It stands to reason that if you know how to make mobile phones work, you can shut them down-say, like at gas stations or in airplanes, theaters and hospitals. That’s what a few ingenious Motorola Inc. inventors across the Atlantic have in mind with their patent application for disabling electronic equipment.
Motorola’s U.K. patent application, not withstanding the lack of a single confirmed incident, strikes a cautious note: “Mobile phones and other radio transmitters should be switched off on garage forecourts or other areas where there is a danger of explosion due to their use. A further example of such a hazardous area is a hospital operating theatre which will have an atmosphere including explosive anesthetic gases.”
The June issue of New Scientist magazine, which reported the patent, also said European astronomers and Iridium have struck a deal whereby the struggling global satellite phone firm will provide “quiet time” for seven hours every night and two weekend days per month for Euro stargazers.
Expect a lot more quiet time if things don’t improve for Iridium.
… Seems like a week doesn’t go by without new E-rate flap. Last week was no exception. GOP vice presidential, oops, presidential candidate Liddy Dole urged Congress to withhold federal dollars for discounted Internet hook-ups for schools and libraries that don’t use filtering software to block cyberporn.
On the other hand, Republicans claim campaign finance reform violates free-speech rights. Oh.
… Organized labor is picky when it comes to big telecom deals. The Communications Workers of America gave a thumbs-up to conditional FCC approval of the SBC-Ameritech merger last week. A week earlier, CWA gave the gong to Qwest Communications’ quest for
U S West. Former FCC Commissioner James Quello, for his part, says with a little tweaking, a Qwest-U S West transaction might be palatable to regulators.
… Peter Leitner, a senior adviser at the Pentagon’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency who RCR has quoted in the past, told lawmakers of harassment and threats because of his outspokenness on alleged U.S. technology transfers to China.
Washington Post Loop scribe Al Kamen, citing sources, reported that as Leitner was testifying before the House Government Reform Committee last Tuesday, an effort was afoot back at the office to gain access to Leitner’s computer hard drive. No luck, DOD superiors apparently couldn’t crack the lock to the safe in which the hard drive rests.
Kinda makes you angry enough to run for senator of Arkansas.
