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In October 2004 the French Industry Minister, Patrick Devedjian, agreed
to let cinema, theatre and restaurant owners to install phone blockers -
so long as there is no interference with emergency calls or to phones outside
the building.
Devices which jam mobile phones are widely available in the Far East and can be obtained in the UK - where, unfortunately, they are illegal. The official concern is that they would block genuine emergency calls and in practice would probably also interfere with phones in the surrounding area. A story in the Scottish Daily Record revealed that several pubs and hotels had bought such devices, mainly with the aim of diverting frustrated callers to their expensive pay-phones. |
Trevor Harris, owner of The Palace cinema in Haverfordwest has installed hidden cameras to help catch people who use phones in the cinema. Signs round the cinema and on-screen adverts asking people to turn off their phones have not been enough. He adds:
"Now we will watch what is going on in the auditorium through a monitor and anyone using their mobiles or pagers will be kicked out."
Visit their website: www.palacehaverfordwest.co.uk
Anything else?
Hideo Oka at Iwate University in Morioka, northern Japan thinks magnetic wood might be the answer. Essentially this is a sandwich of ordinary wood with a 4mm filling of nickel-zinc ferrite material. The metal absorbs radio signals.
Mobile phones have helped to save lives, prevent crimes and rescue lost children. They can be very useful. What has not happened is a campaign to encourage good manners in their use.
My own dream is a device which would broadcast a blanket "ring" signal within a cinema or film society hall. Start with a message asking people to turn off their phones, then use it to reveal those who forgot they had one in their pocket.
Email details to me, please, webmaster@filmsocs.org.uk