The key to working at a place like Ars Technica is solid news judgment. [eds note: tell that to Benj Edwards] I’m talking about the kind of news judgment that knows whether a pet peeve is merely a pet peeve or whether it is, instead, a meaningful example of the Ways that Technology is Changing our World.
The difference between the two is one of degree: A pet peeve may drive me nuts but does not appear to impact anyone else. A Ways that Technology is Changing our World story must be about something that drives a lot of people nuts.
“But where is the threshold?” I hear you asking plaintively. “It’s extremely important that I know when something crosses the line from pet peeve to important, chin-stroking journalism topic!”
Fortunately, the answer is simple. The threshold has been breached when your local public transit agency puts up a sign about the behavior in question.
Which brings me to the sign I saw yesterday in Philadelphia.
“Unless the tea is REALLY hot, keep the call off speaker,” it said.
(For those not in the US, “tea” in this context means gossip or news.)
I fucking hate speakerphone and don’t use it even in my van unless a photo or document is shared during the conversation that needs to be addressed.
So, I got an ultrasonic dog trainer. It actually effectively jammed microphones. So, you can look on Amazon for an ultrasonic dog trainer and use that in the presence of these people and just hold the button down and it will jam their microphone. Your mileage may vary. This might not be legal in all places, but basically it sounds like terrible static to the person on the other end. Best of luck.
Using an ultrasonic dog trainer in public may piss off dogs, and other domesticated or wild animals in the vicinity. I woudln’t recommend this, except maybe as a last resort on rare occasions.
Politely asking the person to use a headphone or earpiece may be more effective in many case.
Oh, for sure it’s a dick move! As the surveillance spreads and grows, we owe it to ourselves to be aware of the countermeasures.
Also, I’ve only tested this, not tried it in public, but 100% works on condenser mics I’ve tested it on.
And to your point, at the gym, I do ask people if they’ve got to headset when I hear them blasting their media on their phones.