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Amusement Park Bans PDAs and Smartphones
Posted by
kdawson
on Sun May 25, 2008 01:28 PM
from the cold-dead-fingers dept.
from the cold-dead-fingers dept.
Ant writes in with news that an amusement park in the UK is trying out a ban on smartphones and PDAs, with the intent to enable families actually to have fun together. The press release says that from May 25 to June 1, adults found using a PDA will be asked to drop it off at a "PDA Drop Off Zone" — no word on what happens if they refuse. But both the Sun and BoingBoing, which picked up their brief story, strike a more ominous note with the claim that "special wardens" will confiscate the devices. If the experiment is deemed a success the park may make the ban permanent.
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I understand their point... (Score:4, Insightful)
Oh Please... (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:Oh Please... (Score:4, Informative)
Parent
Re:Oh Please... (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:Oh Please... (Score:5, Insightful)
A manager at the store blocked my path once, immediately after I purchased something, and asked to see my bag.. the bag the check-out clerk just gave me. I told him to get out of my way or I'm calling the police. He first looked like he'd be happy to have the police there until a little spark went off in his little reptilian brain and he got out of my way.
If I hang up a sign in my house saying "I reserve the right to cavity search" or "I reserve the right to confiscate your property", it doesn't mean I suddenly am exempt from laws against assault or theft perpetrated against people I asked onto my property.
Parent
Re:Oh Please... (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:Oh Please... (Score:4, Insightful)
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Re:Oh Please... (Score:4, Insightful)
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Re:Oh Please... (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Oh Please... (Score:5, Insightful)
That's only vaguely true, and not even vaguely relevant. The owners of private property have every right, legally and ethically, to require visitors to that property to agree to (practically) any terms they want. The visitors are free to leave if they find the terms unacceptable. I can't imagine any US or UK court upholding terms that allow illegal behavior, but for anything short of that, what do you think "private property" means?
And in this case, there's nothing remotely illegal about the terms being set. The amusement park operators are simply not allowing certain devices on their property, and offering a (free?) storage service for those disallowed devices. Visitors can leave their smartphones at home, or in the car, or in the park-provided storage. If you don't like those choices, don't go to that park.
The real issues are:
- Would you personally visit an amusement park with this policy?
- Is this policy a sound business decision?
My answers are no to both, as I assume yours are, but this is ABSOLUTELY NOT a legal/civil liberties issue.Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I agree that anyone bothered by this should just take their business elsewhere. I also agree that this isn't a legal issue. But I disagree about it being a civil liberties issue. This is yet another little bit of presumptuous oversight that people will eventually acclimate to. It's not some huge step in Big Brother control, but it is yet another situation where people will get used to surrendering t
Re:Oh Please... (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:Oh Please... (Score:4, Funny)
It's virtually censorship... they're preventing my free expression of chicken-eating. I demand chickeny freedom!
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Re:Oh Please... (Score:4, Insightful)
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Re:Oh Please... (Score:5, Insightful)
Smartphones/PDAs are not just used for business, after all.
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Re:Oh Please... (Score:5, Interesting)
Smartphones/PDAs are not just used for business, after all.
Parent
Re:Oh Please... (Score:5, Informative)
You seem to be very vocally confused about exactly what's going on here, so perhaps a bulleted list will be of some assistance:
* This is the United Kingdom, not the US, so the Constitution means fuck-all to anyone involved.
* Even if this were the United States, you'd still be horribly wrong. With very very few exceptions, nothing in the Constitution has any jurisdiction over private organizations. I direct you to the first words of the First Amendment as an example: Congress shall enact no law...
* Finally, the Constitution doesn't even remotely say what you claim it says. The confusion you seem to be having is over the Tenth Amendment. It says that any "power" (power to make laws) not expressly given to the Federal Government, is automatically given to the states. It says absolutely nothing about whatever laws the states may or may not have that aren't written in the Constitution.
That's just for starters, so perhaps you should take a political science course or two before your next ill-informed
Parent
Re:I understand their point... (Score:5, Insightful)
The fact is, private amusement parks can have rules, and can ask you to leave if you refuse to follow them. This is just an example of that.
If you're so very important that you can't turn your blackberry off for a day, you have the option of not visiting Alton Towers. If you really are that important, maybe you should turn your PDA off anyway, so your employers can be prepared for if you ever die or move jobs.
Parent
Re:The smartphone dilemma (Score:4, Insightful)
IMHO this ban is protection from asshole bosses who think they own you 24/7/365. When you go to one of these places you can say "I took my kids to such and such, they don't allow cell phones inside."
Clearly this doesn't work for anyone who has a job that requires 24/7 availability (for example, you need to be notified if your data center catches fire.) However, if your job is one where your availability ISN'T needed 24/7, but your asshole boss THINKS it is, then this works.
Parent
You're all missing the point (Score:5, Insightful)
"Amusement Park Provides Secure Drop-Off Point for PDAs and Smartphones" would be more like it. To advertise this service they have a kid dressed as a policeman "banning" people from using PDAs and pointing them towards the drop-off point.
Parent
Re:I understand their point... (Score:5, Insightful)
Parents are being ASKED to relinquish/put away their PDAs etc, in order to spend 'quality' time with their children.
The article says 'no word on what will happen if they refuse' because nothing will happen. There's no story here, no news, just an advertisement...
...and no need for any nerd to get their knickers in a knot. ;)
Parent
Re:Sniff, sniff.. (Score:5, Insightful)
First question: Are they confiscating all cell phones, or only smartphones?
If it's only smartphones, it's a liveable policy -- provided you can buy everyone a non-smartphone. It's still moronic that they're trying to enforce fun -- it's not like it spoils anyone else's fun if you want to spoil your trip by playing Solitaire on your smartphone the whole time.
If it's all phones, well, you've just eliminated a useful tool for finding lost kids, or for preventing kids from getting lost. It's all well and good to say "We'll meet here at 5:30," but it's nice to be able to call if they don't make it.
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Re:Sniff, sniff.. (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:Sniff, sniff.. (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:I understand their point... (Score:5, Insightful)
It's a minor story about a crap gimmick Alton Towers are using to get some publicity, and it's being presented here as an "OMG!!!!! They're taking away our rights!!!!!!!!11111" story.
Aside from the fact it's a private amusement park (not a pseudo-public space like a shopping centre), it's not even being done for the usual surveillance-state bullshit "pedos might take photos of our children" type reasons. (*)
You don't like it? Don't go to fucking Alton Towers! I wouldn't...
(*) Given the popularity of using pedos to justify every ludicrous measure, if this isn't the reason being given in public, then it sure as hell isn't the true reason either.
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Re: (Score:3)
Re:I understand their point... (Score:4, Funny)
For reference, I believe there are other circumstances that can in principle make presence in a courthouse obligatory.
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Just don't go. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Just don't go. (Score:5, Insightful)
And second, being callable doesn't mean you'll necessarily take a call. My phone is always on, and always on me, short of airplane travel -- but I'm only rarely called.
Parent
Re:Intrafamily phoning (Score:4, Insightful)
On a recent trip to Disneyland with relatives, cellphones were used a couple times to check in and coordinate. Very handy if you ask me.
Personally, any park that says I can't have my phone won't get my business.
Parent
Not just PDAs (Score:5, Interesting)
Criminal damage (Score:5, Insightful)
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Smart... (Score:5, Insightful)
Who are they going to call? The parents without the cell phones?
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Heading the wrong way! (Score:3, Interesting)
Instead they should be going the other way, and see how they can integrate mobile devices into the "fun" they are offering. Disney does this today in a limited way in an attraction at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World, called the "Laugh Factry" or something like that. It's an animated live stand-up comic show, where while you are waiting to get in you can text jokes you like to them and they use some of them in the routine.
That's pretty limited, but you could imagine parks texting you when a show or parade you signed up for was about to start, or having some mobile app that could somehow integrate into a ride or receive SMS messages with pictures of you on a ride.
Anyway, there are lots of better things they could be doing that trying to strip away technology from people who will be very reluctant to do so.
Forced fun? (Score:4, Interesting)
Stupid. (Score:3, Insightful)
I've tried telling the office to only call me for emergencies when I'm on vacation. That didn't work. Now they know that I'll check my messages at night, and if they haven't fixed the problem, I'll remote in and fix it when I get a minute.
Vacation means vacation. The fact that they're not willing to hire someone else who can take some of the load off of me, doesn't mean that I'm going to give up my vacation time (says the puppy, posting from work on Sunday on a holiday weekend).
/.'ers don't have to worry (Score:3, Funny)
This is what we can all PR gimmick (Score:4, Insightful)
Just so you know... (Score:3, Insightful)
I highly doubt they're going to kick up a fuss or cause an argument for the sake of it, they'll more than likely go to the kids and be all "hey kids, tell daddy to put the phone away! I'll even take it off his hands and put it in a safe place, how about that?!". As cheesy as it sounds, it might ACTUALLY work.
Ban watches, phones, mp3 players... (Score:5, Funny)
Good Daycycle Citizen! (Score:3, Funny)
Thank you for your cooperation, Citizen, and remember to have fun!
Your Friend,
The Computer
this will backfire (Score:3, Insightful)
The type of person who is going to be using their smartphone/PDA at an amusement park generally isn't going to be doing so because they think it's more fun than hanging out with their family or going on rides, they're going to be doing it in most cases because they have to be able to have those communication options to even be able to get away. If the person's family doesn't have a problem with it, then why should the park?
What about people who want to have their smartphone AS A PHONE?
This is just so stupid and I think that it will cost them business. For any person who would find this appealing, there are going to more than twice as many who will hate it.
What a GREAT IDEA! (Score:4, Insightful)
Correct me if I'm wrong since I'm in the US... but where in the UK law does it say "Right to bear cell phone"... it doesn't you twits.
This is a terrific idea made by a PRIVATE entity on THEIR property. I cannot tell you how often I hear loud obnoxious people on cell phones distracting from MY fun. How the families they are with are like "Come on dad" or "Honey can't you do that later" and they reply "Just one sec" while being blissfully ignorant of the line behind them.
I WOULD go to this theme park simply because it removes the ADD enhancing objects in our lives and lets us focus on conversation with each other and paying attention to ones surroundings.
What? But I'm a Doctor, on call...! (Score:5, Insightful)
How will those who are doctors, law enforcement officials and such who are on call or other emergency personnel be able to remain in touch with their call-in stations then and who are required to carry such devices (and may even be issued them as part of their standard equipment)?
And isn't that called "theft?" Or, at least violation of personal property under UK law?
While I appreciate the idea of not having to be interrupted at every turn by some idiot either playing a video game or answering a mindless "WHASSUP?!" call in the middle of a show, there should be some better way to do this.
And what happens when someone loses their claim ticket or, worse, the park loses their smart device? The cost to the park will be far in excess of the "social savings" this ban might give them.
From this side of the pond, it's just another sign that every petty administrator, everywhere, wants to control a little slice of the lives that come into their sphere of influence.
They are going to have a LOT of very angry people to contend with when they try this because, more and more, smart devices are becoming the norm, rather than the exception. What a wonderful way to turn the happiest place on earth into a focus for seething animosity!
Well done, park officious officials!
Re:Not Going to Work.......I Think (Score:4, Insightful)
Parent
Heh. If we're talking about sad... (Score:3, Insightful)
But the couple that stuck to my mind were a boy and a girl having a picnic on a blanket on the grass. Well, when I say 'picnic', it was
What you should have done: (Score:4, Funny)
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Re:This is a great idea! (Score:5, Informative)
A few things to think about;
1. England != UK. Confusing the two is bad form; our Scots and Welsh brethren will surely kick up a stink at that. 2. Alton Towers are free to trial this. The fact they are trialling it first is a good way to go about things. 3. We use the Pound (Sterling) as our currency - you'll prise it from my euro-sceptic-dead-hands.
Considering the pasting that Labour are getting in the papers and at the polling booths, I'd say us 'British Subjects' are still quite capable of fighting back, in the more general sense of the political climate here at the moment.
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