Net abuzz about adult-proof ringtone
There's a new ringtone in town, and the older you are, the less likely you are to hear it. Agence France Presse reports that a ringtone known as "Teen Buzz," originally developed by a British security firm to discourage loitering by youths has "invaded U.S. classrooms." At a frequency of 17 Khz, the tone apparently "falls within the highest of pitches noticeable to humans." But as we age, we lose the ability to hear high-pitched tones. Students can thus delight themselves by text-messaging each other without arousing their aging teacher's suspicions. Of course, the downward glances and furious thumb-typing might still give them away.
New Yorker writer Louis Menand, inspired to a comical rant, writes that the main news of the story "is not that students are fooling their teachers, which was never news, even in ancient Greece, or that technology is rapidly unraveling the fabric of trust and respect on which civil society depends, which everyone already knows. It is that one more way for middle-aged people to feel that they're losing it has been discovered." FYI, the "Mosquito" ring tone is NOT adult-proof. I am 39 with only 30% hearig in my left ear, and moderate hearing loss in my right, and I still heard the ringtone when I listened to it on the Internet. Sorry, kids, you STILL haven't outwitted us "dumb adults". Try, try again.
Uh, it's called vibrate. And turn the ringer off.
I dont know about 30s but I know for a fact that teachers over 50 cannot hear it...I have not done excessive testing on this but so far 50 and up it is working. Seeing as most of my teachers are over 50, and are quite happy to test it out, so far it works!
ummm the ring tone cannot be heard by the few people i played it for and they are of the age,40,45,45.. while ages 11-16 can hear it. So yes in a way we have outwitted most adults since a majority cannot hear them.
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