Hands up and put down your phone - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2015, 07:38:36 pm
content: abstracting electricity... hmm... I hope his prison cell is without AC outlet. Otherwise, I see a repeat offender coming up.http://www.newser.com/story/209792/man-busted-for-charging-iphone-on-london-train.htmlWonder if his sentence will be based on mAH or Watt-Hour.

author: drws
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 21, 2015, 07:58:15 pm
content: Quote from: Rick Law on July 21, 2015, 07:38:36 pmLOLAlthough... maybe community service should be watt-hour based. The harder they work the sooner the sentence finishes.

author: CosPhi
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2015, 08:38:07 pm
content: In the new trains here in switzerland there are sockets on the most seats since a few years.But IMHO .. energy should not be for free. It's no problem to charge your phone at home ... and if your watch can't run a whole day you may should change the watch.We also have some people on work and they load there ebike batteries on work. At moment it is tolerated on the higher levels. I'm just waiting until the first guy does load his car ... with a cable out of the window

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2015, 08:39:31 pm
content: I don't know about trains but the airports have special sockets for the cleaners with things like the earth pins rotated 90 deg. so that a standard plug wont fit. Some people though think that if their phone needs charging they have the right to take electricity from any source, one instance reported on the radio was of a woman standing near a vending machine she had unplugged to charge her phone and playing games on the phone while waiting for it to charge. I was just about ranting at the radio that day as some idiots were coming up with excuses such as the electricity is generated all the time the train is moving and is goes to waste unless used.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2015, 08:49:25 pm
content: Quote from: CosPhi on July 21, 2015, 08:38:07 pmActually, I agree with you in principal. But I think like most, I have charged my laptop god knows how many times at Air Ports, Hotel waiting area, Train Stations, and god knows where else.Quote from: G7PSK on July 21, 2015, 08:39:31 pmNow unplugging a vending machines... that goes too far. Is one thing unplugging the fire-alarm, but denying people of their candy or their soft-drink, now that is heartless.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 21, 2015, 09:10:59 pm
content: To be fair, he does own an iPhone. The battery was probably already half depleated before he got to work that day.

author: CosPhi
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 05:06:01 am
content: Excuse not accepted.I have no Iphone by myself (Samsung Note 3) and I guess at least the phones from apple survive a whole day without chaging.If your product really has a such small batterys, so you need to carry the charger with you all the time ... I mean that's not the idea of a battery powered device.Not so long ago everybody expected from a phone it can run over a week from a battery. I still have a such phone from my company and it's a cool feature. Most people forgot about that feature after when they bought a smartphone.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 07:49:43 am
content: Of course he shouldn't have been arrested.It's BS that charging a tiny iPhone could cause a power surge. If that's the case then the train electrical system is faulty.The article said he was de-arrested for the electricity transgression, but then was further arrested for unacceptable behaviour for getting aggressive with police. Whilst getting angry with the police for this is perfectly understandable, it's still very important to exercise self control to prevent one for getting into more trouble.

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 08:10:45 am
content: Quote from: Hero999 on July 22, 2015, 07:49:43 amMost likely that the phone would not cause a power surge but using the sockets on an electric train would likely put the user of said socket at risk from a power surge, the socket is fed after all ultimately from the same power line as the trains motors. there must be some big transients on the power line and I am fairly certain the phone charger wont have any CAT rating at all. My guess that is why they dont allow the use of the cleaners sockets the cleaners only use them on static trains.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 08:44:56 am
content: Quote from: Hero999 on July 22, 2015, 07:49:43 amBut maybe he was arrested to begin with for such unacceptable behavior? The article doesn't go to what transpired at the train station.I can see some people might just ignore a worker at the station or be verbally abusive upon the "Sir, this plug is not for public use" ensuing the employee to report him to the police.But it's just my conjecture, seeing that he got arrested again once he though he could be abusive again and was on the clear.Yes, it could have been an officer overreacting and showing no flexibility, then again once he was de-arrested his true persona came into play digging him more into the hole.

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 08:49:12 am
content: It would not have been a story if he had just said "sorry I did not know it was not allowed" and unplugged his phone.

author: CosPhi
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 10:11:39 am
content: Yes it's just pretty stupid to get arrested that for.But these days law ... and some counrys police work ... better don't ask and much better don't try to understand.How much does it cost to arrest somebody? You propably can load a cellphone a life long for that costs

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 11:38:01 am
content: Quote from: CosPhi on July 21, 2015, 08:38:07 pmIf you're in a train, chances are you've paid for the ride already and part of that cost should go toward this energy.That raises the question, would an obese rider require the train to use more energy, more than the amount required to transport this guy and charge his phone...?

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 11:50:32 am
content: If he was abusive to a regular plod he got what he deserved, if it was one of those plastic plods then he has my sympathy, 90% of them think they work for the stazi and are ignorant arrogant jumped up prats. The majority of them think they have powers they do not have and like to flex their muscles. only have to search youtube for them. Sadly the 10% of decent ones who do the job as asked get the stick for their mates.

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 11:52:15 am
content: What if his charger was not CE certified and caused severe issues, or even failures, in the in-train electrical network?

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 11:53:57 am
content: Quote from: amyk on July 22, 2015, 11:38:01 amIf he'd have just been happy to walk a few feet there would have been sockets for public use. I've been charging laptops and phones on trains for over a decade and never had anything said to me when using the allocated public outlets.

author: McBryce
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 12:09:03 pm
content: Has he beenchargedyet?McBryce.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 12:34:58 pm
content: Quote from: Jeroen3 on July 22, 2015, 11:52:15 amThen the outlet isn't fit for purpose. Regardless of whether or not passengers are technically permitted to use them, it's perfectly reasonable to assume that theywillplug in laptops and phones, and that in any case, faults may exist inanythingwhich gets plugged in.The solution to this "problem" is trivial... 0.1p is added to the ticket price to cover the trivial amount of electricity which passengers may use. Using sockets for charging phones and laptops is permitted, and the train operator saves money by firing some of the monkeys in hi-viz.

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 12:51:53 pm
content: Quote from: AndyC_772 on July 22, 2015, 12:34:58 pmYES! THIS! ^^^^^Why have we almost completely lost our grasp of Common Sense here?

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 12:58:30 pm
content: Because the Elf and safety people in the UK need to keep their jobs somehow and buy nice new hi viz jackets every so often. Without them our kids and such would be playing on dangerous swings, climbing tree's and other such stuff , oh and slipping on banana skins somewhere.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 01:22:15 pm
content: Quote from: G7PSK on July 22, 2015, 08:49:12 amSome people like to learn it the hard way. Maybe it was his intension to get some public attention, he's an artist. The arrest for unacceptable behaviour could be justified or a vindictive officer. We don't know. The actual damage is less than 1p, I'd guess.Yesterday I had something more worrying. One of my parent's tenants moved out and left a nasty surprise. He had disconnected an outdoor lamp and connected a stub from an extension cord. Simply wrapped the stub's stranded wire around the solid mains wire, folded it and put some tape around it. Then put the lamp back as cover. He claimed to be a sparky.

author: McBryce
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 02:04:29 pm
content: Quote from: Deathwish on July 22, 2015, 12:58:30 pmAs kids we cycled without helmets, fell out of trees, played in non rubberised playgrounds and even slid behind trucks when the road was iced and yet most of us are still here! How did we manage to survive back then without the safety police? I mean we didn't even have Youtube up upload our tom-foolery for everyone to see!I feel sorry for kids these days, they really are being denied having fun.McBryce.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 03:37:26 pm
content: Quote from: McBryce on July 22, 2015, 02:04:29 pmPrice we pay for "no risk tolerated." Can't even find a see-saw or merry-go-round in play grounds anymore.So, kids are so oblivious to risk they go hiking in a war zone thinking they will be left alone as long as they are nice.

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 04:29:28 pm
content: Either that Rick or they end up in derelict houses or playgrounds with needles in their arms and bottles of alcohol

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 05:55:23 pm
content: Quote from: Deathwish on July 22, 2015, 04:29:28 pmNaahh... Those sticking needles into their own arm are the gutless ones. The ones with guts stick needles (and other things) into other's arms, and alcohol (bottle only) on others head.Seriously, my point is that life is risky. Taking away the see-saw and merry-go-round is nutty. Unless kids are exposed to some risk, they are not aware of the concept that everything in life has some risk. Myopinionis that as a consequent, kids are less equipped to balance risk vs benefit and thus makepoor risk-benefit judgement into adulthood.Kids in car child-seats makes sense. But then after arriving the zoo safely, you dangle the kid 10 feet over the cheetah pit for a better view! That is nutty! Yet it happened (April 12 2015, Cleveland Metroparks zoo. The kid fell 10 feet into the cheetah pit.) This shows a total lack of concept of risk-vs-benefit. In my view, this parent probably grow up without adequate concept of risk.In 2012, it happened in Pittsburgh zoo for a 2 year old with the Wild African Dogs exhibit. Boy felt from seating on the railing and killed by the dogs. The boy’s parents sued the zoo, saying it had been warned about other parents who routinely lifted children on to the railing.Now, that leads us right back to relating back to the original post - Law suit. If the train station openly allow such plug in, say there is a posted sign "charge up to 10 minutes only" which would constitute a tacit approval; such approval would open the train station to law suit if say he or anyone else tripped over the wire. So the station at the very least has to show some objection. It is not a bad idea to issue a citation of some sort every now and again to set an example. It is just awful if you happened to be the instrument of such example setting.If I am caughtwith my phone plugged in... Sorry for the confusion, officer, I am not charging my phone. I am doing a public service checking if the power level is proper before I or anyone else get on the train...

author: sunnyhighway
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 08:18:47 pm
content: Quote from: Rick Law on July 22, 2015, 05:55:23 pmCommon sense seems to become a rare commodity these days.Imho this is the result of the tendecy of judges ruling more and more often in favor of Darwin Award candidates.In the near future I expect to see plastic bags withwarnings readable from the insidepointing out the dangers associated with it.