That Constant Electronic Chatter!

Have you ever noticed how — if you leave your mobile phone somewhere near your computer — there is a constant dose of electronic "static" feedback going through your speakers?

I had paused my music for a phone call, and in the silence after the call, I really became aware of just how much activity is flowing through my phone, even when it is shut off!

Mostly, we tend to not notice this, because we have ambient noise in our space, and that quiet static is drowned out.

But it's definitely there, and it only takes a little listening to realize that it's actually not static because there are distinct patterns to it, almost like morse code.

I'm by no means what you'd call a "conspiracy theorist," but I do fnd myself wondering whether this constant barrage of electronic signals is bad for us, or at least affects us, in some way.

I remember many people in our neighborhood getting very upset and protesting when the electric company sent out a notice that they were going to install so-called "smart meters" in our area.

It still looks like an electric meter, but nobody every "reads the meter" anymore. Instead, it sends a short radio pulse to an antenna in the nearby foothills, every three minutes, giving the latest update on our electricity consumption.

Odd how "meter readers" have become part of the history books, and yet the fact that six people in our district no longer have those jobs (and thus don't have to be PAID) does not exempt us from regular price increases in our services!

So we have those smart meters, adding to the electronic chatter.

From our back deck, we can see the distant coastline... and there is one tree over there that is substantially taller than all it's peers... because it's not actually a tree, but a microwave relay tower, designed to look like a spruce tree.

I've been near that tower.. almost 450 feet tall, compared to the 250-odd feet of an old douglas fir. You're not fooling me!

Meanwhile, Elon Musk is putting thousands of satellites into low Earth orbit... with *(I suppose) the aspiration of some day controlling all the information flow in the world.

We think we know all this stuff is harmless... but sometimes I can't help but wonder whether it really is.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!

How about you? Do you think all these electronic transmissions are harmless? Or is there such a thing as "too much?" Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2024.08.27 00:15PDT
x830/2064