Hippies Say WiFi Network Is Harming Their Chakras 432
Anti-Globalism writes "A group of hippies is complaining that a recently installed WiFi mesh network in the UK village of Glastonbury is causing health problems. To combat the signals from the Wi-Fi hotspots, the hippies have placed orgone generators around the antennae." Although there have been many studies that show no correlation between WiFi and health issues the hippies say, "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man."
Very sensitive people? (Score:2, Interesting)
I read once that people who work on the antennas in mobile communication towers suffer from headaches, dizziness, nausea, severe tiredness, brain fog, disorientation and loss of appetite, loss of balance, and an inability to concentrate if they are exposed to the radiation for too long. So maybe those hippies are just extremely sensitive people. Do they use mobile phones?
Million-dollar idea for somebody (Score:5, Interesting)
1. Buy a couple hundred acres in the National Radio Quiet Zone [nrao.edu] and build a resort/spa/retirement community for all the well-heeled electromagnetophobes.
2. Quietly buy up as much of the valley as you can, then support campaigns to get Blue Cross and Medicare to cover electromagnetic hypersensitivity [wikipedia.org].
3. Profit.
I'd do it, but I don't believe I could live with myself. Especially if I had to give up ubiquitous broadband.
Residents, not hippies (Score:5, Interesting)
It is not a bunch of hippies doing the complaining, it is the residents. They have little use for the WiFi, which has been used 422 times in 6 months. I suspect the locals know exactly what they want. Maintaining jobs and a way of life, which draws on 5000 years of hocus pocus. Orgone generators are right in there as a mix of crystals and gold and romanticism.
As for the headaches? Quite genuine reporting I'd say. My father told me that a satellite receiving station near where he worked was found to generate a wide mix of ills in the 3 months following its official opening. This was not published because it would have embarrassed the Minister. Due to a cock-up in parts supply, they faked the opening and it sat idle but impressive whilst headaches abounded.
Headaches occur, and people want causes assigned. It's a matter of opinion whether it is better to blame an aerial or a spell cast by a witch. Just so long as the majority have a good laugh in the pub in the off-season. Witchcraft is a bit like Royalty. A good historical reason for people to kill each other, but really just a useful source of tourist dollars these days.
Re:Very sensitive people? (Score:3, Interesting)
Having said that, wifi (radio frequency radiation) has nothing to do with this kind of high power directed microwave radiation and is completely harmless - just don't get them confused.
Re:Yeah ... (Score:5, Interesting)
The problem with wifi health scares is the same as with nuclear health scares. Regardless of whether the pro-wifi and pro-nuclear groups are right or wrong, they are terrible at public relations. In both cases, the default response to public health concern is a derisory snort and the tendency to talk down to the people raising the concern as though they are idiots. People who do not work as engineers or biologists are not idiots, as you find out when you have to employ said people for more money than you earn to fix your plumbing or do your accounts. They are just not privy to the same understanding of the relevant issue as you are.
The same problem occurred big time in the UK with the MMR injections. The state talked down to concerned parents and treated them like idiots, the net result of which was to make them even more determined that there must be a scandal and a cover-up. Talk sensibly about the health risks of wifi (such that they exist) and show how such things have been tested independently and shown to be of no concern, and you will win-out. Laughing at anyone who raises concerns may make geeks feel smug, but it's a losing strategy and always will be.
Re:See "Bad science" (Score:4, Interesting)
As religions go its not that bad. Nobody calls for death to those who use the wrong type of crystal or prefers herbalism to energy fields.
Re:Receptionist (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:That's odd... (Score:4, Interesting)
Not really. Hippies are known to sit inside pyramids or yurts while realigning their chakras or whatever it is they do. Wire your Faraday cage into that so that they can meditate on an RF-free zone.
Of course there will be no observable phenomena from being inside or outside the grid so selling them a faraday cage that doesn't in fact block cell phone radiation would not be discovered any time soon.
Well, apart from the fact that the hippie's mobile phone would show 'NO SIGNAL'.
Re:Very sensitive people? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:That's odd... (Score:2, Interesting)
Really ?? You must know better quality Christians and lower quality hippies than I do.
So who's stereotype of Christians do you go by?
Too much pot? (Score:5, Interesting)
"headaches, dizziness, nausea, severe tiredness, brain fog, disorientation and loss of appetite, loss of balance, inability to concentrate, loss of creativity"
Sounds like they have all the symptoms of smoking way too much pot.