France to Allow Cell Phone Jamming 866
ZuperDee writes "According to this article, the French industry minister has approved a decision to allow cinemas, concert halls and theaters to install cell phone jammers, on the condition that emergency calls can still get through."
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:5, Insightful)
Being able to say "Yer sure" and not mean it all in the same breath.
Those wanting to block calls sort of get their way, and those who don't want it blocking get to smile as well.
I think this is the best all round decision.
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:2, Insightful)
What we "need", is a phone that will switch into vibrate mode when it detects a signal. Easy.
I am actually one who is not bothered by phones ringing. It's like coughing or sneezing. Yeah it's disruptive, but it doesn't really distract me from anything. Cell phone goes off in class. Okay, three seconds later it's off and we can continue. Big deal. Sometimes, people need to communicate with each other (and still be in class). It's part of the über-high-tech-life. (or something
I for one really welcome this. (Score:3, Insightful)
For me atleast it causes a loss of the "magic" that I get from a good preformance and thus it really affects the overall impression.
Like once in middle of a serious scene there were double mobilephone rings with some really annoying happy tunes at highest possible volume. If I had been armed at the moment there might have been two extra bodies...
Re:next, the cafes and restaurants (Score:3, Insightful)
Yes! (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously though... who REALLY needs to be contacted IMMEDIATELY 24-7? I would suggest that if you are really that important, you might want to skip the movie and stay in the Oval Office doing your job.
And if a friend or relative is dead or dying, well, if it takes until the end of the movie for you to find out, they'll be just as dead after as they were during. Plus you will have had an extra 2 hours of Matt Damon (or Gerard Depardieu?) induced happiness before the terrible news reaches you.
Basically anything that reduces our addiction to instant satisfaction of our every wish is ok with me. We don't NEED to be hooked up to a communication network all the time. They should also install these things in:
- university lecture theatres
- conferences
- crowded public transport
- you could have one in your house to turn on during mealtimes and other gatherings to encourage actual social interaction with people who are physically present
Re:First Post? (Score:3, Insightful)
You will now choose a theater where cells are not jammed, and I will choose one where cells are.
The public will decide.
I REALLY WONDER (Score:5, Insightful)
How lame can you get? (Score:5, Insightful)
I would personally be quite pissed that just to watch a movie, I would be out of touch for three hours. Not a good idea.
And I would be quite pissed if you took a phone call while I was trying to watch the movie. Your attitude is so frigging self-important. If you cannot be out of touch for 3 hours while you watch a movie, stay at home!
I swear, you see all of these posts that claim, "I must be reachable at all times", I call bullshit. You know what I hear when someone takes a call in a movie theater? I'll give you a hint, 100% of the time it is banal blather. Grow up.
Re:Yes! (Score:5, Insightful)
So basically you think we should all be like George W Bush?
Explain to me how it's not ok for me to be annoyed by some dickwit talking on his phone in the middle of a quiet bit in a thriller that I have paid to see, but it IS ok for you to be annoyed at me for being annoyed?
As for you and your child... well, that's what DVD players are for. Having children involves certain sacrifices, one of which is your ability to go out alone for a while. Either trust your baby sitter or rent a DVD, but don't let your stupid phone ring in my movie!
A great idea. (Score:5, Insightful)
-- n
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:5, Insightful)
And while it might or might not irritate you in a movie theater, think about a real theater, a classical concert or any other public performance where live artists are playing.
In any way, this will have a very democratic implementation: If people rush into these "early adopters" theaters that jam cells, more and more will adopt the system, and the mass will be pleased.
Re:First Post? (Score:2, Insightful)
What the other comments said, and then some. That "occasional beep" may be only a minor annoyance to you, but if it happens smack in the middle of a suspense scene or a romantic moment it's damned irritating to everyone else! If it's that important to you to be in touch all the time, rent a movie instead. Your availability isn't at all important to all the others who paid to watch a movie.
In fact, a mobile beeping is irritating no matter when it happens. And most of them don't just beep, they play beethoven's 5th or Britney Spears' latest "hit". Horrible.
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:2, Insightful)
People tend to make emergency calls, not receive them. If you want to receive emergency calls then you need to go somewhere where you are able to receive them unimpeded. Perhaps such people can have modified phones which alert the owner to the fact that they are now uncontactable. Of course, this could make more noise than it cures. But as a classical music concert goer, I have to say that if a few people find out that their dog has died or whatever a few hours later than they would normally done then it's a small price to pay for a peaceful musical experience.
This idea sucks. (Score:2, Insightful)
How about an RFID chip which, based on its proximity to certain defined locations, would automatically switch your phone into vibrate mode, or display a message onscreen such as "Please leave this Quiet Area to receive this call" instead of this draconian jam-all-calls-but-"emergencies" sort of thing. I would like it if I'm in a movie and somebody is trying to alert me of, say, my mom having a heart attack (which *I* consider an emergency), and I could get that notification immediately. It is not too much trouble to step outside the theater, and all things considered, if it's an emergency I'm likely to be leaving the theater ASAP anyhow.
I'm all for making it mandatory that phones automatically switch into vibrate mode when they are carried into libraries, schools, theaters, and so forth. It doesn't necessarily have to be vibrate mode, it could be an RGB LED which flashes a given color (any given color, as it's an RGB LED) depending on incoming call / incoming call from XYZ person / incoming text message / you have new voicemail / whatever. Just as long as it's silent and not so bright as to make anyone freak out in a theater/school/whatever.
The point is: silence. People don't want to be bothered with others around them taking cellphone calls and they don't want to hear other peoples' cellphones ring, but only under certain circumstances. ADDRESS THESE ISSUES DIRECTLY, don't create a blanket which covers these issues and more, a blanket which creates more problems and more public unrest instead of relieving the public as intended.
In sum: this idea sucks and a better one could be had.
What did people do *before* cellphones? (Score:5, Insightful)
People who *really* need to be contacted (doctors on call, for example) had pagers; and a blocking system based on a mini-cell station could be configured to allow such urgent calls/text messages through.
And you are quite wrong about the annoyance value of mobile phone conversations - a study has found them to be dramatically more annoying [useit.com] than face-to-face conversations, probably due to the one-way nature.
Faraday cage, anybody? (Score:2, Insightful)
I'm sure someone will say "what about emergency calls?" What about them? Your phone quits when you go in a tunnel, it quits when you're in some buildings, it quits when you're on the fringe of town. And, unlike that theatre, those places won't even be signed as "cellular service unavailable".
Oh yeah, as far as doctors being on 24-7 call missing their major emergency call, there's so many other ways they can miss such a call daily (on the toilet, having a shower, under a tunnel, out of batteries, whaterver) I am 100% certain the hospital has a backup plan (ie: Call another doctor).
Phones don't annoy people... assholes annoy people (Score:3, Insightful)
Well obviously.
How do we manage the 'assholes'? Let them piss us off by taking calls during the movie/conference/lecture? Or block their asshomophone so that their asshole friends can't call them repeatedly to chat about the latest in asshole fashions? I know which I think is better for the non-assholes of the world.
Likewise regarding the silent vibrate feature on most phones - OF COURSE it would not be annoying if people all turned their phones to silent in cinemas/lecture theatres/conferences, provided of course that they didn't answer any calls and start talking. The problem, as you astutely point out, is assholes. They won't remember to turn their phone to silent. How often do you see everyone lunge to turn their own phones to silent when the first asshole's phone goes off? The reason - none of those lunging people (aka 'potential future assholes') remembered to turn their phone to silent either.
Yes, it's considered EXTREMELY RUDE (sic) to take calls in a theatre. This does not stop your average asshole. If I can encourage cinemas and universities to install the Asshol-Blok 5000, with asshole-silencing technology, I will.
Who needs to be contacted 24/7? (Score:3, Insightful)
A buddy of mine who is a volunteer fireman has a pager at all times. I've seen him have to take off from all sorts of situations to respond to calls. That would be one person that I *hope* would still be able to get his calls in the middle of a movie theatre.
Other than that I can't think of any other examples, tho.
What about personal emergencies? (Score:3, Insightful)
This system would block the sitter's call to me, yet that is no less valid as an emergency than a 999 call is.
Nope - I'd like to be in favour of a tech. solution to this problem, but the difficulty in knowing what's important and what isn't cannot be surmounted by base-station filtering. The only answer is just to throw the offenders out.
Cheers,
Ian
Re:This idea sucks. (Score:5, Insightful)
A good point - but, you've completely forgotten a few things:
Alternativily you could implement signal blocking today which will work on every phone the moment it is turned on.
Sometimes the best ideas aren't the most practical to implement.
Re:Who needs to be contacted 24/7? (Score:3, Insightful)
I would still be overjoyed if that non-fireman fucktard three rows in front of me couldn't discuss the weather with his buddy while I'm watching the movie I just paid $15 for.
Re:First Post? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not the people blaming you for being anti-social that are idiots.
Switch your phone off in the theatre. If you think you are too necessary to someone elses life to be uncontactable for the length of a movie, get a DVD player and stay at home.
Re:What about personal emergencies? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:4, Insightful)
If this is implemented and my phone ever jangles 2 hours into a movie, I'll probably piss in panic first.
Re:Yes! (Score:5, Insightful)
And yes, some calls ARE that important. If I and my wife are out for dinner and a movie sans child, we're using our phones for emergency contact numbers.
I'm sorry, but that's just a load of crap. Everyone is worried about there kid, but unless you're a doctor with ueber-specialized knowledge of your kids deadly medical condition I think others will be able to take care of any emergency better IN PERSON than you can over a cell phone perhaps 30-60 minutes away.
I don't know if you know this.. but before cell phones people trusted their kids to babysitters and didn't sit on pins and needles worrying about little Johnny every single second (and thus needed cell phone contact for some emergency). Ok, some insane parents probbably still did, but cell phones have only seemingly broaded that insane impulse. I recall some episodes of crappy sit-coms making fun of such parents. Children can survive quite nicely for the length of dinner and a movie in the care of others. In the event of true emergencies some babysitters even know to call 911! Believe it or not there are better resources for emergencies than you on a phone (poison centers, 911 operators, and good babysitters).
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:3, Insightful)
You're not a parent, are you... I think by the very nature of "emergency", it's something unplanned. Are you suggesting that anyone/everyone that might have an emergency occur in their life, avoid the cinema? You must be better able to predict those things than most folks I know. To be sure, there's a distinction between, "Like oh my god Britney, James called me and I just had to tell you!" and "Mrs. Johnson, this is Amber the baby sitter, I just noticed that Timothy feels very warm, should I call the pediatrician?" Courtesy suggests remembering to put the phone on vibrate, and to leave the theater's sitting area to take the call. I and many other parents and professionals have had to do this often.
Re:First Post? (Score:4, Insightful)
People that like cinema go to the theatre to escape for a while. If you don't want to do that, and aren't prepared to cut the umbilical cord for a couple of hours, then don't go to the movies. Watch a DVD.
What do you think people did 10 and more years ago when most people didn't even own a phone? Do you think they never went out because they couldn't afford to be out of touch?
Can I take these jammers with me on a date? (Score:5, Insightful)
Here's something you won't read too often on
#1 pet-peve on a date, just short of picking your nose, is picking up a cell phone.
I take my phone with me, and it goes OFF the second I am within talking distance of my date. If it goes back on again, that means I'm more concerned about a random friend asking me (for the 50th time) what sites are best for downloading mp3s, than I am in the flow of our conversation.
Is there anything more uncomfortable than to be mid-stride in conversation, and having that blasted ring interupt. So now she's giving driving directions to a friend and your picking at your food. (or your nose, as at this point it's a lost cause)
So help me, if that phone rings it better be your family priest/rabbi/immam telling you that your mother/brother/father/sister/dog is dieing.
Now that I think about it, I don't want a portable jammer with me on a date. I want to know as soon as possible that the womman is a classless waste of my time.
Here's a better idea though. Let's install electroshock devices on cell phones, that are like that video game James Bond (Sean Connery) played in "Never Say Never Again". When you start talking it's all good, but as time passes the voltage/pain goes up. If the conversation isn't worth having you hang up before you have to feel the pain of everyone else sitting near you.
Re:I for one really welcome this. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:3, Insightful)
Nope. According to the article;
So they indeed have to implement some sort of selective jamming.
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:5, Insightful)
I can't even begin to tell you how frustrating it is to have my lectures interrupted by students' cell phones ringing. One student didn't even bother to turn off her cell phone during her oral exam, as we found out when it rang midway through the examination.
I would certainly welcome a cell phone blocker in my class rooms.
Re:Pointless (Score:2, Insightful)
"Emergency calls" means for example that if someone at the audience has a heart attack, it is possible to call emergency right away, even if jamming is active for other calls.
It doesn't apply to receiving calls from outside. While I agree that people "on-call" shouldn't go to the cinema, original poster most likely misunderstood the intent.
Re:First Post? (Score:1, Insightful)
Don't you think we have enough laws trying to govern common sense already? I guess not. Empower the public and you wouldn't need the laws, which is what they are doing in this case.
If you want more laws, move to another country. It is people like you that brings the Patriot Act to the table. *grumble* *rant*
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:5, Insightful)
Excellent idea ! (Score:3, Insightful)
Next I'd like to see the use of mobile phones being given the same social status as smoking i.e. not allowed in enclosed public places such as pubs, restaurants, theatres, buses etc. etc.
If you want to make or receive calls you can go outside with the smokers. (Actually wait a minute I'm a smoker so fsck that, they'll have to have the other side of the entrance)
In the case of trains there should be a single carriage in which you can send and receive calls.
For fucks sake society functioned perfectly well before these intrusive, obnoxious devices. If I were to start carrying round a trumpet and intermittently playing it tunelessly and loudly then shouting away to myself I'd get arrested/battered pretty quickly.
As usual its not the technologys fault but the fucking morons who are misusing it...
Now what I'd really like is a portable, unobtrusive, mobile jammer that would put a 5 metre "Phone disruptor" screen around myself.
Re: So dumb, when we resort to technology (Score:5, Insightful)
This is exactly comparable to the current fuss about P2P software. Mobile phones have perfectly legitimate and non-infringing uses. (SMS messages, for example. Genuine life-or-death emergencies. Incoming calls where the user doesn't speak, or leaves the cinema before speaking.) Jamming prevents all those, whilst still allowing all the antisocial behaviour people have the rudeness to pull off!
A jammer is just a tool for management too cowardly to enforce a proper nuisance policy.
And of course, this is the thin end of the wedge. If jammers become accepted in cinemas, theatres and churches, they may well spread to restaurants, galleries, museums, shops, cafés, pubs, stations, workplaces...
What's worse is that in this case there is a possible technological measure that would do pretty much what people want. Instead of jamming the phones, how about a short-range transmitter which told the phones to go into 'silent mode', turning off the ringtone, and maybe the microphone, whilst still allowing vibrating alerts, text messages, and maybe incoming calls. It's a bit more technology than phones currently have, but it can't be too hard to implement.
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:4, Insightful)
Of course, if the cinema doesn't have very obvious warnings, there could be trouble.
Re:Who needs to be contacted 24/7? (Score:3, Insightful)
Which leads me to one, main question .
My cell phone is always, always set to vibrate. I NEVER set it to ring. When a call does come in, I excuse myself from the theatre, and answer the call in the thatre lobby. Why doesn't everybody else do the same thing? Simple, common sense.
Because common sense isn't.
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:4, Insightful)
They better damn well inform me in big letters on the back of my ticket that my cell phone is jammed. I've taken my phone into theaters (on vibrate), and I've had to leave in the middle of shows because I've gotten a call or SMS, but that's something I'm prepared to do, and plenty of people used to have pagers and also had to leave in the middle of the show, so it's nothing new.
Why should I be penalized just because some retard either can't figure out how to turn his phone to vibrate or thinks everyone should hear Mozart's "Ode to the Piezoeletric Buzzer"?
In fact, I'm confused. Everyone gets all up in arms when some big mean company tries to restrict 802.11b, or blocks local hotspots by installing their own for-pay system, or whatever, but when the *movie theaters* (I thought we hated big media and the MPAA?) start jamming cell phone tranmissions (which are more useful than 802.11b to the average user), it's suddenly a great idea? I don't get it.
People with ringtones on in theaters is a social problem. Social problems cannot be solved by technical means. Even if you jam cellphones, they're still going to be talking loudly, or having some kid playing his gameboy, or crying, or throwing popcorn, or whatever. It won't solve anything. What they should do is take the money they were going to use for this, hire a couple of bouncers, and if your cell phone rings, you are asked to leave and you get your money back (or maybe a gift card, to prevent people from getting calls in the last frame of the movie and then getting money back), as per the back of your ticket. End of story.
Re:Yes! (Score:5, Insightful)
There was a time, not so long ago, when cell phones didn't exist. And guess what? Parents still hired babysitters and went out for the occassional movie. The truly paranoid ones simply stayed home until their kid got a little older.
What's wrong with suggesting parents of today do the same thing? As the GP said, having a child requires certain sacrifices. Suck it up and stop complaining, or don't have kids.
Re:How lame can you get? (Score:2, Insightful)
There are people that do earn a living by being reachable 24/7...many of them. The reason you don't notice them is they've had to learn to be discreet about it, or else they would piss off the entire world, affecting their paycheck.
I've been in that position. When some random ass server went down, I got paged to go fix it...4PM or 4AM. Nothing I did would ever qualify as an 'emergency' in some grand humanistic scheme, but if I didn't want to choose between eating and paying school loans next month, it was certainly an emergency to me.
Is this really such a "frigging self-important" attitude as you say? Step back and put yourself in some other people's shoes before you start ranting. I did my best to avoid annoying others when I got called from a movie. I used silent/vibrate and sat as close to the aisles/exits as I could. Next time you are in a movie, notice that many people do get called away. I only started noticing when I was one of them.
However, if I still had that job, I could not afford to see movies in theaters that simply jammed signals, and I'm not alone.
The answer is called a pager (Score:4, Insightful)
Set it to vibrate. When it goes off the doctor leaves the theather and makes the call. All problems solved. Just like they do it already and did it long before cell phones existed.
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:3, Insightful)
The flaw in this line of thinking is your complete lack of discipline in monitoring the functionality of your own phone. You said it yourself, If I actually remember to turn my phone off when I enter a theatre, I forget to turn it back on when I leave.
That's your own negligence for which you should be accountable. As should everybody else who's toting their phones around with them in places where quiet is proper etiquette.
Suddenly there's this HUGE issue of emergency situations and cell phones. As if those of us who were living 20 years ago are extraordinarily lucky to have survived without cell phones. As if the odds were astronomical.
Re:How lame can you get? (Score:1, Insightful)
The babysitter comes to mind.
If my kid is injured, or on the way to the hospital I would like to know this instantly.
ALL cellphones I have ever owned or used have a vibrate feature and I ALWAYS use it at a movie. When a call comes in from home, I politley exit the theater and answer the call. All other calls are ignored. I am even carefull to be descrete so that the lights from the phone do not distract other patrons. For all they know I am headed to the consession stand to refill my soda when I exit.
Once there really was a family emergency that needed my attention. To deny my ability to receive communication is absolutly unjustified and I would never attend such an event nor sponsor such an estabishment by giving them my cash.
It would be better to fine/ban/kick-out the indivdual that failed to put their phone in vibrate or silent mode when entering the theater.
Most theaters I attend have a very catchy reminder before the movie starts to remind people to set their phones to vibrate or off.
But when I go to a newly released kewl movie where there are lots of teenagers, I expect to hear a few distrations and to me, this is part of the experience of going to the movies and adds to the enjoyment of 'going out' which is rare.
The FRENCH are enforcing courtesy? (Score:4, Insightful)
Sorry, but I'll repeat what's already been said here: if it's so $%&*ing important, take care of it elsewhere. You have no right to inflict your lack of courtesy on others.
The last time I went to see the Emerson Quartet perform in Atlanta (which has the rudest audiences I've ever seen), the whole experience was repeatedly interrupted by ringing and "hushed" conversations. It screwed up the audience's (and worse) the performers' concentration and made the whole performance an excercise in frustration. I paid sixty bucks--I deserve to enjoy it.
Re:How lame can you get? (Score:3, Insightful)
I swear, you see all of these posts that claim, "I must be reachable at all times", I call bullshit. You know what I hear when someone takes a call in a movie theater? I'll give you a hint, 100% of the time it is banal blather. Grow up.
No, it's you who need to grow up. At some point you're going to acquire some real responsibility in the world, and then you'll begin to understand why people say such things.
In my case, I have four kids. Sure, I get a babysitter who I think is trustworthy, but there are lots of things that can go wrong enough to require my intervention. They're extremely unlikely things, but if they happen I *do* need to know.
Fifteen or twenty years ago, the solution was simple: Parents (and others who needed to be reachable) gave the theater's phone number to whoever might need to contact them and told the theater manager upon arrival that they might get a call. Try that today when you're at the 16-plex with 3000 other people on a Friday night, staffed with 16 year-olds who don't really give a shit what your problems are.
Today, the solution is also simple: You take your cell phone, leave it on and put it on vibrate. If it rings, you look at the Caller ID on the screen. 999 times out of 1000, you put the phone back down and go on with the movie. That other once in a thousand, you leave the theater and take the call.
So, with cell phones jammed, what's the solution? And don't tell me that it's just not to go to the movies. Anyone who argues that either (a) has no idea what being a parent is like or (b) wants to see an increase in the child murder rate.
What really sucks about this situation is that all of the people who argue that they need to be reachable because of their responsibilities are also the people who use their phones responsibly. They're not the problems, but they are the ones most severely punished.
IMO, cell jammers are stupid. It's an attempt to solve a social problem with technology.
The best solution is to stand up and scream Quiet, you asshole! at anyone who talks on their phone or allows it to ring audibly. If someone did this in every theater every time it happened, the problem would pretty much go away. If everyone did it in every theater, the problem would evaporate completely.
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:2, Insightful)
Especially when the professor starts out the semester by stating that no cell phones should be turned on in his/her class and then to have a cell phone or two go off every day is quite annoying to me. Why not put it on vibrate? Or turn it off? Aren't we supposed to be paying attention to the professor's lecture? It is fairly rare that the phone call is an actual emergency, the few times I have noticed people answering the phone it has been for something like "what are we doing tonight."
Yes it is a lack of respect thing. Whiel I should be able to ignore a cell phone, they should also have the courtesy to turn it off/silence it for a lecture.
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:2, Insightful)
Allowing your phone to go off in class is disrespectful, just as is in-class chatter, and most students go to class to hear the professor and not phone noise.
Sounds good, but isn't (Score:1, Insightful)
Or what about rooms in a building where no meeting is taking place? Shouldn't I be able to call from there?
What bothers me about this measure is the famous slippery slopy. Now it's movie theaters. Pretty soon it will be the whole public sphere - restaurants, museums, cafes, everywhere. Using a cell phone could become like smoking is now - marginalized and vaguely dirty - you'll see people huddling outside of buildings, giving passersby surrpetitious glances as they whisper into their cell phones.
Basically, the deal is this - if using cell-phones in a theater is a Bad Thing (tm), then we could make it illegal, and arrest/fine/sue people for using them. If we're not making it illegal, businesses don't have the right to combat it using vigilante tactics. You can't allow some portion of society to enforce their views on others. Really Bad Things (tm) happen when you do that.
The real solution would be for people to be respectful and well-mannered, but hey, this is the 21st century! We live ultra-fast-paced lives and don't have time for such shit. Much better to create problems, and in solving them, create more.
Btw, the idea about movie theaters putting reminder reels before the movie sounds nearly perfect - it does remind people without being draconian.
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:3, Insightful)
That's a reasonable heuristic, but it's foolish to state it as a general law and then make deductions from it. Theft is a social problem, but very few people bother stealing from vending machines these days because the anti-theft technology makes it so hard.
And really, I don't think this is a social problem. The main problem here is not that people are trying to be jerks, it's that they forget to turn off their phones and may thoughtlessly and reflexively answer them when they ring.
Even if you jam cellphones, they're still going to be talking loudly, or having some kid playing his gameboy, or crying, or throwing popcorn, or whatever. It won't solve anything.
Good theory. Alas, my data doesn't support it. The last three times this happened to me, it was in the middle of the movie and the culprit had been quiet up until then and was apologetic afterwards. So although jamming might not, technically, solve anything, it would improve things a fair bit.
What they should do is take the money they were going to use for this, hire a couple of bouncers[...]. End of story.
Ok, figure it costs $5k per theater to set this up. How long can you pay a bouncer per theater on that money? I make it less than half a year before you let the bouncers go. What do you plan to do then?
Re:My god this makes me feel old... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:How lame can you get? (Score:3, Insightful)
Don't be an asshole! Have you TRIED? I usher at a theater in 2001, a brand-new, just-opened theater and yes it was staffed with young people but, you know what? We ALWAYS would note where people expecting calls were sitting, and we would ALWAYS enter the theater if they got a call and tell them about it. You say the statement above but, and be honest, have you TRIED it?
If your attitude to the staff of the theater is anything like your attitude in this post, then it's no wonder they won't help you!
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:How lame can you get? (Score:3, Insightful)
And a near fight nearly breaks out, or a slanging match at least. And of course everyone misses 5 minutes of the film. Far better for the cinema loving majority that there is a jammer.
Go to the bowling alley instead.
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:2, Insightful)
Unjustly penalized (Score:2, Insightful)
You get penalized for the same reason other decent people do because they do the decent thing:
- You pay higher insurance because there are uninsured drivers
- You pay higher taxes because you need a police force because there are criminals out there
- You pay higher taxes because some people don't pay their share
- You die younger because other people smoke
- You die younger because of pollution
- In Singapore, you can't buy gum because a small number of dickwads used to spit their's on the sidewalk. (I imagine there are similar statutes closer to home but none come to mind)
... and so on
It sucks. It would be nice if some of these things got rolled back once society got the message but that unfortunately rarelh happens.
Re:Trust the french (Score:3, Insightful)
"Taking away freedom" would be for the gov't to make it illegal for any business to implement this, or forcing all businesses to implement this.
Re:Emergency Calls? (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah, so it takes a minute longer. None of the scenarios I've seen are likely to suffer from a minute or two delay. People did manage to receive emergency phone calls before cell phones. They also did things like find capable baby-sitters.
Yeah, I can see why you'd want to know ASAP if little Betty broke her arm while you were away. Use your cellphone to call the sitter -- outside the theater -- and make sure she knows what movie you're in and what the theater's phone number is. Then, let it be blocked during the film. A delay of a few minutes before you find out about that isn't the end of the world.
In reality, the number of people who get calls from a girl/boyfriend or somesuch during a movie far outnumber those who get emergency calls. So, since the theater is more than willing to convey emergency messages, why have the cellphone on?