Silencing Cell Phones

I am probably in a large minority but cell phones annoy me immensely. Not their existence, I'm quite happy with people having the things, walking around looking silly with a fist stuck to their ears, the shopping trolley out of control and their lips flapping. Some of them can even be amusing. What eats my tiny soul is the ringing in inappropriate places like theaters, public meetings and motor cars.

Tests have shown that driver ability declines dramatically when the subject is chatting on a cell. This result was not significantly affected by the device being hands free as one might have thought. Seems people can drive single handedly but but not with divided attention. The twenty to thirty age group's ability to drive aged by almost forty years.

So, cell phone addict, no more rude remarks about old drivers - you are a temporary member every time you pick up that phone and start chatting.

Now for some good news: A Coat of Silence

The intrusion of cellular phone rings into theaters, schools and nearly every other nook and cranny of modern life may soon hit a wall.

Playing to the backlash against ubiquitous communication, a company called NaturalNano is developing a special high-tech paint that relies on the wizardry of nanotechnology to create a system that locks out unwanted cell phone signals on demand.

The paint represents a dream to those who seek a distraction-free movie or concert experience, and a nightmare to those who compulsively monitor their BlackBerry phones.

By Jon Van Chicago Tribune

I suppose car interiors will miss out. One can't have everything.

Naturally the wireless industry is upset.

"We oppose any kind of blocking technology," said Joe Farren, spokesman for The Wireless Association, the leading cell phone trade group. "What about the young parents whose baby-sitter is trying to call them, or the brain surgeon who needs notification of emergency surgery? These calls need to get through."

DUH

Do what people did before there was wireless or have those microwaves completely addled your brains? Call the theater, or whatever - they still have landlines, you know, and will deliver emergency messages.

The good news is that blocking technology is completely legal.