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Archive through June 17, 2006

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Jan. 2007 ~ Mar. 2007: Parenting Place: "Parent proof" ringtones: Archive through June 17, 2006 users admin

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Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 2:33 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
I read this story and said, 'yeah, sure', but tried it with my kids and it works. I couldn't hear the ringtone at all.
It's kind of funny and scary all at the same time.

A Ring Tone Meant to Fall on Deaf Ears
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By PAUL VITELLO
Published: June 12, 2006
In that old battle of the wills between young people and their keepers, the young have found a new weapon that could change the balance of power on the cellphone front: a ring tone that many adults cannot hear.

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James Estrin/The New York Times
David Herzka, a freshman at Roslyn High School on Long Island, shared the ring tone with friends.

Multimedia
Audio: The High-Pitched Ring Tone (mp3)

In settings where cellphone use is forbidden — in class, for example — it is perfect for signaling the arrival of a text message without being detected by an elder of the species.

"When I heard about it I didn't believe it at first," said Donna Lewis, a technology teacher at the Trinity School in Manhattan. "But one of the kids gave me a copy, and I sent it to a colleague. She played it for her first graders. All of them could hear it, and neither she nor I could."

The technology, which relies on the fact that most adults gradually lose the ability to hear high-pitched sounds, was developed in Britain but has only recently spread to America — by Internet, of course.

Recently, in classes at Trinity and elsewhere, some students have begun testing the boundaries of their new technology. One place was Michelle Musorofiti's freshman honors math class at Roslyn High School on Long Island.

At Roslyn, as at most schools, cellphones must be turned off during class. But one morning last week, a high-pitched ring tone went off that set teeth on edge for anyone who could hear it. To the students' surprise, that group included their teacher.

"Whose cellphone is that?" Miss Musorofiti demanded, demonstrating that at 28, her ears had not lost their sensitivity to strangely annoying, high-pitched, though virtually inaudible tones.

"You can hear that?" one of them asked.

"Adults are not supposed to be able to hear that," said another, according to the teacher's account.

She had indeed heard that, Miss Musorofiti said, adding, "Now turn it off."

The cellphone ring tone that she heard was the offshoot of an invention called the Mosquito, developed last year by a Welsh security company to annoy teenagers and gratify adults, not the other way around.

It was marketed as an ultrasonic teenager repellent, an ear-splitting 17-kilohertz buzzer designed to help shopkeepers disperse young people loitering in front of their stores while leaving adults unaffected.

The principle behind it is a biological reality that hearing experts refer to as presbycusis, or aging ear. While Miss Musorofiti is not likely to have it, most adults over 40 or 50 seem to have some symptoms, scientists say.

While most human communication takes place in a frequency range between 200 and 8,000 hertz (a hertz being the scientific unit of frequency equal to one cycle per second), most adults' ability to hear frequencies higher than that begins to deteriorate in early middle age.

"It's the most common sensory abnormality in the world," said Dr. Rick A. Friedman, an ear surgeon and research scientist at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles.

But in a bit of techno-jujitsu, someone — a person unknown at this time, but probably not someone with presbycusis — realized that the Mosquito, which uses this common adult abnormality to adults' advantage, could be turned against them.

The Mosquito noise was reinvented as a ring tone.

"Our high-frequency buzzer was copied. It is not exactly what we developed, but it's a pretty good imitation," said Simon Morris, marketing director for Compound Security, the company behind the Mosquito. "You've got to give the kids credit for ingenuity."

British newspapers described the first use of the high-frequency ring tone last month in some schools in Wales, where Compound Security's Mosquito device was introduced as a "yob-buster," a reference to the hooligans it was meant to disperse.

Since then, Mr. Morris said his company has received so much attention — none of it profit-making because the ring tone was in effect pirated — that he and his partner, Howard Stapleton, the inventor, decided to start selling a ring tone of their own. It is called Mosquitotone, and it is now advertised as "the authentic Mosquito ring tone."

David Herzka, a Roslyn High School freshman, said he researched the British phenomenon a few weeks ago on the Web, and managed to upload a version of the high-pitched sound into his cellphone.

He transferred the ring tone to the cellphones of two of his friends at a birthday party on June 3. Two days later, he said, about five students at school were using it, and by Tuesday the number was a couple of dozen.

"I just made it for my friends. I don't use a cellphone during class at school," he said.

How, David was asked, did he think this new device would alter the balance of power between adults and teenagers? Or did he suppose it was a passing fad?

"Well, probably it is," said David, who added after a moment's thought, "And if not, I guess the school will just have to hire a lot of young teachers."

ringtone
http://graphics.nytimes.com/packages/audio/nyregion/20060610_RINGTONE.mp3


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/12/technology/12ring.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Spygirl
Board Administrator

04-23-2001

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 5:40 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Spygirl a private message Print Post    
Now that is fascinating!

Schoolmarm
Member

02-18-2001

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 6:03 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Schoolmarm a private message Print Post    
I saw this on the "early show" and couldn't hear the ring tone. As a musician, that really bothered me! I could sense that there was sound, but couldn't get the pitch or what the sound was.

Of course I don't have my tv turned up very loud, and that might make a difference.

Cell phones need to be put away in my classes (as with iPods and other such things). I don't think that it will change the balance of power. Teachers just need to make sure that their students are unplugged and paying attention.

Rampant cheating occurs with these devices during tests.

This is a topic of discussion over on a "professor" message board as well.

Cablejockey
Member

12-27-2001

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 6:44 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cablejockey a private message Print Post    
When I heard about this, I had to laugh. Ringtone pitch or not, all the parents have to do is stop paying bills for these things. That's one sound every age group knows--ka-ching!

Grannyg
Member

05-28-2002

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 6:47 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Grannyg a private message Print Post    
hahahaha Cable. Good one.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 6:51 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
My kids' school will confiscate the phone if they see it on or the child uses it on school grounds. The parents then have to go to the district police station to pick it up.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 7:09 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
On the plus side, I'm impressed with the kid's ingenuity in applying that technology to ring tones!

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 8:35 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
I can hear it - must be "teacher's ears"! Our kids aren't allowed to have cell phones in class, so they won't be doing any cheating in my room anyway. :-)

Pamy
Member

01-02-2002

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 8:36 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Pamy a private message Print Post    
Why can't adults hear it?

Pamy
Member

01-02-2002

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 8:38 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Pamy a private message Print Post    
never mind I found it

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 8:53 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
I heard it. I'm not sure if that mp3 was just a long version of the tone....or if there was supposed to be some "warbling" to differentiate it from the feeling of "ringing in your ear", but I heard it.

Honestly, I think it's very easy to cheat in university. Provided you have the right stuff written down on your cheat sheet. I don't do it, and I also write my own essays (unlike many others), but I'm just saying that I'd rather bring in a letter sized sheet of normal paper with typing on it, rather than texting questions or playing with my cell phone in a class. The only place the cheat sheet plan can't work is when profs give their exams on colored paper.

I have to agree with Cablejockey. Parents can fight this just by not PROVIDING the cell phone. Or make your kids give you the cell phone when they get home.

I have trouble distinguishing "authoritarian parenting" from "that's just the way it is and they will get used to it."

Jmm
Moderator

08-16-2002

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 9:16 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jmm a private message Print Post    
That was interesting. While I have to turn it up really loud and be sitting by my computer to barely hear any sound, my son can hear it clearly half way across the room.

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 9:51 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ladytex a private message Print Post    
oh crap! that hurt!!

Zachsmom
Member

07-13-2000

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 10:33 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Zachsmom a private message Print Post    
Mom & I couldn't hear it but Zachary did!

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 10:36 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
Sigh - same here!

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 10:47 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ladytex a private message Print Post    
my problem is that that there is a part of my ear that is supposed to be curved one way but is curved in the opposite way. it absorbs the sounds and my hearing has always been extremely good. It's come in handy sometimes. but that tone hurt ...

Heyltslori
Moderator

09-15-2001

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 10:56 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Heyltslori a private message Print Post    
I could only hear it if I turned the sound up all the way, and even then it was kind of low.

Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 11:04 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
Omg that was piercing.

Babyruth
Member

07-19-2001

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 11:07 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Babyruth a private message Print Post    
lol

Halfunit
Moderator

09-02-2001

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 11:25 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Halfunit a private message Print Post    
I could hear it as soon as it started playing. (So could the cats, and they didn't like it!)

I have always been able to hear those high pitches though... I can walk into a building that has a muted television and know that there is a tv on from a noise that sounds like that mp3.

It can drive you crazy!


Schoolmarm
Member

02-18-2001

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 12:02 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Schoolmarm a private message Print Post    
OMG! I _Could_ hear it! WHEW!

I've been really protective of my ears, and was quite relieved that I could hear it.

Human hearing is supposed to be from 20-20K Herz. That tone is about 17K, so it is at the upper realms of hearing.

My 24-year old house sitter heard it much more clearly (judging from her reaction) than I did.

Urgrace
Member

08-19-2000

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 12:03 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Urgrace a private message Print Post    
Many times I've been able to hear things others can't hear, but I can't hear this tone. Wow.

People cannot hear my voice tone either.

Merrysea
Member

08-13-2004

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 12:12 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Merrysea a private message Print Post    
I could hear it when I had the speakers turned way up, but not at a normal setting.

Happymom
Member

01-20-2003

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 12:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Happymom a private message Print Post    
Tex...why the police station? Why not just the school office?


I saw this on the early show too. I couldn't hear it. I haven't tried to listen to it any other way.

KGO radio station in San Fran. talked about this on the Pete Wilson show (not the former governor) the other afternoon. He said it was interesting that he was getting calls in support of cell phones in school for extreme reasons such as this is CA and we have earthquakes.

I think cell phones are fine in school as long as they are off in the classroom...off, not just on silent so as to allow text msg. If the teachers enforce a zero tolerance or maybe one chance only and the parents have to pick up the phone from the office, I think that would work well.

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 1:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
My DH couldn't hear it -- amazing! :-) He said he's got a bit of hearing loss in one ear (found out when he took a hearing test a few years back for a new job), he just never bothered to tell me about it! I asked which ear worked WELL so I could talk to that side!! LOL (Hope he doesn't plan to use this as an explanation for much of his listening skills in the past 16 years! )