Hospitals Slow To Catch On To The Let's-Ban-Cameraphones Bandwagon
from the 'bout-time dept
It's been awhile since we've seen stories about employers banning cameraphones from their offices, as it seems sanity prevailed and the issues have worked themselves out. The point that the overreactive employers were missing was that cameraphones themselves weren't the underlying problem, since there were plenty of other ways that corporate information could be stolen, and looking to ban each of them one-by-one really wasn't an effective security strategy. However, now, apparently a bunch of hospitals are getting worried about cameraphones after several cases of employees using them in various ways to breach people's privacy. They talk about how hard cameraphone bans are to enforce in hospitals, but again, that's missing the point. The problem here isn't cameraphones, it's employees willing to invade and breach people's privacy. If they're willing to do it with a cameraphone, chances are they're willing to do it with some other piece of technology, or even without one, too. Trying to ban cameraphones is like putting a band-aid on a ruptured appendix. It might look helpful from the outside, but it's really not going to help much at all.
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I am tired of the cell phone Nazis
At the Doctor office, Hospital, Movie Theater, Mall, Dentist office, Starbucks, McDonalds, convenient store, school and household.
You would think I am carring around Nuclear Waste.
No, I am NOT turning my cellphone off.
I have it for a reason. When parents or children or anyone else needs to get in touch with me emergency or not, that is how you contact me. I am smart enough to NOT answer the phone in a movie theater or during a Doctor Visit or Dental cleaning or during surgery.
No, I am NOT turning my cellphone off.
I smell law-suit.
Forced to turn off cellphone for un-justified reasons, I was unable to receive the emergency call from blah, blah, blah. The Draconian (I like using that word) and Nazi like measures foisted upon me by stupid businesses is completely to blame and liable for damages, where is my lawyer....
What kind of crappy engineering company designs equipment that cannot work near a cellphone.
ElectroMagnetic Radiation is a fact of life.
EM is sunlight, microwaves, radio, TV, radar, Infrared, Ultraviolet, Satellite Transmissions.
We live in fog of EM radiation and turning my cellphone off will NOT stop the Cell Towers from transmitting.
Please, no Sunspots beyond this point and stay back 500 feet.
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I am tired of the cell phone Nazis
You would think they have to keep it to prevent WWIII.
God forbid they turn off their cellphone.
They whine lawsuit when they can't have it.
They decide what is justifiable for a business to do with their business. The crybaby like whines foisted upon us by them about emergencies and such is sickening.
They don't RTFA and complain about an issue not discussed.
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Re: I am tired of the cell phone Nazis
at schools its because they should not be taking on the phone anyways. at movie theaters that's just being polite and I guess some people just don't have the common courtesy to turn them off.
The people that are trying to ban it elsewhere are just morons. Don't take them seriously.
I apologise if this has been said further down the responses but what he said was just so uninformed I had to respond.
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Re: Re: I am tired of the cell phone Nazis
If this is the case, why does every doctor and nurse carry a stock two way pager or cellphone, standing right around that same equipment all day,every shift with no apparent harm?
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Re: I am tired of the cell phone Nazis
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I am NOT tired of the cell phone Nazis
It's attitudes like yours that make it all that more appealing to demand cell phones be banned in certain establishments.
You could achieve your objectives by being less arrogant and more realistic in your rant. But, since you insist on being immature about it...
#1. Cell phones are a privledge, not a right. Commercial establishments have the right to demand you turn it off upon entering.
#2. Guess what, there is no emergency! You CAN turn your cell phone off. The world won't stop turning. Get over yourself. This is not an argument for needing to keep your cell phone on.
#3. You're not being FORCED to turn your cell phone OFF. You do not have to ENTER any establishment that requires phones be turned off. It is YOUR CHOICE! Want to keep your phone on? Patronize an establishment that allows them!
#4. As an establishment owner, I don't need a justifiable reason to require phones be turned off. It's my business and if you don't want to turn your phone off, I don't want YOUR business or YOU to be in my establishment. YOU'RE NOT WELCOME HERE.
#5. If my business is STUPID, don't patronize it. Find one that isn't stupid. Thank you very much. That'll make both of us happy. (and all of my customers happy too)
Now that most cities are "smoking free" we need to start a "cell phone free" drive.
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Re: I am NOT tired of the cell phone Nazis
It only reinforces the argument of the smoking public that your concern isn't actually about "health", but about being annoyed. :-)
Thank you!
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Re: Re: I am NOT tired of the cell phone Nazis
I agree with you, it's not about health, it's about being curtious to other people. Unfortunately we now need laws because our younger generation doesn't seem to have been raised with enough manners to go an hour without a cigarette or go 2 hours without playing with their cell phone...checking to see if Suzie called!
So...bring on the laws
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Re: Re: Re: I am NOT tired of the cell phone Nazis
Prop's to you for actually taking the time to be courteous, an all too lacking skill in this country. I understand the sometimes inconvience, as an ex-smoker I would do the same things.
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No, I am NOT turning my cellphone off.[/i]
ur cell phone better be off or on silent if ur in the same movie theater i am in.
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Re:
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Hotels or hospitals?
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Re: Hotels or hospitals?
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RE: I am tired of the cell phone Nazis
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Cell Tact.
Second, if you think that you are so important that you MUST be available by phone, I think you need to see a professional. Perhaps something in a psychiatrist specializing in megalomania...
Yes, the cell phone has an OFF button. It is the epitome of bad manners not to use it in the appropriate settings.
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Re: Cell Tact.
Yes, I put my camera phone on silent(no buzzing, no ringing)and hide it in my purse everywhere I think I'm going to disturb someone else's day. I only take pictures of my pets. Honest.
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Re: Re: Cell Tact.
How the hell did people make do before cell phones?!?
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Re: Re: Re: Cell Tact.
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Re: Cell Tact.
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Re: Cell Tact.
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Dear cell phone haters. There are millions of polite cell phone lovers that you never have any problems with because you dont know their cell phones are on because its on silent or vibrate or whatnot. When you see impolite cell phone lovers and respond by discriminating against cell phone lovers, please beware that you discriminate against polite ones as well. Please do not call us megalomaniacal for wanting to be available 24/7--thats just how we've structured our lives, and it has no impact on you, and youll never know. Its our business, and we do not make it yours.
If you want to assault the bad behaviors of cell phone usage, please work on the bad behaviors and not the cell phones. Cell phones are a fact of life and they're here to stay. We need to all work together to forge some reasonable norms to govern peoples behavior and create intense social pressure to be polite with them.
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Re: Re:
I use a phone and I don't make it your business. Others do. Deal with them, not me.
If your policy results in my being unable to use or bring a cell phone, then it discriminates against perfectly reasonable and unobtrusive activities in a stupid and over-blunt effort to correct the misbehavior of some social klutzes.
You do not warn people not to shout when they enter your place of business. If they shout rudely, you will ask them to leave. If they shout when a wasp flies at them, or they cut themselves with a knife, you will forgive them. The shout is not the problem--the problem is rude shouters. Why would you want to ban shouting? Oh--you CAN ban cell phones, and not shouting. So you do. But it's stupid--its the rude users you really have the problem with. So kick them out.
And if this isnt how your thinking goes, and if youre one of the ones who is just a plain old cell phone bigot--f*** off. A bigot by any other name is still a dirty old bigot.
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Re: Re: Re:
OK, so it discriminates! BFD. I choose to discriminate against people who want to use cell phones inside my establishment. That's MY perogitive. YOU ARE NOT WELCOME inside my establishment. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with discriminating against cell phone usage.
"Oh--you CAN ban cell phones, and not shouting. "
Wrong, I CAN and DO ban shouting. If you Shout in my business, you will be asked to leave. If you're a repeat offender, you will be banned from my establishment.
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Re: Re: Re:
Simple fact, people who can't pass a driver's test are discriminated against. People who don't pay for certain clubs are discriminated against. Discrimination is not in and of itself bad. If a store requires shoes, is that discrimination to those without shoes...absolutely, deal with it.
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Re:
e.g.
Cell phones aren't allowed on airplanes
A number of restaurants don't allow cell phone usage
Cell phones aren't allowed around blasting sites
and the list goes on. But just because people are crazy about their cell phones doesn't mean we have to tolerate them everywhere. We can and do limit their usage and as more inconsiderate users abound, we will see stronger measures to limit when and where they can be used.
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Lovers vs Haters
Yeah, I agree; cell phones are not the problem. Rude idiots are the problem.
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Don't get me wrong - I hate the same people that are being bashed in here. In fact, I don't really want to hear anyone on the phone, regardless of the setting. I'm just saying I have a different opinion on how it can and should be solved. Of course, since most people are too stupid to even know how to put their phone on silent, maybe it is easier to tell them to turn it off.
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Read the entire artice.
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Re: Read the entire artice.
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Pen and Paper BAN!! Employers to use Neuralizer t
ATTENTION:
ALL EMPLOYEES MUST GO THROUGH NEURALIZER BEFORE EXITING BUILDING.
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You can't fix stupid!
C'mon stupid, cell phones are just another new technology which users may choose to use, or not - politely, or not - wisely, or not. You just can't fix stupid - but have a nice day!
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Um.
Trust me; you don't want to fuck with someone that's visiting a relative in the hospital.
Try to start something over me taking a picture of loved ones (especially when one of them is hooked up to I-don't-know-how-many friggin' tubes and such) is a free, one-way ticket to Ass Kick St.
Good thing we'd be in a hospital!
The "OMG TURN OFF YOUR CELL" crowd is - by and large - just as self-centered and over-indulged as the people yammering away on their cell. :-)
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Re: Um.
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Re: Re: Um.
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Re: Re: Re: Um.
Buy a $35mm disposable camera you dip shit. It'll give you pictures...you can even get them put on disc if you'd prefer digital! Plus it doesn't pose an interferance risk to the hospital equipment. Are you brain damaged or what you twit? Why would you want to risk messing up hospital equipent so you can use the "camera feature" of your cell phone?
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Um.
I'm using the camera feature.
Deal with it.
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Today we solute you...
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How the hell did people make do before cell phones?!?"
So because the technology never exsisted before, that means it is and always will be unimportant?
You know, most people didnt have PCs in 1972 either, throw your PC in the trash THEN we can talk about me turning off my phone.
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leave it on
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Re: leave it on
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Yes To Limiting Cell Phone Use
Soon a smart company will be marketing cellphone blocking technology to public companies, schools, hospitals etc. to combat the people who still choose to disregard legitimate no cellphone request. This technology is in use at military and sensitive government facilities today.
If it can be turned on, it can be turned off...with or without your concent.
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And guns don't kill people
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Re: And guns don't kill people
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Oh and TJW - i suppose we should put little adhesive strips over guns too?
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Re:
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Re:
At best, fight with them. Ask to see a written policy. Ask for an explanation of the policy. Annoy them!
At worst, appease them momentarily... and then go right back to what you were doing. :-)
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Just FYI.
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ALWAYS
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The author says: "The problem here isn't cameraphones, it's employees willing to invade and breach people's privacy."
This is true. A camera phone (two words) makes it very easy for the malicious employee to breach ones privacy.
The ancient and stupid argument: "It's not technology's fault, it's the people." is proving once more that a lot of people cannot handle technology in a responsible way. This is why we need regulation.
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Hospitals have a legitimate reason to block the us
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Cell Phones in Hospitals
In the hospital where I work, cellphones are allowed for visitors in most areas with the exception of the ER and ICU wards, the reasoning is that we use wireless 12-lead telemetry equipment to transmit patient vitals to a central monitoring station. Although the frequency used by this system is over 100mhz lower than the lower end of the GSM spectrum, the equipment manufacturer of the telemetry system warns that cell phones can interfere with patient vitals transmission. Given a choice of pissing off someone of the ilk of the above posters or putting ourselves in a position of risk to patients, guess which one we're going with...
We have also required nurses to stop carrying cell phones, do to numerous patient complaints of inappropriate ringtones, and of inattentive nurses paying more attention to phone calls than to their patients.
As an employee, you're in a take it or leave it position, it would be the same situation as if the dress code was not to your liking. Cell phones usage is not an inalienable right, don't forget that.
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Re: Cell Phones in Hospitals
Now, this is an argument that may have some merit. As opposed to the "I don't like hearing people talking on cell phones" bullshit.
If those "wireless monitoring systems" (I'm sorry, I don't know the proper term for the system(s)) can be proven to be adversely effected by a cell phone... then... well, we have a serious problem.
If there is any sort of real potential threat, cell phones - or any other sort of device that operates on the problem frequencies - must be banned from the area(s) where the "wireless monitoring systems" operate.
The manufactures of the "wireless monitoring systems" must IMMEDIATELY design, test and deploy systems that work on unoccupied frequencies and/or find some way to make sure the risk is infinitesimal.
If lives are honestly are stake, this is a serious situation.
As for the twits & twats bitching about people on cells... eh... fuck off and get a life. ;-P
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Re: Re: Cell Phones in Hospitals
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Re: Re: Re: Cell Phones in Hospitals
As for the cost scarecrow, puh-lease. Health care is expensive. Always has been, always will be. :-)
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Cell Phones in Hospitals
If hospitals have to have equipment redesigned and buy all new, they are going to charge more(which you admitted is expensive, but I guess you like payng more)...Or people can turn off a f**king phone...How is that changing you life or your technology? It has an off switch already, just because you can't or won't use it is irrelevant.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Cell Phones in Hospitals
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Re:
LMAO
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Inappropriate Ringtone?
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Re: Inappropriate Ringtone?
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I don't see the problem
I'm sorry but people need to learn to disconect from their electronics. Most if not all major cellular companys offer voicemail free of charge. So why is it so difficult to turn off the phone and be disconnected for a bit. Try it you might find it liberating.
As for PCs hey email will be there when you come back.
Just because you disconnect doesn't mean the world stops rotating or that everyone you know is going to be unable to continue with their lives.
As for businesses banning cell phone or more specificaly camera phones, they have the right to do so. Their premises is just that theirs and as such they get to make the rules. If you don't like the rules then stay out. No one is forcing you to go to places that ban certain forms of items. And if you work there then quit you have that right too.
The reason why something is banned should be of no significance, just the fact that it is should be enough.
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I hope you are a small business with a small but very loyal bunch of repeat customers. Because in this day and age without that any business owner that acts as draconioan "I rule, don't like what I go then get lost" as you do will find themselves out of business in the next few years. That kind of attitude dosent cut it without being a small business with a loyal fanbase these days.
"The reason why something is banned should be of no significance, just the fact that it is should be enough."
I honestly do not think I have heard a more ignorant statement in my life.
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Re:
Being the tard that I am, I didn't immediately understand why the use of laptops was banned, so I asked the owner.
Instead of going psycho - which I get the feeling the earlier poster would have, the owner politely explained the policy and why it was in place.
Needless to say, I haven't whipped out a laptop and started surfing for pr0n at the cafe. :-)
The policy made sense and was politely enforced.
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Re:
I find MORE people enjoy having lunch or coffee in a setting without hearing cell phones ring or having to listen to inconsiderate people talk on their cell phones. It's a safe haven of sorts.
I have my share of loyal and repeat customers, but your insinuation that they're the only reason I stay in business isn't even remotely close.
I can tell you I have a more mature crowd. I don't see many youth in my place. They're welcome to come in, but it seems they can't eat without a phone stuck in their ear.
I serve a very real market. Call it ignorant, call it what you want. Every day I go to the bank, I call it fortunate that I am able to serve this market.
Come on in, but leave your cell phone at home. You're welcome to come it, but it's not! I am happy to give you my business phone number. You can give it to all those people who may be calling you with an emergency while you're at lunch...you know, just in case they need to call you.
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I pray you didn't mean this.
Seriously?
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Maybe I shoudl clerify.
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Maybe I shoudl clerify.
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Maybe I should clerify
People should not disreguard a ban on something just because they don't agree with it, is what I was getting at. There are other ways to fight a ban other then blatenly ignoring it.
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Cellphone ban
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Re: Cellphone ban
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Some people do have a real need to have their phon
Unfortunately the lot of you are shouting so much that you've lost touch with reality.
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Re: Some people do have a real need to have their
If you can't follow simple etiquette, be prepared for rude comments, nasty stares and legislation banning phones from certain establishments.
Thank you!
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You admitted it yourself, mostly "mature" people and frequent visitors come to your business and you see young people being unable to "take the phone off their ear."
You are so far being the spitting example of one who refuses to embrase or even try to cope with any new technology simply because it interferes with the way you lived 30+ years ago.
Times change, your usual croud will eventually grow smaller, you will need younger people to stay in business, and if you keep driving them iff with your "holier than thou" anti-cell attitude then you will find your business declining in the coming years. It will NOT continue to grow if you refuse to try to adapt.
Getting rid of annoying troublemakers that talk nonstop or annoy everyone with texting is one thing, refusing to let anyone carry a phone in your building is entirely another.
And please, that "give them my number" is the weakest and most useless excuse I have ever heard. It is much faster to get in touch with someone that has a phone.
Plus what if somebody walked by your business, liked what they saw, and decided to come in? Do you want them to write down your phone-number as they walk past the door and mail it home? What if somebody is simply bored and goes out to several random locations? Even if they planned all the locations they wanted to go to do you honestly expect people to call all over town hoping by some chance he is in one of the places at the moment?
The excuse about giving someone the place's phone number ahead of time sounds good on paper but is completely impractical in practice.
If somebody walks in and you shoo them out simply because they have a phone strapped to their belt, you may have potentially lost a repeat customer who could have become just like one of your friends that you know well and see often. Yeah yeah I know "I don't care about a lost sale, the phone has got to go." Consider that happening hundreds of time simply because you want to stick with your outdated practices, and chances are only 1 out of 100 of these would have caused any annoyance with it in your business.
I cannot believe I have actually seen people bragging that they carry around a jammer so nobody around them can use a cellphone. Putting a jammer in your business if you are that hellbent on it is fine (probably) but walking around and jamming anyone that comes close to you.... if I see you doing that while im on the sidewalk making a call I will personally swipe it from you and smash it. Consider it a favor, im pretty sure its a fedreal offensce to publically jam random signals like that in the US.
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I am an well versed in today's technology and embrace it probably to a fault which is exactly how I began to realize we need a break from technology.
My point to you is between cell phones, email, text messaging, wireless access points et. al. it's important to take a break from the barrage. Having a breakfast, lunch or dinner without all the technology interference has nothing to do with how things were done 30 years ago. It has everything to do with appreciating a fine, gormet meal. You can't do that while talking on the phone.
Actually my usual crowd is growing larger, not smaller. As younger people begin to realize the need for a break from technology they're becoming patrons. In other words...they're more mature (which doesn't mean they're old foggies!)
Keeping my place of business free of cell phones is the only way to minimize incidents where people might be inclind to "slip in a quick call" when no one is looking. Plus I really don't enjoy asking patrons to leave, so this makes it simple for everyone.
You're free to leave your cell in your car. There is a house phone you're free to use and your baby sitter is always welcome to call us and we'll find you.
After you get a little older, you'll begin to appreciate the things in life that are really the most important. Using a cell phone while you're having an upscale dinner isn't one of them. Being interrupted by others cell phones during a nice dinner isn't appreciated either. Being able to simply enjoy the meal and your companions company for an hour or two is a rare treat these days.
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Hospitals claim 'sensitive equipment' but don't ba
Not only that, but some doctors use cameraphones to take work-related pictures (e.g. of an unusual insect bite to send via MMS to a specialist or just a morbid friend), and non-work-related (pictures of that new cute scrub nurse).
Same goes with airplanes -- while having your cell phone turned ON is banned (cell phones are NOT banned, just using them is ) on commercial flights, I know of many private pilots who keep their phone turned on while in the air.
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Re: Hospitals claim 'sensitive equipment' but don'
I think I'll play it safe and not put anyones life in potential jeopardy and NOT use my cell phone.
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Re: Hospitals claim 'sensitive equipment' but don'
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Red Light Camera's gave me an idea
Once the cell phone data is captured, send the violator a hefty fine for disregarding laws.
:-)
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