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Adult-Proof Ringtones
Status: Undetermined
I've received quite a few emails about this. A British paper, metro.co.uk, reports that resourceful teenagers have devised a way to make the ringing of their cellphones inaudible to adults. The trick is that they've recorded the sound of the Mosquito, which is a device that emits ultrasonic tones inaudible to most people over the age of twenty-five, but quite audible, and rather annoying, to people under the age of 25: Techno-savvy pupils have adapted the Mosquito alarm, used to drive teenage gangs away from shopping centres. They can receive calls and texts during lessons without teachers having the faintest idea what is going on. The alarm, which has been praised by police, is highly effective because its ultra-high sound can be heard only by youths but not by most people over 20. Schoolchildren have recorded the sound, which they named Teen Buzz, and spread it from phone to phone via text messages and Bluetooth technology. Now they can receive calls and texts during lessons without teachers having the faintest idea what is going on.
Can this be real? Well, the Mosquito is real enough (I posted about it back in November 2005), and it is true that young people can usually hear higher frequencies than older people because we lose the ability to hear high frequencies as we age. The question is whether cellphone speakers can generate these ultrasonic frequencies. Boing Boing posts a comment from one of their readers who swears that cellphone speakers would not be able to do this. However, another reader links to an article that contains an mp3 recording of the Mosquito sound. (When I listen to it I can't hear any high-pitched noise, just a bunch of street noise.) So if computer speakers can generate these frequencies, perhaps some high-end cellphone speakers also can. Seems plausible. In other words, I'm not yet willing to label this story as a hoax or false rumor, even though it does seem to be a bit far-fetched.
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Categories: Technology Posted by Alex on Fri May 26, 2006 |
Comments (147) |
| More from the Hoax Museum Archives: | |||
this one's even more annoying! http://www.lawsy.net/images2/Annoying tune.mp3
its sort of the same but the pitch goes up and down and makes it very awkward to listen to!
Posted by katy in uk on Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 02:23 PM
its sort of the same but the pitch goes up and down and makes it very awkward to listen to!
Im 24, my brother is 19. We could both year it. annoying. We asked my mom to come into the room and played it. She didnt hear anything. Along with the annoyign sound, we felt pressure on our ears.
Leigh
Posted by Leigh in Georgia (USA) on Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 09:25 PM
LeighI'm 19, been well into the club scene for 5 years, litsen to probably 100db of music everyday.
The Pitch I recieve is not high, I can feel it being high but it just gets ME High ..It doesn't bother me, just gets me smiling like a git...
Any ...suggestions?
Posted by Graham in Malta on Sat Feb 24, 2007 at 06:50 PM
The Pitch I recieve is not high, I can feel it being high but it just gets ME High ..It doesn't bother me, just gets me smiling like a git...
Any ...suggestions?
I can definetly hear the beep, although its not bothering me. Its quite enjoyable actually.
My minds fuzzing out .
Posted by Graham in Malta on Sat Feb 24, 2007 at 06:56 PM
My minds fuzzing out .
wow i am 13 and at my school everyone plays the high pitched noise, my teacher is probably in his 30s and he couldnt hear a thing even when he put his ear right up to the speaker...he thought that it was a joke and that we werent really playing a noise, hah but we were
Posted by Brian in datona beach florida on Tue Apr 10, 2007 at 05:50 PM
Want to ask u guys is this ring tone dangerous...will it causes Brain damage and can it kill a person because i heard some rumors about it and want to know...is it rite...?
Posted by TKS in Pakistan on Fri Apr 13, 2007 at 07:10 PM
I heard it just fine. I'm 20. I don't know if that makes any difference. I think it sounds a bit fishy, but I guess I won't knock it until I try it!
Posted by Megan in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Mon Apr 30, 2007 at 03:01 PM
Well, my boyfriend's friend had this ringtone. He, my boyfriend, and I were all in the car one day and he told us he had a new ringtone. He didn't give us any background. He played it for us, but I didn't hear ANYTHING. I asked him to turn it up, but my boyfriend said it was quite loud and annoying. Then he told us what it was. I couldn't believe it. I thought for sure they were pulling one over on me. I was only 20 while my boyfriend was 24 and his friend was 26! I do have pretty bad hearing, but I'm sure I can tell you. This story is TRUE. I can't hear thething at all!
Posted by Judi in Portland, OR on Fri May 18, 2007 at 01:26 AM
Of note, I couldn't hear the ringtone, but I COULD hear the little clips they gave as examples on the internet. I think those things are screwed up somehow...
Posted by Judi in Portland, OR on Fri May 18, 2007 at 01:29 AM
im 12,almost 13 and gawd that is loud and high pitched and..Annoying!!!i couldnt stand that as a ringtone-i dot even really use my cell! my speakers play it very clearly-and yes it acctually sounds like what i hear a few nights ago-a mosquito flying around my head whil its midnight and everything is totally silent,i also hear it alternate to a pinch lower of a frequency around half way through and then it switches back after 1-2 seconds-i find this quite interesting indeed (although annoying,interesting)being the smartest kid im my gr 7 class :( (i feel so left out)
Posted by Jared in canada,eh? on Sun Jun 10, 2007 at 12:51 AM
I'm 17 and can clearly hear it. I told my mom to come downstairs and listen to it and she couldn't hear anything except for the background noises. It's pretty interesting if you ask me.
Posted by Andrew in Illinios on Wed Aug 29, 2007 at 11:15 PM
ouch that hurt and i am 38, and my daughter screamed when i turned it on, she had no idea what i was doing either
Posted by Robb in Beaverton on Fri Oct 12, 2007 at 01:32 AM
I can hear it, I'm 22.
Posted by Tom Green in UK on Mon Nov 12, 2007 at 05:09 PM
As a teacher I was curious if this worked...I downloaded the mp3 linked in your article and totally unannounced I played it in class. It drove my students nuts. I on the other hand at 36 years of age could hear nothing but ambient background sound. I think you could label this one as true
Posted by A teacher in Idaho on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 04:30 PM
im 12 and i crnt hear it is that because im too young ... ?
Posted by hanna :) in bolton on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 11:45 AM
Truth, YES. i put a different one on my phone took it to all my teachers and they said what are you talking about are u crazy?
now i text ALL the time during call none of my teachers can hear it
Posted by LOL on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 03:26 PM
now i text ALL the time during call none of my teachers can hear it
it's really wierd how adults can't hear it. i'm 12 and both or my parents can't hear it. when i first listened to it i found it cool but after about 10 seconds it got annoying. if you turn it up loud it feels like someone is standing on your head.
Posted by alan in new zealand on Sat Jan 05, 2008 at 09:47 PM
Interesting read.
Posted by Bartimusl in Belgium on Wed Feb 06, 2008 at 07:38 AM
here's a link of ringtones of different frequencies.
http://www.freemosquitoringtones.org/
i'm 35 and i can hear them all. they are all annoying as hell! they give me a horrible headache. must explain why my CRT TV annoys the hell out of me.
Posted by ellabelle in usa on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 01:18 AM
http://www.freemosquitoringtones.org/
i'm 35 and i can hear them all. they are all annoying as hell! they give me a horrible headache. must explain why my CRT TV annoys the hell out of me.
Nicely written. I can relate to most of your points.Bookmarked!
Posted by Masert in USA on Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 01:51 PM
Ya this is completely true, this can be loud to many students under the age of 25, but anybody over that has a hard time hearing it, i just received the text with the sound today its awesome, no teachers can hear it when im textin durin class!!!
Posted by Nick in VA on Fri May 23, 2008 at 08:38 AM
"I'm slightly over twenty and i can even hear the lowest frequencies of a bat (not the actual hunting frequency, but the 'powering-up' sound), although it gets less clear every year"
that is the funniest thing i have ever read in my entire life.
Posted by andrew in scotland on Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 10:24 AM
that is the funniest thing i have ever read in my entire life.
Too bad I'm not old enough to not hear that sound yet. Those mosquito sounds are really popular in the Netherlands, and quite annoying too.
Posted by Wouter in Leiden on Wed Jul 16, 2008 at 05:49 AM
It
Posted by TERY on Thu Jul 17, 2008 at 04:35 AM
I would be wary of subliminal messages
Posted by RINGTONESFREEDOM.COM on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 03:49 AM
The sound causes my jaw to feel weird.
Posted by Matt on Sun Oct 26, 2008 at 01:22 PM
I can hear the high pitched sound in that mp3. I'm over 25, and my ears have certainly had their fair share of abuse (lots of loud rock concerts, and it was a while before I finally got wise and started wearing ear plugs).
Posted by Aracari in CA on Mon Apr 27, 2009 at 02:06 AM