Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Cell phone jamming

Before you take it upon yourself to jam someone else's phone calls, just because you can only hear one half of the conversation, please consider the following:
  • What's your justification?
  • Are you jealous that you're not part of the conversation?
  • Don't like that the girl likes to say "like", like way too much?
  • Before you get into the "invasion of your space" argument, answer the question: "Where am I?" I'm willing to bet that you're in a public place and your personal space doesn't involve a cone of silence.
  • Do you come from one of those broken homes where "silence at the dinner table" was a rule? If so, then I'm sad for you. I come from an active family that the earliest we'd see each other as a group was dinner time. Aside from a few spats when we were younger, it was a time for communication.
  • Are you that much of a control freak?

When you press that button realize:

  • You're breaking a Federal law each time you push that button, risking fines up to $11,000 ($10,000 for jamming, the rest for possession and use of contraband)
  • You're also risking a civil suit from anyone who's conversation you interrupted (think doctor's talking to emergency room). Jammers are rarely directional, especially the cheap ones. A thirty foot range means sixty feet by sixty feet (i.e., everyone in the restaurant, and then some).

Yeah, there are a few places where cell phone use can be seen as inappropriate, such as church, a movie theater, or class. However, let me point out that it is not you, with your butt in the chair, that has the right to enforce any such rule. It is the responsibility of the paster/priest, theater owner, or instructor to make and enforce the rule. Anything that you do, including saying "Hang up that phone!" is beyond your jurisdication and may be construed as a form of assault (look that one up). It falls under "The management reserves the right to refuse service..."

You want silence, go sit somewhere where the business owner prohibits the use of cell phones (it's his jurisdiction, not yours). If it's a public place, you're S.O.L.

You cell phone users. If it's a place where quiet is the norm, it's okay to answer your phone, just take the conversation outside as soon as possible. It's the polite thing to do and it'll help keep the etiquette nazis off of the rest of our backs.

Me? I'm using another entirely legal device. If you use a jammer in plain view, I'm taking a picture and hoping it's good enough to convict you. If you're yelling into the phone in a place where quiet is the rule, I'll take a series of pictures (hey, you're acting strange in public), choose the best one, and submit it to the Craption Contest.

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