Electrical devices

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04 Nov 2009, 5:06 pm

I was on the train going to work and then I see this lady start grumbling about cell phones and computers. She was saying things like "People and their cell phones and their computers, their electrical devices." So she gets up and moves to another seat. I figured her complaining was about us having to wait on the tracks because there was a train in front of us and we had to wait for it. Then all of a sudden she shouts "Turn that damn thing off, your cells phones computer." I just ignore it because she was a b***h. Then she grumbles about how they bug her. I just said "Use ear plugs."

Yeah I think people who are bothered by things in public, should use ear plugs. I had to deal with my brothers and their noise when I still lived with my family and they didn't give rats ass so I learned you can't cater people for annoying sounds. Maybe if she asked me nicely I would have shut off my laptop. I wore ear plugs in high school when I was 18 because the freshmen would get so loud in one of my classes and I wasn't going to tell them to be quiet and whisper. Two nights ago I almost had a sensory overload because people were talking too loud on the train and I wasn't going to yell at them to be quiet so I just held my ears. I think that was just due to me being tired so sounds seem louder to my ears and then all of a sudden the train gets loud and it got over whelming.

So do cell phones really make noise normal ears can't hear even if people aren't using them?

That's what I figured the issue the lady was having. That was maybe why she was moving all over the train because everyone had a cell phone in their pockets or purse. I thought I didn't have mine and then I realized I had one in my purse when I got into work. I think cell phones were the main issue for her because another person said "She doesn't like cell phones" and she was grumbling about how they bother her head.

cosmiccat
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04 Nov 2009, 7:16 pm

Sometimes it can be very annoying when people have conversations on their cell phones and you just want some peace and quiet. Many people must have complained because our transit service took steps to make our commutes as quiet as possible.

Here's our commuter train policy about cell phones and noise

Quote:

Due to overwhelming Customer Response, SEPTA announces the expansion of the QuietRide Program to ALL Regional Rail Lines beginning April 6, 2009

There are just a few simple things you need to know about the enhanced QuietRide program to find peace and relaxing silence during your daily commute

* QuietRide will be available on all Weekday, Peak Hour Service
AM trains to Center City-PM trains from Center City (Please refer to the shaded area of your timetable)
* The first car of trains with 3 or more cars, will be designated as your QuietRide

QuietRide TIPS

* Cell phones cannot be used for making or taking calls. You may text message/IM providing all phone settings are set on vibrate or mute
* All other electronic devices must be placed on vibrate or mute
* Earphones must be used to listen to music; set the volume low so that others cannot hear it
* Conversations with other passengers should be short and conducted in a whisper

The Conductors are responsible for ensuring your safety, making station and service announcements, and collecting fares. Please help us to make this customer travel convenience a success. Please listen for Conductor announcements to direct you to the QuietRide Car

The QuietRide car will offer added travel comfort for customers but we want to remind everyone that SEPTA has a Regional Rail cell phone courtesy program. If you are riding in a non-QuietRide car please remember to set your cell phone on vibrate or mute, keep calls short, and speak in a soft voice for all conversations

david_42
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04 Nov 2009, 7:33 pm

Quote:

So do cell phones really make noise normal ears can't hear even if people aren't using them?

No, but because of the way they are designed, people tend to talk much louder than they do on standard phones.

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04 Nov 2009, 7:54 pm

david_42 wrote:

Quote:

So do cell phones really make noise normal ears can't hear even if people aren't using them?

No, but because of the way they are designed, people tend to talk much louder than they do on standard phones.

Yeah, but there will also be quite a few people talking loudly to each other in person, without anyone writing letters, so I can only assume people who complain specifically about mobiles really have a problem with not hearing the entire conversation.

Those QuietRides are great, I wish there were more of them.

Quote:

Yeah I think people who are bothered by things in public, should use ear plugs.

Or walkman/mp3. I am easily bothered and I never leave home without it.

Quote:

So do cell phones really make noise normal ears can't hear even if people aren't using them?

It doesn't seem so, but there are all kinds of over sensitivities, so maybe some can either hear or feel them. I once had a teacher who couldn't take the radiation from TVs, it made her sick. She couldn't be in front of one or near one.

So this train woman might have had this rare form of allergy.

Or maybe she was simply insane, possibly schizophrenic?

Spokane_Girl

04 Nov 2009, 8:22 pm

I didn't see anyone using their cell phones and I was just sitting there with my computer. I wasn't even using a cell phone and we were the only two at the back of the train. I told my husband about this and he said "It sounds like she was crazy."

Maybe that was the case. She did say they mess with her head and I thought she maybe meant she can't stand them and she can't function well with them on. Maybe the sounds annoy her they make and she had that good of hearing.

cosmiccat
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04 Nov 2009, 8:42 pm

Spokane_Girl wrote:

Oh. I missed that part about her saying they mess with her head. Yeah. She may well have been mentally ill. That would definitely be a symptom of some forms of mental illness. Hard to say, but she does seem to be rather strange the way you describe her.

gramirez
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04 Nov 2009, 8:47 pm

I agree, she's a nut.

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04 Nov 2009, 9:27 pm

Sounds like shes got some mental issues, I try to ignore everyone on the train, play my ipod full blast so I don't hear the outside world

M_p_furo
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04 Nov 2009, 11:41 pm

Spokane_Girl wrote:

"People and their cell phones and their computers, their electrical devices."

If this is exactly what she said, there is something odd in the way she said it. I don't know how to explain it, but it seems like she was separating cell phones and computers from "electrical devices".

I don't know, it seems like she was agitated/paranoid.

Are you sure she said "they bug her" and not something to the effect that "they bugged her" as in people are listening on her conversations...or even thoughts?

LOL....yes, I'm imaginative.

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04 Nov 2009, 11:50 pm

Just say, 'we're linked through some electricity thing so why not we fade into electricity in time?'

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05 Nov 2009, 12:29 am

It is possible she was able to hear something...my sister-in-law can tell when a tv is left on, on video-in mode (with no show or audio playing) from several rooms away. She insists there is a high pitched buzz or something, similar to the "mosquito frequency" that usually only young people can hear.

Then again, the ranting lady could have just been a kook.

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Spokane_Girl

05 Nov 2009, 12:39 am

M_p_furo wrote:

Spokane_Girl wrote:

"People and their cell phones and their computers, their electrical devices."

I assume she meant other electrical devices, not that she was separating them. It be tiring to say a whole list of them so she said "electrical devices" so people have the idea what she is talking about. I assume she would also mean Nintendo DS's or GameBoys or CD players or Ipods, etc.

She just yelled "Turn that damn thing off" and no one was even talking on their phones. She didn't even ask nicely. She just screamed it. She wanted me to shut off my laptop.

Spokane_Girl

05 Nov 2009, 12:45 am

bonuspoints wrote:

Was she on the spectrum?

Older TVs have this high pitch sound they make when they are on. I can hear them too but I can't hear them several rooms away. I used to hear my parents TVs all the way in my bedroom when I was a little girl. I could hear the high pitch sound. But our hallway was small and my room wasn't that far from their room. Sometimes they are annoying. Some of them are so loud, they drive me crazy and man people can't hear that? That's why I don't even have the mute button on and I would rather turn the TV off if I am not going to watch it. Sometimes I am able to ignore it without having it drive me crazy but it depends on what mood I'm in.

rossf
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05 Nov 2009, 3:14 am

I find a lot of mobile phones emit an annoying high pitch whine,especially when they are plugged in for charging.Some nights mine would keep me from sleeping so I would have to get up and turn it off at the wall.Same with lamps with halogen globes. I've always been able to tell if a TV was plugged in ( but not turned on) as soon as I entered a house.I'm quite looking forward to a bit of age appropriate hearing loss as I get older! So although the woman's response may have seemed extreme,who knows what the poor thing has to put up with in this mobile phone drenched society. I'm sure most hearing sensitive aspy's would agree,it can be a lot worse when one is under stress and maybe she was having a horrible day/month/year.

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05 Nov 2009, 3:31 am

Yup how terrible this is but man this is what the NTs do to us...

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05 Nov 2009, 3:37 am

bonuspoints wrote:

It's definitely possible with computers. A friend of mine found them very unpleasant if they were switched on. I'd be surprised if mobile phones that were genuinely switched off made any sound, but ones on standby might.

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