Annoying People Talking on Their Cell Phones? Jam 'Em!

hahahha Mark S. you crack me up. 2nd time I've seen your hilarious comment on here...

Some people will say "be polite and not passive-aggressive" but I'd imagine someone asking the wrong person "nicely" might end up getting assaulted.

I think we have all gotten WAAAY too into technology (and up our own butts) to remember how to treat each other nicely in general. So much smart-phoning instead of having a nice conversation with the person across from you when you're at restaurant...I feel like everyone has forgotten how to treat each other because technology got in the way of basic human interaction. I remember when "call-waiting" was first showing up on our land-lines...and a friend of mine was talking about how rude/awkward it is when someone leaves a conversation, and then has to determine WHICH conversation is more important, and try to politely say "The other call I have now is more important than the one I am having with you" to whomever they need to hang up on. Technology is the death of manners.

Second-hand smoke causes health problems; I've yet to hear about anyone developing cancer as a result of too many overheard conversations.

And to every special little snowflake who needs a soundproof bubble of personal space, I have a couple of solutions: buy a car, and live in Montana. You won't have to worry about public transit not meeting your exacting standards of quietude, and the population density will be low enough that you'll barely even have to deal with other people period.

If you do decide to stay in a place where you're forced to interact with the loud unwashed masses, you still have a few options. You can use your legs (those lower body protrusions are not, in fact, vestigial) to distance yourself from the person making noise. Should escape not be an option, I've found it helpful to develop a healthy sense of curiosity, and to surround myself with intelligent people. The stranger talking loudly suddenly doesn't deserve my attention when there are interesting things to think about and clever people to talk to. If you can't concentrate on anything more important than the trivial, transitory annoyance of someone else talking on a cell phone, that's your own fault.

I try to stick to a policy of either being direct and politely confronting people who are doing things that I don't like... "Would you mind not blowing smoke in my face?" or "Can you turn the music down please?" And all the times I don't have the balls to say anything - then I just have to deal with it.

That said, I have been known to join in loud conversations on the train (and people do talk louder on the phone than in face to face conversations). I mean, if they're sitting next to me and yelling their side of the conversation into my ear - I feel a right to express my opinion.

"So are the people who are talking too loudly on their phones, they are imposing their will on us without asking permission."

It is not about asking permission. It is about imposing a standard anonymously without recourse or appeal. The person talking on the cell phone is not anonymous. You see them, you can talk to them, you can treat them like a real person. And you can ask them to talk quietly or step outside. Direct, honest communication.

What happens when you jam an emergency call and someone dies because you were a douche?

Smoking is not only annoying, but also unhealthy for everyone around. So how many of you who agree with this person in the article have grabbed someone's cigarette from their mouth and put it out?

Didn't think so.

Just like on a blog, it is easy to be an ass in real life if you can be anonymous. Whole horde of little dictators is what you all are.

"you sit back anonymously and impose YOUR idea of what right is"

So are the people who are talking too loudly on their phones, they are imposing their will on us without asking permission.

A cell phone jammer is incredibly passive aggressive. Instead of (politely) telling someone they are being too loud (which happens with or without cell phones), you sit back anonymously and impose YOUR idea of what right is. How is this any different than internet trolling? People are far more willing to do and say things they wouldn't do otherwise when they think they won't get found out or caught. This tells me that, on some level, they know their behavior is probably inappropriate.

As for the issue “If you have a chronic health condition and need a cell phone how would you use it?” Just because YOU can't think of an instance where that would be true doesn't mean it doesn't exist. An even if the person who has the condition can't use their phone, what about people around them? If someone is having a heart attack, or is seriously injured (in a fall perhaps) how much more time is it going to take to get a first responder onto the scene if everyone's cell is jammed and nobody can get through?

Like it or not, cell phones are with us to stay. Like any other technology they can be used responsibly or abused. More often than not, the solution is to be a responsible adult, treat people respectfully (especially if you disagree with them) and use direct communication about the issues at hand instead of attacking someone from a hiding place.

I wonder if there is a burst mode jammer that can force calls to be dropped but needs to be manually activated each time it is used?

Hmm. I am envisioning a new Neatoshop product.

It would be kind of awesome to own one of those. They should rig every car with one localized around the driver's seat, so people can't yip-yap while the car is running.

There's a tendency for people who are talking on the phone to talk way louder than they would face-to-face.

Plus the fact that most conversations are utterly inane. "I'm on the bus right now. I'll see you in 10 minutes, but I can't live without constant communication. It validates me."

But I agree: the guy's a douche. On a bus, you're lucky to get a clean seat and no creepos staring at you.

I would totally love to own a phone jammer.

I am in the camp who finds people who talk continuously on cell phones in public annoying. More annoying (and dangerous) are the dictatorial personalities like the fellow in the article who feel compelled to force their will on others. That is nothing short of evil.

mie you are exactly right. There was a blurb on the Internets about an experiment that found cell phone conversations were annoying preciously because people only heard half the conversation. I guess it is hard for our brains to parse the information. Personally I rather people sit quietly messaging on their cells.

I've never really understood this animosity toward specifically people talking on cell phones in places where normal conversation between two people would be considered ok. I mean, churches, concerts etc I understand, there speaking in general is not polite, but why is it so horrible if people speak on the phone in buses or restaurants? Obviously if they speak very loudly that's annoying and disrespectful, but I feel that for some reason people's tolerance toward people speaking on cell phones is lower than toward two people speaking face-to-face. Is it because you can't hear the whole conversation?

1) Turn off jammer, leave it your in bag.
2) Go through airport security.
3) Get pulled aside for random, enhanced screening.
4) Try to explain why you have a device deliberately designed to interfere with communications equipment.
5) Go directly to Gitmo, do not collect lawyer.

So this guy whipped this thing out in public and pressed a button to snipe the calls. People are way too open about this stuff. If he had a bag, just give it enough juice to run continuously and leave it turned on in the bottom of it. Worried it might need to be shut down? Install a remote switch elsewhere in the bag where it won't be noticeable - such as beneath the strap as thumbing a strap is not exactly an odd thing to do.

"You’re an idiot, joe jim. I hope you have a serious accident and that the only surgeon who can save you is at a restaurant with a phone jammer in use."

You're the idiot Wes. You disagree with someone's opinion so he deserves to be seriously hurt and then die?

"If you have a chronic health condition and need a cell phone how would you use it?"

You're an idiot, joe jim. I hope you have a serious accident and that the only surgeon who can save you is at a restaurant with a phone jammer in use.

If you have a chronic health condition and need a cell phone how would you use it?
Would you be even be capable to use it?
Sorry sounds like the "I need it!" or " I can't live without it" reason.
I can't wait for the mother of all solar storms knocks out mobile devices for a few hours.

I need a cell phone jammer jammer.

I don't mind when people talk on their cell phones. I just mind when they talk loudly.

The solution for facilities such as theatres is not jamming, but mobile-phone detection at the turnstile.

Any mobile phone is regularly sending auto-registration signals even when the phone is in standby mode and silent mode.

A friendly notice that phones are prohibited, plus enforcement by the ticket-taker for noncompliant people as they pass.

People ignorant enough to use their cell phones in church, concerts. restaurants and the like are gonna continue to do so no matter what. They are and will continue to be low brow boobs with no regard for the rights of others. You can't legislate class. According to highway safety statistics 3000 folks die each year as a result of phone use and texting. Profit drives this country and the moichant piggy rules. Maybe this guy with his jammer will become a martyr for the rest of us or better yet start a trend. Wonder where he got the thing and how much it cost him.

Self-appointed vigilantes are often just as annoying as their targets. Expecting "peace & quiet" on public transportation is a bit impractical. Go buy a car.

I'm 100% against this. How does he decide who to jam and who not to jam? Is it everyone on the bus or just those he finds annoying?

My daughter has a chronic health condition and needs access to her phone in case of emergency. I'd hate to think he'd jam her call for some reason.

@ Melissa you can use directional antennas and range limiters. If you wanted to keep it confined to just your store redecorate and put in a faraday cage (behind wall dressing) the signal will easily end at your wall. Actually that'd kill the cells just naturally so there you go.

It's illegal because the FCC is in control of this and they have no motivation to update existing code. You need an FCC license to broadcast and that's technically what this does. A CB (citizen band) radio granted you the owner that license without all the testing in that limited range. So too are cells in a limited range. But their bandwidth is licensed by a commercial entity that WILL NOT want you interfering with their profits. That's why this is not going to change. FCC makes money off of it. Limiting it will cut into both FCC and carrier profits. Personal space and tech are not going to intelligently addressed by our gov. anytime soon since people are willing to take it as is and not question the ways of things.

13ft, I think the trouble is that the jamming signal isn't necessarily stopped by the building's wall. Like I can't just block inside my store, without potentially also blocking the store next door to mine, inside the house behind it,and on the street where the ambulance may be trying to communicate.

I have a friend who has one and uses it on the Go Train(commuter train to/from the suburbs to Toronto). The range is quite limited, but it does indeed work apparently. They don't just turn it on for the entire ride, every ride... very selected use.

Not saying I agree/disagree with it. Music + headphones works well for me. That said, there have certainly been times where I would have loved to have had one.

I do think this may be a bit extreme and certainly illegal. ButI think it should be legal for restaurants and theaters and many other private places to do this. The world won't end if someone cannot txt or surf for 2 hrs. And if the patron doesn't like it they don't have to go there.

Yeah, they're right, it is totally illegal. I researched it a while back. I REALLY wanted one. But not enough to get arrested over. And then I found out why they're illegal and I definitely didn't mind as much. I dug the idea of blocking the phones of all the yakking patrons in my store slowing down the line, disturbing other customers, etc. But I don't like the idea at all of accidentally interfering with emergency vehicles. I'd rather just deal with annoying phone users than endanger people over it.