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These People Whip Out Their Phones In A Movie Theater. They Never Saw It Coming! (Original Post) PumpkinAle Jun 2014 OP
It looked like a good half of the movies goers SheilaT Jun 2014 #1
Clearly a different country, so possibly a different network setup? JimDandy Jun 2014 #4
Looked like a complete set-up to me to make a point. nm rhett o rick Jun 2014 #6
All actors. Guaranteed. AAO Jun 2014 #13
This is actually possible just as they did it. Xithras Jun 2014 #8
Best pre movie advert ever! Baitball Blogger Jun 2014 #2
Wow. Those foolish people are dead or injured Hissyspit Jun 2014 #3
But it shows how they are so indoctrinated to PumpkinAle Jun 2014 #5
Good one 2naSalit Jun 2014 #7
Fucking genius! zappaman Jun 2014 #9
Thank you for posting PumpkinAle Jun 2014 #16
Damn that was hard to watch theHandpuppet Jun 2014 #29
Very very clever...n/t dixiegrrrrl Jun 2014 #10
we no longer spend $10+to sit in a theater and listen to cellholes. theaters don't care tho nt msongs Jun 2014 #11
Bullshit, I see a movie a week and maybe 1 in 20 has a phone go off. Nt Logical Jun 2014 #17
Well, people in front of me have been texting or checking their phones in every single one of the kath Jun 2014 #18
I agree with you Skittles Jun 2014 #31
LOVE your neologism! "Cellholes"! Bwahahaha! WinkyDink Jun 2014 #21
Too bad there can't be laws against using cell phones while driving. nt valerief Jun 2014 #12
There are... 3catwoman3 Jun 2014 #15
Yeah, I know there are. I should have used the sarcasm tag. valerief Jun 2014 #19
My apologies. Not the first time... 3catwoman3 Jun 2014 #23
np :) valerief Jun 2014 #28
Last week I heard a young guy brag that his generation invented texting and driving Generic Brad Jun 2014 #14
OMG, I agree. Uber-Asshat comes to my mind. valerief Jun 2014 #20
Did he leave out part, like "invented texting and driving and then dying"? WinkyDink Jun 2014 #22
80% of car accidents are caused by eating while driving uponit7771 Jun 2014 #24
It is still distracted driving...... PumpkinAle Jun 2014 #25
Good way to expose those who do not silence their phones too. liberal N proud Jun 2014 #26
I guess everyone's heard about this crash, marions ghost Jun 2014 #27
To folks who think it's okay to text and drive, I have a question theHandpuppet Jun 2014 #30
 

SheilaT

(23,156 posts)
1. It looked like a good half of the movies goers
Mon Jun 9, 2014, 07:06 PM
Jun 2014

had a phone not turned off, and a lot of them weren't even on just the buzz.

But how in the world could a signal be sent to ring every phone? I was under the impression that you needed to dial specific numbers.

JimDandy

(7,318 posts)
4. Clearly a different country, so possibly a different network setup?
Mon Jun 9, 2014, 07:48 PM
Jun 2014

Maybe Hong Kong allows private businesses to broadcast to any mobile device within their premises. Sort of like the grocery stores, google, or utility companies saying when you're on our premises (websites) you agree to give up your privacy and data while using our services.

ETA: this type of cell broadcasting (push) to devices withinin a specified geographical location can be switched off by the user.

Xithras

(16,191 posts)
8. This is actually possible just as they did it.
Mon Jun 9, 2014, 09:12 PM
Jun 2014

Cell phones transmit via RF, just like any other device. Your phones are constantly broadcasting their identity to nearby cellphone towers so that the towers will know where you are. When someone calls your cellphone, the signal for your phone isn't broadcast to every cell tower on the planet. It is broadcast to the last tower that you checked in at. Your phone has to keep checking in to keep that connection active.

In the beginning of the video, you can see the operators scanning local phone frequencies and apparently capturing the IMEI/IMSI numbers of the nearby active phones. The device they're using is called an IMSI Catcher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMSI-catcher), and they're typically only used by law enforcement agencies when tracking phones. Once they have the identifiers from the phone, they can broadcast the alert signal (technically the "Short Message Alert", the first step in the SMS transfer process, which essentially just tells your phone that a message is waiting) with your IMSI embedded so that it routes to your handset. They're simply spoofing a cell tower and sending the first part of the SMS handshake to trick your phone into thinking that a message was waiting.

There would be no actual text data because your phone would fail to connect back for the SMS retrieval, but on a lot of handsets it can still set off the sms alert.

Back in the 1990's, when cellphones were first beginning to really become ubiquitous among the non-wealthy, this was a prank that some geek types liked to pull off now and then. With the right tech, you could set off every cellphone within a hundred yards. And then do it again, and again, and again until they got frustrated and shut them off.

It's COMPLETELY illegal to do this in the U.S., of course.

Hissyspit

(45,790 posts)
3. Wow. Those foolish people are dead or injured
Mon Jun 9, 2014, 07:47 PM
Jun 2014

because they just HAD to answer their phone while they were not driving.

PumpkinAle

(1,210 posts)
5. But it shows how they are so indoctrinated to
Mon Jun 9, 2014, 08:24 PM
Jun 2014

answering the phones that they do it so automatically that if they were driving the results may well be they end up wrapped around the tree.

It doesn't hurt to try and get people's attention to things that are dangerous. It also doesn't hurt to remind people they shouldn't have their phones on in a cinema!

2naSalit

(91,245 posts)
7. Good one
Mon Jun 9, 2014, 08:53 PM
Jun 2014

should be a recurring at unsuspected intervals in all theaters. Perhaps it will help people think about what they saw there.

zappaman

(20,607 posts)
9. Fucking genius!
Mon Jun 9, 2014, 09:18 PM
Jun 2014

I'd also recommend Werner Herzog's shot doc...it's amazing, horrible, and gut wrenching.

&feature=kp

PumpkinAle

(1,210 posts)
16. Thank you for posting
Tue Jun 10, 2014, 01:05 AM
Jun 2014

this - I couldn't make it all the way through - I will do so because as you said it is amazing, horrible and gut wrenching. And while so very powerful, it makes me cry to think how so many have lost their lives or being so affected by texting while driving.

May be it is because I am older, but I don't understand the need to let everyone know where I am every minute of the day.

theHandpuppet

(19,964 posts)
29. Damn that was hard to watch
Tue Jun 10, 2014, 12:22 PM
Jun 2014

But I thank you for posting this. The message needs to be seen and heard!

kath

(10,565 posts)
18. Well, people in front of me have been texting or checking their phones in every single one of the
Tue Jun 10, 2014, 02:02 AM
Jun 2014

Last 5or6 movies I've gone too. That bright light in a dark theater is VERY annoying.

Skittles

(157,340 posts)
31. I agree with you
Tue Jun 10, 2014, 05:26 PM
Jun 2014

I have to sit in the back because of my eyesight and it's so disturbing seeing those bright lights - WTF is wrong with people - if you cannot go a couple of hours without checking your phone, RENT a fucking movie

3catwoman3

(25,170 posts)
15. There are...
Mon Jun 9, 2014, 11:38 PM
Jun 2014

...at least in NY (where I visit) and IL (where I live). The IL law is very new, and not many people seem to be heeding it. If one is involved in an accident with evidence that cell phone use was a contributing factor, jail time is possible.

3catwoman3

(25,170 posts)
23. My apologies. Not the first time...
Tue Jun 10, 2014, 10:10 AM
Jun 2014

...I have taken on-line statements at face value. I need to fine tune my subtlety-detector -

Generic Brad

(14,363 posts)
14. Last week I heard a young guy brag that his generation invented texting and driving
Mon Jun 9, 2014, 11:02 PM
Jun 2014

He was trying to impress upon me that young people are better at multi tasking than old guys like me. As he said that the word "Asshat" echoed silently in my head. Texting and driving is not a skill to be proud of.

PumpkinAle

(1,210 posts)
25. It is still distracted driving......
Tue Jun 10, 2014, 11:16 AM
Jun 2014

WHAT IS DISTRACTED DRIVING?

Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety. These types of distractions include:

Texting
Using a cell phone or smartphone
Eating and drinking
Talking to passengers
Grooming
Reading, including maps
Using a navigation system
Watching a video
Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player
But, because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction.

The best way to end distracted driving is to educate all Americans about the danger it poses. On this page, you'll find facts and statistics that are powerfully persuasive. If you don't already think distracted driving is a safety problem, please take a moment to learn more. And, as with everything on Distraction.gov, please share these facts with others. Together, we can help save lives.

http://www.distraction.gov/content/get-the-facts/facts-and-statistics.html

theHandpuppet

(19,964 posts)
30. To folks who think it's okay to text and drive, I have a question
Tue Jun 10, 2014, 12:25 PM
Jun 2014

How would you feel if the school bus driver entrusted to take your kids back and forth to school felt it was okay to text while driving? Because I've seen it -- more than once. No problem, huh?

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