Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Now If They Would Make Something That Would Repel Ignorant People

On a lighter note, I recently came across this article from the Associated Press which I thought was pretty cool. This device obviously has large scale implication for several reasons (more on that in a minute). Here is the article.

Students Find Ring Tone Adults Can't Hear

Mon Jun 12, 1:45 PM ET
Students are using a new ring tone to receive messages in class -- and many teachers can't even hear the ring.
Some students are downloading a ring tone off the Internet that is too high-pitched to be heard by most adults. With it, high schoolers can receive text message alerts on their cell phones without the teacher knowing.
As people age, many develop what's known as aging ear -- a loss of the ability to hear higher-frequency sounds.
The ring tone is a spin-off of technology that was originally meant to repel teenagers -- not help them. A Welsh security company developed the tone to help shopkeepers disperse young people loitering in front of their stores while leaving adults unaffected. The company called their product the "Mosquito."
Donna Lewis, a teacher in Manhattan, says her colleague played the ring for a classroom of first-graders -- and all of them could hear it, while the adults couldn't hear anything.
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press

Nifty, eh? I checked on the company I believe this is their website at Compound Security Systems. I also found a version of the ringtone here. According to the first website, most adults (is that what I am now?) quit hearing these high pitched noises at 25. Well I just turned 26 and could still hear it so I do not feel so bad, then again, this ringtone might be a fake and everyone can here it. Anyway, try it out and let me know if it is audible to your aging ears. The ideas for this can be endless. That favorite restaurant of yours can now be child-free ala carte a simple installation of this device, or even better, make your personal space child-free with a portable version (I am not sure if one exists yet, but I am sure one will soon). You all know I actually adore children (from a distance), that I love my teenager sister (in small doses), and do intend to have children of my own one day (in the paternal sense! one day meaning far future). Although, it can be really irritating when dining in a "fine" (not family) dining restaurant and have kids running around and babies screaming as I drink an easily spillable (?) glass of wine I do have the utmost respect for (GOOD) parents. The drawbacks of such a device would be for such people as Dann or Bruce, who actually would prefer youngsters to flock towards them. Think how much money someone might make from the chicken-chasers of the world with a device like that. By the way, is anyone else having difficulties posting pics? This is the second entry that it has failed for me.

3 comments:

Dann said...

I can hear the ring tone!!!!

I wonder if someone could build a device that emits the “ring” which could then be used to corral chicken?

Dave said...

I can hear it as well. See Dann we're not as old as you look... I mean think!

Shimmy said...

I think that that ringtone might be dysfunctional. HHHmmmmmm.