A Noise That Only Teens Can Hear?!

I got this one from CNN.com as well. They don't seem to publish the author's name all the time because I can't find it. It is entitled "Conflict follows device that drives away teen loiterers". It was published on Wednesday, April 23,2008.

Apparently there is a new device that can be mounted to walls, most often outside of buildings that have trouble with teen loiterers (some place like Taco Bell on 70 would be perfect for it) for $1,500. The device, while they say it affect teens, also affect people in their 20's, babies, young children, animals, and other humans who still have good hearing. The people of any age that "have sensitive hair cells in their inner ears" can be affected. This means that adults who still have good hearing will be affected as well. As far as children go, this article claims that only teens find the high-pitched squeal to be annoying. There may be a future problem though. While the trouble kids are no longer just hanging around businesses, nobody really knows where they are going or what they are doing now. Also, "James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Boston's Northeastern University," brought up a concern I hadn't thought of: this device put the power of 'enforcing' the no loitering laws into civilian hands. What if these people get frustrated and try something more drastic personally. I have a point to bring up as well: this annoying sound is indifferent to whether or not you are loitering or just passing through. The article brings up a teenage boy who is 'forced' to run past these noisemakers in his apartment complex. The running may be dangerous and there is no reason for law abiding young people to be punished so. If Taco Bell got the noisemakers, I would hate to go and listen to that squeal.

I think that this writer would do well to offer more specific information about this device: how loud it is, how far away it can be heard, if it can be turned on and off, what the actual frequency the sound is, and different manufacturers.

I hope that this article had enough to do with technology. Though I am afraid it was a little too personalized I found it to be an interesting and applicable piece of technology.