3G Nausea Merchant

[GMicek]

So this is just too creepy. On September 29th Verizon Wireless (the place I work for) announces the rollout of their 3G cellular network in Washington DC and San Diego. ( http://news.vzw.com/news/2003/09/pr2003-09-29.html ) Looks like good stuff. Data transfers 300-500k, with bursts of up to 2megs. A lot faster than the 1xRT system used where I live (i get about 56k, with bursts up to 144k). Yay, the world is great.

Then on September 30th the Dutch release a study ( http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030930/tc_nm/health_mobile_damage_dc_6 ) showing that 3G base stations (towers) caused people to get "...tingling sensations..." and they even "...got headaches and felt nauseous."

So, what does this mean? A least one phone call from an angry customer tomorrow telling me how Cellular Companies are out to control the population. Sigh. Someone kill me.

((edit)) Anyone else not able to add links that don't show the entire URL? When I try and do the more traditional "click here" type of link it just shows up as blank in the final post, but when I edit the message it's still there. Wierd!

[Rob Slater]

Aha! You've been suckered by the wide variety of technologies lumped together as '3G'. From what I've read over at www.theinquirer.net the Dutch study was on UMTS or GSM/WCDMA base stations, which operate on different frequency ranges, with different power output and transmission characteristics, yadda yadda yadda, from the CMDA EV-DO technology you guys are rolling out. You can tell the callers that there's no mind control involved in your 3G network (unlike the Europeans and certain quisling US carriers), just cancer and infertility :)

[DennyA]

Hey Greg,

Speaking of high-tech phones, any word on Verizon releasing a Bluetooth phone this decade?

[Mark Asher]

I feel like a caveman. I've never had a cell phone. We had the power go out one night and I grabbed my son's cell phone and tried to call the power company to ask the typical WTF is going on and I couldn't even figure out how to work it. It was worse than trying to program a VCR!

So, if these new cell phones are making you guys brain-dead, sterile, and sexually dysfunctional, all I can say is HA HA HA! :)

[XPav]

Some of it is psychomatic.

"So, Pim, is that high power high data rate radio tower next to your house give you any strange feelings?"

"Well, now that you mention it...."

Luddites.

[Anders Hallin]

Luddites had a legitimate complain, they've just gotten bad press.