BBC - New cellphone designed to punish annoying users with electrical shocks

BBC News ^ | April 1, 2003

[HAL9000]

Shock tactics for anti-social mobile use

Musical mobile makes people look stupid in public

Anti-social mobile phone users could be punished with an electric shock if prototypes from a design company go into production.

The increasing irritation of inappropriate or noisy conversations in public places prompted design firm Ideo to come up with handsets that would encourage people to be more tactful in their phone use.

The designs are not intended to make it on to the high street but rather to prompt debate about the social impact of mobile phones.

Designs include a phone with two metal plates attached that could send an increasing electric shock to people at the other end depending on how loudly the caller is talking.

Trumpet phone

The catapult phone allows users to aim their own handsets at someone in the vicinity and at the press of a button will launch a sound to disrupt their conversation.

"They are intended to stimulate discussion about whether these phones are any more ridiculous than what we put up with every day," Chief Designer Graham Pullin told the BBC's Go Digital programme.

A polite phone answers for you

Perhaps the most extreme design is a mobile phone in the shape of a musical instrument.

"It looks like a snake that has swallowed a mobile phone," explained Mr Pullin.

In order to make a call users have to stand up and play a rather gruesome tune on their musical phone.

"It seems inconceivable that someone would stand up and play it in the middle of a crowded restaurant so it is a good litmus test about where it is appropriate to make a call," he said.

For those that do take account of other people when making a mobile call, the designers came up with a quiet phone that allows users to have a silent conversation.

Instead of speaking, people simply press a button to reply with an automated 'yes' or 'no' to the person on the other end of the phone.

[shadowman99]

Do we really need April Fools crap in the News sections? I come here for news, and there's more spam here today than my yahoo mail box.

[11th Earl of Mar]

I hear that GM is working on the same thing for annoying drivers.

[TopQuark]

Another way to learn civility politeness is to go to church or sinagogue and acquire some traditional values. It used to be that the family would instil these values, but thank G-d we have technology for that.

It's so much easier to design a new phone that be committed to marriage and family. Progress.

[Blue Screen of Death]

I am working on a cell phone that has a 5 inch telescoping spike in the ear piece. If you really get tired of someone blabbing on their cell phone, you push the proper numeric sequence on your cell phone and the needle sharp spike shoots through the other persons ear into their brain. This can also be used to flush out the liberals in a crowd. After you push the proper sequence anyone left standing has no brain and must be a liberal. Cool huh?

[drjimmy]

Another way to learn civility politeness is to go to church or sinagogue and acquire some traditional values.
Actually, I read that a prototype is being tested for church/synagogue pews that will deliver a mild shock to parishioners who violate any of the 10 Commandments. The next time you see someone jumping out of their seat, it could be because they have been coveting your goods.