[Moderator: Not quite on topic, but I have long wished for these. :)]
>From CNET.COM Newsletter Today
9. BEHIND THE SCENES (FOR DIGITAL DISPATCH READERS ONLY)
After my vacation in Greece--which was wonderfully free of
URLs, but packed with more obnoxious cell phone users per
square mile than any place I've ever been--I stumbled across a
disturbing but interesting new technology that allows you to
jam the airwaves and prevent cell phone calls within a
prescribed radius.
"Jamming" is already happening in Japan, a country that could
probably put the mobile-phoning Grecos to shame. The Wave
Wall, by a company called Medic Inc., is a cigarette-sized
transceiver with a 20-foot jamming radius. It's a pricey $480,
but cafes, theaters, and high-end restaurants are already
using these devices to keep the peace.
Of course the implications are huge (which is why I like this
topic). The Japanese government is concerned about emergency
calls being blocked, potential interference with pacemakers,
and so forth. But I'm picturing the inevitable American
version--a freakish cyberjammer who roams the streets
gleefully interrupting calls, or prowls the highways making
callers truly "hang up and drive."
Need I say more? I have no idea when the jammers will hit our
shores, but it sure makes you look back at the days of "Hang
on, I'm going into a tunnel and may lose the connection" with
a certain innocent fondness. Now you'll never know if it's the
connection or the suspicious-looking minivan in the slow lane.
-o-
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Received on Fri Aug 28 09:46:49 1998