8 unusual ways to deal with phone addiction
Modern man can no longer do without mobile gadgets. They accompany him everywhere: at the wheel, at the bar, at the cinema. And often the use of these devices in inappropriate places can interfere with others, and sometimes poses a serious danger to them. Various measures are being developed to combat this phenomenon, and the most unusual of them are listed below.
A "text gun" that captures frequencies
Everyone knows that texting while driving a car is extremely dangerous, but this does not prevent some careless motorists from writing messages at the moment when they are flying along the highway at great speed. One company claims to have developed a special "text gun" that can recognize the frequency of text messages and enables police officers to fine drivers for it. And in the UK it is strictly forbidden to use the phone while driving, while in the USA this law varies depending on the state. In most states, regular phone calls are allowed, but sending SMS messages is prohibited. Drivers caught in the UK with a phone at the wheel can face a fine of up to $1,640. They also face deprivation of their driver's license. At the same time, it is allowed to use hands-free devices while driving. Such a contradiction often prevents British police officers from knowing exactly what a person was doing behind the wheel and whether he was really distracted by typing a message.
All these moments led to the fact that the ComSonics company from Virginia designed a "gun" that can record certain frequencies. Currently, the device is already in production, but the official release date and price have not yet been announced. According to the company, the gun can recognize the frequency of a text message, the frequency of a regular call and the frequency of packet data transmission. It can be assumed that the device is based on the same principle that repairmen use in order to detect where the cable is damaged. For a state like Virginia, where talking on the phone while driving is not prohibited, and typing text messages is illegal, such an invention can be especially useful.
In a Brazilian bar, special glasses are used against smartphones
Only situations that can sometimes be observed in bars or restaurants can be worse than "SMS accidents". The guy is sitting with his girlfriend and simultaneously checking Facebook messages while she is thinking about how to break up with him. Or a few friends are sitting in a bar and smiling stupidly, looking at their smartphones. It's a pathetic sight, and it's our own fault.
However, a Brazilian advertising agency has developed a special "offline glass" with which people can distract themselves from their smartphones and return to communicating with friends. Everything is simple and ingenious: the bottom of the glass has a large recess, as a result, the glass can stand vertically only when a smartphone is placed under it. This glass was developed in the Fischer advertising agency & Friends and was first introduced to the public at the Salve Bar, in the city of San Paolo. So now there is hope that the glass will not allow drinkers to ignore their comrades.
A piece of plastic similar to an iPhone Cures "smartphone addiction"
If you have already started to worry about your "smartphone addiction", then the new NoPhone device may be just what you need. This is the perfect "placebo smartphone". It looks like a smartphone and feels like a smartphone in your hands, but it doesn't do anything. This is an ordinary piece of plastic that you can carry with you for self-deception.
Currently, the NoPhone is at the prototype stage, and after it hits the market, its cost will be only $ 12. During the first sales, the creators of the device expect to earn $ 30,000, which will allow them to cover the costs of production and marketing. They describe the device as: "A non-technological alternative that allows you to always stay in touch with the real world." Dutch designer Ingmar Larsen, who helped create the NoPhone, said that he, along with his friends Van Gould and Ben Langveld, conceived this device as a joke. To the great surprise of friends, the device aroused great interest of users on the network, and friends began to receive applications for the purchase of a NoPhone. As a result, they decided to contact Kickstarter to organize mass production.
A game at dinner that makes guests more civilized
You also don't like it when a good dinner with friends is constantly interrupted by smartphone calls, do you? A game called "Phone Pile", invented in 2012, offers a fun solution to this problem. The task of the game is not to allow smartphones and phones to interrupt communication. After all the dinner participants have made orders, they put their smartphones in the center of the table with the displays facing down. They can even stack their gadgets in a big pile (hence the name of the game). Even if all the smartphones in this pile ring at the same time, no one is allowed to take them. And if one of the dinner participants still can't stand it and grabs his gadget, then he will have to pay for dinner. The woman who supposedly created this game (she called herself Stephhie) indicated on her website that there is no special need to put phones on the table, but this adds drama to the game. And besides, it is much more difficult to take your smartphone if it is buried under three others.
"Socks" for thumbs
Up to August 2014 on the website DoSomething.org everyone interested was offered a pair of free "socks" for thumbs (with free shipping). Yes, yes, "socks". Cute "finger clothes" that do not allow you to type SMS messages while driving. This is the main purpose of this accessory. And it will also add style to your gesture if you suddenly decide to raise your fingers up.
An application that rewards the user for refusing SMS communication in the cinema
In 2012, Cinemark, one of the most popular cinemas in the world, introduced to the public a new application designed to wean viewers from typing text messages while watching a movie. Here's how it works: when a movie starts, people are offered to use Cinemark in order to switch their smartphones to Cinemode mode. After that, the program begins to monitor whether the phone is used while watching a movie or not. If you turned out to be a good boy (or a good girl) and were able to watch the entire movie, refraining from texting with friends and from updating your Facebook status, then next time you buy a ticket you will receive a discount.
Police disguise themselves as tramps to detect "text intruders"
In the city of Chilliwack, in British Columbia, policemen disguised as beggars have become the newest tool of the Canadian police in the fight against those who are distracted while driving. In 2012, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable Brian Martell showed up at a Chilliwack intersection wearing a hooded jacket and baseball cap and with his face unshaven for several days. Wandering among the cars stopped at the intersection, he carried a cardboard sign that read: "Hi, my name is Constable Martell. If you use a mobile phone now, you will get a fine."
If he noticed that one of the drivers was talking on a mobile phone, he reported it by radio to his colleagues in uniform, who were on duty a little further away and fined negligent drivers. During the one-day blitz, the police issued 21 fines and issued countless verbal warnings, since since February 2010, residents of British Columbia have been prohibited from using any portable electronic devices while driving.
A Los Angeles restaurant where any use of a mobile phone is prohibited
In Chef Evan Funke's restaurant called Bucato, any use of mobile phones is prohibited, including for text communication and for photographing. Visitors can use their phones only in "specially designated places for the phone". When Evan was asked to elaborate on the reasons for this decision, he criticized the use of phones during meals, claiming that it harms the stomach.