Panorama's "Wireless in schools" Program 8:30 Tonight

[enjay]

As has been mentioned before, there's a very very long list of things that obviously need to be banned because they haven't been tested and found to be absolutely safe; diesel, flight, crisps, aspirin, radio, television, toast, milk...

To clarify - you're suggesting that WiFi is no more dangerous than diesel which has been found to contain (among other things) benzine, and aspirin which is no longer permitted for use by children under 12? Not sure I like your examples of "safe" household items there. Perhaps if WiFi is as dangerous as those, then we should sit up and take action...

[Mr_T]

You were hardly going to get a balenced report with the I'm EM sensitve people and the I hate phone masts brigade. Way too one sided if they had brought people on to defend WiFi and a decent balenced discussion could have been had the program may have been some use and sparked a healthy debate. But instead it was just headline grabbing scare mongering.

[_Bat_]

Excellent - good to see it didn't take the suppliers long to jump on this. In my Inbox this morning, time-stamped half an hour after the Panorama program finished, is an email beginning:

 

"There has been a lot of press recently with regards to the dangers and long term effects of being exposed to WiFi radiation (see attached document). To this end; we are offering to install CAT 5e cabling ......."

 

Marketing genius! :-)

 

Hehehehehe. I should have guessed.

 

Like many people have said before though, I'd use anything as an excuse to get rid of wireless. I hate it. Causes me a lot of grief (fortunately all outside of work as we don't use wireless at school).

[plexer]

Should we compare wifi to smoking then? hundreds of nasty chemicals in cigarette smoke several no longer used in industry because of their toxicity yet the government still won't ban it completely.

 

Ben

[Skoggmeiger]

I don't have the fact or figures that that programme had last night, but surely common sence needs to take presidence here?

 

I keep hearing the words "there is no evidence", or "research shows" blah blah blah. Apparently a 10 year study has shown no ill-effect from radio waves.

 

Well excuse me, but i'm fairly certain, 10 years ago there was no wireless technology in schools - even the internet was limited to a degree - and mobile phones were fairly big and bulky with a minor arial. 10 Years? give me a break - the technology hasn't existed for 10 years in the presidence it is now.

 

Let me put it this way. I spent 13 years in the army, many of them heavily involved with radio comms as an NCO. Now, the army comms gear is many, many more times powerful than any wi-fi gear that gets used, and so far thousands od servicemen have totally failed to keel over with exploding skulls and eye sockets on fire. Personally I really disliked the way that the signal was referred to as 'radiation', and almost all of the laguage used was ambiguous and scare mongering. Lots of 'possibly', 'maybe', 'perhaps' were used. I did not hear one 'definitely'. A scare story, nothing more, however I think that a proper investigation would not go amiss though.

 

This is the problem with most people's argument on here. You presume that because nobody has yet grown a second head that there can't be any dangers with Wi-Fi. Yes, the show was one-sided, but did you expect anything else? It was a show to alert us to the fact that this "amazing" technology that we have all taken to our hearts, and installed in our homes and buildings, might actually need further testing to make sure it isn't a danger to us.

 

Don't forget, children have far thinner skulls than adults, so the effects, if there are any will be greater on them.

 

If nothing else, the show probably did us all a favour. Those that don't currently have Wi-Fi networks might not be asked to install them now. Your job has possibly just been made easier.

[enjay]

Should we compare wifi to smoking then? hundreds of nasty chemicals in cigarette smoke several no longer used in industry because of their toxicity yet the government still won't ban it completely.

 

Ben

Let's not make that comparison just yet, Ben, as smoking has been proven to have health risks. WiFi has not (yet).

[bishopsgarthstockton]

a signal reading wil be much higher inside, because the signal is bouncing around in basically a steel structure. I thaught the report was complete jibberish, and all they have done is confused the public.

 

and that woman with aluminium wallpaper.....move house. did yu notice how they never said how close the mast was to her house?

[Skoggmeiger]

a signal reading wil be much higher inside, because the signal is bouncing around in basically a steel structure. I thaught the report was complete jibberish, and all they have done is confused the public.

 

and that woman with aluminium wallpaper.....move house. did yu notice how they never said how close the mast was to her house?

 

Again, people are now mocking this women. People never used to believe in M.E, until that was proven.

 

Do any of you have vested interests in Wi-Fi? Why so resolute in your defence of it?

[alan-d]

Has anyone received any guidelines from their LEA yet on how to respond to parents questions?

 

We haven't just curious to know if anyone has

[webman]

Do any of you have vested interests in Wi-Fi? Why so resolute in your defence of it?

 

I could also ask why so many people have a vendetta against wifi?

[Skoggmeiger]

Do any of you have vested interests in Wi-Fi? Why so resolute in your defence of it?

 

I could also ask why so many people have a vendetta against wifi?

 

You should never answer a question with a question.

 

Don't get me wrong, I use Wi-Fi at home, but I'll be bluntly honest and tell you that after a few hours infront of my laptop, I feel like sh*t!

[bishopsgarthstockton]

a signal reading wil be much higher inside, because the signal is bouncing around in basically a steel structure. I thaught the report was complete jibberish, and all they have done is confused the public.

 

and that woman with aluminium wallpaper.....move house. did yu notice how they never said how close the mast was to her house?

 

Again, people are now mocking this women. People never used to believe in M.E, until that was proven.

 

Do any of you have vested interests in Wi-Fi? Why so resolute in your defence of it?

 

Im not mocking...stating a point

[webman]

What do you mean? I've neevver *twitch* had any problems after *blink blink* using weefii

[Vegas]

We are awaiting a response from out LEA as they were not aware of the program!

We have prepared a statment for parents and we are going to speak to our LeA Health and Safety people about a risk assessment.

 

Anyone had any calls from concerned parents?

[bishopsgarthstockton]

some guy said it affects our memory and health etc....

 

Is this down to poor diet

[mattx]

Again, people are now mocking this women.

 

Why ? Because she deserved it.

How did she get to Sweden ? In a plane I would like to guess. How did she cope with the cosmic radiation ?

So thats ONE person in the UK which has a population of around 70 million.

If she is THAT concerned then she should move.

[alan-d]

some guy said it affects our memory and health etc....

 

Is this down to poor diet

 

What effects our memory?

[plexer]

I'm going to get me one of those dohickeys that turns the radiation into an audible noise and then show that wrapping it in tin foil reduces the radiation because you can't hear the noise as much, I'm sure wrapping it in a blanket, sheeps fleece or putting anything else over the speaker would have the same effect.

 

Ben

[mattx]

What effects our memory?

 

I can't remember - ask Baco Foil Woman. :-)

[pete]

re: tinfoil woman

If you go on national tv and display your tinfoil wallpaper, you will be made fun of.

 

Back in the day, Panorama used to be about debate and balanced arguments - last nights program was pitifully one-sided, there was no independent testing and I now feel a need to beat Paul Kenyon around the head with an access point just to make him aware that they != mobile phone masts.

 

By all means investigate whether WiFi does/doesn't have harmful effects, but can we keep tabloid tv and bad science out of it please.

 

edit: it appears tinfoil woman lives not a million miles away from here

[alan-d]

Going to ask the D&T department to make all the kids foil hats to wear.

[bishopsgarthstockton]

What effects our memory?

 

I can't remember - ask Baco Foil Women. :-)

 

oow are you mocking Baco Woman

 

Apparently the signal can affect our memory.... hmmm buy one of thouse little nintendo game things and play that daft memory game... yeh...that ort to sort yu out

[bishopsgarthstockton]

Going to ask the D&T department to make all the kids foil hats to wear.

 

ask them to paint the letter 'D' on them

[Andrew_C]

Quick!! Pass me a tin hat!

 

Of course, TV and radio transmissions from the BBC have been around for decades, and you don't hear them doing programmes about two headed children caused by this do you?

 

Gasp! There are 4 wireless networks in a classroom! And dozens of satellite frequencies (all GHz), many TV frequencies, a vast radio spectrum, cosmic rays; this list goes on.

 

What a bunch of credulous fools... Just shows how poor science education in this country really is.

[apeo]

Why dont we just have bio suits to protect us against anything.... Dont have to worry about anything then.