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15 Oct 2026 04:24:47 EDT (-0400)
  Annoying problem (Message 1 to 18 of 18)  
From: St 
Subject: Annoying problem
Date: 18 Oct 2007 06:01:35
Message: <47172eff$1@news.povray.org>
You know when you're sat at your PC and you have your mobile phone with you, 
and then, when someone calls you or texts you, you get the signals through 
your PC speakers? Well, hey, I don't mind that, but recently, over the last 
three weeks I've been getting a signal that happens *every* 3 to 5 minutes 
for a period of about 30 seconds throughout the day and night. It's 
non-stop. I don't know what it is, and it's certainly not my mobile, (well, 
I don't think it is, people have called me when it happens, and 'my' signal 
is heard over the top of this mysterious signal). And it's always the same 
pattern of signals.

    (X-Files: Are 'They' trying to contact me?)  :oO

  Seriously, it's really annoying now. I can't listen to music properly. Any 
idea's as to what it might be?

     (Damn, there it goes again...)   >:o(


         ~Steve~


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From: scott
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 18 Oct 2007 06:04:24
Message: <47172fa8@news.povray.org>
>  Seriously, it's really annoying now. I can't listen to music properly. 
> Any idea's as to what it might be?
>
>     (Damn, there it goes again...)   >:o(

Any other wireless devices nearby? (another mobile, blue-tooth, cordless 
land-line etc).  It seems like your speakers (or the amplified/cabling 
inside them) are not particularly well shielded against this sort of 
radiation...


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From: St 
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 18 Oct 2007 06:41:48
Message: <4717386c@news.povray.org>
"scott" <sco### [at] laptopcom> wrote in message news:47172fa8@news.povray.org...
>>  Seriously, it's really annoying now. I can't listen to music properly. 
>> Any idea's as to what it might be?
>>
>>     (Damn, there it goes again...)   >:o(
>
> Any other wireless devices nearby? (another mobile, blue-tooth, cordless 
> land-line etc).  It seems like your speakers (or the amplified/cabling 
> inside them) are not particularly well shielded against this sort of 
> radiation...

      IT'S STOPPED! :) Yaaay, thanks Scott, it was my son's Bluetooth on his 
mobile. He turned it off, and I haven't had the problem, well, since you 
posted, 35 minutes ago.  :)

      ~Steve~


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From: M a r c
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 18 Oct 2007 07:12:32
Message: <47173fa0$1@news.povray.org>
"St." <dot### [at] dotcom> a écrit dans le message de news: 
4717386c@news.povray.org...
>
>      IT'S STOPPED! :) Yaaay, thanks Scott, it was my son's Bluetooth on 
> his mobile. He turned it off, and I haven't had the problem, well, since 
> you posted, 35 minutes ago.  :)
>
>      ~Steve~

bab babap  bab babap bab babap (ad lib)... ;-)

Marc


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From: Bill Pragnell
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 18 Oct 2007 07:14:03
Message: <47173ffb@news.povray.org>
M_a_r_c wrote:
> "St." <dot### [at] dotcom> a écrit dans le message de news: 
> 4717386c@news.povray.org...
>>      IT'S STOPPED! :) Yaaay, thanks Scott, it was my son's Bluetooth on 
>> his mobile. He turned it off, and I haven't had the problem, well, since 
>> you posted, 35 minutes ago.  :)
>>
>>      ~Steve~
> 
> bab babap  bab babap bab babap (ad lib)... ;-)

Damn hiphop ringtones   ;)


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From: St 
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 18 Oct 2007 07:17:47
Message: <471740db@news.povray.org>
"M_a_r_c" <jac### [at] wanadoofr> wrote in message 
news:47173fa0$1@news.povray.org...
>
> "St." <dot### [at] dotcom> a écrit dans le message de news: 
> 4717386c@news.povray.org...
>>
>>      IT'S STOPPED! :) Yaaay, thanks Scott, it was my son's Bluetooth on 
>> his mobile. He turned it off, and I haven't had the problem, well, since 
>> you posted, 35 minutes ago.  :)
>>
>>      ~Steve~
>
> bab babap  bab babap bab babap (ad lib)... ;-)

     LOL! That's exactly how it was! (Well, close, I guess).

     "Silence is golden, golden..."  :)

          ~Steve~


>
> Marc
>
>
>


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From: Warp
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 19 Oct 2007 14:27:48
Message: <4718f724@news.povray.org>
St. <dot### [at] dotcom> wrote:
> You know when you're sat at your PC and you have your mobile phone with you, 
> and then, when someone calls you or texts you, you get the signals through 
> your PC speakers?

  It depends on the speakers, actually. Mine don't emit that sound (or they
do it very quietly if there's absolute silence otherwise).

-- 
                                                          - Warp


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From: Orchid XP v7
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 19 Oct 2007 14:51:50
Message: <4718fcc6$1@news.povray.org>
Warp wrote:
> St. <dot### [at] dotcom> wrote:
>> You know when you're sat at your PC and you have your mobile phone with you, 
>> and then, when someone calls you or texts you, you get the signals through 
>> your PC speakers?
> 
>   It depends on the speakers, actually. Mine don't emit that sound (or they
> do it very quietly if there's absolute silence otherwise).

I don't know about *sound*, but the picture on my monitor goes wobbly 
just before I recieve a text message or phone call.

(Oddly, *during* such a call the picture is fine. I guess it's the 
polling signal or something... I don't really understand GSM.)


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From: Darren New
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 19 Oct 2007 18:21:51
Message: <47192dff$1@news.povray.org>
Orchid XP v7 wrote:
> I don't know about *sound*, but the picture on my monitor goes wobbly 
> just before I recieve a text message or phone call.

We had a ham radio operator up the street you could hear talking through 
the electric organ (as in, piano-like musical device) we had. We 
complained, but managed to convince him it was coming out the light 
bulbs.  Was very amusing.

-- 
   Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
     Remember the good old days, when we
     used to complain about cryptography
     being export-restricted?


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From: M a r c
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 20 Oct 2007 03:39:11
Message: <4719b09f$1@news.povray.org>
"Darren New" <dne### [at] sanrrcom> a écrit dans le message de news: 
47192dff$1@news.povray.org...
> Orchid XP v7 wrote:
>> I don't know about *sound*, but the picture on my monitor goes wobbly 
>> just before I recieve a text message or phone call.
>
> We had a ham radio operator up the street you could hear talking through 
> the electric organ (as in, piano-like musical device) we had. We 
> complained, but managed to convince him it was coming out the light bulbs. 
> Was very amusing.
>
> -- 
LOL

I was sound engineer for a open air festival in the early 80's.
The mixing desk was a cheap one with unbalanced line outs (i.e. very 
sensitive to electro-magnetic fields)
During the sound check I  heard a very clear and loud voice coming out of 
the stage monitors :
"Hey dude I'm hearing myself speaking thru a PA! that's so funny!"
I didn't thought  it was, so I ran across the street and told to the driver 
chatting thru his CB to go and play some miles away.

Marc


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From: Orchid XP v7
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 20 Oct 2007 04:15:23
Message: <4719b91b$1@news.povray.org>
Darren New wrote:

> We had a ham radio operator up the street you could hear talking through 
> the electric organ (as in, piano-like musical device) we had. We 
> complained, but managed to convince him it was coming out the light 
> bulbs.  Was very amusing.

Down the road there's a guy with an arial bigger than his house. (It 
even rotates from time to time.) Back when I had that cheap portable 
stereo, I used to be able to hear muted mumblings through the speakers 
while it was plugged in [but not necessarily turned on]. Very annoying. 
Especially annoying when you realise you've actually recorded it on that 
tape you did the other day...

[This is the same stereo that was rated at "20 W", but when we took it 
apart to fix something, we found the speaker drivers were cheap little 
things from Maplin or something. Two had "0.25 W" printed on them, and 
the other two (the bass drivers) had "0.5 W" printed on them.]



Speaking of light bulbs... I recall one time at school, I walked into a 
room, and there was a small group of kids staring at the ceiling. I'm 
like "WTH? Is this the most exciting thing going?" And they're all like 
"no, no, come over here and LISTEN!"

It turns out the light bulb was making a weird sound, like

WAB WAAB WAB WAHAHAHAB WALALALAAAAA WALALL WAAAAB AB WABALALAL...

And then suddenly, as we watched it, the pitch suddenly changed, and the 
light slowly faded to black, and went out, and the noise stopped.

I've seen bulbs pop before, but THAT was just weird!


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From: Stephen
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 20 Oct 2007 05:40:00
Message: <web.4719cc009dd5b7409f89f7890@news.povray.org>
Orchid XP v7 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>> Speaking of light bulbs... I recall one time at school, I walked into a
> room, and there was a small group of kids staring at the ceiling. I'm
> like "WTH? Is this the most exciting thing going?" And they're all like
> "no, no, come over here and LISTEN!"
>
> It turns out the light bulb was making a weird sound, like
>
> WAB WAAB WAB WAHAHAHAB WALALALAAAAA WALALL WAAAAB AB WABALALAL...
>
> And then suddenly, as we watched it, the pitch suddenly changed, and the
> light slowly faded to black, and went out, and the noise stopped.
>
> I've seen bulbs pop before, but THAT was just weird!

Don't worry it goes away with age :)


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From: Phil Cook
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 22 Oct 2007 05:44:50
Message: <op.t0leocqic3xi7v@news.povray.org>
And lo on Sat, 20 Oct 2007 09:15:39 +0100, Orchid XP v7 <voi### [at] devnull>  
did spake, saying:

> Darren New wrote:
>
> Speaking of light bulbs... I recall one time at school, I walked into a  
> room, and there was a small group of kids staring at the ceiling. I'm  
> like "WTH? Is this the most exciting thing going?" And they're all like  
> "no, no, come over here and LISTEN!"
>
> It turns out the light bulb was making a weird sound, like
>
> WAB WAAB WAB WAHAHAHAB WALALALAAAAA WALALL WAAAAB AB WABALALAL...
>
> And then suddenly, as we watched it, the pitch suddenly changed, and the  
> light slowly faded to black, and went out, and the noise stopped.
>
> I've seen bulbs pop before, but THAT was just weird!

Not bulbs, but I know the tubes hum seem to increase in pitch and they  
start flickering before they go. I spot it more often in shops (prevalence  
of such lights), but the wierd thing if I point it out to someone or a  
sales guy they just get a blank look. If it was all of the lights doing it  
I'd say it was me, but it's just some. Oh and for some reason the flicker  
shows up more in reflecting light, browsing one section of DVDs I had to  
stop as it was like a strobe effect.

Anyone else with the same thing or should I just submit myself to the  
nearest lab for scientific study and dissection :-)

-- 
Phil Cook

--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com


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From: scott
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 22 Oct 2007 06:14:08
Message: <471c77f0@news.povray.org>
> Not bulbs, but I know the tubes hum seem to increase in pitch and they 
> start flickering before they go. I spot it more often in shops (prevalence 
> of such lights), but the wierd thing if I point it out to someone or a 
> sales guy they just get a blank look. If it was all of the lights doing it 
> I'd say it was me, but it's just some. Oh and for some reason the flicker 
> shows up more in reflecting light, browsing one section of DVDs I had to 
> stop as it was like a strobe effect.
>
> Anyone else with the same thing or should I just submit myself to the 
> nearest lab for scientific study and dissection :-)

Yeh, I think your eye is more sensitive to flicker away from the centre 
high-resolution bit.  Often on my gf's parents old CRT (the only one I ever 
use nowadays) I can see it flicker out of the corner of my eye when 
displaying a whitish image (eg google website), but when I stare directly at 
it it looks fine.

Also, as I understand, the amount of flicker visible varies quite a lot 
person to person.  What you see as annoying flicker someone else might not 
even notice.


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From: Phil Cook
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 22 Oct 2007 06:36:17
Message: <op.t0lg13r6c3xi7v@news.povray.org>
And lo on Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:14:05 +0100, scott <sco### [at] laptopcom> did  
spake, saying:

>> Not bulbs, but I know the tubes hum seem to increase in pitch and they  
>> start flickering before they go. I spot it more often in shops  
>> (prevalence of such lights), but the wierd thing if I point it out to  
>> someone or a sales guy they just get a blank look. If it was all of the  
>> lights doing it I'd say it was me, but it's just some. Oh and for some  
>> reason the flicker shows up more in reflecting light, browsing one  
>> section of DVDs I had to stop as it was like a strobe effect.
>>
>> Anyone else with the same thing or should I just submit myself to the  
>> nearest lab for scientific study and dissection :-)
>
> Yeh, I think your eye is more sensitive to flicker away from the centre  
> high-resolution bit.  Often on my gf's parents old CRT (the only one I  
> ever use nowadays) I can see it flicker out of the corner of my eye when  
> displaying a whitish image (eg google website), but when I stare  
> directly at it it looks fine.

CRT-wise I generally need to run at 72Hz or higher; LCDs I can get away  
with 60Hz, but I get this odd 'sensation' in my eyes/head that something's  
not quite right. CRT TVs at 50Hz are okay at a distance and for short  
periods of time, but as I've mentioned the LCD ones just do my head in.  
Heh all sounds totally contradictory, but that's how I see things not as  
if I can take my complaints to the designer.

> Also, as I understand, the amount of flicker visible varies quite a lot  
> person to person.  What you see as annoying flicker someone else might  
> not even notice.

Just odd I've not bumped into anyone else with the same ability. Oo no I  
tell a lie there was a girl with similiar abilities, less on the flicker  
more on the tone and feeling things like TVs being turned on and off.

-- 
Phil Cook

--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com


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From: scott
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 22 Oct 2007 07:08:30
Message: <471c84ae$1@news.povray.org>
> CRT-wise I generally need to run at 72Hz or higher;

I think that's about average from my limited sample size :-)  For me, even 
at 72/75Hz, when showing large white areas I can see the flicker.  I used to 
have mine set at 85 IIRC.

> LCDs I can get away  with 60Hz, but I get this odd 'sensation' in my 
> eyes/head that something's  not quite right.

Is that with all LCDs?  Although light output from LCD remains virtually 
constant during a frame, badly designed/adjusted LCDs can have slightly 
different brightnesses between odd and even frames.  This is because the 
average voltage needs to be 0V across LC otherwise bad things happen, you 
get around this by applying (eg) 4V one frame, -4V next frame, then 4V, etc. 
Usually each horizontal line is driven with opposite polarity, so even if 
there is some small difference it averages out spatially each frame.  Even 
better LCDs drive each pixel with opposite polarity (in a checkerboard 
pattern) so it is virtually impossible to notice any flicker even when the 
+/- are matched very badly.

Standard test patterns we use here are black/white horizontal lines and 1 
pixel checkerboard patterns, these highlight any problems that would 
otherwise be disguised with areas of plain colour.  Maybe give it a try?

> CRT TVs at 50Hz are okay at a distance and for short  periods of time, but 
> as I've mentioned the LCD ones just do my head in.  Heh all sounds totally 
> contradictory, but that's how I see things not as  if I can take my 
> complaints to the designer.

You can tell me :-)  Do you have the problems with LCD with static images 
too, or is it just moving pictures?


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From: Phil Cook
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 22 Oct 2007 09:09:18
Message: <op.t0ln42mgc3xi7v@news.povray.org>
And lo on Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:08:30 +0100, scott <sco### [at] laptopcom> did  
spake, saying:

>> CRT-wise I generally need to run at 72Hz or higher;
>
> I think that's about average from my limited sample size :-)  For me,  
> even at 72/75Hz, when showing large white areas I can see the flicker.   
> I used to have mine set at 85 IIRC.
>
>> LCDs I can get away  with 60Hz, but I get this odd 'sensation' in my  
>> eyes/head that something's  not quite right.
>
> Is that with all LCDs?  Although light output from LCD remains virtually  
> constant during a frame, badly designed/adjusted LCDs can have slightly  
> different brightnesses between odd and even frames.  This is because the  
> average voltage needs to be 0V across LC otherwise bad things happen,  
> you get around this by applying (eg) 4V one frame, -4V next frame, then  
> 4V, etc. Usually each horizontal line is driven with opposite polarity,  
> so even if there is some small difference it averages out spatially each  
> frame.  Even better LCDs drive each pixel with opposite polarity (in a  
> checkerboard pattern) so it is virtually impossible to notice any  
> flicker even when the +/- are matched very badly.
>
> Standard test patterns we use here are black/white horizontal lines and  
> 1 pixel checkerboard patterns, these highlight any problems that would  
> otherwise be disguised with areas of plain colour.  Maybe give it a try?
>
>> CRT TVs at 50Hz are okay at a distance and for short  periods of time,  
>> but as I've mentioned the LCD ones just do my head in.  Heh all sounds  
>> totally contradictory, but that's how I see things not as  if I can  
>> take my complaints to the designer.
>
> You can tell me :-)  Do you have the problems with LCD with static  
> images too, or is it just moving pictures?

Not something I've exactly made a scientific test of ;-) Anyway hmm  
thinking about it 'name' brand LCD seem better then no-namers. TV-wise  
both static and moving, but moving more so.

-- 
Phil Cook

--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com


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From: Stephen
Subject: Re: Annoying problem
Date: 22 Oct 2007 10:05:00
Message: <web.471cae049dd5b740c4e49fa40@news.povray.org>
"Phil Cook" <phi### [at] nospamrocainfreeservecouk> wrote:
>
> Not bulbs, but I know the tubes hum seem to increase in pitch and they
> start flickering before they go. I spot it more often in shops (prevalence
> of such lights), but the wierd thing if I point it out to someone or a
> sales guy they just get a blank look. If it was all of the lights doing it
> I'd say it was me, but it's just some. Oh and for some reason the flicker
> shows up more in reflecting light, browsing one section of DVDs I had to
> stop as it was like a strobe effect.
>
> Anyone else with the same thing or should I just submit myself to the
> nearest lab for scientific study and dissection :-)
>
> --
> Phil Cook


You probably see it using your peripheral vision as we have groups of cells
in that area, which act as motion detectors. The flickering excites them
and draws your attention to them. Then you can see nothing amiss.

Stephen


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