Stop telling me to turn my phone off in the petrol station. Yes I know there is a sign that tells everyone to turn off their phone and radio and yes, there was a good reason for this.
In the 1950s.
Radiophones used a crank and spark-gap to signal the beginning of a call. That spark could, potentially, cause problems in an area with a high concentration of petrol fumes.
Amazingly enough though, what with portable phones and radiophones since the 1960s using batteries that specifically work by not exploding into sparks, nobody is in danger if you answer your phone while filling up.
âŚwell unless your phone is made of glass and you keep it in a pocket of a wooly sweater⌠szzzt
What was explained to me was that some cellphones, especially those set on vibrate, can ignite gasoline fumes. Vibrate is or was created by a small engine. The sparks from the contacts inside the engine could ignite the fumes.
I donât know how likely to happen this was, or even if current technology carries the same risk.
But one of the things that ticks me off with cellphones is the hospitals who go into hysterics, claiming that cellphones interfere with medical equipment. Iâm not aware of any facts that support this, and I find it odd that the same hospitals have cellphone towers on their roofs.
There is actually some evidence to support that. However, the circumstances under which a cell phone could interfere with medical equipment are extremely unlikely.
The interference is caused by the phone sending out electromagnetic waves, and a length of wire catching those waves and acting as an antenna. The electrical current generated from that can cause malfunctions.
The amount of interference caused is dependent on several things
How close the phone is to the equipment
Whether the equipment is shielded
How long the pseudo-antenna is
In practice this means your phone needs to be within 3cm (just over an inch) of a very, very old piece of equipment for there to be issues. For there to be serious issues, that very old piece of equipment must be a vital life preserving equipment that will malfunction badly because of the interference.
In other words, it ainât gonna happen.
These days, doctors have been known to take their cell phones into operating theatres with them, and according to the article I read there have been no known deaths due to cell phone use.
Iâm going to say, just donât be a dick and turn off your phone where you see a sign posted. Is the loss of connection really worth the fight or the brainpower?
When cell phones vibrate, it is a tiny DC stepper motor spinning an eccentric weight.
Examples:
The stepper motor is very unlikely to spark, plus it is inside a fairly well sealed enclosure. If an Otterbox is involved, thereâs another layer of protection from fumes.
There is a better chance of a spark igniting fumes by getting in & out of your car (sliding your butt across the upholstery) while the tank fills, then static jumping to the handle/nozzle when you go to grab it. That actually happens; Iâve seen it on video.
Regarding hospital equipment, Iâm with @Rizak⌠it isnât worth the hassle - you are not going to get anywhere trying to argue with a sign or a bureaucracy. In reality, there shouldnât be a problem - when was the last time you saw a piece of modern electronic equipment that didnât have some basic shielding? (like, a metal case or a metal liner inside a plastic shell should be sufficient, especially if grounded properly)
While I agree with both Rizak & Woodman - if I see the sign, I will just turn my phone off - if I am in an emergency department attending a loved one, the last thing Iâm going to be worried about is whether Iâve got my phone turned off or not.
Itâs not about connectivity, itâs about focus, and even in the hospital in general, my focus is going to be on who Iâm coming to see rather than on whatâs happening with my phone.
Having recently spent two weeks in a hospital, my perspective is different. I see your point, but as a resident, my damn cell phone was my life. And really, the whole hospital is covered with wifi, the only place I could see them banning cell phones is in places where people shouldnât be screwing with them, operating rooms and radiology rooms. I didnât see any signs like that when I was in the big house, that I noticed at least.
Seriously, dude? You had no insurance on your house? Youâve made some questionable financial decisions over the years, but no insurance on the place that youâre renting out to your sister-in-law might take the cake.
I feel bad for you that the place is a total loss, but the financial hit is really on you.
Downstairs neighbor comes upstairs at 2PM and complains that my kids are playing in the living room while sheâs trying to take a nap cause sheâs worked so hard this week
Yeah, for the third time now, how about you sort through your crap and throw away, sell, or otherwise get rid of it all piece by piece instead of moving it all in the house? Get it through your thick skull that two 10 ft x 20 ft storage units filled with all sorts of junk wonât fit in the garage, attic, and backyard. Nor do we want to spend our time moving all of it, again. One time is enough for our lifetime.
This was Saturday. Came upstairs, complained that our kids were making noise because âfootstepsâ. She couldnât nap after a 50 hour week. I told her I was already explaining it to my kids, ad nauseum, but at the end of the day, itâs an apartment. Itâs not solid concrete, so thereâs going to be noise. Deal with it.
Yeah, expecting your neighbours to be quiet at 2pm on a Saturday is not even close to a reasonable expectation.
If working a 50 hour week is enough to send her into a tailspin then perhaps she needs a different job.
How is this âgraphic sexâ? Did you ban âDirty Dancingâ for âgraphic sexâ?
If it was a heterosexual couple embracing like that, youâd be extolling the wholesome Christian family values. Your high horse has less substance than the Emperorâs new clothes.
