Sure. There is freedom of speech in most parts of the world. But talking, careless talking, may actually land you in all sorts of trouble. That is, apart from wasting your irreplaceable resource (time). Or, being charged with sedition.
In case you are wondering, this post is referring to talking on your mobile phone. Excessive talking, that is.
There has been serious controversy about the possible harmful effect of excessive phone usage (for talking) on the human brain. You hear of frightful things like the possibility of cancers and tumors resulting from possible radiations from our cell phones.
The question to ask ourselves is – is it not better to be safe (now) than to be sorry (later)?
While having a long conversation on some phones, we can usually notice that it gets warm. I have actually felt pains in my eardrums during particularly long ‘long-distance’ conversations.
In order to limit the duration of cellphone conversations, some of the following tactics may come in handy:
1) Limit how long you talk on your mobile phone
Sure – some people love to hear the sound of their own voices. You want to discourage such people from calling you. Or, at least, minimize how long you get to speak with them. Some software to help achieve this are:
a) A blacklist application that can simply prevent calls from certain individuals from coming through (e.g, handy blacklist for Symbian). Mean, I know, but this is our brain we are talking about!
b) An phone application that can automatically disconnect a call after a certain number of pre-programmed minutes (e.g, AutoHangUp for
Symbian)
2) Make as many calls as possible through earphones
This may not be convenient, true. Talking about earphones, a wireless headset may actually make the irradiative problem worse! This makes use of radio waves, does it not?
3) Use the Speakerphone
Make use of the phone speakerphone when making and receiving calls. It will have some impact on the battery-life, though.
4) When dialling, keep off
When dialing out, we usually put our phone to our ears to know when the call is picked up. It is said that the greatest radiation emission is at the point of CALL INITIATION. We need to avoid doing this. A solution may be to (when dialing out) keep an eye on the display. Most phones can be set to indicate on the screen – when a call connects. It starts counting the call duration once the call connects).
Alternatively, one can use a phone application like Youlu Address Book (youlu.com) which has a feature to vibrate the phone ONCE a call connects. There is also VibraCall for Symbian.
5) Dilute the poison
Most humans are right-handed. For this reason, most people will usually put their phone to their right ear. Left-handed people put it to their left lobe. (Ambidextrous people put it to their forehead!). Switching the side of the brain that you fry from time2time ensures the brain is evenly FRIEd! Do not overFRY one side!. Put that phone to the left ear sometimes, and the right at other times.
6) Substitute calls with other channels
Substituting calling with sms, email, chatting should also help. This of course also exposes us to another health hazard (Repetitive Motion Syndrome), but that risk is minimal. This option may not be feasible for arthritic people.
Those are the ways I personally use to minimize the POSSIBLE hazards of using the cell-phone.
Of course, our Telephone Network Operators would prefer that we talked more. Sure. But then, the Tobacco Companies too would wish that we smoke ourselves to eventual lung cancer. The breweries would wish we come down with cirrhosis of the Liver – (through over-indulgence in alcohol).
We need to consume with moderation.
In what other ways can we minimize our exposure to cellphone radiation?
The first set of WindowsPhone smartphones hit the market in October 2010. Inspite of this slew of devices from over 5 manufacturers, this platform is clearly not selling in droves in the market.
Recent Comments