Cell Phones: Good or Bad?

quantus · Post by **quantus** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 4:08 am

I was gonna write a whole long thing here about pro's and con's of cell phones as I see them now. However, I got side tracked and no longer have the time today to do so. I'm still posting this as a reminder to myself to do so, and to open the discussion to the rest of you. Those of you that have them, and those that are resisting them should answer alike.

Peijen · Post by **Peijen** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 4:37 am

no one ever calls me, the end

Alan · Post by **Alan** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 4:40 am

I like em for the unlimited night/weekend minutes + free long distance.

Post by **Jonathan** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 5:11 am

Won't ever go back to a landline ever again. It's stupid to miss calls just because you're at the mall. Having a cell phone lets you be much more fluid in your plans.

quantus · Post by **quantus** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 5:12 am

Alan wrote:I like em for the unlimited night/weekend minutes + free long distance.

This begs the questions: Who do you call with these free minutes? or Who calls you that these minutes are useful?

quantus · Post by **quantus** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 5:14 am

Dwindlehop wrote:Won't ever go back to a landline ever again. It's stupid to miss calls just because you're at the mall. Having a cell phone lets you be much more fluid in your plans.

I agree, this is a very big plus, but I also think that it can just be plain annoying to get too many calls. Of course, Peijen has solved the problem of too many calls, so maybe I'll have to ask him how he does it.

Post by **Jonathan** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 5:18 am

quantus wrote:
Dwindlehop wrote:Won't ever go back to a landline ever again. It's stupid to miss calls just because you're at the mall. Having a cell phone lets you be much more fluid in your plans.
I agree, this is a very big plus, but I also think that it can just be plain annoying to get too many calls. Of course, Peijen has solved the problem of too many calls, so maybe I'll have to ask him how he does it.

When in your life have you ever gotten too many calls?

It's a non-issue, except for the impending cell phone doom.

quantus · Post by **quantus** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 5:20 am

Oh, I've had the idea for a while about making something you can point at annoying people that talk really loud on cell phones or people who feel the need to describe a movie to someone else (not at the movie) over their cell phone that'll jam the signal. I'm sure you've run into other situations in which such a device would be useful. Anyways, I wonder how legal such a device is. Anyone have any idea? Or, anyone bored enough to go look? It'd only have to be short range and should probably be directional as well to lessen interferrence to other less annoying and more responsible people. I also wonder if movie theaters and universities would buy them to keep people from getting calls in the middle of a movie or a class.

quantus · Post by **quantus** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 5:22 am

Dwindlehop wrote:
quantus wrote:
Dwindlehop wrote:Won't ever go back to a landline ever again. It's stupid to miss calls just because you're at the mall. Having a cell phone lets you be much more fluid in your plans.
I agree, this is a very big plus, but I also think that it can just be plain annoying to get too many calls. Of course, Peijen has solved the problem of too many calls, so maybe I'll have to ask him how he does it.
When in your life have you ever gotten too many calls?

It's a non-issue, except for the impending cell phone doom.

Yes, well, this doom will be grand indeed if it comes about. Heck, I don't even pick up the phone at home unless I'm expecting a call. Way more often than not, it's a telemarketer or wrong number if I do.

Post by **Jonathan** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 5:55 am

quantus wrote:Oh, I've had the idea for a while about making something you can point at annoying people that talk really loud on cell phones or people who feel the need to describe a movie to someone else (not at the movie) over their cell phone that'll jam the signal. I'm sure you've run into other situations in which such a device would be useful. Anyways, I wonder how legal such a device is. Anyone have any idea? Or, anyone bored enough to go look? It'd only have to be short range and should probably be directional as well to lessen interferrence to other less annoying and more responsible people. I also wonder if movie theaters and universities would buy them to keep people from getting calls in the middle of a movie or a class.

Cell phone bands are licensed. I'm thinking you'd be in trouble with the FCC when they found you were causing interference in those signals.

Peijen · Post by **Peijen** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 2:35 pm

Dwindlehop wrote:
quantus wrote:Oh, I've had the idea for a while about making something you can point at annoying people that talk really loud on cell phones or people who feel the need to describe a movie to someone else (not at the movie) over their cell phone that'll jam the signal. I'm sure you've run into other situations in which such a device would be useful. Anyways, I wonder how legal such a device is. Anyone have any idea? Or, anyone bored enough to go look? It'd only have to be short range and should probably be directional as well to lessen interferrence to other less annoying and more responsible people. I also wonder if movie theaters and universities would buy them to keep people from getting calls in the middle of a movie or a class.
Cell phone bands are licensed. I'm thinking you'd be in trouble with the FCC when they found you were causing interference in those signals.

pff, them wacky japanese have been doing it for few years now

Post by **Jonathan** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 3:36 pm

Peijen wrote:
Dwindlehop wrote:
quantus wrote:Oh, I've had the idea for a while about making something you can point at annoying people that talk really loud on cell phones or people who feel the need to describe a movie to someone else (not at the movie) over their cell phone that'll jam the signal. I'm sure you've run into other situations in which such a device would be useful. Anyways, I wonder how legal such a device is. Anyone have any idea? Or, anyone bored enough to go look? It'd only have to be short range and should probably be directional as well to lessen interferrence to other less annoying and more responsible people. I also wonder if movie theaters and universities would buy them to keep people from getting calls in the middle of a movie or a class.
Cell phone bands are licensed. I'm thinking you'd be in trouble with the FCC when they found you were causing interference in those signals.
pff, them wacky japanese have been doing it for few years now

FCC has no control over Asia.

Peijen · Post by **Peijen** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 3:48 pm

yeah, i know it was more of a reponse to joe's post, but I was too lazy to scroll up and quote his post so I quoted yours instead

quantus · Post by **quantus** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 5:44 pm

Peijen wrote:
Dwindlehop wrote:
quantus wrote:Oh, I've had the idea for a while about making something you can point at annoying people that talk really loud on cell phones or people who feel the need to describe a movie to someone else (not at the movie) over their cell phone that'll jam the signal. I'm sure you've run into other situations in which such a device would be useful. Anyways, I wonder how legal such a device is. Anyone have any idea? Or, anyone bored enough to go look? It'd only have to be short range and should probably be directional as well to lessen interferrence to other less annoying and more responsible people. I also wonder if movie theaters and universities would buy them to keep people from getting calls in the middle of a movie or a class.
Cell phone bands are licensed. I'm thinking you'd be in trouble with the FCC when they found you were causing interference in those signals.
pff, them wacky japanese have been doing it for few years now

got a link to a product? bonus points if the site is in english too.

VLSmooth · Post by **VLSmooth** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 10:24 pm

quantus wrote:Anyways, I wonder how legal such a device is. Anyone have any idea?

I've thought about blocking as well. Unfortunately, there's probably a liability angle. What if there was an medical emergency in a movie theatre and cell phones didn't work, etc.

http://www.the-dma.org/guidelines/wirelessmarketing.shtml wrote:The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) prohibits both for-profit and non-profit marketers from using an automatic telephone dialing system (including predictive dialers) to call any device when the called party is charged unless that called party has given prior, express consent. Therefore, as a legal matter, marketers using automatic dialing systems should not call consumers' or businesses' cellular phones, pagers or toll-free numbers unless they have given you permission to do so.

Regarding telemarketers, it's illegal to call recipients who pay for the call (ie. cell phone/limited plans). Ironically, I already got (exactly) one telemarketer call in the past 4 months. It was from a group called "Western Research" that dealt with "entertainment products and services". I think I scared the telemarketer when I asked for how they got my number (it popped up on my computer sir), the exact name of the company, what they did, and please don't call me again in under a minute (should've asked her name too). Guess I now have a new weapon in my arsenal.

Post by **Jonathan** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 10:58 pm

VLSmooth wrote:
quantus wrote:Anyways, I wonder how legal such a device is. Anyone have any idea?
I've thought about blocking as well. Unfortunately, there's probably a liability angle. What if there was an medical emergency in a movie theatre and cell phones didn't work, etc.

http://www.the-dma.org/guidelines/wirelessmarketing.shtml wrote:The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) prohibits both for-profit and non-profit marketers from using an automatic telephone dialing system (including predictive dialers) to call any device when the called party is charged unless that called party has given prior, express consent. Therefore, as a legal matter, marketers using automatic dialing systems should not call consumers' or businesses' cellular phones, pagers or toll-free numbers unless they have given you permission to do so.
Regarding telemarketers, it's illegal to call recipients who pay for the call (ie. cell phone/limited plans). Ironically, I already got (exactly) one telemarketer call in the past 4 months. It was from a group called "Western Research" that dealt with "entertainment products and services". I think I scared the telemarketer when I asked for how they got my number (it popped up on my computer sir), the exact name of the company, what they did, and please don't call me again in under a minute (should've asked her name too). Guess I now have a new weapon in my arsenal.

Read what you just wrote, and read the cell phone doom article.

And while the new rules prohibit the automated dialing and leaving of recorded messages on anyone’s cell phone, calls by live salespeople to cell-phone customers who aren’t on the do-not-call list remain legal, says Al Gidari, an attorney with Perkins Coie in Seattle, where many wireless companies are based.

VLSmooth · Post by **VLSmooth** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 11:06 pm

Yep, major oversight on my part... considering that I now remember getting the link from this Ars Technica article:

Telemarketers to cell phone users: "you're next"

VLSmooth · Post by **VLSmooth** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 11:11 pm

Dwindlehop wrote:Read what you just wrote, and read the cell phone doom article.

What cell phone doom article?

Perhaps this (since it's where your quote is from):
Telemarketers' Next Target: Cell Phones

Not sure how we both got to the same article (my route was through Ars again)

Post by **Jonathan** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 11:54 pm

VLSmooth wrote:
Dwindlehop wrote:Read what you just wrote, and read the cell phone doom article.
What cell phone doom article?

Perhaps this (since it's where your quote is from):
Telemarketers' Next Target: Cell Phones

Not sure how we both got to the same article (my route was through Ars again)

See my link in Links 3 thread.

quantus · Post by **quantus** » Thu Oct 16, 2003 12:03 am

Please excuse Vinny's unobservance. He's not right in the head since his attempted suicide by starvation. His eatting habits continue to be that of an unbalanced diet which is inhibiting the recovery process.

This has been a public service announcement. And now back to our regularly scheduled discussion.