited by criminals, such as stalkers, abusive spouses or identity thieves, experts have warned. Soon, Your Cell Phone May Be Tracking You. It's been ten years [or 14] since engineers, innovating by the seat of their pants, triangulated the signal of O.J. Simpson's cell phone to his Bronco, rolling down a Los Angeles freeway. But now, tracking a cell phone is becoming as easy as point and click. Services just beginning to appear will allow people to keep track of the location, within a few dozen feet, of a mobile phone handset. U.S. Cell-Phone Tracking Clipped. Federal law enforcement attempts to use cell phones as tracking devices were rebuked twice this month by lower court judges, who say the government cannot get real time tracking information on citizens without showing probable cause. Phones Will Soon Tell Where You Are. Would you want other people to know, all day long, exactly where you are, right down to the street corner or restaurant? Unsettling as that may sound to some, wireless carriers are betting that many of their customers do, and they're rolling out services to make it possible. The Editor says... "Other people" already know where you are -- the technicians at your cell phone company, for example. The only thing new here is that you can now purchase information about other people's locations. But now that everybody knows the technology (once known as radiolocation) is widely available, why hasn't someone invented a service for pinpointing the location of a lost phone? It should be possible to find lost or stolen phones this way. Phone calling records for sale instantly. Locatecell.com seems to have a good thing going. According to this Chicago Sun Times story: To test the service, the FBI paid Locatecell.com $160 to buy the records for an agent's cell phone and received the list within three hours, the police bulletin said. … Funny how this is a big surprise to the FBI. Big Brother Is Tracking You. Many new cell phones come equipped with tracking devices that can pinpoint the location of the phone to within 30 feet. The feature offers lots of possibilities both to users and law enforcement. … Even the simplest phones now have enhanced 911 capability mandated by federal law, which can detect a caller's location within a broad area through triangulated radio signals sent to cell towers. SIM Recovery Pro: You can now recover data and text messages from cellular phones using the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) Recovery Pro. Using this device allows you to save, edit and delete your phone book and short messages. Aside from recovery and retrieve, even of deleted data, an added advantage is to back the information up on your computer. SIM Recovery Pro capabilities: Allows user to find deleted text. Allows user to view up to last 10 numbers dialed. Transfer data from one SIM card to another. Edit SIM card information on your computer. Back up phone numbers and SMS messages. Cell Phone Spy Data Extractor: Save, edit and delete your phone book and short messages (SMS) stored on your SIM card using the Recovery PRO software and SIM Recovery Pro Reader with your computer and ANY standard SIM card from a standard cell phone which supports removable SIM cards. "Is Your Cell Phone Bugged?" I'm pleased to announce a short free video (under six minutes): "Is Your Cell Phone Bugged?" While I'll admit that the production values are much closer to those of Ed Wood than of Cecil B. DeMille, I hope you'll still find this video to be interesting, or at least amusing. Cellphone carriers can listen in through your phone? According to the Financial Times by way of the Guardian, at least one UK cellphone carrier has the power to remotely install software over the air to users' handsets that would allow [the cellphone carrier] to pick up audio from the phone's mic when the device isn't on a call. Mobile Cloak: The off switch for always-on mobile wireless devices and technologies. A simple method of making your wireless stuff invisible to any other wireless stuff or signal that would want to communicate with it. The Editor says... Apparently this product is just a foil-lined pouch that you could easily make yourself. Its purpose is to keep cell phones and other devices from acting as tracking devices, at times when you don't want to be followed. "Is Your Cell Phone Bugged?" I'm pleased to announce a short free video (under six minutes): "Is Your Cell Phone Bugged?" While I'll admit that the production values are much closer to those of Ed Wood than of Cecil B. DeMille, I hope you'll still find this video to be interesting, or at least amusing. Cellphone carriers can listen in through your phone? According to the Financial Times by way of the Guardian, at least one UK cellphone carrier has the power to remotely install software over the air to users' handsets that would allow [the cellphone carrier] to pick up audio from the phone's mic when the device isn't on a call. Editor's note: If you can't hang up the phone, next thing you know, you won't be able to turn off the TV. It's an Orwellian nightmare! Swedish government expected to pass amended bugging law. After making some last-minute changes, Sweden's populist government was expected Wednesday [6/18/2008] to secure a parliamentary majority in favour of a comprehensive new bugging law. The new law permits the wide-ranging monitoring of mail and internet traffic inside and outside Sweden's borders and the tapping of international telephone calls to discover 'dangers from abroad' more quickly. 'Big Brother' snooping law stirs outrage in Sweden. Sweeping new powers under which the Swedish security services can monitor private phone calls, e-mails and text messages are expected to come into force this week under legislation that has prompted outrage in the country. Sweden Fails to Pass Sweeping Surveillance Bill. Swedish lawmakers voted late Wednesday to pass a controversial bill allowing all emails and phone calls to be monitored in the name of national security. The vote, which took place on Wednesday, June 18, proved to be one of the most divisive in Sweden in recent years. Swedish Parliament passes "Big Brother" surveillance bill. According to several Swedish newspapers, parliament has now passed the bill by a vote of 143 (for) to 138 (against). Although a number of small changes have supposedly been made to the bill, critics are still unhappy with its breadth. 'Orwellian law must be stopped'. [The] Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment) surveillance bill [will] be sent back to the parliamentary defence committee to enable the inclusion of certain "privacy guarantees". But in fact nobody has won. We have instead witnessed politicians hoodwinking their citizens. A monster with make-up is still a monster and "Swechelon", or Sweden's Echelon, must be stopped. Did someone mention Echelon? IPhone Can Take Screenshots of Anything You Do. Your iPhone is watching you. If you've got an iPhone, pretty much everything you have done on your handset has been temporarily stored as a screenshot that hackers or forensics experts could eventually recover, according to a renowned iPhone hacker who exposed the security flaw in a webcast Thursday [9/11/2008]. NYPD tracking cell phone owners, but foes aren't sure practice is legal. The NYPD is amassing a database of cell phone users, instructing cops to log serial numbers from suspects' phones in hopes of connecting them to past or future crimes. In the era of disposable, anonymous cell phones, the file could be a treasure-trove for detectives investigating drug rings and other criminal enterprises, police sources say. "It's used to help build cases," one source said of the new initiative. Digital Bread Crumbs: Following Your Cell Phone Trail. Cell phones leave a data trail, and it is becoming standard operating procedure for police departments and federal agents to use this data to locate and track people. NYPD Tracking Phones and Owners. The capacity for tracking information is expanding so rapidly, it is truly breathtaking. The ability to correlate the numbers that make up so much of our lives is giving rise to dangerous threats to our right to live our own lives in peace. Suffice to say, the police gathering one more piece of personal information without our consent, and allegedly in the absence of the accusation of, let alone conviction for, a crime, makes all those affected a little less free. Section 7: Rude, annoying chatterboxes and the lack of simple courtesy The use of cell phones wouldn't bother anyone if they were used responsibly, by people with some sense of courtesy, consideration for others and self-control. Unfortunately those people are hard to find. A Flight Attendant's 12 Tips for Cell Phone Use on an Airplane: I love my cell phone as much as the next person, and with the travel schedule that I have, it's frequently the only way anyone can get in touch with me. Still, there are certain basic courtesies that must be followed. Traveling can occasionally bring out the worst in people, resulting in the frequent "it's all about me" syndrome. Toss in cramped quarters, and discourteous cell phone manners, and you have a recipe for disaster. Man who yelled at phone user acquitted. A retired police officer who screamed obscenities at a train passenger who was talking on a cell phone and who hit the hand of another passenger who intervened was acquitted Tuesday of misdemeanor charges stemming from the confrontation. John Clifford, who is also a lawyer, was found not guilty after a two-day nonjury trial at which he acted as his own attorney. Minimizing the annoyance of the mobile phone. We are in real danger of a consumer backlash against annoying technologies. We already have seen the growth of mobile-phone free zones, of prohibition against phone use, camera use, camera phones, in all sort of public and private places. The mobile phone has been shown to be a dangerous distraction to the driver of an automobile, whether hands-free or not. If we do nothing to overcome these problems, then the benefits these technologies bring may very well be denied us because the social costs are simply too great. Rudeness in America: While vast majorities of Americans experience a range of rude behaviors at least occasionally in their daily lives, the one transgression that occurs most often is accompanied by a ring tone: People talking on cell phones, in public places, in a loud or annoying manner. Cell phone annoyance: Cell phone usage angers me. I'm not talking about the occasional phone call people must make to stay in touch. I'm talking about the cell phones going off in movie theaters, seeing a couple sit down to a great dinner in a restaurant and the one person is talking on the phone and ignoring the other sitting across from them. Cell Phone Rudeness. There are those who believe that when they press the little button to take or place a call, they are immediately enveloped with an Invisible Cone of Privacy. They believe that this enables them to stand in the middle of any public place and talk about any subject they want — no matter how personal, or how embarrassing — and no one else can hear them. The Wired Are A Rude Bunch. The constant pressure on workers to be accessible means manners often take a backseat. In consumer circles, lots of people apparently believe that because they can take or make a phone call, they should. Shocker: Rude Cell Phone Users Don't Think They're Rude. A new survey has found that nearly 90 percent of people encounter annoying cell phone users, but just 8 percent say their own cell phone use is sometimes rude. How to Squelch Your Inner Jackass: Mobile phones have helped to make a crass and vulgar society even more crass and more vulgar. Portability makes it possible for anyone to take a private conversation public and that's never a good idea. In its way, some moron babbling into a mobile phone is as obtrusive and obnoxious as the idiot who plays his boombox at full throttle in the park. Cell Phone Rudeness: I thought giving up my beloved cell phone would be difficult; but, after a few days without it, I felt like I had never even had one. Now, almost three years later, I can no longer imagine what it feels like to be reachable all the time. I do, however, notice the obsession other people seem to have with their cell phones. It often seems like they are drawn out of the world we all share into their own dimension, where they and their cell phones are the only things in existence. Just another way to be rude. I'm sure that many of you have experienced cell phone rudeness. Perhaps some of you are guilty of cell phone rudeness. I've found that there are three main ways to be rude with cell phones. We all know what number one is: It's using your cell phone when driving! Eight tips for reducing cell phone rudeness in public: Last week Ramsey accompanied a friend to a doctor's office. The waiting room was packed. ... Everyone looked miserable. For the most part the only sounds were moaning, sniffling and coughing. ... Suddenly the near quiet room was shattered by a male voice, yelling, "Hey Bubba, whatcha doing?" Rudeness in America, 2006: In the ranks of rudeness, cell phones reign. While vast majorities of Americans experience a range of rude behaviors at least occasionally in their daily lives, the one transgression that occurs most often is accompanied by a ring tone: People talking on cell phones, in public places, in a loud or annoying manner. Can we curb rude cell phone manners? Most cell phone culprits inherently are ill-mannered underachievers. Getting a phone call in a public place and carrying on a long, loud conversation gives these wannabes a feeling of importance. Manners and virtue in a modern world: Many people have no notion of propriety when in the presence of other people, because they are not actually in the presence of other people, even when they are in public. With everyone chatting on cell phones when not floating in iPod-land, "this is an age of social autism, in which people just can't see the value of imagining their impact on others." We are entertaining ourselves into inanition. Welcome to the culture of rudeness. Not for a long, long time have parents enforced the notion that children should be seen and not heard. All us fogies, even young ones, flinch when the kids talk at loud length on their cell phones at school, at play and in their living rooms. They turn the music up as high as it can go no matter where they are. Jackson Lee says she wasn't trying to keep away health plan foes. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee ... denied she had attempted to dodge opponents by giving short notice and not widely publicizing her town hall meeting ... Occasional chastising punctuated the rest of the meeting, some comments accusing her of wasting time when introducing a state politician who had joined the crowd and other jeers when she talked on her cell phone while a constituent posed a question to her. Sheila Jackson Lee at the Town Hall. Queen Sheila, known more informally as haughty Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), doesn't even have the decency to apologize for gabbing away on her cellphone during a healthcare townhall meeting and ignoring a concerned woman who was asking her a question. Why Sheila Jackson Lee Is the Least Respected Lawmaker in Congress: During a townhall meeting, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), stopped to take a call on her cellphone. Section 8: Cell phones in schools / school zones Recently a number of municipal governments in north Texas (and elsewhere around the country, no doubt) have outlawed the use of cellular phones in school zones. Presumably, a city-wide ban on cell phones in moving vehicles would have been met with overwhelming opposition, but if the ban is only in school zones, and it's for the children," then what elected official can argue with that? There will be plenty of chances to expand and extend the prohibition later; for example, banning cell phones within 500 feet of a school zone. Or 1000 feet. In most cases the city ordinances have a provision that allows hands-free phones. But it's not the drivers' hands that are the problem. It's their minds! When the driver's mind is occupied with the problem of what to say next, or how to respond to what he or she has just heard on the phone, there is less concentration available for other tasks, like driving the car and not running over anyone. Highland Park Passes School Zone Cell Phone Ban. The Highland Park town council has passed a ban for drivers using cell phones in certain areas. The ordinance bans drivers from using hand-held cell phones during school zone hours. Use Of Cell Phones Illegal In HP School Zones. Highland Park's cell phone ban in school zones is believed to be the first of its kind in Texas. The ban started Monday [12/3/2008], and Highland Park police say they have already ticketed eight people for breaking the law. Each ticket costs $75. The Editor says... In Highland Park, $75 is mere pocket change -- about what it costs to eat lunch. That amount probably won't cover the manpower involved in processing the ticket. But I'll say it again — this kind of incrementalism only goes one direction. First they pass a law like this "for the children", and the next thing you know, it will be applied to the whole city. Notice also that the law applies specifically to telephones, not to two-way radios of the more conventional sense, which can be even more distracting. Notice also that the cop who issues a citation for violating this law is driving a car that is loaded with radios, computers, at least one cell phone, and assorted firearms. Who is more distracted? On their cell phones-14 busted speeding in school zones. Oak Park police ticketed 14 speeding motorists last week — all of them talking on cell phones at the time — during continued enforcement of traffic laws around the village's schools. Dallas to consider limiting cell phone use in school zones. Dallas will consider limiting cellphone use in school zones, prompted Friday afternoon [1/11/2008] by a petition signed by five City Council members who want to formally discuss the issue. Such action in Dallas follows Highland Park and University Park both recently banning handheld cellphone use within school zones. Dallas Weighs Cell Phone Ban. Dallas will consider outlawing the use of cell phones in school zones similar to bans in two other North Texas cities. Ordinances in Highland Park and University Park ban cell phone use while in a school zone. The Dallas proposal would also outlaw text messaging. School Cell Phone Ban Causes Uproar. A ban on cell phones in the nation's biggest school system is creating an uproar among parents and students alike, with teenagers sneaking their phones inside their lunches and under their clothes, and grown-ups insisting they need to stay in touch with their children in case of another crisis like Sept. 11. The Editor says... What does September 11 have to do with this? Unless a terrorist attack happens at the school (as opposed to New York City or Washington), why would the kids need to call home? High school limits student cell phone use. Cell phones are now allowed at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in suburban Chicago and a growing number of schools nationwide — but only sometimes. Some students complain the rules on phones and pagers, while better than an outright ban, don't always make sense. At Stevenson, students are allowed to use them only after school finishes at 3:25 p.m. and on weekends. The rest of the time, they must keep them off and out of sight. State court says city can ban cell phones in schools. The city ban on students having cellular telephones in public schools is rational and legal, a judge ruled Monday [5/7/2007] in support of a policy that parents have vigorously opposed. The Department of Education's ban has existed for years in the nation's biggest school system, but until last spring many students carried cell phones without risk of punishment. Cell phones at school: To ban or not to ban? According to a BBC report India has the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world, with more than 170 million subscribers. Every month around seven million new subscribers are added to the list and a large number of them are children. Cell phones in school: Necessity or nuisance? When Molly Baldwin begins her junior year at Maconaquah High School, she already knows her cellular phone has to stay in her locker. … The penalty for using a cell phone during school hours ranges from confiscation of the phone to expulsion. Cell Phone 'Sexting' A Problem, Teens Say. By texting, students keep their conversations secret because they're not talking on the phone. They can even use their phones in the classroom. "I'd rather text than talk on the phone," said 17-year-old Darrell Keyes. "I waste, like, 4,000 text messages in a month." But texting inappropriate photos can turn into a criminal matter. NYC's Ban on Cell Phones in Schools Sparks Challenge. Opponents of New York City's ban on cell phones in public schools plan to challenge the rule in court. Civil rights attorney Norman Siegel told amny.com that the ban has no rational basis and will not stand up to scrutiny. Siegel said there is no reason to prohibit phones, which can be turned off. This Kid's a Text Maniac. Greg Hardesty didn't LOL when he got his teen daughter's cellphone statement. ... The California man's 13-year-old daughter, Reina, racked up an astonishing 14,528 text messages in one month. The online AT&T statement ran 440 pages. The Editor says... When I was a teenager, I sent a lot of short text messages, too. But I sent them in Morse code on 7177 kHz. (At no cost!) Section 9: Other items yet to be categorized Cell phone ring tones spark copyright questions. When a music ring tone goes off in a restaurant or during a company meeting, it's often heard by more than just the intended recipient. But can that seconds-long clip of a song be considered a public performance of a musical work? Lost Without Your Mobile? Sounds Like a Case of Nomo-phobia. Fear of being out of mobile phone contact affects over 13 million people across the UK and is causing stress levels to soar, according to a report from the Post Office. The Post Office has coined a new term to describe this latest affliction to hit the ipod generation — "nomo-phobia". The term characterises a generation of mobile phone users who worry about being out of mobile phone contact with friends, family and colleagues. The term is an abreviation of No Mobile Phobia. Free Cell Phones Offered To Poor Tennessee Residents. A cell phone company is offering free wireless phones and 68 minutes of free air time to more than 800,000 low-income Tennessee residents in a program aimed at ensuring they can make a call in an emergency. On D.C. Streets, the Cellphone as Lifeline. To the usual trappings that help many homeless people endure life on the streets — woolen blankets, shopping carts or cardboard box shelters — add the humble cellphone. Today, it's not unusual for the homeless to whip out Nokia 6085 GoPhones (with optional Bluetooth and USB connectivity), stop at a public computer to check e-mail or urge friends to read their blogs. Cell phones for Alabama's poor hits roadblock. Most poor Alabamians will have to wait months, and perhaps longer, to get free, government-subsidized cell phones and cell phone service. The state board that oversees emergency 911 service on Friday told the Miami company behind plans for the free phones that the board lacks the authority to grant statewide certification that the phones are compatible with 911 systems. The certification is required by the Federal Communications Commission to qualify the company, TracFone Wireless, for federal subsidies. King Uncorks Clunker: The Cell Phone Clicky Noise Act. In a what-was-he-thinking move, Representative Peter King (R-NY) has recently introduced H.R. 414, the Camera Phone Predator Alert Act which is aimed at preventing "predators" from taking illicit photos of others in public with cell phones. The bill will force cell phone manufacturers to make the camera feature of a cell phone emit a noise so that it will be audibly obvious when a picture is taken. The Editor says... What if someone is surreptitiously taking pictures during a bank robbery, a mugging or a rape? This law could get somebody killed. Random calls woo gamblers. The online bookmaking agency Sportsbet has started calling mobile phones randomly encouraging people to bet. When the phone is answered, a pre-recorded voice message says: "What are you waiting for? Hit six [on the keypad] for a $60 betting voucher. Go on, hit six for $60 and you could win big." Wireless interference a matter of life and death. Wireless systems used by many hospitals to keep track of medical equipment can cause potentially deadly breakdowns in lifesaving devices such as breathing and dialysis machines, researchers have reported. The wireless systems send out radio waves that can interfere with equipment such as respirators, external pacemakers and kidney dialysis machines, the study said. Grandmother fights $10,000 phone bill. Opal Savage, a Charlotte grandmother and retired nurse, says she was shocked when her Verizon Wireless bill looked more like the down payment for a small house. The $10,539.72 bill was mostly for about six weeks of calls to Secret Encounters, an adult chat line based in St. Georges, Granada. … Savage believes the phone company had a duty to block the calls or call her when the bill reached into the thousands, in the same way some credit card companies deny suspect and out-of-the-ordinary transactions. A cellphone bill roams to the stratosphere. Santa Monica resident Aurelie Foucaut traveled last month to Paris with her two kids. During a brief stopover in Montreal, she made six calls on her BlackBerry to friends and family members, each lasting less than three minutes. Foucaut's wireless bill from T-Mobile arrived a few weeks ago. It included $59.77 in ordinary usage charges. It also included a $2,367.40 "data service roaming charge" for nearly 158 megabytes' worth of Internet access while in Montreal — the equivalent of downloading about 80 novels. Will cell phones kill more than cigarettes? An internationally recognized, award-winning brain surgeon says cell phones could be a greater threat to worldwide public health than smoking or asbestos. Australian Dr. Vini Khurana says it is because far more people are using cell phones and at earlier ages, increasing their exposure to electromagnetic radiation. Mobile phone radiation fries sperm — study. Men who talk for hours on their mobile phones could be jeopardising their chance of fathering a child, Australian research suggests. An experiment on semen revealed evidence of DNA damage after 16 hours of exposure to radiation similar to the output of a mobile phone. The Editor says... A man who is on the phone for 16 hours at a time has bigger problems than the RF exposure. Mobile phone radiation damages memory: study. Exposure to mobile phone radiation worsens the short-term memory of rats, according to a new Swedish study. A doctoral dissertation carried out at Lund University also found that groups of genes involved with behaviour and memory undergo changes due to repeated doses of radiation from mobile phones, the Sydsvenskan newspaper reports. Mind Control by Cell Phone: If cell phone signals boost a person's alpha waves, does this nudge them subliminally into an altered state of consciousness or have any effect at all on the workings of their mind that can be observed in a person's behavior? In [a recent] study, James Horne and colleagues at the Loughborough University Sleep Research Centre in England devised an experiment to test this question. The result was surprising. Not only could the cell phone signals alter a person's behavior during the call, the effects of the disrupted brain-wave patterns continued long after the phone was switched off. Mobile phone danger to unborn child: Use could cause behavioural problems Pregnant women who use mobile phones are more likely to have children with behavioural problems, a shocking study has found. Using handsets just two or three times a day is enough to raise the risk of hyperactivity and emotional problems. Letting children use mobiles before the age of seven also puts them at risk, scientists warn. The Editor says... Lousy parenting due to excessive use of the phone has nothing to do with the phone's wirelessness. Cell phone scammer preying on city's zoo. Someone is using cell phone text messages to monkey around with the Houston Zoo. Zoo officials have asked the FBI to investigate a possibly malicious texting campaign that has deluged the main switchboard with telephone calls, including 3,500 received on Sunday [5/4/2008] — about 10 times the normal volume. The calls are prompted when a cell phone user receives a cryptic text message, such as: "Somebody talking down on you, look for them." The text is followed by the zoo's main phone number…. The Editor says... It sounds to me as if someone is trying to see if an indirect denial-of-service attack would be effective against something more important than the zoo. Writing text messages could hurt a writer's command of standardized English. We had to LOL when we read how txt-msg lingo is replacing stndrd english in student academic pprs. 1 casualty of da trend is uz of capital letter to start a sentence. kids feel free to lowercase everything. pnktu8n is also dissed. tchaz try to help but its often 2 l8. Lock-in: Buying an iPhone isn't the same as buying a car or a toaster. Your iPhone comes with a complicated list of rules about what you can and can't do with it. You can't install unapproved third-party applications on it. You can't unlock it and use it with the cell phone carrier of your choice. And Apple is serious about these rules: a software update released in September 2007 erased unauthorized software and — in some cases — rendered unlocked phones unusable. "Bricked" is the term, and Apple isn't the least bit apologetic about it. Nationwide text message alert system approved. Federal regulators Wednesday [4/9/2008] approved a plan to create a nationwide emergency alert system using text messages delivered to cellphones. Text messages have exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among young people. The wireless industry's trade association, CTIA, estimates more than 48 billion text messages are sent each month. The plan stems from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act, a 2006 federal law that requires upgrades to the nation's emergency alert system. FCC Approves Emergency Alerts Via TXT Messages. The FCC says in an effort to better warn you about emergencies a new text message warning system will be in place. The text messaging system comes in response to the Warning, Alert and Response Network Act (WARN Act) which required the FCC to establish new and effective ways of alerting the public to emergencies. Cellphone text-alert system OK'd. Federal regulators Wednesday [4/9/2008] approved a plan to create a nationwide emergency-alert system using text messages delivered to cellphones. Texting has exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among young people. The wireless industry's trade association, CTIA, estimates more than 48 billion text messages are sent each month. ... Cellphone subscribers would be able to opt out of the program. Full text of H.R. 5556 [109th]: Warning, Alert, and Response Network Act. [Scroll down to the bottom] The Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the Department of Commerce may borrow from the Treasury beginning on October 1, 2006, such sums as may be necessary, but not to exceed $106,000,000, to implement this section. The Assistant Secretary shall reimburse the Treasury, without interest, as funds are deposited into the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Fund. FCC approves rules that would create national cell phone alert system in U.S. U.S. federal regulators have approved a plan to create a nationwide emergency alert system using text messages delivered to cell phones. Time to throw that old analog phone away. On Feb. 18, most analog phone service will cease to exist. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is no longer requiring that cellphone providers offer both digital and the older analog service after that date, so most are pulling the plug. What this means, explained Kirk Hatting of the Plymouth County Communications Center, is that the few people still using analog phones right now won't even be able to make any calls, not even 911, from their phone after Feb. 18. Running L8 But CU Soon. Luv, Mom. Maria de la Vega, the wife of AT&T Mobility's chief executive, regularly texts her two college-age boys. Although she was lured into text messaging to vote for "American Idol" contestant Bo Bice three years ago, she's now also texting her husband, sometimes when they are both at home to let him know dinner is ready. The Editor says... It would be interesting to know what percentage of wireless phone calls and text messages are exchanged between parties that are less than 100 yards apart. New Mobile Service Fights Speed Traps. The developer of Trapster, Pete Tenereillo, said the system, which requires punching in a few keys such as "pound-1" to submit information to Trapster's database, should comply with laws banning talking on cell phones. Tenereillo insisted he isn't encouraging motorists to break the law or drive dangerously, saying drivers who speed are bound to do so anyway. And he said police officials he's talked to haven't complained about the service because it inevitably encourages drivers to slow down. "Cellphone Users' Bill of Rights" Bad for Arizonans. "The wireless industry has been one of the fastest growing of modern times. That fast growth has been due to the fact that consumers have been driving demand and innovation while government has stayed out of the way," said Tracy King, vice president for public affairs at AT&T. "Consumers continue to call for newer innovations," King said, "and the race is on to find them. Government intrusion in the name of the consumer almost always results in one thing — a higher cost for that consumer." In Iraq... Taliban now target mobile phones. For once, the Taliban may have taken on the wrong target: the country's mobile phone network. In recent weeks, four mobile phone towers have been destroyed in Kandahar and Helmand provinces, areas where the Taliban hold sway. But in the process, the insurgents appear to have alienated much of the local population, which is willing to turn a blind eye to a public execution but is infuriated when they lose their phone service, for many their only link to the outside world. Cell phone shutdown angers Afghans. Taliban attacks on telecom towers have prompted cell phone companies to shut down service across southern Afghanistan at night, angering a quarter million customers who have no other telephones. Even some Taliban fighters now regret the disruptions and are demanding that service be restored by the companies. The communication blackout follows a campaign by the Taliban, which said the U.S. and NATO were using the fighters' cell phone signals to track them at night and launch pinpoint attacks. Busy Signals in Iraq. "The number you have called cannot be connected." Ever heard a recording like this on your telephone? … Now think about that kind of message being heard by virtually every cell phone subscriber in an entire country. That may be about to happen in Iraq. If it does, it could well derail progress made in recent months and have long-term adverse consequences for U.S. interests in the region. In Scotland... Crooks Flood Prisons With Smuggled Mobile Phones. A record number of criminals are making a mockery of the justice system by using mobile phones behind bars. Last year, 748 handsets were discovered in Scotland's jails — a 32 percent rise on 2006. The numbers have soared as mobiles get smaller and easier to smuggle into cells. The statistics raise serious questions about security in our prisons. The Editor says... The article above illustrates another hazard: Cell phones in a prison or jail can be a serious threat to security and can enable criminals to conduct their business as usual even while they are "up the river," whether permanently or not. Cellphones challenge poll sampling. With more American households giving up their old-fashioned land lines and using cellphones for all calls, public opinion researchers are facing a challenge of how to make sure they are getting representative samples when conducting polls. Since the 1970s, pollsters have relied on sampling techniques that depend on talking with people on their home land line telephones. Study: Omitting cell phone users may affect polls. People with only cell phones may differ enough from those with landline telephones that excluding the growing population of cell-only users from public opinion polls may slightly skew the results, a study has concluded. The finding, in a report this week by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, may increase pressure on polling organizations to include people who use only cell phones in their surveys. Oklahoma, Utah lead in cell-only households. Step aside high-tech California and uber-hip New York. If you're looking for the states that lead the nation in ditching landline telephones for wireless, you're looking for Oklahoma and Utah. At least 26 percent of households are now cell-only in Oklahoma and Utah, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in a report released Wednesday [3/11/2009]. The Editor says... That's all very interesting, but what does that have to do with disease control and prevention? Verizon customer calls phone alarm 'dangerous'. An Austin woman who dialed 911 recently discovered what she said could be a fatal flaw in some new cell phones. "I think it's a danger to everyone," she says. Carol, who asked that her last name not be used for fear of making herself or her land a target for vandals, called for help recently when she arrived at some vacant property she owns in east Austin and found her security chain gone. Teen on cell phone killed by train. Police spokesman Paul Petersen said Angie Rodriguez was on her cell phone as she walked across the tracks near the 900 block of First Avenue and was struck just after 11:30. Pay phones fade away at AT&T. The phone booth is a relic of an age nearly gone by. On Monday [12/3/2007], the venerable AT&T announced plans to phase out its pay-phone business by the end of 2008. The move affects AT&T pay phones in its traditional 13-state service area. BellSouth, acquired by AT&T in 2006, had previously exited the business. Engineer Apparently Sent Text Message Before Crash. Metrolink officials Saturday put the blame squarely on the engineer of the train for the deadly crash that has claimed at least 25 lives. They say he ran a red light. … One minute before the deadliest crash in Metrolink history, [a teenager] said he received a text message on his cell phone from the engineer…. Train Operator Sent 29 Texts on Crash Day. A train operator at the helm during a deadly collision in California last month sent 29 text messages while on the job that day — including one just 22 seconds before the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board announced Wednesday [10/1/2008]. Cell phone records examined by the safety board indicate that Metrolink train engineer Robert Sanchez was sending text messages on both his morning and evening shift the day of the accident. Padded Lampposts Tested in London to Prevent Cell Phone Texting Injuries. A London street is experimenting with padded lampposts to protect those not paying attention from banging into them, ITN reports. A study conducted by 118 118, a phone directory service, found that one in 10 people has been hurt while focusing on their cell phone instead of where they were walking, ITN reports. The Editor says... It is a big mistake to accomodate klutzes. Let them take their lumps and learn a valuable lesson. Texting May Be Taking a Toll. Spurred by the unlimited texting plans offered by carriers like AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless, American teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the Nielsen Company — almost 80 messages a day, more than double the average of a year earlier. Three Percent Fee On Cell Phones Started 107 Years Ago. Anybody who has ever tried to decipher a cell phone bill knows how tough it can be. One of the charges is a 3 percent fee on every cell phone bill in America. The origin of the tax predates the invention of the cellular phone by nearly a century. Phone Taxes are Cell Hell. You can't hang up on the taxman. Eleven federal, state and city levies add as much as 33 percent to the cost of New Yorkers' cellphones, a [New York] Post analysis found. Tax Man's Target: The Mobile Phone. The use of company-issued mobile phones could trigger new federal income taxes on millions of Americans as a "fringe benefit," spurring efforts by the wireless industry and others to kill the idea. The Internal Revenue Service proposed that employers assign 25% of an employee's annual phone expenses as a taxable benefit. The IRS Phones Home. With federal spending in 2009 at 28% of the economy and deficits heading north, Democrats are eyeing tax increases on everything from soft drinks to electricity to health benefits to charitable contributions. But the palm for creativity goes to the Internal Revenue Service, which is contemplating a new tax on the use of business cellphones. Students get message: Leave phones at home. Schools across the USA are cracking down on students whose cellphones disrupt classes and make it easier to cheat. Starting Monday [1/29/2007], the 222 public schools here will enforce a ban prompted by fights that escalated into brawls when students used cellphones to summon family members and outsiders. Verizon customer calls phone alarm 'dangerous'. An Austin woman who dialed 911 recently discovered what she said could be a fatal flaw in some new cell phones. "I think it's a danger to everyone," she says. Carol, who asked that her last name not be used for fear of making herself or her land a target for vandals, called for help recently when she arrived at some vacant property she owns in east Austin and found her security chain gone. Verizon phones make an audible alarm when 911 is dialed. Just the thing for those hostage and robbery situations — I don't think: "The alarm is not ear-splitting, but it is loud enough to be heard at least several yards away." Verizon claims the FCC requires this. The FCC says it's not that stupid. New York Town Kills Cell Tower. In a move that broadband advocates fear is part of an increasing trend, a small grassroots group forced the town government in the Westchester County suburb of Lewisboro, New York to back out of a deal with the governing board of a local church that had agreed to serve as a site for a cellular tower. The antenna would have been mounted inside the church's steeple, making it rise about 50 feet higher into the air, and would have been invisible to the surrounding area, which had long been prone to dropped calls and dead zones. The Editor says... It's too bad that all three sides couldn't lose. Here we have a church that is willing to prostitute its steeple as a cell phone site. The church is hoping to profit by accomodating the people who can't bear to live without continuous cell phone contact. Then there are the "community" busybodies who want to meddle with other people's use of private property. They all deserve each other. T-Mobile Sues City of Olathe Over Proposed Tower. T-Mobile Central is suing the city of Olathe to allow a 60-foot tower to be built next to a church. The Gathering Place Pentecostal Holiness Church agreed to allow the cell phone company to erect the pole, as long as T-Mobile added a beam that made the tower look like a cross. But city planners objected to the plan on the grounds that it represents a sign not allowed in a residential area. [Since when is a cross not permitted at a church?]  Bloomington imposes design rules for wireless antennas. A year after passing an ordinance limiting the height of church steeples and bell towers, Bloomington has tweaked its regulations by imposing design requirements to make it clear that the same bell tower can't be replicated over and over again on church grounds all over town. It's not that churches have gone mad for bell towers. The new rule is aimed at providers of cell phone service who are looking for places to hide wireless antennas in residential areas. How cell phones sap your brain: A study of Australian highway crashes published recently in the British Medical Journal found yakking on a cell phone while driving is four times likelier to lead to a serious crash, regardless whether the driver is talking to a handheld or hands-free phone. Researchers for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted the study, the first to link actual accident data with phone records, in Western Australia, because phone companies in the United States would not grant access to wireless records, citing privacy concerns. Heavy mobile phone use a cancer risk. People who use a mobile phone for hours a day are 50 percent more likely to develop mouth cancer than those who do not talk on them at all, new research has shown. The study also suggests that mobile users who live in rural areas may be at an increased risk of cancer because handsets need to emit more radiation to locate fewer antennas. Children who use mobile phones are 'five times more likely to develop brain tumours'. The Swedish study indicated that under-16s are more at risk of radiation from mobile phones because their brains and nervous systems are still developing. Because their heads are smaller and their skulls are thinner the radiation penetrates deeper into their brains, it is believed. After presenting their findings, the scientists said that children under 12 should only use mobiles for emergencies. Mobile phones 'more dangerous than smoking'. Mobile phones could kill far more people than smoking or asbestos, a study by an award-winning cancer expert has concluded. He says people should avoid using them wherever possible and that governments and the mobile phone industry must take "immediate steps" to reduce exposure to their radiation. Study: Cell phone link to brain tumors. A groundbreaking, $30 million study into cell phones has found a link between long term use and brain tumors. The Editor says... What about second-hand radio waves? I can hear the busybodies now: "We need more legislation!" English Hippies Want Local Wi-Fi Network Turned Off. Turn off that Wi-Fi network — it's disturbing our chakras. That's what many residents of Glastonbury, a lovely medieval town turned New Age hub in southwestern England, are demanding the local government do. Ever since the town's free municipal wireless broadband network went online in May, people have been complaining of, as an online petition puts it, "headaches, dizziness, nausea, severe tiredness, brain fog, disorientation and loss of appetite, loss of balance, inability to concentrate, loss of creativity" — all ailments an examining physician would find it difficult to prove or disprove. Somebody has invented switchable shielding! Slapping on a coat of silence. Company says its high-tech paint will block cell phone calls. NaturalNano Develops Cellphone-Blocking Paint. NaturalNano has used nanotechnology to develop a type of paint that stops cellphone signals. It's done by blending particles of copper that are inserted into nanotubes, and then mixing and suspending these tiny particles into a can of paint. Perhaps someday they'll sell Tyvek with an aluminum foil backing, for shielding purposes. Cell Service Lets Parents Track Kids by GPS. Up until now, parents had to deal with a separate company or buy special equipment to track their children through their cell phones. Sprint Nextel Corp. becomes the first U.S. wireless provider to sell its own product when the Family Locator Service rolls out Thursday [4/13/2006]. Group wants Wi-Fi banned from public buildings. A group in Santa Fe says the city is discriminating against them because they say that they're allergic to the wireless Internet signal. And now they want Wi-Fi banned from public buildings. Arthur Firstenberg says he is highly sensitive to certain types of electric fields, including wireless Internet and cell phones. "I get chest pain and it doesn't go away right away," he said. The Editor says... I wonder how he feels about cell phones, walkie-talkies, police radar, weather radar, or microwave ovens. What the dozens of TV stations in Albuquerque and Santa Fe? Is he allergic to AM and FM radio, or just digital signals? Stories like this usually end up on this page. Judge's jailing of 20 in cell phone flap upheld. A Niagara Falls City Court judge who jailed 20 defendants after a cell phone or wristwatch alarm went off in his court last year was acting within his judicial authority, a federal district judge has ruled. The most dangerous foods to eat while driving: Drinking coffee is dangerous behind the wheel. But imagine trying to enjoy a chili dog or some hot soup while stuck in traffic. Insurance.com, a Web site that compares auto insurance rates, has released its list of the most dangerous foods to consume on the road. U.S. Withheld Data on Risks of Distracted Driving. In 2003, researchers at a federal agency proposed a long-term study of 10,000 drivers to assess the safety risk posed by cellphone use behind the wheel. They sought the study based on evidence that such multitasking was a serious and growing threat on America's roadways. But such an ambitious study never happened. And the researchers' agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, decided not to make public hundreds of pages of research and warnings about the use of phones by drivers — in part, officials say, because of concerns about angering Congress. Study: Texting while driving more dangerous for truckers. Truckers who text while driving are 23 times more likely to crash or get into a near-wreck than an undistracted driver, while car drivers face the greatest danger when dialing their cell phones, a transportation study found. Texting-while-driving truck driver crashes into swimming pool. The driver of a tow truck texting on one cell phone while talking on another Wednesday morning crashed into a car at Tonawanda Creek Road North near Willow Wood Drive, injuring a woman and her niece, Niagara County sheriff's deputies said. The flatbed tow truck then crashed through a fence and into a house before ending up in a swimming pool. 
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Document location http://www.akdart.com/cell.html Updated November 4, 2009. Page design by Andrew K. Dart ©2009 |