Think twice about talking on yer phone, yer head might explode!
- Thread starter readiculous
- Start date
readiculous
Member
They said you have to have at least three phones, but I totally wanna see for my self.
robtheslobonacob
Member
yea that didnt work for me either and i was using 3 phones
readiculous
Member
good point, I totally didn't notice that.
Mezmerize19
Active member
YouTube videos that show a group of friends
apparently cooking kernels of popcorn with their cellphones have been
viewed more than a million times since they were uploaded last week.
The clever parlor trick (see embedded clip) looks amazing enough,
but there's a hitch: It's not physically possible, according to
University of Virginia physics professor Louis Bloomfield.
"[The videos] are cute," said Bloomfield in a phone conversation Monday. "But that's never gonna happen."
In a microwave oven, energy excites the water inside popcorn kernels
until it turns into highly pressurized gas, causing the kernels to pop.
If mobile phones emitted that much energy, the water in the fingers of
people holding them would heat up.
"It would hurt like crazy," Bloomfield said. "Cellphones probably
warm your tissues, but studies indicate that's not injurious."
Bloomfield, author of How Everything Works: Making Physics Out of the Ordinary, dismissed theories bubbling up in comment threads about the videos that suggest harmonious vibrations are heating
the corn.
"Ringing the phones doesn't help because they're interfering with
each other and receiving a signal [from a cellphone tower] -- not transmitting it," he said.
Furthermore, while it is possible to heat with sound, it's not likely
to happen at the low volume emitted by a mobile phone. "It would be
like gathering opera singers together to sing, and trying to make the
corn pop," Bloomfield said.
So, what's really causing the kernels to ricochet off the table in the YouTube clips?
Bloomfield suggests tricky video editing or
even a covert heating element beneath the table. Debunker website Snopes.com also points out that cooking popcorn with cellphones is impossible (same goes for eggs).
The popcorn videos, like the slew of YouTube clips showcasing ordinary
people performing extraordinary feats that came before them, has the distinct markings of a
viral-marketing campaign. Let's look at the facts.
First, all four videos -- French,
Japanese and two American editions -- were posted to the YouTube
accounts of users bobtel08 and benzin513 (with French descriptions) within several days of one another.
Second, a cryptic bit of commentary posted alongside one of the
videos says: "We tried but didn't make it ... maybe only with phone
brands or models???" It could be a subtle hint to get viewers to notice
the phones more than the stunt. And, indeed, several comments have
suggested the phones all appear to be similar makes and models,
possibly Nokias or Sony Ericsson mobiles.
For now, however, the clandestine origin of the videos is under
wraps. Bobtel08, benzin513 and Nokia did not immediately respond to
Wired.com's requests for comment, and a representative from Sony
Ericsson North America said he wasn't aware of the videos at all.
apparently cooking kernels of popcorn with their cellphones have been
viewed more than a million times since they were uploaded last week.
The clever parlor trick (see embedded clip) looks amazing enough,
but there's a hitch: It's not physically possible, according to
University of Virginia physics professor Louis Bloomfield.
"[The videos] are cute," said Bloomfield in a phone conversation Monday. "But that's never gonna happen."
In a microwave oven, energy excites the water inside popcorn kernels
until it turns into highly pressurized gas, causing the kernels to pop.
If mobile phones emitted that much energy, the water in the fingers of
people holding them would heat up.
"It would hurt like crazy," Bloomfield said. "Cellphones probably
warm your tissues, but studies indicate that's not injurious."
Bloomfield, author of How Everything Works: Making Physics Out of the Ordinary, dismissed theories bubbling up in comment threads about the videos that suggest harmonious vibrations are heating
the corn.
"Ringing the phones doesn't help because they're interfering with
each other and receiving a signal [from a cellphone tower] -- not transmitting it," he said.
Furthermore, while it is possible to heat with sound, it's not likely
to happen at the low volume emitted by a mobile phone. "It would be
like gathering opera singers together to sing, and trying to make the
corn pop," Bloomfield said.
So, what's really causing the kernels to ricochet off the table in the YouTube clips?
Bloomfield suggests tricky video editing or
even a covert heating element beneath the table. Debunker website Snopes.com also points out that cooking popcorn with cellphones is impossible (same goes for eggs).
The popcorn videos, like the slew of YouTube clips showcasing ordinary
people performing extraordinary feats that came before them, has the distinct markings of a
viral-marketing campaign. Let's look at the facts.
First, all four videos -- French,
Japanese and two American editions -- were posted to the YouTube
accounts of users bobtel08 and benzin513 (with French descriptions) within several days of one another.
Second, a cryptic bit of commentary posted alongside one of the
videos says: "We tried but didn't make it ... maybe only with phone
brands or models???" It could be a subtle hint to get viewers to notice
the phones more than the stunt. And, indeed, several comments have
suggested the phones all appear to be similar makes and models,
possibly Nokias or Sony Ericsson mobiles.
For now, however, the clandestine origin of the videos is under
wraps. Bobtel08, benzin513 and Nokia did not immediately respond to
Wired.com's requests for comment, and a representative from Sony
Ericsson North America said he wasn't aware of the videos at all.
readiculous
Member
pwned