Repel Bugs With Your Cell Phone 276
telstar writes "Starting Monday, SK Telecom Co. in South Korea will begin offering a ringtone designed to repel mosquitoes for the one-time price of $2.50. The ringtone, inaudible to humans, has a range of three feet, and functions just like any other ring-tone from your cell." Now if only there was a ringtone to repel bugs in code! Sorry, I'm full of bad jokes today.
Regular ringtones repel me (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Regular ringtones repel me (Score:2)
Have you got a management role?
I'd like to have a ringtone that makes managers run away from me...
Re:Regular ringtones repel me (Score:2)
Mosquito Repel Software (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Mosquito Repel Software (Score:3, Funny)
So... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:So... (Score:2)
Re:So... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:So... (Score:2)
If that doesn't work (i.e. you don't have an SO), you can set up a cron job to have your computer do the same thing for you.
( dial is my own shell script that I use to have my computer do the dialing for me. It integrates nicely with my qick and dirty phone-number finder. )
Re:So... (Score:5, Funny)
Red Box Ring Tone? (Score:3, Funny)
Easy. Use a second cellphone with a ringtone that sounds like this [ppchq.org].
(Of course, you could just call yourself directly with THAT cellphone, but hey, we're trying to be convoluted here, right?)
W
Re:So... (Score:3, Interesting)
Those high frequency sound generators may repel mice and rats, but only for a short period of time. What happens is that their offspring will come back to re-infest the area. The difference between the off-spring and the parents is that the kiddie rodent
CowboyNeal Joke Repellant (Score:4, Funny)
So... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:So... (Score:2, Funny)
Which will be stronger? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Which will be stronger? (Score:2, Informative)
Why a ringtone? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Why a ringtone? (Score:5, Funny)
Korean's are *paranoid* about mosquitos I mean freaking irrational. *Anything* that cliams to get rid of mozquitos will sell like hotcakes over there does not matter if it makes sense or not. Think about it a ringtone you can't hear. In any case that is why an anti-mosquito ringtone.
"A ringtone you can't hear" (Score:2)
Re:Why a ringtone? (Score:2)
Not paranoia- malaria etc (Score:3, Informative)
Korean's are *paranoid* about mosquitos I mean freaking irrational.
Yeah, malaria(along with a dozen other various mosquito-born illnesses) can tend to make you that way.
The difference between here and there is that most of the mosquitoes ARE carrying something- I remember there was a travel advisory about it at one point. Here in the US, you have a greater chance of winning the lottery than catching, say, West Nile disease, which the press has been beating to death("dead bird found!" "dead bird has we
Re:West Nile (Score:2)
Yeah, but Republican crows were probably in power at the time, so the crow healthcare system sucked.
Re:West Nile (Score:5, Insightful)
I live in Ontario and get to watch the constant commercials and news stories about the great threat of the mosquitoes. I do understand that certain segments of the population (the old, the young, the sick) should take precautions, but I don't like the fact that people are dumping chemicals in all of the standing water around to cut the mosquito population. My neighbour was dumping misc chemicals into the rainbarrel that he uses to water the lawn that his children play on. Paranoia kills common sense.
Re:Why a ringtone? (Score:3, Funny)
Hah, they should come to Minnesota... Our other state bird is the mosquito.
Re:Why a ringtone? (Score:3, Funny)
When I used to wait for the bus in the morning it was still dark sometimes when I was in high school, and since I read that mosquitoes are attracted to the high concentrations of CO2 that you release out your mouth/nose, I used to breath out in one spot, then dash to the other si
I've decoded the mysterious sound (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I've decoded the mysterious sound (Score:5, Funny)
Violation of the DMCA!!!
Re:I've decoded the mysterious sound (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I've decoded the mysterious sound (Score:2)
Hum (Score:2, Insightful)
Ring tone to repel bugs (Score:2, Funny)
[So convoluted *I* lost track of the joke]
Repel Bugs with my Cell Phone? (Score:3, Funny)
Has Microsoft heard of this technology?
Uhh.. (Score:2, Funny)
That's just stupid.
Alice: Damn these moquitos are eating me alive. Someone call me.
Bob: I would but I'm waiting for Carl across the table to call me first, I'm almost out of blood.
Carl: Just a sec Bob, I'm calling Dave.
Dave: ahhhh..
Battery Life? (Score:4, Interesting)
What good is this if it would run your battery down quickly? Better keep an eye on the meter so you have another power to call someone and tell them to bring you a can of 'Off'
Another case of mis-applied technology.
Inaudible to humans hmm? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Inaudible to humans hmm? (Score:2, Funny)
Now if they could only... (Score:3, Funny)
Turnabout (Score:2)
Has anyone come up with... (Score:3, Funny)
-- Sig
After Bush posed for photographs with his hand on an elephant tusk in Africa and climbed back into the truck, one of the elephants mounted his mate. That prompted the president to whisper something to his wife. The first lady responded by slapping him on the leg. [yahoo.com]
hype. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:hype. (Score:2)
Re:hype. (Score:2)
Then so am I. I once tracked down a baby field mouse in foot tall grass from 40 feet away, from its squeaking, despite birds chirping and other background noise. My ears were way younger then...
However, I have never used those "inaudible" devices, so who knows...?
Re:hype. (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm not a medical expert, but IIRC human ears have the ability to hear selected frequences well above the normal range. You might be able to hear everything from 20hz-14,600hz, and a few selected frequences up to 30,000hz, but others inbetween are inaudiable. The ones you can hear depend on your particular ear.
I think I understand how to explain it better, but it is late. Besides, I'd prefer those who care to do their own research to verify it, while the rest think "That's interesting I won't if it is
What I want to see (Score:5, Funny)
Re:What I want to see (Score:2)
Sorry
Spanish Fly Ring Tone (Score:3, Funny)
Maybe they could also feature an add on ring for the next moring that makes her get the fuck out of my bed, cook me breakfast, blow me, leave and wipe, all memories of what happened, out like that thing in "Men in Black"?
I know...that is an AI-centric technology that is eons away....FUCK!!!
Re:Spanish Fly Ring Tone (Score:2, Funny)
... sounds cool, until your phone gets a virus that changes the ringtone, and suddenly you find yourself a love target for every pitbull in a 2km radius...
You want a Tasp. (Score:2)
Just don't point it at a Kzin. He'll rip out your heart and eat it in front of your dieing eyes.
Marcelle Marsoe Calling.... (Score:3, Interesting)
Ok, I give, how am I going to know when I'm getting a call then? Move to mosquito infested parts of the land, and wait for them to suddenly scatter?
Other than that, it's nice to see that now mosquitos will fall victim to people who just have to mess with their ringtones all the time.
Purring Kitty + Insect Repellent (Score:2, Funny)
Ultrasonic ringtone? (Score:2)
Now, if they had a tone that would attract bugs, that could be quite useful for pranks...
Read the article... (Score:3, Insightful)
The idea is not to use it as a ring tone, simply to play it manually when you want to get rid of mozzies. If it actually works as advertised then it sounds like a decent idea to me!
Why pay $2.50? (Score:2, Funny)
Cowboy Neal vs Comments (Score:2)
"The Company Claimed..." (Score:5, Informative)
Just FYI (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Just FYI (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Just FYI (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Just FYI (Score:2, Funny)
Re:"The Company Claimed..." (Score:2)
Ringtone storage format? (Score:5, Informative)
Even if the ringtone format can represent tones that high, can the cellphone speaker reproduce them? Again, many speakers are only rated to about 20 KHz, because that's all that's useful for human beings.
And finally, couldn't you just make a device for about $5 that would actually do this right and last a whole lot longer on a set of batteries? Cell phones are not the right way to make a constant 40KHz (say) tone.
I'm inclined to categorize this the same way I categorize stand-alone sonic pest-repelling devices: well-intentioned but useless. Incidentally, that's the category I put normal cell phones in as well. :)
Re:Ringtone storage format? (Score:3, Interesting)
What format are ringtones stored in that they can represent tones beyond the range of human hearing?
Usually MIDI, or a proprietary format. I'm having lots of fun downloading and playing MIDI files on my SonyEricsson T310 phone. It supports up to 32 channels, and doesn't sound all that crap, actually. I wonder how long it will take for musicians to hijack mobiles and use them as fully fledged MIDI synthesizers. For that "sounds of the naughties" feeling!
Anyone know the MIDI chip in the SE T310? The trum
Crapola (Score:5, Informative)
The Straight Dope has the full scoop [straightdope.com] on ultrasonic insect repellents. In short, they're a scam.
Re:Crapola (Score:2)
And one of them has gotten in trouble [ftc.gov] for making such claims...
Forget that (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Forget that (Score:2)
"What is DEET?
DEET (N, N diethyl-m-toluamide), developed in the 1940s by the U.S. government, is a broad spectrum insect repellent. DEET is a common active ingredient in most insect repellents and is unsurpassed when it comes to bug protection. By testing DEET against a variety of biting insects, scientists have established the superior repellent properties of DEET under numerous climatic and environmental conditions."
More like a great American invention
What is the % DEET they use in the f
Re:Forget that (Score:2)
a more effective model (Score:2)
Mosquito Repellant Tests (Score:4, Interesting)
It seems that every time they conduct these tests (just in time for mosquito season) the only products that do anything are the ones containing DEET, and the products using citronella, peppermint oil, baby oil, etc. are useless.
Re:Mosquito Repellant Tests (Score:2)
Re:Mosquito Repellant Tests (Score:2)
You mean, like this? [coleman.com]
Re:Mosquito Repellant Tests (Score:4, Informative)
Comparative Efficacy of Insect Repellents against Mosquito Bites [nejm.org]
and here is a table that shows the results: Protection Times of Insect Repellants [nejm.org]
Seems Soybean Oil(2%) can protect for 90 minutes, Citronella(10%) for 20 minutes and DEET(24%) for 5 hours.
there's something wrong here... (Score:3, Insightful)
from the defeating-the-original-purpose-of-actually-hearin
Brilliant, guys. Simply stellar.
Don't work (Score:5, Informative)
I'm not going to answer your last question, H., because ultrasonic mosquito repellers all have one thing in common: none of them work. At all.
[snip]
Some ultrasound firms say their products will also repel mice, rats, roaches, bats, fleas, spiders, and the like. The evidence to date suggests these claims are greatly exaggerated. At best they work only when used in conjunction with a concerted anti-pest program involving traps, improved sanitation, elimination of entry points and nesting places, and so on. So don't throw away that flyswatter yet.
Now if only I can get a Brown Noise ring tone (Score:2)
2600 (Score:2)
Not that there's any use for that sort of thing these days...unless you find youself on an old 1ESS switch...even then.
What was that? (Score:2)
Just today Neal?
Ding! (Score:2)
There is. It's called 'chord.wav'. Stupid sound plays every time there's an error in my code. I'm too lazy to go into Windows settings and change the sound, tho.
It there a ring tone that will make females... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:It there a ring tone that will make females... (Score:3, Funny)
yeah, i believe it's called the "diamond" ring.
(ducks)
Oh great! (Score:2)
Oh, great I always wanted a ringtone THAT I CAN'T FREAKIN' HEAR!!!!
It's really great the the MOSQUITOS can hear 'em!
Bzzzzzt! [ Swats at mosquito ] Bzzzzzt! [ Swats again ] BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT! [ Answers Cell Phone ]"Oh, it's for you..."
inaudible ring tone (Score:3, Funny)
Just what everyone needs, a ring tone that is inaudible and repells mosquitoes only when the phone rings. How are you expected to answer the phone, whit until the bugs stop attacking you and decide from that someone must be calling?
Shocker (Score:2, Funny)
But it should attract insects and then shock them. Then there's no need to recall all those laptops too.
3 Annoying Feet? (Score:2, Funny)
I annoy my little cousin, it doesn't repel him
Also, 3 FEET! That means it will protect my upper body, and leave my lower body for the wolves?
I mean, not even the average asian is 3 feet. At least 5, meaning 2 feet are getting screwed.
Dog Whistle (Score:2, Funny)
A quick google search... (Score:3, Funny)
Seems a quick google search is all it takes... and few do it... -_-;;
Sound based repellers don't work. Period. End of story. Combine that with the fact that CelPhones' earpieces and speakers produce sound in the 20hz-22000hz range... this is being generous as most are more like 50hz-18000hz. Most, if not all of which is audible to humans. At the point where the volume is turned down below what you can hear, it ain't there.
Citronella doesn't really repel insects.
Deet does, but is cancerous. (100% deet is still sold in California, btw.)
Carbon dioxide will lure Mosquitoes... potentially away from you. Hence the dry ice in the corner of the backyard trick works.
Skin So Soft, from what I can see online doesn't repel and the brand which they later produced which they claim does contains citronella... so it most likely doesn't.
Seriously, a ringtone which repels bugs? If you're willing to pay for that, I've got a special soundfile which you can play which will repel con artsists: I'm broke. I've got no money.
For a small fee of $2.50... (Score:5, Funny)
Try Dry Ice -- CO2 attracts (Score:2, Informative)
Dry Ice is the hot tip. Place a block in a remote corner of the area of your next outdoor grilling event, and you'll suffer nary a bite.
This is absurd (Score:4, Insightful)
The speakers in such phones also can't reproduce high quality sound in even the ranges they are rated in, and the quality, response and dbm it takes to drive the speakers drops off considerably as the frequency goes significantly below or beyond its rated frequency response. Piezo elements could do it but those are rated for a single frequency or set of frequencies and all but the oldest phones still have them (those don't support ring tones anyway).
Perhaps they observed a different effect -- waving the phone in the air with the ring tone emmited will naturally rouse the insects.
I'll stick to bug spray and avoid the swamp lands, thank you.
Mosquitos track thru CO2 (Score:2, Informative)
Those high frequency sound generators may repel mice and rats, but only for a short period of time. What happens is that their offspring will come back to re-infest the area. The difference between the off-spring and the parents is that the kiddie rode
Slight problem here... (Score:3, Interesting)
This doesn't work... (Score:3, Interesting)
"Products and Promotions That Have Limited Value for Mosquito Control: Electronic Repellers"
"Hand-held electronic devices that rely on high-frequency sound to repel mosquitoes have become surprisingly popular in recent years. Prices range from $9.95 to $29.95 for units advertised in magazines. Heavy-duty repellers that claim to keep away spiders, hornets, and rats, in addition to mosquitoes may sell for more than $100.00. The manufacturer's rationale for using sound as a repelling factor varies from one device to the next. Some claim to mimic the wing beat frequency of a male mosquito. This, supposedly, repels females who have already mated and do not wish to be mated a second time. Others claim to mimic the sound of a hungry dragonfly, causing mosquitoes to flee the area to avoid becoming the predator's next meal. Most of the electronic repellers on the market hum on a single frequency. Top of the line devices allow for adjustment by the user to achieve the most effective frequency for the mosquito causing the problem. Scientific studies have repeatedly shown that electronic mosquito repellers do not prevent host seeking mosquitoes from biting. In most cases, the claims made by distributors border on fraud. Mated female mosquitoes do not flee from amorous males, and mosquitoes do not vacate an area hunted by dragonflies. Electronic mosquito repellers do little in the way of reducing mosquito annoyance."
Plus, more mosquito info (like you care):
http://www.njmosquito.org
http://www.mos
Re:Simple test (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Simple test (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Simple test (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Simple test (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Sounds great...if you're an oncologist! (Score:2)
Re:Sounds great...if you're an oncologist! (Score:2)
Re:I don't want to repel (Score:2)