[Moderator: Not quite on topic, but I have long wished for these. :)] >From CNET.COM Newsletter Today 9. BEHIND THE SCENES (FOR DIGITAL DISPATCH READERS ONLY) After my vacation in Greece--which was wonderfully free of URLs, but packed with more obnoxious cell phone users per square mile than any place I've ever been--I stumbled across a disturbing but interesting new technology that allows you to jam the airwaves and prevent cell phone calls within a prescribed radius. "Jamming" is already happening in Japan, a country that could probably put the mobile-phoning Grecos to shame. The Wave Wall, by a company called Medic Inc., is a cigarette-sized transceiver with a 20-foot jamming radius. It's a pricey $480, but cafes, theaters, and high-end restaurants are already using these devices to keep the peace. Of course the implications are huge (which is why I like this topic). The Japanese government is concerned about emergency calls being blocked, potential interference with pacemakers, and so forth. But I'm picturing the inevitable American version--a freakish cyberjammer who roams the streets gleefully interrupting calls, or prowls the highways making callers truly "hang up and drive." Need I say more? I have no idea when the jammers will hit our shores, but it sure makes you look back at the days of "Hang on, I'm going into a tunnel and may lose the connection" with a certain innocent fondness. Now you'll never know if it's the connection or the suspicious-looking minivan in the slow lane. -o- Subscribe: mail majordomoat_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Repent Security Incorporated [www.repsec.com]
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