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Author Topic: More Cell Phone Justice Jim Bedford Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 597 From: Telluride, CO, USA (733 mi. WNW of Rockwall, TX but it seems much, much longer) Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-29-2004 03:01 PM                        Check out <http://www.globalgadgetuk.com/Personal.htm> Ah, I've dreamed of using something like this so many times. Not legal in most places of course, but what people don't know can't hurt you.  |  IP: Logged Pravin Ratnam Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 844 From: Atlanta, GA,USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 07-29-2004 03:14 PM                     Vibrate is a decent option, but something that should be used only as a last resort because even the vibrate mode on some phones is not so quiet. And it will be helpful if people with cell phones on vibrate attend a theater during the less crowded periods so one won't be right next to another patron. I have started throwing popcorn kernels at the heads of those who answer their cell phones in the theater. I have a good aim, and so far, I have not been caught in two attempts.  |  IP: Logged Dick Vaughan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1032 From: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: Jul 2000 posted 07-30-2004 02:52 AM                        Leo I like the idea about the follow spot but I would replace it with a 20 Mega Watt Laser I must stop watching reruns of Bond movies and remember to take my medication  |  IP: Logged Robert L. Fischer Expert Film Handler Posts: 145 From: Montreal, Quebec Registered: May 2004 posted 07-30-2004 03:19 AM                    While viewing Napoleon Dynamite last night, one of a large group of teenaged girls behind me had their cell phone go off during the movie. While this is typical, amazingly, one of her friends had hers go off about a half an hour later. Don't you think that after the first time, her friends would've checked to make sure their ringers were off?  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-30-2004 08:32 AM                     I tend to disagree with bullshit excuses. First, it makes the perpetrator of the bullshit look like a weasel. Second, it desensitizes people the next time an excuse is given. When was the last time you were on an airliner and the announcer said something like, "Federal regulations require that all passengers..."? What they casually forget to mention that the AIRLINE COMPANIES lobbied the FAA to pass that regulation. I'd much rather just have the flight attendant announce, "Everybody sit their ass down and buckle up or else a Sky Marshall will come and haul your sorry carcass off this plane in handcuffs!" In reference to a projection booth, I'd rather see a sign that says something like: ENTERING PROJECTION ROOM: Designated Quiet Zone All cellular phones, pagers and radios must be turned off. (Or set ringers to "Silent".) Any reasonably intelligent person should be albe to interpret this sign. A person who is "in the business" should do it out of professional courtessey. A visitor who knows little or nothing about theaters/projection rooms should see this as a valid policy of those who ARE "in the business". Any way you slice it, the person who is in charge of the projection room has the right to say, "Please turn off your phone.", and expect others to comply. If the visitor doesn't, it's perfectly reasonable to say, "Turn off the phone or get out!" I'm reminded of that TV show, "Myth Busters" where they strapped a cellular phone to a 5 gallon can full of gasoline then rang it. Contrary to popular belief, nothing happened after several repeated attempts.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-30-2004 08:18 PM                        quote: Dick Vaughan Leo I like the idea about the follow spot but I would replace it with a 20 Mega Watt Laser Dick, excellent -- but let me add this: in addition to the followspot, a mic with a parabolic sound reflector would also be rigged to the followspot so that it could pickup the person's conversation and blast it with a time delay over the speaker system. The delay will make it impossible for the person to formulate sentences, plus the entire audience will be privy to the inane chatter that is going on and that the idiot thinks is so important that it simply cannot wait another two hours. Or perhaps we just need to get an interceptor device that can pickup cell audio and have it wired into the sound system. Imaging how fast someone would stop talking on the cell if all of a sudden the entire conversation could be heard blasting on the speaker system instead of the movie track! It's just a simple a matter of egocentric behavior. These people think they are SOOO important that there are others who are simply waiting with baited breath to hear what they have to say. I see people in NYC at 4am talking on a cell phone....who could possibly want to get a phone call from someone at that time of night? And what could they possibly have to say that would warrant waking another person up to hear it? As for jamming, yes it is theoretically illegal, but I am sure quite difficult to prove. But as Jack mentions, there are passive ways to block cell activity. I believe they even have paint that contains material which stops cell signals. Of course you would have to alert the audience that their cells will not function in the theatre just so later you cannot be sued by someone like a doctor or someone that had an emergency and thought they could get a call while in fact, they couldn't. Personally, I like the ACTIVE jamming concept. The FCC is a wuss regulatory commission at best these days....they don't do anything unless a complaint is first filed and then they warn you, so you have plenty of time to disconnect your jammer and lay low for awhile, then start it up again. They won't go after you as long as you are not interfering with the broadcast signal of some big megacommunication giant that the commissioners are in bed with....then they hop-to to like puppets on a string. But for the small infractions, like Drive-Ins radiating movie soundtracks all over the FM spectrum, it is pretty much lazy-fair until there is a complaint. Bottom line, the commissioners are pretty much lazy, and you are fairly likely to not get hassled. I say, not only jam the things, but overload them so much that the tuning trap burns right out if it is activated. What fun to watch the faces of the owner who pulls his cell out in the theatre and the second he presses the SEND button, it turns red hot and starts to smoke right in his fat little fingers. It would almost be worth being carted off to federal prison....get to pal around with Martha Stewart.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-31-2004 10:32 PM                     Hmm. So "Warronnica" was going to smack that cracker in the head, eh? I wonder if she did, if that would be considered a hate crime? Or if that's another one-sided law. I've never had one and never will. (A cell phone, that is) They're a human lo-jack device. Suddenly, you become available at the convenience of everyone. And the fist question they ask, "Where are you?" I always laugh when I see people panic when they hear their phone ring in a public place. Like it's an alarm or something alerting them of danger. They fumble for it like it's going to explode if they don't get it before the call goes to voice mail. And nine times out of ten, they have a moronic conversation with whoever called. "Hey. I'm at the store. Did you know bananas are on sale? No, I don't think TV's Blossom will ever see her career recover..." How is this for a sign: WARNING! Cellular Phones cause severe interference with our Digital Sound System causing the soundtrack to become inaudible. To prevent being billed for these damages, please turn all phones OFF (vibrate mode is not off) or do not bring them into our facility. Thank you for your understanding. Technically, it's the truth. There's threads up the yang on this topic, though. =TMP=  |  IP: Logged John Walsh Film God Posts: 2490 From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way Registered: Oct 1999 posted 08-01-2004 09:19 AM                     I looked into geting a cell phone jammer... turns out, they are not legal in the US. However the salesman 'suggested' if I could have it paid for by, and shipped to, a Canadian address he would have no reason to refuse the sale.  |  IP: Logged Will Kutler Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1506 From: Tucson, AZ, USA Registered: Feb 2001 posted 08-01-2004 12:59 PM                     Fuckin cell-phones! Lord knows how many auto-accidents I have almost ben in...and managed to avoid because the idiot was on a cell phone and not paying attention to driving! Funny situation. My friend and I are practical jokers. He has these little business cards that state "Do you fuck like you park? If so, do you have trouble getting it in?" So it came to pass one Friday afternoon that I went to take care of business at my bank. Being late afternoon, the bank was quite busy. But of course their was one person who parked in such a way that she literall took up 3 spaces in a full and busy parking lot. So, naturally I put one of these cards in her windshield, and waited around the corner. As predicted, the perp. was a blonde woman on a cell phone with her little kid, obivilous to her surroundings! What is really annoying is in college...in the library or computer commons where people are trying to study. There are signs all over the place instructing people that no cell phones permitted. Of course, there are those that are over and above the rules, who have complete disrespect for their enviornment...and believe me when I say I have no problem doing something to embarrass these idiots...besides giving them dirty looks and directly telling them to turn the fuckin thing off! Lord knows how many times these same disrespectful idiots actually interupt a class lecture with their cell phones....and its usually the same problem-children every time!  |  IP: Logged Scott Jentsch Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1061 From: New Berlin, WI, USA Registered: Apr 2003 posted 08-02-2004 02:48 PM                        Not to throw water on this rant fire you guys have going on, but have you considered that some people need their cell phones to keep in contact in case of emergency? While I don't like the teenagers that feel the need chat incessently with their friends, I place my cell phone on vibrate when I go into the theater in case there is a true emergency for which I need to be contacted. If I'm in a 2-3 hour movie, and something happens to my daughter at home, I sure as hell don't want some theater thinking they know better and actively blocking cell phone signals! Any theater that feels like cell phones should never be on for any reason whatsoever should then post a voice phone number which can be used in the case of emergency. Very few theaters have published voice phone numbers any more, and I've actually been taken to task for publishing those numbers I had available to me. Sorry to delay the rant with reason, please resume...  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-02-2004 04:12 PM                     I personally have no issue with the concept of jamming cellphones if that can be contained to the premises and is clearly post that occurs Use of a cell phone is a privilege (and many consider privileges as rights which they are not) And if someone is on call or whatever then they should not be somewhere that there responsibilities hinder someones else use of a service (namely uninterupted entertainment) that they paid for Also before the advent of cellphones and pagers family emergencies were delt with adequately and I don't accept that as a justification  |  IP: Logged David Favel Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 764 From: Ashburton, New Zealand Registered: Feb 2002 posted 08-02-2004 07:16 PM                     But if the phones on vibrate, you are still going to answer it. Turn it off!  |  IP: Logged Evans A Criswell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1579 From: Huntsville, AL, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 08-02-2004 07:44 PM                        I say "silent" is the best option. That way, the phone will not make any noise, but it will still keep track of any calls received. When leaving the theatre, simply look to see if anyone called during that time period. In fact, it's somewhat safer on some phones to leave them on silent than turn them off. On mine, if off, all it takes if for one button to be pressed for one second to turn it on (like accidentally pressing it against the side of the seat or the corner of something). When it comes on, it makes a noise. If mine is on silent and the keyboard locked, it takes two specific buttons to be pressed in sequence to unlock it, then the right combination of keys would have to be pressed to unset the silent setting. It's just not going to happen by accident.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-02-2004 11:03 PM                     Many phones have "Any key answer" features. (Mine does.) Press any key while the phone is ringing and you pick up the call even if the keypad is locked. Since most cellular phones are digital nowadays, caller ID is standard. If you don't recognize the caller's number or if you know that it's not an emergency, don't answer. The latest GSM phones have a "Deny Call" feature. When the "Deny" button is pressed the phone stops ringing and dumps the caller over to your voice mail. The funniest thing cell phone sight I ever saw was in the lunch room at Mercyhurst. There were SIX girls sitting around a table and every single one of them was talking to somebody else on their cell phones! What's the point of eating lunch with your friends if you aren't going to talk to them?!  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 08-02-2004 11:58 PM                    Oh Randy, you just don't understand a thing!  |  IP: Logged

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