New paint blocks out wireless signals.

[feedback]

I suppose with some modifications you could use the paint to help secure your wireless computer connection at home.

Now if it could keep the low frequency coming from the CD player of my neighbors teenagers car from entering my house when he drives by, I might use it.:D

A Rochester, N.Y., company has developed paint that can switch between blocking cell phone signals and allowing them through.

"You could use this in a concert hall, allowing cell phones to work before the concert and during breaks, but shutting them down during the performance," said Michael Riedlinger, president of NaturalNano.

Using nanotechnology, particles of copper are inserted into nanotubes, which are ultra-tiny tubes that occur naturally in halloysite clay mined in Utah. Combined with a radio-filtering device that collects phone signals from outside a shielded space, certain transmissions can proceed while others are blocked, the Chicago Tribune reported.

However, the wireless phone industry is up in arms over the development.

"We oppose any kind of blocking technology," said Joe Farren, spokesman for The Wireless Association, the leading cell phone trade group. "What about the young parents whose baby-sitter is trying to call them, or the brain surgeon who needs notification of emergency surgery? These calls need to get through."

Link to Article:
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060301-015410-7150r

[tomos]

great! if they paint within cinemas that would be awesome :D

[Doobie]

It seems out of legal concerns, no one wants to block signals, even if just on their own property, without making an exception for emergency calls. This is what makes it difficult to block calls. Otherwise, something cheap, like foil-lined walls would probably block cell phones. A properly designed, low-power frequency generator that just plugs into a light socket could do the trick, as well, and only cost a few dollars.

This high-tech paint thing will probably be too expensive, and not work very well, for many people to use it.

I'm growing to hate moronic cell phone users whose phones are always going off in class, at the theater, and other places where they create an annoyance. Even if it's not the ringing, it's not very pleasant to be slowed up at grocery store because some cell phone twit is blocking the isle and not paying attention to anything except the phone conversation (shades of fat people blocking the isle). I just watched a young woman talk on her her cell phone the whole time while going through a checkout. How fracking rude! Even worse, these twits are as dangerous as drunk drivers on the road.

I really hope that cell phones cause brain tumors (not because I wish harm on anyone, but because I wish people had a compelling reason to lighten up on the cell phones).

In the mean time, any private business should be free to block cell phones, including emergency calls, on their property without legal worries. If you have an emergency, you can leave the theater to make the call. But, we don't live in a country, or a world, where a man is allowed to be king of his castle (this ties in with this forum, I ought to be allowed to backup disks I own because my home is my castle).

And, people involved in car accidents or driving violations, while on their cell phones, ought to be treated like drunk drivers (jail time, high legal fees, suspended licenses, etc.).

[theReal]

if they paint within cinemas that would be awesome

I have encountered various movie theaters where you don't get a cellphone connection. I guess they just put some cheap metal wiremesh into the walls - probably not 100% perfect, but enough to silence 98% of the cellphones.

I'm not even sure if they did anything on purpose to block cell phones, but it is kind of suspicious if you lose connection as soon as your in the theater...

[Shinigami-Sama]

actualy the older ones that used stuco, have two layers of chiken wire in them, same with the livingroom in my house back home, one one top an one on the back of the stuco, though they kinda stoped using it like that, I forget what they replaced the 3/4inch thick stuco with. So yeah, local theater is like that back home, but I dont see a problem with blocking, if you're calls are that important to you, save your $50 and rent the damed movie