Monday, April 20, 2009

Psychic Jam

Sauntering along to the local shops the other day I was struck by the sheer number of satellite dishes that adorn the houses – my own included though we are not connected (it came with the house and we haven’t as yet motivated ourselves sufficiently to have it removed).

And not for the first time – after all this is hardly an earth shatteringly original thought – I found myself musing on the terrifyingly large volume of radio waves that we must all spend our lives totally immersed within. TV, radio, satellite, citizen’s band, police radios, MI5 ops (they’re always hanging around outside my house) not to mention various pirate radio stations and various terrorist groups constructing vast microwave machines to fry our pituitary glands while we’re sleeping.

It can’t be good for us, surely, all that static and electronic caterwauling constantly beaming its way through our genetic building blocks? I’m not sure I want my DNA modified by Chris Moyles though Jo Whiley is very welcome to run her fingers through my scintillating chromosomes.

It’s only a transient worry, I admit. I hold it only for a few seconds and then it’s gone (possibly fried out of my brain cells by Jihadi microwaves) but it does keep recurring.

How do we know that all these radio waves aren’t having an adverse effect on our emotional make-up? That we’re not being psychologically damaged?

I’d love to be able to breathe some clean, unadulterated air one day just to be able to find out. To do this I need to find somewhere that’s in a technological blind spot – literally off the radar.

Anyone got any suggestions?

(Royston Vasey doesn’t count.)


22 comments:

French Fancy... said...

Instead of having to creep in after everyone else I am delighted to find that I am first.

Isn't it worrying sometimes (although, like you, I don't hold these thoughts in my head for more than 2 secs) about this modern age. Nobody really knows the long term side effects about stuff like mobiles held to the ear, microwaves, as you said - satellite dishes. The world is quite worrying really.

Years ago I was in the Middle East for a while and someone took me to meet a tribe of Bedouins in the desert. They had their own generator and a Pepsi Cola dispenser - I swear I'm not making this up. The natural world does not exist anymore.

French Fancy... said...

p.s. won't I look daft if I'm like 17th or something - there is no way of knowing

Steve said...

No, you are definitely the first FF - congratulations. I guess pole position is always sought after!

Pepsi Coke - not Coca Cola? Was it diet or full fat? I'm not actually that surprised. When I visited Egypt a few years ago I was informed that they had a Coke factory in Cairo where they made and bottled the stuff. I guess there's no such thing as "off the beaten track" anymore - it's all paved and lined with streetlights.

MommyHeadache said...

You will be relieved to know there is a Noblesse Oblige award waiting for you on my blog. This is the blog academy equivalent of an Oscar - so believe me it is only a matter of time before Hollywood comes a-knocking.

Do pass on the Noblesse Oblige to other worthy bloggers.
xx

Steve said...

Emma, I am touched and honoured. At last. I am a proper nob. It's a dream come true! ;-) Plus it saves me having to think too hard coming up with a subject for my next blog post...!

justme said...

This IS the natural world now! Possibly why I have become a bit strange? My brainwaves are being fried. Sure I USED to be normal....well....ish.....ummmmm. Or maybe not. Those rays must have been around for longer than I thought!

The Sagittarian said...

Phew, no "unsavoury" comments about down here yet then? You can forget the microwaves and EMFs Steve, down here we get farted to death with all the sheep and cattle we have. Not sure which I'd prefer....

The Sagittarian said...

PS - apparently if you sleep with a colander strapped to your head and sleep counter-clockwise you will fool the evil waves into thinking you're one of them and they won't be able to get youo!

Anonymous said...

It is worrying. The amount of time 'young' people spend with their cell phones to their ear causes me particular concern.

Year ago there was a TV programme my brothers and I used to watch. I think it was called 'Changes' on in the 70s I think around the time of 'The Tomorrow People'.
It was set in a non specified future where machines were driving people into violent rages,pointlessly damaging property and attacking one another seemingly unprovoked.
Imagine such a world? Horrific hey?

Owen said...

Am going to interlope again, as you held out the welcome mat. My client, Mr Dungo, decided to drop the charges mentioned below against you in return for a 40% take in your earnings as a Somalian pirate captain. What do you think? Otherwise we may have to concoct a juicy fatwa for you!

As for microwave, radio, x-ray, mobile phone, television, sonar in the sea, high tension power lines, undersea cables, satellites, GPS, and all the rest, you are no doubt correct in thinking that we are all getting fried daily. Remember those ads a while back... this is your brain, and this is your brain on drugs? Well, it's surely something like that. I think your best bet is to hitch a ride on the next mission to Mars !

Anonymous said...

I think in this day and age we would be hard pressed to find a spot not affected by modern technology...

The remotest HooHoo tribes of the deepest, most removed places of the world have McDonalds...and YouTube...well...we can pack it in brother!

:)
Cheeky Kisses~

Steve said...

Justme: it's a terrifying thought that our DNA could have been altered irreversibly even as far back as our grandparents days...

Amanda: I'd take good old methane over microwave poison anyday of the week. At least you know it's there and can quit smoking for a while! Have tried the culinder technique but started dreaming about The Wizard of Oz... not sure why.

Missbehaving: ooh. That's freaky and right on the nail. I worry quite a bit about mobile phones and the fact that even young toddlers are so attracted to them. I try not to let mine play with them too much just in case.

Owen: the pirate venture came to an abrupt end when the US Navy encouraged some of my crew mates to move on to better things... ;-) Mars sounds a good bet actually - most of our probes seem to crash rather than land there so we should be pretty safe from the scourge of MacDonalds, Radio One and CB radio enthusiasts!

Sweet Cheeks: you are depressingly right. Even places that have no mobile reception are still bombarded from above by various satellites belting around the planet. We're trapped in an electronic prison of our own making!

The Joined up Cook said...

There'll always be something we are fearful of; usually something new that we don't really understand.

One hundred and fifty years ago it was the railway; people thought travelling at fifty miles an hour might harm or even kill you.

As for it being an electronic prison?

You could see it as an electronic release.

Ten years ago I never would have thought I would communicate with people in Australia, the USA and such places.

Steve said...

There is much truth to what you say, AWB, but I'm also very aware of the sense of freedom I get whenever I holiday in Wales and see the connectivity bar on my mobile phone drop off to zero... it's nice sometimes to be out of contact from the world.

The Joined up Cook said...

You mean you switch your phone ON when you're on holiday!

Good grief :)

We can make our own freedoms - and our own cages.

Steve said...

Nope AWB, but I do like leaving it on during the journey there and watching the signal die the closer we get... I've been known to twirl my moustache and cackle evilly too.

The Joined up Cook said...

I can understand the joy of doing that.

Might try it too.

Steve said...

Sometimes the best things in life really are free... ;-)

skatey katie said...

lookout steve!
the aliens are coming!
HAHAHAHAHAHA
yeah - am onto my second glass of vino X

Steve said...

Kate, have a third and fourth on me! ;-) The little green men say have a fifth if you can manage it!

Rol said...

How do you do that thing with making little captions pop up over your links?

And do you perhaps have too much time on your hands?

Steve said...

I always have time for you, Rol. Lessons in HTML #1. A link is created thus:

Within the "a href" tag that creates a link you can add an attribute called title. Eg. title="something funny". This will appear as a pop up when someone hovers their mouse over it. Hope that helps!