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> Somewhat alarmist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave#Effects_on_health https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave#Effects_on_health Microwaves can't hurt

> Somewhat alarmist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave#Effects_on_health https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave#Effects_on_health Microwaves can't hurt you unless you focus the hell out of them, right at yourself. Even then, they can't make you experience the health effects that this handsome fellow was talking about (insomnia, really?). You might get buzzing in your ears if you're right next to a radar dish... and that's about it. FCC guidelines on radio emissions are pretty strict. If people were baking themselves with their Wi-Fi routers, someone would've filed a lawsuit by now. This is what's wrong with TED Talks, and with pop sci / pseudoscience in general. It's all excitement, no truth. See also, "power poses": http://www.chronicle.com/article/When-Big-Ideas-Go-Bad/238544?key=yop9k7-B1QiWD6aZpWTJrwQaFFjhgu-cumdsNS97tdI-aTlXSFvHWZIy2iA1Y0UfSDdsb1ZES1NjYnd5QTllSDNlSG9LVjAzRUl3NVNrVGZhUzRMSWJ5Q1BGdw http://www.chronicle.com/article/When-Big-Ideas-Go-Bad/23854...

baobrien 10y ago
The linked talk is also TEDx -- even less vetting than normal TED.
Cieplak 10y ago
I agree with your overall point that the talk's claims are overblown. > unless you focus the hell out of them By this you mean, increase the intensity of the radiation? Obviously, a person would die inside a microwave oven that uses the same frequency as wifi (2.4Ghz). But it seems myopic to dismiss the possibility that there are no other dangerous effects besides heating. There is still much ongoing research on the effect of pulsed/modulated microwave radiation (as opposed to continuous radiation). As another example, certain RF harmonics are particularly dangerous: At frequencies near the body's natural resonant frequency, RF energy is absorbed more efficiently, and maximum heating occurs http://www.arrl.org/rf-radiation-and-electromagnetic-field-safety http://www.arrl.org/rf-radiation-and-electromagnetic-field-s...
- striking 10y ago
  Look at it this way: regardless of how dangerous you believe WiFi to be, there's a much, much greater chance that you'll die in a car accident on your way to work. Or an unrelated heart attack. But I'll take you at your word. Here's how you can calculate flux density caused by your router: http://physics.stackexchange.com/a/48092 http://physics.stackexchange.com/a/48092. Then compare that calculation to the graph shown here for safety information: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/RFsafetyCommittee/hbkrf.gif http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/RFsafetyCommittee/... Furthermore, the FCC limits router wattage to 1W. The IEEE says that you shouldn't worry about radiation below 7W. That's on the same page you linked above. There are specific limits on this sort of radiation. If anything you've said were true, a lot of people would've gotten sued by now. And myopic or not, true or false, I have more things to think about than WiFi radiation. Link me a peer-reviewed study or else stop fear-mongering.

baobrien 10y ago

The linked talk is also TEDx -- even less vetting than normal TED.

Cieplak 10y ago

I agree with your overall point that the talk's claims are overblown. > unless you focus the hell out of them By this you mean, increase the intensity of the radiation? Obviously, a person would die inside a microwave oven that uses the same frequency as wifi (2.4Ghz). But it seems myopic to dismiss the possibility that there are no other dangerous effects besides heating. There is still much ongoing research on the effect of pulsed/modulated microwave radiation (as opposed to continuous radiation). As another example, certain RF harmonics are particularly dangerous: At frequencies near the body's natural resonant frequency, RF energy is absorbed more efficiently, and maximum heating occurs http://www.arrl.org/rf-radiation-and-electromagnetic-field-safety http://www.arrl.org/rf-radiation-and-electromagnetic-field-s...

striking 10y ago
Look at it this way: regardless of how dangerous you believe WiFi to be, there's a much, much greater chance that you'll die in a car accident on your way to work. Or an unrelated heart attack. But I'll take you at your word. Here's how you can calculate flux density caused by your router: http://physics.stackexchange.com/a/48092 http://physics.stackexchange.com/a/48092. Then compare that calculation to the graph shown here for safety information: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/RFsafetyCommittee/hbkrf.gif http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/RFsafetyCommittee/... Furthermore, the FCC limits router wattage to 1W. The IEEE says that you shouldn't worry about radiation below 7W. That's on the same page you linked above. There are specific limits on this sort of radiation. If anything you've said were true, a lot of people would've gotten sued by now. And myopic or not, true or false, I have more things to think about than WiFi radiation. Link me a peer-reviewed study or else stop fear-mongering.