10 ms·
I have a dream to open a bar (or hostel) that is a massive Faraday cage so that phones and laptops on wifi simply don't work. I'd call it "The Stone Age" or so
by grecy 9y ago
I have a dream to open a bar (or hostel) that is a massive Faraday cage so that phones and laptops on wifi simply don't work.
I'd call it "The Stone Age" or some similar pun.
(Yes, I would put up a sign to that effect notifying people - if they don't like it they can go elsewhere)
- airza 9y agoEven though i don't care for it in a movie theatre, the FCC has traditionally taken a pretty dim view of trying to block someone's authorized radio communications.
- sk5t 9y agoHarmful interference is one thing, but a radio-quiet room?
- bennettfeely 9y agoI think the idea is cool, but I have a feeling there would be quite a legal battle that ensues when someone is injured or dies in the hostel after they couldn't connect to 911.
- bduerst 9y agoJust put a pay phone in the back, and make people who stay initial that they acknowledge there is no cellular service.
- flukus 9y agoTrain tunnels, underground car parks and other reception black spots seem to have avoided litigation. Have we really reach the point where going outside to get reception is not something a reasonable person would think of?
- lawless123 9y agoNone of those are deliberate though.
- eksemplar 9y agoDon't place it in America, problem solved.
- warrenm 9y agoLoads of buildings don't allow (or practically don't allow) cell signals :: nothing stops them from being built. It's active interference the FCC takes a dim view to - passive interference (thick walls, loads of metal, etc) is fine. There's a theater near me that I can get 4-5 bars of LTE outside, 1-2 bars near the doors, 3G just 20 feet inside, and only 1x or a bar of 3G in each screen room. Don't see the FCC dropping the hammer on them because it's the way the building is constructed, not active interference
- grecy 9y agoHappily, I'm not in the US
- tambourine_man 9y agoThat's brilliant.
- nether 9y agoThis is basically wilderness backpacking. It is sublime to hang out with likeminded folks, just focused on staying warm by a campfire, talking about your days.
- notliketherest 9y agoI've been looking for people like that, are you in the bay area?
- nether 9y agoSeattle. I was living in Bishop, California for a while though. I've wondered if there's a market for taking engineering types on these trips, if I emphasize them as tech-free escapes. You can always go through Meetup or sign up for the trips run by REI, Sierra Club etc.
- grecy 9y agoYep. I live in the Yukon (when I'm not driving around Africa) and have spent much of my life outside cell signals. It's when I do go into a town that it slaps me in the face, and I think it would be cool to have a "refuge" in the town. Of course the place would have no TVs either, and likely only very quiet chill music. Everything about it would be to encourage conversation with the people actually in the same room.
- icantdrive55 9y agoYou could have someone at the door, akin to a Coat check person. You would need to have a bunch of Packsafe bags. (I think they would work as a Faraday cage.) Patrons would have to put all devices in said bags. When they leave they get their devices back. You could go to the hootenanny and maybe meet someone new. The days of, "She must be important--she has a smart phone" are definitively GONE. The sexiest sight is a person without a device. In my world, it's right below wearing fur, or sport hunting.(Yea--I don't like hunters.) It could even work for large events, like music festivals? The Device Check person would issue tickets for bags, and patrons could only open Faraday cage when leaving. I personally hope carrying around a wifi/phone will go the way if the beeper. Only doctors, and drug dealers on duty will carry them, without looking like a wannabe. It will probably never happen because most people believe their job/life is more important than everyone's eyes. Yea--I literally get angry when I see that Social Media stare. The latest affliction. (The guy who invented this site supposedly doesn't carry around a iPhone, while not working. If he can do it, we can?)
- WD-42 9y agoI don't think that's really necessary. I frequent a place that makes it very clear that cell phones are not welcome. There is a giant sign at the entrance saying as much. People respect it. I've never seen anyone pull out their phone here, I think the social pressure is enough.
- maroonblazer 9y agoHow many people don't enter because they know they can't trust themselves to not pull out their phone? Or, how many more people would enter knowing it was physically impossible for them to check their phone?
- WD-42 9y agoI don't know how many people don't enter because they can't control themselves. They are usually very busy, sometimes line out the door, so it doesn't seem to hurt business very much. But I suppose the food is good so they have the luxury to set the rules.
- nether 9y agoWhere is this place and what is it named?
- WD-42 9y agoIt's Paula's in Capitola (Santa Cruz).
- tempestn 9y agoNot as much fun though. The Faraday cage gimmick would be great for marketing.
- kurthr 9y agoPlease follow your bliss... if it's in the Bay, I know people will go. One thing... use Mu-metal and RF-impedance matched materials! They'll work a lot better than a Faraday cage.
- morecoffee 9y agoThe DNA lounge tried something similar, but to the other extreme. They put computers with internet access in their club.
- crucialfelix 9y agoThere is one in Berlin named Funkloch. Literally translates as radio hole, meaning an area where you can't get a signal. There's a pun in there too in that Lokal means pub, so you can read it as Funk Pub.
- josmar 9y agoWhere in town is that? I'm getting a few different results when searching. Would love to go and check it out!
- freeflight 9y agoMost likely this one: https://www.yelp.de/biz/funkloch-berlin https://www.yelp.de/biz/funkloch-berlin This tweet confirms there's a bar with smartphone ban in Weißensee: https://twitter.com/ennopark/status/567272387293761537 https://twitter.com/ennopark/status/567272387293761537 Only other "Funkloch" I found in Berlin is a youth center, so the above result is very likely the right one.
- josmar 9y agoI also found this: https://www.facebook.com/Funkloch-684514891598702/ https://www.facebook.com/Funkloch-684514891598702/ which is why I was wondering which of the locations it is.
- freeflight 9y agoGuess that looks legit too. Tho I like the other one because they lack any social media presence, which would fit with the theme ;)
- crucialfelix 9y agoit's the Weißensee one that I've seen. I didn't go there, just drove past. The other place in Treptow shows up on google more. But you would hope and expect a place that bans cell phones to not give a f*%# about their SERPs.
- 9y ago