[News] - Pocket size jammers that block signal of inconsiderate callers.
Most commuters have experienced rage at having to listen to fellow passengers' phone calls.
But anti-social travellers are increasingly taking matters into their own hands by shutting down fellow commuters' conversations with portable cell phone jammers. Jennifer Lopez demonstrated one in the film Enough. But the worrying new real-life trend came to the forefront this week when one Philadelphia bus passenger was caught by baffled fellow commuters. 'I guess I’m taking the law into my own hands,'he told a reporter from NBC10, 'and quite frankly, I’m proud of it.' The jammer was busted by a co-traveller who noticed that everyone on the bus on his/her cell was having trouble getting a signal. The jammer was holding a device hat looks like a walkie talkie with four antennae in his hand. The commuter explained: 'Anytime someone would try their cell again, this guy would subtly turn in their direction, press a button and point it at them, then continue reading his book under his creepy hood' Devices, cost from $40 to more than $10,000 on websites like http://signaljammerblockers.com. Users feel they are gaining some control against what they see as an increasingly inconsiderate society.' The illegal devices block radio as well as cell phone signals including nearby emergency dispatch centres, which in the face of a terrorist attack could result in a public safety disaster. Incoming calls are also blocked which could prevent travellers from hearing emergency news. One New Jersey to New York daily commuter who carries a jammer on his Transit ride every day said: 'They’re the best thing ever,' He told Forbes he uses the pocket size device bought from a website that imports them from China selectively, when a fellow passenger talks 'too loud or 'too long.' 'When I’ve used it, it’s to cut off a loud talker on the train that’s sitting near me.'He claims never to have felt guilty. 'No guilt,'he says, 'Just personal high fives.' |
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