Technological apartheid

Fand

Help, lads: I've got all these gadgets that say "keep me away from electromagnetic sources", and I've got this mobile phone.

The phone already got one - a cheapsky but beloved digital camera.

How do you keep your mobile from killing?

Kix

Ha! Big flame war about plastic bags about to errupt!

Just kidding. I always imagined that those bags operated as a Faraday cage. The metal coating is on the exterior. Any charge whould be kept to the outside of the bag, protecting the components inside.

Hold on, I'll pop my mobile into one, see if it looses signal -

hmmm... can't see it - I'll have to phone it.

<message minder>

Well, seems to block the signal just fine. Bow down to my superior experminental techniques!

K

JustHalf

Mmh. That's not what normally comes with PC components. Usually it's the plastic type - which doesn't. The metal type should. I've only seen that type with telecommunications equipment though, and ancient hardware (I think my SB16 came in that )

But if you do have one ... Sure, you can throw your phone in there. As I said though, and as Kix proved, the phone also won't work. So you might as well have it switched off.

Alternatively, through your other hardware in there ... but you may also limit it's usefulness (a camera, for example, is no good when totally encased in metal). Then you've got the power supply and data feeds to worry about. Data feeds are usually shielded, though.

Fand

*Damn* good idea, Kix - I'll put my other devices into anti-static bags. My current camera, a FujiFilm one, doesn't seem to bother about the mobile, so it must be shielded already - but I have other devices that might not be. i bow to your superior technological savvy. <bow>

JustHalf

Remember Fand, do what Kix did to test each bag... the plastic ones WILL NOT WORK.

Fand

Glory, JustHalf, I know what an anti-static bag is! Give me a little credit here <g>

Kix

You're very welcome.

Sounds like an impressive collection of consumer desirables. I'd love a peak in your gadget cupboard.

K

JustHalf

Fand, it seems really weird that for the minor inconvenience of the use of your phone while around these devices you would go to the greater inconvenience of packing all of your devices into anti-static bags.

Also, remember that just because it's anti-static doesn't mean it is impenetrable by EM radiation. Experiment.

beaver

Heh, now what could be cool is to weave Faraday cages into the linings of your pockets! Not the one you keep your phone in of course...

-Ross

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When I was young my mother told me not to look into the sun; so once, when I was six, I did...

JustHalf

Yeah, because testicular cancer is *all* the rage.

I keep my phone in my bag. Usually off

JustHalf

Er... you just switch it off.

Fand

Is there no way to shield the mobile? What happened to the camera was that it slid down to the bottom of my carrier bag and mated with the mobile phone, and so met its end.

I could just switch off the mobile, but it's nice to talk on it sometimes.

Kix

Fup. That's annoying, loosing your camera. Trouble is, if you shield the mobile then you may as well have it switched off since it won't be able to connect to the network anyhow.

You could get your hands on one of those little metalized plastic bags that computer components come in, that would probanly work to shield your gadgets. Mind you, I wouldn't want to sacrifice another camera to find out it didn't work. Best keep them in different pockets - get a nice pair of combats!

JustHalf

There is no way for the mobile to operate and not give out electromagnetic shielding. If you were to shield it sufficiently enough to rule out the emission of EM radiation, it would not be able to contact its tower.

You might want to build a Faraday cage for your EM sensitive equipment. Search for Faraday cage on google (I'm too busy to). Even tin-foil could be used for this purpose (as long as it is electrically conductive)

The anti-static bags almost certainly do not function as such - that is not their purpose, and I doubt that they do (I think they're made out of a special type of plastic). If they were electrically conductive, they would be useless for their intended purpose.

It's easier just switch your phone off and use a land line. It's not such a big deal.

beaver

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by JustHalf:
Yeah, because testicular cancer is *all* the rage.</font>

The sacrifices one must make for technology...

-Ross

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When I was young my mother told me not to look into the sun; so once, when I was six, I did...

JustHalf

That's one thing I am NOT losing for tech.

Sorry, two things.

Fand

Testicular cancer is commonest among car mechanics, I think - they wipe their hands, loaded with carcinogenic car oils, down their overall legs and their poor little balleens get cancer after years of exposure.

At least, it's either that or the curses of the women drivers they rip off.

JustHalf

I'm glad I'm not a car mechanic, and I'm not sticking a source of microwave radiation that close to my testicles.

Let's stop this conversation now, okay?