[AT] Waaay OT

[Larry D. Goss]

I know just enough about this subject to be REALLY dangerous.  Have any
of you heard anything about this?  Or is this simply someone's wishful
thinking?

SUPPOSEDLY, some "farmer" somewhere discovered that he didn't have cell
phone reception when he was in his barn.  He then discovered that the
lack of reception was associated with a bar of cold hardened copper he
was using as a door stop (or some similar mundane use).  He has
discovered a way of putting the cold hardened copper into paint so it
can be applied to ordinary walls in office buildings, schools, churches,
theaters, funeral parlors...  Think of the possibilities! -- to
automatically keep cell phones from disturbing meetings or events held
in certain locations simply by covering the walls with a special paint.

Is there any truth to this?  I'm well aware that the ordinary way of
hardening copper is to cold work it, so what's with the "cold hardened"
emphasis in the story?  And what's the hardening of copper got to do
with it blocking cell phone signals -- but not pagers?  And why copper
instead of lead?  Or is the whole thing a shaggy dog story?

FWIW, I heard this story from a saxophone player.  Under normal
conditions, he's a rational human being, but he is (after all) a
musician!  Now before any of you jump my case about "musician bashing",
keep in mind that I'm married to a musician.  And she plays saxophone.

Larry