In England, where I am based now (Oxford University, actually), there is a major Government policy towards people who DO NOT smoke cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc in public placees.
It is now law for places like pubs and restaurants to have designated areas for those people who do not indulge.
The reason, which has only come to light because of research, is that cigarettes give off smoke, as does the smoker, which is pssively inhaled by those who do not smoke if they share the same space on a bus, etc.
It is a phenomenon called "passive smoking" and has been proven to cause death just like normal smoking does, but taking longer.
The late, great Roy Castle, who came from Liverpool and who was a great comedian, entertainer and dancer (he was once in the Guinness Book of World Records for recording a song during which the performer played the most solo musical intruments), died from passive smoking, having performed, in his youth, in many, smokey Jazz bars and clubs. His speciality was the trumpet.
However, he was diagnosed with lung cancer owing to smoking, even though he had never touched a cigarette in his life. A research center in Liverpool for this condition was built in his memory.
It is now a fact of life in some places and rules have been introduced to countermand the practice of "passive smoking".
Now we come to the strange effects that perhaps mobile phones have on us. Researchers claim that overuse of the mobile phone, or cellphone, will harm the brain, owing to the proximity between the head and the microwaves entering the units. Of course, effects will not become apprarent for another 25 years or so, just like smoking kills in that time. However, despite this, it hasn't stopped so-called "eco-aware" companies from selling us hands-free headphones/earplugs so that we can talk without the handset being close to our heads.
Far-sighted, or just plain politics gone mad?
Either way, this writer is willing to hazard a bet that there will eventually be areas designated especially for those who do not use cellphones, not because of the noise all these talkers produce, but because of the "passive radiation" they would be giving the rest of us.
What may they call it - - - - "passive personal microwaving"?
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Beware of the Phone!
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4 comments:
wow, i have to admit i'm quite excited to see a new blog entry posted here. i had pretty much come to the conclusion that you had found a new and wonderful life in the real world, never to return to the internet again. but even so, apparently i happen by this blog sometimes still, just in case. i was thinking of emailing you Happy Thanksgiving wishes but that's not really in effect anywhere except the USA i guess. lucky for me, here is a blog entry. Oxford, huh? finished your PhD?
anyway, as per the responding to your post, i have two comments.
1) i think any studies would show that passive personal microwaving becomes very insignificant given the distance there is between one's phone and the person standing next to him. nonetheless, you may be right as per certain laws being passed as the public takes the radiation buzzword and runs wild with it.
2) it's interesting that if you use a hands-free headset and carry your phone around in your pocket, you may be moving the phone to an even more sensitive area of your body. as far as your genetic materials go, they may be at their most susceptible state in our reproductive organs during meiosis. assuming the radiation from a phone is actually something to be wary of, putting it near your pelvic area might not be the best idea either.
on the other hand, it could be plenty of fun. your kids might turn out to be mutants. and if you were really lucky, they might even make it into Professor Xavier's school for the gifted. :)
hello, Mr Antking. nice to see you. Akiko does not seem to be here for the moment but i hope she does not mind me running amock on her blog anyhow.
i was intrigued and wondering about this portion of your post, Antking:
Just as everyone born after the creation of the atomic bomb have traces of atomic elements in their bodies, which people born before The Bomb did not and do not have if memory serves me correctly.
sounds intriguing.. what exactly does that mean? which atomic elements are new? are we talking "everyone" as in everyone in the cities that were bombed, or has just the fact that The Bomb has gone off somewhere in the world affected everyone worldwide? that boggles my mind.. might have to take The Butterfly Effect more seriously..
I made this post with the usual objectives, ie tongue-in-cheek, as the most recent surveys of health deterioration owing to cellphone microwaves "prove' that they are harmful in about 50 years, just like smoking was deemed to be safe for all that period of time.
As for radioactive elements in the bodies of people near to one of the atomic explosions, yes, of course the radioactive elements are ingested, but the effects are again not really apparent for many years.
The "dirty bomb" is only dangreous if you stay living in the same area as it was exploded for the next 40 years. Now, who is going to do that?
My point was, that IF there is any evidence of "passive microwaving", a subject I just invented for fun, the effects will not be demonstrated for a long time.
Incidentally, being hear any sort of radio or TV transmitter along with overhead power cables, is completely harmless, as the waves, if any, produced ar such a long wavelength as to only affect creatures, say, 1000 miles long.
I would be more inclined to call it "Collateral Microwave Syndrome" or something similar. Your posts are great, though the Calculus etc. is a bit mind-boggling for me. It's nice to see that someone out there is actually writing about something interesting. I'd like to see you post more often, and see your thoughts on some of the other interests you've listed. I throw some random stuff out there every once in a while on my blog. Some humour, some silly stuff, and some more serious articles. http://dennysdigs.blogspot.com
Greetings from Canada,
D
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