A youth repellant: Awesome invention or step toward dictatorship

[Imran Siddiqui]

Damn... I looked at the title and thought it was an Ozzy birthday thread

[SlowwHand]

Weird Title + Shiva = Birthday Thread.

[Guynemer]

Whoever invented this deserves a goddamn Nobel.

[DaShi]

'I used to be with it, but then they changed what "it" was. Now, what I'm with isn't it, and what's "it" seems weird and scary to me.'

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Ah, there it is...

Teen Buzz


Listen to the ringtoneTeen Buzz (or Mosquito Ringtone) is a popular ringtone that was adapted from a technology that was originally used to repel loitering teenagers from shops in the United Kingdom. Inventor Howard Stapleton developed the "Mosquito device" for Compound Security Systems. This device emits a modulated 17 kHz sound that proves to be a great annoyance to teenagers or anyone younger, but leaves most over thirty years of age unaffected. This is due to presbycusis, a normal loss of acute hearing that occurs with advancing age. Teen Buzz was developed using the same technology, but as a constant 17 kHz high frequency ringtone. It is primarily used in the classroom, allowing students to be alerted of incoming text messages on their mobile phones without the knowledge of their teachers. The company that developed the device said that they were impressed and admits to the idea being humorous, although they considered it may be an infringement on their intellectual property rights. They developed their own ringtone which they sold as the authentic mosquito tone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_Buzz

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Darius871


How does it not violate their rights? Discriminatory business owners are abridging the right to freely congregate, and doing so based solely on age! No justice, no peace!

So playing Rock N' Roll is discriminating against the elderly?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Kidicious


So playing Rock N' Roll is discriminating against the elderly?

Hate to break it to you, sonny, but the elderly invented rock 'n' roll.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly


Hate to break it to you, sonny, but the elderly invented rock 'n' roll.

See DaShi's post.

[Geronimo]

Here's a link to a site that lets you play various ringtones at various frequencies so you can select the highest frequency one you can hear. 20khz appears to be the highest I can hear and it is annoying as hell so I don't think we can be certain this mosquito technology will only bother young people. presumably there is a lot of individual variation in rate of loss of this kind of sensitivity.

[Blake]

I have invented an expression just for this kind of thing...
cry @ world

[ZEE]

From the Article
The Mosquito, which produces a penetrating tone that only under-25s can hear, has proved popular with shop owners and councils who want to banish groups of youths engaged in anti-social behaviour.

Poly OTF Reaction

OMG, we are all old...

[Kidlicious]

Well I sure haven't loitered around any stores lately.... Oh wait, I never did that.

*scratches head and tries to remember youth.

[Proteus_MST]

Originally posted by Geronimo
Here's a link to a site that lets you play various ringtones at various frequencies so you can select the highest frequency one you can hear. 20khz appears to be the highest I can hear and it is annoying as hell so I don't think we can be certain this mosquito technology will only bother young people. presumably there is a lot of individual variation in rate of loss of this kind of sensitivity.

Wow, looks like with my headphones I am able to hear every frequency (although the ones at 20kHz and above are a little bit soft)

Haven´t any loudspeakers connected (well, never have) therefore I am not able to say if I would still be able to hear it via them

[onodera]

I'd rather forbid them to wear hoodies that allow the use of this.

[BeBMan]

If it produces a tone that only young people can hear, how can the elderly be sure it's not abused to transmit secret degrading messages about them?

If you want to scare people away, just get a mohawk and watch them flee in panic!